Thomas Brent

An independent expert group recommends a ‘commando operation’ to urgently cut the bureaucracy that leaves young researchers spending up to 50% of their time on administration, and for more diversified and sustainable funding for France’s largest research organisation

Three universities in Widening countries are under investigation, including the University of Zagreb, where a dean of faculty and 28 others were arrested on suspicion of fraud involving €1.7M of EU funds

As things stand, the country’s national contact points have to juggle their day jobs with helping researchers to win funding. Creating a professional network is now on the cards, but it may take some time

Voluntary initiatives have failed to ensure mutual recognition of qualifications across the EU. MEPs should be given greater authority to set quality standards and promote seamless mobility of students, says Sabine Verheyen MEP, chair of the education committee

The dean of the geodesy faculty and a fellow professor are accused of stealing from projects funded through the European Regional Development Fund and the EU Solidarity Fund

French MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield has a ‘creative’ answer to the current stalemate, saying rule of law concerns could be circumvented by handing the management of EU research funding to an independent body

After a slow start, the new instrument allowing partners in Widening countries to join a project after it starts is beginning to have an impact – but reservations remain about the way the scheme is being run

The 15-year-old plan to help Europe transition to cleaner energy sources has been updated to match new climate objectives. Now, the industry says it needs political commitment to make an impact

Draft documents seen by Science|Business suggest governments want to strike a different balance between basic and applied research, more strategic international cooperation, and better synergy with other funding streams in the next EU research programme

A retrospective analysis of proposals under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions scheme feeds into the push for more emphasis on qualitative research assessment, but more studies are needed