European Union

A new transatlantic alliance showcased its ambition to develop diagnostics for 8,000 rare diseases and double the number of registered Orphan drugs for rare conditions by 2020, at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) meeting in Washington

This change – and others - is needed to reinforce the ERC’s flexibility, efficiency and autonomy and to make it easier for researchers to apply for ERC grants

This week’s European Parliament vote to allow member states to ban cultivation of approved GM crops on environmental grounds undermines science-based decision-making system at an EU level, says Carel du Marchie Sarvaas of EuropaBio

A fund has been launched to back energy efficiency projects across Europe. Public investment of €265 million will be used to pull in private money, with the aim of reaching €800 million in total

Research policy will be a significant focus under Poland’s presidency of the EU beginning tomorrow. And there is a promise to maintain momentum on Single Patent

An expert group set up by the Commission has set out guidelines on giving European industry a competitive edge in deploying Key Enabling Technologies (KETs)

The European Commission’s latest update on its Innovation Union strategy says economic growth targets will not be met unless there is a great leap forward for innovation

A new position paper, “Funding for EU research and innovation from 2014: a UK perspective” looks at the future role and shape of EU R&D funding

Commitments to existing projects mean the EU will increase R&D spending in 2012, despite calls to match national austerity measures.

The EU’s proposal for a research project on Active and Healthy Ageing has struck a chord, with over 500 responses to the public consultation on what shape it should take and how it should be funded