R&D policy

The Commission’s new ‘Task Force EIC’ would include staffers from both its research and SME agencies, as part of a major restructuring of the EU’s research organisation

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

Salary thresholds proposed for the UK’s post-Brexit visa system would lock out skilled laboratory technicians. ‘Without them the science we do here would be impossible,’ says Paul Nurse, director of the Crick Institute in London

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

A drop in government share of global R&D spending sparks alarm – even as political anxiety over the future of technology rises. More than 40 per cent of global R&D is now performed by just 200 companies

At Council meeting, EU member states agree on the programme’s ‘fundamental aspects’, Commissioner says. But they are still debating the details

After the prolonged and – as yet undelivered – promise of a managed process, the UK is bracing for a rocky, no-deal Brexit. We are doing the best we can to find a way through it, a recent Science|Business meeting heard

Talent mobility can involve crossing borders – but there are lots of other ways the EU could promote movement of smart people, a Science|Business conference heard.  Targeted measures are needed in Horizon Europe

Insistence on excellence in its grant selections has made the European Research Council a leading global brand. But there are lots of ways to define what excellence is, a Science|Business conference hears.

European Commission research chief Jean-Eric Paquet tells Science|Business conference he expects interest from 20-30 countries for associate membership in next research programme