HORIZON BLOG: European R&D policy newsbytes (Archived_03)

The European Commission is calling for AI to be integrated into scientific practices more quickly and easily, to use the technology to push new research boundaries and create innovative businesses. 

The Commission wants fewer barriers blocking the use of AI in science, to identify strategic R&I investments to use the technology in scientific practices, to monitor how it will affect research careers and to better address AI-related ethical challenges in the scientific world. 

The Commission recently set up a new unit to develop EU policy on artificial intelligence in science and industry, called ‘E4: Industry 5.0 and AI in science’. This is the first policy report produced by the new unit. 

The newly published policy brief comes on the back of a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and Council on a draft version of the EU’s AI act, finalised on 9 December. 

Science and technology universities’ association Cesaer has published a paper summarising its input into how the EU’s next R&I framework programme should look. 

The paper is broken down into six considerations for Horizon Europe’s successor. This includes giving greater freedom to researchers and innovators, increasing overall funding to €200 billion, creating better synergies between various funding streams and increasing support for EU lagging countries, including potential new EU members. 

“For FP10 we should be bold and ambitious, and seek to break all previous financial or political barriers,” said Mattias Björnmalm, secretary general of Cesaer. “The key design considerations presented today would put us on the path to achieve that.”

EU governments are close to reaching an agreement on a joint position on the proposed dedicated rules on new genomic techniques. 

Under the European Commission’s July proposal, the EU’s restrictive rules on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will no longer apply to plants obtained using techniques such as CRISPR, as long as the modifications made are comparable to those that can be achieved using conventional breeding. 

This is important for science as the current rules restrict research and innovation. Scientists have been calling for change for years, pointing to mounting evidence that gene editing can safely make agriculture more efficient and therefore help further EU’s sustainability goals.

Some governments are still sceptical about the new less restrictive rules, but they appear to be nearing an agreement, which would allow them to head to negotiations on the final details of the proposal with the European Parliament.  

The current Spanish presidency of the EU Council strived to find an agreement by January but failed to get it past the voting threshold at the agriculture ministers’ meeting earlier this week. The work now continues with hopes to conclude the negotiations with the Parliament under the Belgian six-month presidency that starts in January, the Spanish presidency said on Monday. 

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to adopt its position on the proposed creation of a European Health Data Space, which aims to facilitate the sharing of health data across the EU.

This would apply to the primary use of data, meaning doctors could access the health records of patients visiting from another member state, as well as secondary use, meaning health data could be used for research purposes.

This is notably expected to enable more research into rare diseases, for which it is often difficult to assemble enough patients for clinical trials. MEPs voted to include the possibility for patients to opt-out from the secondary use of their data.

The Council agreed its position last week, and the first round of negotiations is due to begin on Thursday. Parliament hopes to reach a deal quickly so it can be adopted before EU elections in June.  

The European Parliament and EU member states have reached a deal allowing the EU’s Mediterranean research partnership to continue until at least 2027.  

The Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) connects the EU with the southern Mediterranean to tackle local challenges, such as effective water management and the development of a sustainable agri-food value chain. 

“PRIMA has become a crucial science diplomacy instrument for the EU towards North Africa and the Middle East,” said Diana Morant Ripoll, Spain’s science and innovation minister. An agreement on the project extension was one of the main aims of the current Spanish EU presidency.  

The agreement tops up the budget for the next three years but does not change the scope of the initiative.  

Eindhoven University of Technology is joining forces with Korea’s semiconductor industry to foster talent in the field.

The first step is setting up Winter Academy, a week-long training course for top talent from South Korea and the Netherlands that will take place this February. Future plans include a structured talent development programme.

The European Commission has appointed Wolfgang Philipp as chief science officer in the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), a department set up during the COVID-19 pandemic to to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to health emergencies.

Philipp, a German national, holds a PhD in microbiology of the Institut Pasteur/University of Paris and has 22 years of experience in the fields of health, biology, and food safety.

During the 2020-21 pandemic he helped coordinate the emerging public health response to COVID-19, particularly in the implementation of vaccine contracts, negotiation of joint procurements for drugs and diagnostics, and revising relevant legislation on cross-border health threats.

The town of Katowice in southwest Poland has published an agenda for a flurry of events scheduled for next year, after being selected as European City of Science for 2024. 

This prestigious title is awarded by EuroScience (European Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology) in cooperation with the European Commission. 

The title has been awarded thanks to the efforts of the City of Katowice and seven public universities forming the Academic Consortium Katowice City of Science. 

More details here. 

The chair of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Jana Kolar has today officially handed over her position to successor José Luis Martínez, who will be the 8th leader of the forum since it was established in 2002.

Martinez has vowed to better integrate Europe's large research labs into "new paradigms and priorities" of the EU. 
His term will officially start on January 1st with a two-year duration.

The European Commission has for the first time published a list of critical medicines, as part of ongoing efforts to prevent shortages.

The list contains more than 200 active substances used in medicines, and does not indicate that shortages are likely in the near future, but that it is of critical importance to prevent shortages since the medicine cannot be easily replaced. It includes vaccines, antibiotics such as amoxicillin, and medicines for rare diseases.

It was developed with the European Medicines Agency and member states, and will be expanded in 2024, then reviewed annually.

The EU first proposed to draw up a list as part of the pharmaceutical reform package currently under discussions, but its publication has been fast-tracked. That reform seeks to strengthen the resilience of supply chains and proposes earlier notification of shortages and more EU coordination.