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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CESAER university group says the EU should have a more ambitious budget for Erasmus+, to keep promoting long-term, cross-border cooperation and innovation in education and training over the 2028-2034 period.
As the European Commission prepares to reveal the EU’s next long-term budget, the universities are recommending that the budget for Erasmus+ should be tripled.
Read the full statement here.
The prize recognises citizen contribution to science, through initiatives that enact change and address social, political, cultural and environmental challenges.
“The winners of this year’s EU Prize for Citizen Science show that science can thrive when everyone – including groups that are often less heard – gets involved,” research commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva said in a statement.
For its third edition, the EU Prize for Citizen Science awarded the ‘Grand Prize,’ worth €60,000, to the project HEROINES, the Digital Communities prize, worth €20,000, to Antiquake Risk Hunter Community, and the Diversity & Collaboration prize, worth €20,000, to Museum of Food Waste – MoFWaste.
More details here.
The European Commission has launched a call for expressions of interest to join the Sounding Board, an advisory panel working on making improvements to the Horizon Results Platform, the main portal showcasing and promoting results from EU-funded research and innovation projects.
The panel, which will be composed of 20 to 25 members, will advise and support the Commission “with a view to create a single digital entry point for European innovators, investors, and service providers to find, compare and access funding programmes, services and infrastructure,” the Commission statement reads.
Interested candidates can apply before July 15.
More details here.
A group of European academic organisations and lobby groups are calling on Europe to protect researchers and students at risk and promote academic freedom and autonomy.
The signatories, which include Inspireurope+, MSCA4Ukraine and SAFE, urged the EU to show support to researchers under the next long-term budget, which is set to be presented on July 16, and set up a permanent European fellowship scheme for researchers at risk that could be integrated in, or related to, Choose Europe for Science.
Read the full statement here.
CESAER university group is calling for “a bold, systemic approach” for the upcoming European Innovation Act, which Ekaterina Zaharieva plans on deploying under her mandate as research commissioner.
“The forthcoming European Innovation Act presents a once-in-a-decade opportunity to build a robust, integrated innovation ecosystem that links frontier research with start-ups, scale-ups, mature industries, and broader society,” CESAER wrote in a statement.
Read the full statement here.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) has opened a call worth €16.25 million for MSCA and Citizens, a scheme that aims to bring scientific research closer to the public.
A few changes have been made to the call, including an increased ceiling amount per project and a new evaluation procedure.
The call, which will fund over 40 projects, will close on October 22.
More details here.
The European Commission has appointed Bernard Magenhann as the new director general of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), its in-house science service.
A French national, Magenhann has over 20 years of experience working in the Commission, including on digital transformation, nuclear research and data governance. He has been serving the JRC since 2020.
The appointment will take effect on July 1.
Read the full statement here.
Finland should improve support schemes for SMEs support, to keep promising companies within the national ecosystem, according to a report from the European Commission’s Policy Support Facility.
The report also notes that Finland should strengthen incentives for universities to work with businesses and increase the role of sectoral ministries in supporting R&I policies.
The proposed reforms would help Finland achieve its plan to boost national R&D expenditure to 4% of GDP by 2030.
Read the full review here.
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced that €721 million in funding would go to the 281 researchers across Europe who won its latest Advanced Grant competition.
The grantees, who are based in 23 EU member states and associated countries, will cover scientific fields ranging from developing a preventive vaccine for hereditary breast cancer to exploring the hidden oceans on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
“In the next competition rounds, scientists moving to Europe will receive even greater support in setting up their labs and research teams here,” research commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva said in a statement.
However, Maria Leptin, president of the ERC, pointed out that once again many applicants “remained unfunded” due to a limited budget. Leptin has previously decried budget limitations at the ERC, which receives more excellent applications than it has the money to fund.
The deadline for the next round for the ERC Advanced Grants is August 28.
Read the full statement here.
The two joint degree programmes MERGED and M3EP, organised by the 4EU+ university alliance, have received more applications than expected.
MERGED, or master’s in global environment and development, received 814 eligible applications out of 1,155 in total from citizens in 93 different countries. M3EP, known as master’s in European environmental economics and policy, received 472 eligible applications for its first-ever intake.
“The huge number of applications [. . .] reflects young people’s willingness to engage with positive change and to push the green agenda forward,” Carsten Smith-Hall, MERGED coordinator and head of studies at the University of Copenhagen, said in a statement.
Read the full statement here.
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