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.
If you have any tips, please email them at [email protected].
You can read the full archive of this blog here.
The EU and Morocco have signed an agreement to continue cooperation under the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) for the 2025-27 period.
The deal ensures that Morocco continues to participate in collaborative projects as part of PRIMA, which addresses challenges such as water scarcity and food security. Since its launch in 2018, the country has taken part in 137 of the 269 projects funded, for a total investment of €25.9 million.
“Morocco has been a committed and active partner in PRIMA from the very beginning, with its researchers playing a key role across projects in the Mediterranean,” said research Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, in a statement. “With this agreement, we will step up our cooperation to tackle shared challenges from water and agriculture to food systems and climate resilience.”
More details here.
The European Association of Innovation Consultants (EAIC) is recommending a budget of minimum €200 billion for the next iteration of Horizon Europe, of which at least 50% must be allocated to Pillar 2, which covers collaborative research.
“The proposed regulation provides for enhanced flexibility in budget allocation and annual work programme design to respond rapidly to evolving strategic priorities,” its statement reads. “Frequently and strongly shifting funding priorities may however impact the willingness of industry and infrastructure owners to commit resources.”
In this context, the EAIC calls on setting clear budgetary limits for fixed and flexible research themes, and including transparency requirements for budget re-allocations. Meanwhile, the governance between the next Framework Programme and the new European Competitiveness Fund “must remain clearly differentiated to preserve excellence-based evaluation.”
More details here.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s board has approved the expansion of its European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI), a fund-of-funds dedicated to scaling up innovative European companies.
ETCI 2 is aiming to raise €15 billion over the lifetime of the initiative and to mobilise €80 billion in investments. A dedicated platform will be launched in the second quarter of this year, where investors will be able to indicate earmarked commitments.
The ETCI has so far invested in 14 mega-funds of over €1 billion and anchored the creation of 11 European unicorns.
The EIB Group boards also supported plans to expand the €175 million Defence Equity Facility, which sees the European Investment Fund act as an anchor investor in security and defence funds.
More details here.
The European Research Council (ERC) has published a white paper examining persistent gaps in participation rates between countries with the strongest research systems and the Widening group of countries with less-developed systems.
Researchers from Widening countries typically have success rates of between 1% and 7% in ERC competitions, well below the ERC average of around 11%.
“Europe cannot afford a research landscape divided into two tiers,” said Leszek Kaczmarek, chair of the ERC Working Group on Widening European Participation. However, any measures must respect the ERC’s principle of selecting projects solely based on scientific excellence, he added.
The report also points to signs of progress. For instance, more than 15 countries have introduced dedicated support schemes, including programmes that provide national funding for highly ranked ERC proposals that were not funded at European level.
The paper includes plans to continue supporting the participation of researchers from Widening countries in the future, including as experts in ERC evaluation panels.
Read the white paper here.
The European Commission has awarded €617 million to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks, which will support 141 doctoral programmes and train some 2,115 doctoral candidates.
This includes five industrial doctorates, which will help researchers develop skills in industry, businesses and the public sector, and eight joint doctorates offering integrated training programmes leading to joint or multiple doctoral degrees.
Funding will cover societal challenges ranging from climate change to digital transformation.
More details here.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has attracted a record interest for its Higher Education Initiative 2025 call for proposals, with 138 applications.
With €2 million in funding per project, the call is set to support universities and their partners in reinforcing innovation and entrepreneurship capacity. In total, €70 million is available to support the successful projects.
Submissions spanned 61 countries, including all EU member states. “The call also demonstrates the initiative’s expanding reach, with 455 higher education institutions not previously funded participating, while returning partners continue to engage, confirming the programme’s growing impact,” the EIT says in a statement.
More details here.
The European Patent Office (EPO) received a record number of patent application last year, for the first time exceeding 200,000.
This marks a 1.4% compared with 2024, mostly driven by a 2.1% rise of applications from outside Europe. Applications from EU member states meanwhile rose by 0.7%.
“The record volume of patent applications underlines Europe’s innovative capacity and its appeal as a global technology market,” said EPO president António Campinos.
Find more EPO statistics here.
The Joint Research Centre, an EU in-house research body, has published a report into how use the use of large language models (LLM) has impacted the writing of research grants to the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
LLM assisted writing rose “sharply” after the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, the report finds.
Younger applicants and less innovative firms were more likely to use the tools.
Proposals that use LLMs “extensively” scored lower on evaluations and were less likely to receive funding, it found.
Even environmentally-focused joint research projects with China pose risks, a Berlin-based think tank has warned, because earth observation (EO) satellites can be used by Beijing for military purposes.
In a recent briefing, the Mercator Institute for China Studies said that EO satellites harvest environmental data, but also “monitor the state of infrastructure, the movement of people, vehicles and ships, and changes in critical supply chains, making them militarily useful.”
They have been used by both sides to conduct strikes in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, said the think tank. China’s People’s Liberation Army is using data from civilian EO infrastructure, it warned.
The European Commission has adopted the 2026-27 work programme of the Euratom Research and Training Programme, committing €330 million towards nuclear research and innovation.
Of this, €222 million will be invested in fusion energy, including the establishment of a new public-private partnership. The programme will also support fusion-related challenges under the European Innovation Council.
The remaining €108 million will go towards nuclear fission, including collaborative research on the safe management of radioactive waste and innovation in nuclear materials. The programme will also fund research to enhance the EU's autonomy in supplying isotopes for novel nuclear medicine therapies.
Find out more here.
Receive the Funding Newswire [full access requires a subscription] each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and the fortnightly R&D Express, tracking reforms and investments in central and eastern Europe. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.