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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BE READY, the European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness, has opened its first joint transnational call supported by 21 funding organisations.
“This call will support innovative, collaborative, interdisciplinary and transnational research projects aiming for a better understanding of the pandemic potential of emerging pathogens, elucidating the pathophysiology induced by these pathogens, and developing innovative medical countermeasures,” the statement says.
More details here.
The Clean Hydrogen partnership has published its 2026 call for proposals, making €105 million in lump sum grants available across 21 topics.
The call “targets wider applications, better fuel cell performance and improved electrolysis efficiency, while addressing costs, durability, safety and infrastructure,” said executive director Valérie Bouillon-Delporte.
It includes €25 million for Hydrogen Valleys, supporting regional ecosystems that connect hydrogen production, distribution and end uses; €16 million for renewable hydrogen production; and €17.5 million for hydrogen storage and distribution.
The call will open on February 10 and close on April 15.
More details here.
TP Organics, the European Technology Platform for research and innovation into organics and agroecology, has called on EU institutions to ensure that the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the new Horizon Europe have “a credible architecture” for investments in sustainable food systems.
“Agriculture and food systems must be treated as core economic sectors – not as residual policy areas,” the group says in a statement. “Yet in the architecture proposed by the multiannual financial framework, agri-food risks being crowded by broader industrial and technological priorities.”
More details here.
The Pilot Cities Programme under the NetZeroCities call, led by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) climate community hub Climate KIC, has involved more than 184,000 citizens across 52 European pilot cities for an estimated reduction potential of over 418,000 tonnes of carbon.
The programme, which has been testing systemic approaches to rapid decarbonisation over two years, trained over 1,400 public officers, created 256 new jobs and launched 40 follow-up projects.
“The next phase will bring its own challenges, but cities now have a stronger sense of direction, deeper partnerships and the evidence that a different future is not just necessary but achievable,” Joanna Kiernicka-Allavena, deputy head of the cities team at Climate KIC, said in a statement.
More details here.
Industry group Waterborne Technology Platform says the European Commission should establish a co-programmed partnership focused on water-related technologies under the next iteration of Horizon Europe.
“The proposed partnership will address the full innovation value chain, from fundamental research through to deployment, with a strong emphasis on upscaling solutions and bridging the ‘valley of death’,” said Jaap Gebraad, secretary general of Waterborne Technology Platform. “Research, development, innovation and deployment will be structured around interconnected pillars.”
More details here.
The European Commission is inviting researchers, innovators and national contact points from Azerbaijan and Moldova to participate in a three-day proposal writing camp and expert consultations.
For Azerbaijanis, the camp will take place in Baku from February 9 to 13; for Moldovans, in Chisinau from February 16 to 18.
“The training will focus on collaborative research project proposals to be submitted under the Horizon Europe work programme 2026-2027 under Pillar II, but will also cover other funding instruments such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under Pillar I,” the Commission said in a statement.
Pillar III will also be included in the training dedicated to Moldovan researchers and innovators.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has opened its 2026 Global Awards competition, which will reward start-ups and SMEs using intellectual property as a strategic asset to scale up.
In total, 11 companies will be recognised, including 10 prizes across all sectors of the economy and one thematic prize for SMEs in sports.
The deadline for submissions is March 31.
More details here.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has received 327,735 new applications for EU trade marks and EU designs in 2025, a record annual number of intellectual property applications since 1996.
EU trade marks made up for the largest share of applications, of which more than 57% were submitted by applicants in the EU member states led by Germany, Italy and Spain. Outside the EU, applications from China accounted for almost 16% of all EU trade marks, 9% for the US and 4.2% for the UK.
“Together, these trends confirm the continued relevance of the EUTM system for businesses operating both within and beyond the European Union,” the EUIPO said in a statement.
More details here.
The European Commission has launched two calls under the “Digital, Industry and Space” cluster of Horizon Europe with €307.3 million in funding, as part of efforts to boost the EU’s strategic autonomy.
A budget of €221.8 million will go to an initiative focusing on the development of trustworthy artificial intelligence services, innovative data services, and securing the EU’s strategic autonomy. An additional €85.5 million will fund a second call dedicated to supporting open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging technologies and raw materials.
The deadline for submitting applications is April 15.
More details here.
The European Commission has opened two consultations to gather feedback on the obstacles faced by EU venture and growth capital funds, as part of its work to facilitate their access to finance and expansion under the Savings and Investments Union and the Startup and Scaleup Strategy.
The first consultation is addressed to fund managers, businesses, institutional investors, public authorities and supervisors, and the second is opened to the public.
The two consultations are open until March 12.
More details here.
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