Horizon Europe is well underway, but the world of European R&D policy goes well beyond the confines of the €95.5 billion R&D programme. EU climate, digital, agriculture and regional policies all have significant research and innovation components. 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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You can read the full archive of this blog here.
Global patenting activity reached new heights in 2023 as applications surpassed 3.5 million for the first time. This was the fourth consecutive year of growth in the face of a challenging macroeconomic environment, according to WIPO’s annual World Intellectual Property Indicators report.
China led with 1.64 million applications, the US filed 518,364, Japan 414,413, South Korea 287,954 and Germany 133,053. Moving up to sixth place, India at 64,480 saw a 15.7% increase in patent applications.
British physicist Mark Thomson has been nominated on Wednesday as the next Director-General of CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.
Thomson, who is the executive chair of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and a professor at the University of Cambridge, will take the baton from the current CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti in January 2026. Thomson was the UK delegate to CERN’s Council since 2018.
“I am honoured to become CERN’s Director-General and am committed to pursuing the Organization’s scientific mission, further developing technologies that will benefit society as a whole, while uniting nations in a shared commitment to advancing science for the betterment of humanity,” said Thomson.
Read the CERN announcement here.
The EU should protect research from political or military agendas, according to a position paper by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), outlining the research funder’s view on the next EU framework programme for research and innovation, FP10.
The paper says expanding FP10’s scope beyond civil defence could disrupt the EU research and innovation ecosystem, with potentially “unprecedented consequences,” particularly if dual-use applications begin to influence FP10 funding.
“Academic freedom should prevail in FP10 and researchers should safeguard the possibility of a conscious decision to contribute to military research, or exclusively to research with civilian purposes,” CSIC says.
Read the position paper on FP10 here.
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced on Tuesday it will award €571 million in Synergy Grants to fifty-seven research groups, aimed at tackling today’s most complex scientific challenges.
Covering a wide range of disciplines, these grants are designed to foster collaboration between leading researchers, enabling them to merge expertise and resources. The funding is part of the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe.
“Innovation thrives on collaboration, especially when tackling the pressing scientific challenges of our time,” said ERC president Maria Leptin. “The ERC Synergy Grants work with Horizon Europe funding to connect brilliant minds across borders and disciplines, enabling them to push the frontiers of knowledge together.”
Read the ERC announcement here.
A position paper published by Science Malta emphasises that the EU should prioritise improving access to RD&I funding and boosting programmes for Widening countries in the next European framework programme for research and innovation, FP10, set to start in 2028.
As a Widening country itself, Malta advocates for the expansion of Widening measures, the introduction of targeted grant schemes for these nations, and simplified access for Widening researchers to the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council instruments.
“Our experience underscores the importance of Widening measures and ensuring that each individual Member State can contribute to and benefit from European R&I initiatives,” the document says. “By addressing the specific needs and challenges of smaller and emerging innovators, FP10 can foster a more balanced and effective R&I ecosystem across the Union.”
Read Malta’s position on FP10 here.
The League of European Research Universities (LERU) and the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN) are urging European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to maintain an autonomous research and innovation framework programme.
In a joint letter sent to von der Leyen, the group caution against splitting or merging the next framework programme, FP10, into a European Competitiveness Fund, arguing it would undermine the programme's effectiveness, autonomy, and bottom-up approach, which are crucial for fostering innovation.
In the letter, LERU and YERUN also emphasise the need to double FP10 funding to a dedicated budget of at least €200 billion and protect Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ from budget cuts.
Read the joint letter here.
The European Commission should work towards enhancing dual-use research and defense innovation, according to a high-profile report on strengthening Europe’s civilian and military preparedness and readiness from former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.
The report suggests that defence and dual-use considerations should be integrated into the EU's R&D initiatives on foundational technologies, including areas like artificial intelligence and quantum computing. This strategy would “reduce dependencies” and stop Europe from “lagging further behind the leading powers.”
Read the report here.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) is set to invest €1.4 billion in deep tech and strategic technologies in 2025, as outlined in the EIC Work Programme adopted by the Commission on Tuesday.
This investment marks a €200 million increase from the previous year, with €300 million allocated to the new EIC STEP Scale-up scheme specifically aimed at supporting deep tech scale-ups.
Additionally, €120 million will fund innovations such as autonomous robots and climate-resilient crops, while €250 million will target earlier-stage companies working on technologies like generative artificial intelligence and future mobility solutions.
“The targeted support, especially through the STEP scale-up call, will help bridge critical funding gaps and build a stronger, more resilient innovation ecosystem in Europe,” said research commissioner Iliana Ivanova.
Last week, Science|Business published a draft version of the work programme.
More details here.
Associated countries should be involved in co-creating FP10 partnerships, says Swiss research agency
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has released its position on the upcoming EU research framework programme, FP10, set to launch in 2028, outlining nine key recommendations that include the further development of European Partnerships.
The paper highlights that in FP10 “the top-down approach currently used to design them (the European Partnerships) should be replaced by a co-creation process involving the member states, the associate countries and the stakeholders in the field.”
In addition, SNSF pushes for:
- Strengthening global perspectives on research and innovation;
- Reinforcing a multidimensional approach to sustainability;
- Maintaining a civilian focus;
- Promoting research in the social sciences, humanities and arts across the entire programme;
- Rethinking the role of mission-oriented research;
- Integrating infrastructure and data;
- Securing sustainable funding and creating administration fit for purpose;
- Enhancing the career development of researchers and brain circulation.
Read the SNSF position on FP10 here.
Today, MEP Christian Ehler has been re-elected chair of the European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA), alongside vice-chairs Lina Gálvez Muñoz and Ivars Ijabs.
The STOA Panel, composed of 27 MEPs, plays a critical role in providing scientific advice and foresight to inform EU policy-making.
Once reelected, Ehler emphasised the importance of a depoliticised platform for discussing key issues like academic freedom.
“The Panel for the Future of Science and Technology is a key instrument for the European Parliament to analyse, predict, anticipate and plan issues related to the future of science and technology,” said EP Vice-President responsible for STOA Victor Negrescu.
Last year, the panel was embroiled in a controversy over a review it commissioned to analyse the impact of an upcoming legislation on the pharmaceutical industry. At the time, MEPs accused the panel’s administration of overstepping its powers by withdrawing the independent report.
The announcement of Ehler’s re-election is here.
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