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

The European University Association (EUA), the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO), and Science Europe are calling on the EU to allocate a budget €200 billion for the 10th Framework Programme for research and innovation due to start in 2028.  

“Increasing the budget for FP10 to €200 billion is especially critical to enable Europe to find solutions to pressing societal challenges,” the three lobby groups said in a joint letter to EU research commissioner Iliana Ivanova. The budget of the current EU research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, stands at €95.5 billion.  

Beyond the budget demand, the three groups say the European Commission should refrain from reallocating money from the framework programme to other priority areas. It is not unusual for the Commission to reallocate resources within its multiannual budget but, over the past few years research money was frequently rerouted to new instruments which tackled emerging crises, from COVID-19 to semiconductor shortages and worries over EU’s defence capabilities.  

According to the letter, budget shifts to other policy purposes, that are not necessarily linked to research and innovation, can put at risk the long-term planning of EU R&D policies.  

“We highlight the need to ring-fence the programme’s budget to safeguard it from yearly discussions in the context of the MFF negotiations and shifts between the different programme components and EU priorities. In addition, introducing any new priority to the programme should be accompanied by additional financial resources.” 

The full letter is available here.  

EU Parliament calls for legislation protecting the freedom of scientific research 

The European Parliament has adopted a series of recommendations to the Commission on the promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU. 

“The failure to use its legal authority under the Treaties to protect the freedom of scientific research” represents “a serious abdication of its responsibility to uphold the rule of law in the Union,” the Parliament’s resolution states. It warns that “backsliding” of the right to scientific freedom threatens to undermine the development of a competitive European Research Area. 

MEPs are calling on the Commission to put forward a legally-binding act to create a legal framework, as a “starting point for the development of legal minimum standards for the freedom of scientific research through case-law from European courts, including the Court of Justice of the European Union.” 

The report from the EPP group’s Christian Ehler was adopted in plenary on 17 January by 461 votes to 34, with 140 abstentions.

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has published a report on the future of the EU bioeconomy, featuring policy recommendations which could contribute to the reform of the bioeconomy strategy, due later this year. 

The report is based on three workshops, during which stakeholders were invited to participate in a scientific role-playing game, during which they played out various future scenarios for the bioeconomy. 

Recommendations including supporting regional and rural development; establishing a coherent policy framework across sectors and at local, regional and national level; and investing in in education and awareness raising.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has appointed Federica Zanca as the programme manager for the fields of medical imaging and artificial intelligence in healthcare. 

“With over 23 years of experience in the field, Federica Zanca stands as a distinguished senior clinical medical physicist and scientist dedicated to advancing medical imaging and MedTech,” the EIC wrote in its announcement. 

Her previous roles include professor in medical physics at KU Leuven, chief scientist and director at GE Healthcare, and chair of the working group on AI in healthcare for the European Federation of Medical Physics. 

EIC programme managers are responsible for developing visions for technological and innovation breakthroughs, actively managing portfolios of EIC-funded projects, and bringing stakeholders together to achieve those visions.

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the award of 102 Proof of Concept grants, which help researchers to bridge the gap between their results and the early phases of commercialisation. 

It brings the total number of these grants awarded in last year’s three competition rounds to 240, with each worth €150,000. The grants are funded under the Horizon Europe programme. Germany will host the highest number of grants, with 40, followed by 30 in Spain and 26 in the UK. 

“With the help of ERC Proof of Concept grants, our grantees can go one step further and test the market potential of their basic research projects,” said ERC president Maria Leptin. 

Full details are available here.

A large majority of participants in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) intend to include environmental considerations in their research projects, a European Commission study has found, with 60% saying their institutions already have a strategy to promote sustainable research. 

Green practices include using teleconferencing to minimise travel, and trying to reduce energy and water consumption. 

However, less than half of respondents were aware of the European Green Deal, or of the MSCA Green Charter, which promotes sustainable research activities. 

Respondents also called for more guidance from host institutions and the Commission on how to adopt more sustainable practices in research and project management.

The US has said it will strengthen technology and science sharing with allies and partners as part of a broader strategy to bolster defence industrial capacity, in case of war.  

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently released its first ever National Defense Industrial Strategy, which includes a brief section advocating for technology sharing with allies.  

“The DoD will work with other federal agencies, including the Departments of State and Commerce, to enhance existing alliances and generate new and emphasize existing mechanisms for sharing technologies and applications of scientific knowledge with other partners and allies,” it says.  

These will include “joint programs” to “nurture and retain technological superiority”, with allies incorporated into DoD decision making processes.

The Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) has launched two new calls for proposals, IHI calls 6 and 7, addressing a wide range of challenges in health research and innovation. 

Close to €120 million in Horizon Europe money is now available for projects on the management of heart disease, validation of biomarkers for clinical use, assistance for healthcare workers in hospitals, helping patients stick with their medication, and guidance on the use of real-world data and evidence.  

“The next round of IHI calls represent not only great funding opportunities to deliver health innovations that truly serve citizens, but also demonstrate our joint commitment in addressing unmet medical needs through public-private partnership,” said IHI governing board chair Irene Norstedt.  

IHI call 6 (two-stage call) 

• Deadline for short proposals: 16 April 2024 

• More information and details of how to apply: www.ihi.europa.eu/apply-funding/ihi-call-6 

IHI call 7 (single-stage call) 

• Deadline for full proposals: 22 May 2024 

• More information and details of how to apply: www.ihi.europa.eu/apply-funding/ihi-call-7

The European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) launched today an open call for expression of interest to join the Critical Medicines Alliance. 

The commission aims to bring together stakeholders interested in working together on strengthening cooperation on health emergencies with national governments, industry and civil society. 

The Commission says the new alliance will help unlock manufacturing, contractual or financing solutions to allow better strategic autonomy for critical medicines. 

More details here. 

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will finance Northvolt's ‘gigafactory’ in Sweden with a total lending package of €942.6 million, hoping to give a boost to the innovative battery production facility.  

The financing is an important part of a $5 billion debt financing raised for the expansion of Northvolt’s plant in Skellefteå.  

€453.6 million of the EIB's financing package is provided under a guarantee issued by the Swedish National Debt Office Riksgälden, with a further €362.9 million guaranteed under the European Commission's InvestEU programme. Finally, €126.1 million of the full €942.6 million package will be provided by commercial banks in the form of intermediated lending to Northvolt. 

The expansion is expected to increase the annual output capacity for battery production to up to 60 gigawatts. The deal is the largest green loan raised in Europe to date. 

“Northvolt, our battery pioneer, showcases that the EU has what it takes to build an innovative, sustainable and globally competitive battery ecosystem,” said EU Commission executive vice-president Maroš Šefčovič. 

In 2018 the EIB supported the roll-out of Northvolt's demo-line with a €52.5 million loan supported by the European Union's InnovFin programme.