Horizon Europe is well underway, but the world of European R&D policy goes well beyond the confines of the €95.5 billion R&D programme. EU climate, digital, agriculture and regional policies all have significant research and innovation components. 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 EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has launched a database listing applications use EU satellite data and can support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
The listed applications use data from the EU’s global navigation and earth observation programmes Galileo and Copernicus to aid non-governmental organisations, for example, by supporting drone deliveries of medical goods and helping integrate people fleeing the war in EU countries.
The page also offers NGOs and other organisations matchmaking opportunities with innovators and start-ups. To be added to the list, innovators can send EUSPA an application describing their project. More information will be shared in a webinar on 12 April.
The report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) lists the latest developments non-animal approaches to testing chemicals and biomedical research as well as its new education efforts within field.
The report complements the European Commission’s latest response to the European Parliament’s calls for a step-by-step phase out of animal alternatives.
The EU’s newest start-up funding will now have experts managing its project portfolios in space, quantum technology and electronics, construction and artificial intelligence, and food and agri-tech.
The move doubles the number of programme managers working with the European Innovation Council (EIC) to develop strategies for funding breakthrough technologies in their respective fields.
For the next four years, Franc Mouwen will be responsible for construction and AI, Samira Nik for quantum and electronics projects, Ivan Stefanic for food and agri-tech, and Stela Tkatchova for space.
The European Commission awarded 144 doctoral programmes €405 million in the first doctoral networks call under Horizon Europe’s the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).
The selected programmes, both in academia and industry, will train over 1500 doctoral candidates. Almost a third will train students in ICT and engineering, 24% in life sciences and 13% in chemistry, followed by other fields.
The 18 industrial doctorates will support candidates in areas such as development of fast-charging stations for electric mobility, AI for microelectronics and 6G technologies. Ten joint doctoral programmes will receive funding to investigate the treatment of Alzheimer’s and glaucoma among other topics.
The next call for MSCA’s doctoral networks funding is set to open on 12 May.
The WorkInHealth Foundation is looking to raise €2 million for campaigns seeking to attract and upskill tech workers in the healthcare sector.
EIT Health, the EU-supported network of health innovators, launched the foundation in November in response to an increasing demand for tech talent in healthcare. It hopes to create an AI platform that matches workers with employers across Europe.
The network will look for sponsors among its partners, which includes French healthcare company Sanofi and tech giant Atos, as well as big US-based tech companies Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft.
“It’s clear that there is an urgent need for the industry to attract and retain different forms of talent as well as accelerating, upskilling, and reskilling,” said Celine Carrera, chairwoman of the WorkInHealth Foundation. “It’s going to take a collective effort to develop flexible and exciting career paths and find the best talent to fill them.”
Master level students from any university in the EU can now apply to observe the evaluation of proposals submitted under the EU research programme Horizon Europe.
The initiative is part of the European Year of Youth which sees the European Commission running various programmes seeking to provide young citizens with opportunities to boost personal and professional skills, including in the research sector.
The seven projects will deploy innovative low-carbon technologies on an industrial scale, aiming to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 76 million tonnes during the next decade.
The projects will cover technologies in hydrogen, steel, chemicals, cement, solar energy, biofuels, and carbon capture and storage sectors.
The European Innovation Fund behind the €1.1 billion investment pools money from the proceeds of the EU emission allowances trading system. Its second call for proposals launched yesterday.
The general assembly of the COST Association has unanimously agreed to welcome Ukraine and Georgia as its latest members.
The decision was taken in Paris today, rounding up the number of COST member states to 40.
“The admission of Georgia and Ukraine as COST Full Members underpins the key role of COST in facilitating integration to the European research and innovation landscape," said Alain Beretz, President of the COST Association.
"COST aims to foster open and inclusive networks of excellence in all scientific fields, and through their membership Georgian and Ukrainian researchers will be able to take a proactive role in proposals for future COST Actions," said Beretz.
The European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) will use the funds to support scientists fleeing the war and help Ukrainian universities, academies and research institutes continue their work and rebuild scientific facilities.
The funds will be made available through a Europe-wide call this spring. It will offer finance for new and existing positions for postdoctoral researchers and associate or full professors affiliated with Ukrainian institutions.
The $1.5 million donation is provided by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, the organisation behind the Breakthrough Prize which recognises the world’s top scientists, known as the Oscars of science. It is part of a continuing collaboration between the foundation and European science academies.
The projects will run up to eight years, allowing researchers to delve into pressing issues such as treatment of multiple injuries to the body occurring at the same time and novel approaches to self-healing materials.
The German Research Foundation (DFG) also agreed to extend the grants for seven existing research teams. In total, it is currently funding 174 such research units, 14 centres tailored for humanities and social sciences, and 14 clinical research units.
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