This live blog is tracking the latest developments in European research and innovation programmes, including the broader debate on the future of R&D policy and funding in the next multiannual budget due to start in 2028. Beyond that, we look at other EU policies with significant research and innovation components in climate, digital, agriculture and regional development. In addition, national governments often come up with new R&D policies, decide to fund new research avenues, and set up international cooperation deals. This blog aims to keep you informed on all of that and more.
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The European Commission has launched a call for evidence and a public consultation to gather feedback on the upcoming European Innovation Act, which aims to facilitate the commercialisation of innovations.
Stakeholders can submit position papers until October 3.
More details here.
Industry group Waterborne Technology Platform has established a working group to prepare a roadmap that will serve as input for the next research and innovation Framework Programme.
“A joint and coordinated approach towards research, development, innovation and its deployment will be key to achieve the objectives of the upcoming industrial waterborne and port strategies,” said secretary general Jaap Gebraad. “With a view to the negotiations on Framework Programme 10 and the related European Competitiveness Fund, the establishment of the working group is very timely,” he said.
The group is chaired by Hildegunn McLernon, senior vice-president of technology strategy and portfolio at Kongsberg Maritime, a Norwegian marine technology company.
More details here.
The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities is calling on the European Commission to show transparency on the Erasmus+ programme, preserve its bottom-up nature and boost mobility and long-term multilateral cooperation.
While the organisation welcomes the proposed €40.8-billion budget for the programme, it believes that it is “the bare minimum” to meet Europe’s strategic needs. It also expects clarity from the Commission on its main features, the scope of new initiatives such as STEM scholarships, and its governance. Meanwhile, Erasmus+ must remain global, it adds.
“By fostering mobility, exchange and partnership – within Europe and beyond – Erasmus+ has made a pivotal contribution to the skills and competences of its population – and to Europe’s standing in the world,” said Jan Palmowski, secretary general of The Guild.
More details here.
The European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has inaugurated its second quantum computer, VLQ, as the result of a consortium made of Czechia, Finland Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
VLQ is hosted and operated by IT4Innovations in Ostrava, Czechia, and supplied by IQM Quantum Computers.
“The VLQ quantum computer will serve a broad spectrum of European users – from academic institutions and industrial companies to the public sector,” said Branislav Jansik, director of Supercomputing Services at IT4Innovations. “It will primarily support research and innovation, and its capacities will be accessible to all users across Europe via EuroHPC JU.”
More details here.
The European Union has launched the partnership on “One Health Antimicrobial Resistance” with a budget of €253 million, including €75 million from Horizon Europe, in efforts to reduce antimicrobial use and resistance.
Coordinated by the Swedish Research Council, the ten-year programme will seek to develop joint transnational calls for collaborative research, strengthen research capacity in participating countries and align national and European efforts.
“This partnership embodies our commitment to step up, innovate, and protect the foundations of modern medicine,” EU research Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva said in a statement.
More details here.
More than half of the participants in a European Commission survey said that they were unfamiliar with the Codes of Practice for knowledge valorisation, which provides guidance to research and innovation players.
“This suggests that stronger efforts are needed to raise awareness of the Codes,” the Commission says, adding that once familiarised with the Codes through the survey, most of these respondents considered them useful and 48% of them were already planning to use them in the future.
More details here.
The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is recommending on the European Commission to ensure that its EU visa policy ensures smooth mobility by reducing legislation burdens and make the process more transparent and fairer, all the while maintaining strong security standards.
“Visa rules directly shape the EU’s ability to attract and retain international students, researchers, and highly skilled professionals, while also enabling collaboration with partners worldwide,” LERU says.
The organisation also hopes to see the Commission align the visa strategy with other EU policy frameworks, including the upcoming European Research Area Act.
More details here.
In response to the European Commission’s proposal for the successor to Horizon Europe, the Alliance of German Science Organisations is calling on the EU to boost R&I investments and strengthen FP10 governance at the interface with the European Competitiveness Fund.
When it comes to R&I investments, the alliance is urging the Commission to secure a budget of €200 billion and increase that of Erasmus+ to support student mobility across Europe. It also hopes to see the EU to better involve the R&I community in efforts to articulate FP10 and the new Competitiveness Fund.
More details here.
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