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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Skeleton Technologies, a company supported by InnoEnergy, one of the communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), has opened a new factory in Markranstädt, Germany, to support European electrical grids and emerging artificial intelligence infrastructures.
“The plant manufactures our latest graphene-based supercapacitors, [. . .] enabling AI data centres to cut total electricity consumption by 44% by smoothing power peaks and reducing stress on the electrical grid,” Taavi Madiberk, CEO and co-founder of Skeleton Technologies, said in a statement.
The facility is designed for an annual output of up to 12 million cells.
More details here.
The European Commission has opened a public survey for stakeholders to help develop a Charter of Access for industrial users to research and technology infrastructures.
“Industry needs cutting-edge research, technology facilities, and expertise to rapidly develop, test, scale, and validate new products and services, to increase productivity, create quality jobs and attract talent and investments,” the Commission says.
More details here.
The European Commission will allocate over €43 million to 15 new mobility projects under the European Research Area (ERA) Talents action, which aims to boost talent mobility across sectors and collaborations between academia and business in Widening countries.
“The projects will support career building and raise employability of research and innovation talent across sectors,” the European Research Executive Agency says in a statement.
More details here.
The European Research Council (ERC) has selected 349 mid-career researchers to receive €728 million in Consolidator Grants on topics ranging from powered protein motors to quantum-based sepsis detection to the decline of the Late Roman Empire.
“This was one of the most competitive ERC calls ever, with record demand and also many excellent projects left unfunded. It is yet another reminder of how urgent the call for increased EU investment in frontier research has become,” said Maria Leptin, president of the ERC.
More details here.
The European Union and Lebanon have signed an agreement to continue cooperation under the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), which will allow the country to take part in joint research projects over 2025-27.
“Lebanon has shown that even in challenging circumstances, its scientific community keeps delivering. With this agreement, we are not starting a new chapter, we are reinforcing a partnership that already works and that matters for the Mediterranean,” said Ekaterina Zaharieva, EU research commissioner.
Key challenges in the region include water management, sustainable agriculture, food security and climate resilience.
More details here.
The European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, ALLEA, welcomes the provisional agreements reached on new genomic techniques (NGTs) in early December, citing their potential to reduce environmental pressures and support plant adaptation to climate change.
ALLEA has previously underlined the need for “clarity, proportionate regulation, and transparency, including in relation to intellectual-property aspects” on gene-editing methods. “The new framework’s distinction between different categories of NGT plants, as well as its provisions for greater clarity around IP issues, reflect several of these considerations,” it says.
More details here.
The 2025 pilot initiative of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions’ (MSCA) Choose Europe for Science has received 58 proposals from researchers seeking more attractive working conditions in Europe.
The proposals came from 18 countries, and 49 were considered eligible.
More details here.
The board of the European Innovation Council (EIC) has launched an open call for expression of interest to find an independent fund manager that will act as investment adviser and portfolio manager of the Scaleup Europe Fund.
The €5-billion fund, which will aim to provide promising start-ups with the late-stage growth capital they need to become global champions, is due to make its first investments in spring 2026. It is set to be part of the EIC Fund structure, but “with a fully private owned and market-based fund manager,” the EIC says.
More details here.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) has received proposals from 349 Ukrainian tech SMEs and start-ups seeking a total of €164 million in financial support.
According to the EIC, about 40 projects are expected to obtain funding, particularly women-led enterprises.
More details here.
The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed an agreement to support the deployment of AI gigafactories across the EU.
The deal includes a framework to speed up the financing and development of the infrastructures. The EIB will also provide guidance for projects that will be submitted to a dedicated call expected in early 2026.
More details here.
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