Innovation gap

Romanian MEP and former deputy prime minister Dan Nica tells Science|Business that Romania and other member states should make more effort to reach the EU target of spending 3% of GDP on research.

The research commissioner calls on researchers to build a stronger role for science in society, and to put more pressure on policy makers

Big push is needed in Horizon Europe to spread excellence and help research in EU13 member states catch up with the west

Poland’s higher education overhaul has given universities greater autonomy and could see them take over tasks of the academy. Now the academy needs a more flexible structure to keep pace in the changing research and innovation system

Parliament’s rapporteurs seeking a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with the EU Council – but ‘we haven’t found the second gentleman yet’

President of Germany’s biggest science organisation sounds the alarm on falling science investment in more than half of EU member states

EU 13 university heads say cost and complexity of winning EU grants means they can’t compete with wealthier peers. But a Commission official tells them to shape up their national support systems if they want to become more successful

As newer EU member states complain about brain drain, innovation expert Anita Tregner Mlinaric says increasing salaries is just one part of the answer to luring them home. National research ecosystems need to improve

Budget delay puts ‘extremely high’ pressure on Romanian universities, vice rectors say

Researchers urge the government to speed up debate and approval of 2019 budget. Projects already approved could be interrupted for weeks, or months, they say