R&D policy

Initial steps in implementing a new look European Research Area, progress on Horizon Europe association of Switzerland and the UK, France’s Council presidency pushing to ensure EU technology sovereignty and warmer transatlantic R&D relations, are all on the cards

Academics warn ultra-powerful foundation models that can be adapted to a range of tasks risk infecting all AI systems with biases, security flaws and opacity. The EU’s proposed AI act may not be up to mitigating this threat

Horizon Europe rapporteur Christian Ehler MEP, says freeing up €369M unspent money from the predecessor research programme is a matter of “political will”

First impressions of Horizon Europe are in, as the research world gets to grips with the €95.5B research programme.

Deadline: January 24

Research ministers tell the Commission to make sure any new initiatives that involve taking money from Horizon Europe are first subject to political discussions within the EU’s formal decision-making process

Pact approved by the EU Council is intended as the political guide to creating a single market for research. But targets it sets are non-binding and implementation is left in the hands of national governments

Research associations warn against using lump sum funding more broadly across the R&D programme. But Commission says the evidence is this one-size-fits-all route cuts red tape and reduces accounting errors

Reversing Trump-era isolationism, Washington announces new science collaborations with funding agencies in Bern and Ottawa – and upcoming meetings with Brazil, France, India, Japan and Korea