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 Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), which supports SMEs on an international scale, have launched cooperation guidelines to coordinate their services and strengthen the European innovation ecosystem.
“This coordination will help companies navigate EU support more easily and access the expertise and opportunities they need to grow,” the EIT says in a statement.
More details here.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has launched the largest call to date under its Higher Education Initiative to boost education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
The call has a budget of up to €70 million, and up to €2 million available per project over 2026-28.
“Europe’s future depends on people – on the skills, creativity, and resilience of our students, academic staff, and researchers,” said Roxana Mînzatu, executive vice-president for social rights and skills, quality jobs and preparedness. “With this new call, we are investing directly in them, empowering universities to equip the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs with the future-ready skills Europe needs.”
More details here.
The European Commission has ended its consultation on the forthcoming European Innovation Act, which gathered more than 200 responses from stakeholders, including businesses, public authorities and academia.
Stakeholders pointed to the need for the EU to stimulate access to finance for start-ups and scale-ups as well as to research and technology infrastructures, to create an EU-wide framework for regulatory sandboxes, and to boost the commercialisation of publicly-funded research results.
The Commission will publish a proposal for an Innovation Act in 2026.
More details here.
The European Commission has launched three new opportunities under the Innovation Fund worth €5.2 billion, thanks to money coming from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) revenues.
The package allocates €2.9 billion for net-zero technology projects, €1.3 billion for renewable or low-carbon hydrogen production, and €1 billion for the decarbonisation of industrial process heat.
“By channeling €5.2 billion of EU ETS revenues into net-zero technologies, hydrogen and industrial heat decarbonisation, Europe is not just setting the stage for a greener future and technological leadership but investing in its own future,” said Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president for cleantech said in a statement. “This will support EU industry in becoming the global innovation leaders of tomorrow.”
More details here.
The European Parliament should get ready for a busy digital policy agenda in 2026, according to Henna Virkkunen, European Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty.
“While simplification is vital, we also need strong innovation and industrial policies,” she noted during a research committee’s meeting on December 3, pointing to forthcoming initiatives to strengthen competitiveness and technological sovereignty, including revisions to the cybersecurity act, a new digital networks legislation, and proposals for an EU cloud and AI development Act.
On November 18, the Commission presented a package of measures to cut red tape in data, AI and cybersecurity while maintaining the EU’s core digital standards.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the Hungarian government have signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding for Hungary to join the EIT’s Regional Innovation Booster pilot from 2026, which aims to provide targeted support to start-ups and scale-ups.
“This initiative will identify start-ups in Hungary with high innovation potential. These ventures will then be supported jointly by both national programmes and the EIT Community, in order to accelerate their growth and to deliver concrete solutions to citizens,” said Martin Kern, director of the EIT.
The scheme has already been piloted in Poland and Malta, as part of efforts to reduce regional innovation disparities across the EU.
More details here.
EU-funded BlueActionBANOS project has launched two major open calls to help support the “Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030” Mission across the Baltic and North Sea regions.
BlueActionBANOS is a four-year initiative that aims to provide funding, technical support and expert guidance to accelerate the transition towards a climate-neutral, circular blue economy.
More details here.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has opened a new community hub dedicated to the French Outermost Regions of Saint-Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte.
Based in Paris, the hub aims to boost competitiveness and ensure the integration of these territories into the European innovation landscape as part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme.
“We recognise the strong talent and capabilities these regions hold, representing invaluable contributions to Europe’s future,” said Ilaria Tagliavini, head of operations overseeing at the EIT innovation, communication and engagement. “We aim to enhance accessibility to support, nurture talent, and tackle local challenges.”
More details here.
Civil society and cleantech research groups are calling on the EU to stimulate the deployment of clean technologies through the upcoming European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the next iteration of Horizon Europe.
“Europe’s most ambitious companies [. . .] need a predictable and well-financed lab-to-scale pathway to match their ambition,” Ursula Woodburn, director of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, says in the joint letter addressed to several MEPs, including ECF co-rapporteurs Christian Ehler and Dan Nica.
The organisations recommend that the ECF provides innovators with more predictability, including through a binding budget for the clean transition and industrial decarbonisation envelope, as well as an evidence-based mechanism “to prioritise strategic clean technologies and tackle the most prominent climate investment gaps,” the letter reads.
More details here.
The second iteration of the EU Chips Act “must accelerate industrial deployment, enhance EU-wide coordination, commit to structural industry involvement, and create conditions that attract investment, innovation and talent,” the European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA) has said.
It comes after a European Commission consultation on the upcoming revision to the Chips Act, due in the first quarter of next year, closed on November 28.
ESIA is calling for a 10-year strategy supported by a dedicated semiconductor budget under the future European Competitiveness Fund, with more public-private cooperation and better alignment between R&D priorities and the needs of end users.
The Chips Joint Undertaking should be continued, with future pilot lines including industry from the earliest stages, it says.
Read the full statement here.
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