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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Less than 6% of applying companies succeeded in the latest competition for European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator funding, European Commission data shows.
The EIC selected 71 companies out of a total of 1,211 applications, for what the Commission says has been “the most competitive funding round so far since the launch of the Accelerator under Horizon Europe”.
Of the 1,211 proposals, 431 were further scrutinised in jury interviews. The EIC also offered “Seals of Excellence” for 330 applications that scored high in the evaluation but for which there was insufficient funding available. The Seals help applicants pursue other EU funding sources.
Read more here.
The European Commission has asked innovators, businesses, investors, policymakers, researchers, universities and other interested parties to send in ideas for a new EU strategy for start-ups and scale-ups.
The strategy would be aimed at removing barriers for small innovative companies looking to grow their business.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, EU Commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation said fresh ideas from the sector would help the Commission set up “an effective and comprehensive strategy to support our start-ups and scale-ups”.
Contributions can be submitted online until 17 March.
Synergies between research and innovation funding under the EU’s Cohesion Policy and the Horizon Europe programme are improving but progress has been slow, according to a report by the European Parliament.
The two programmes are not always aligned strategically and suffer from administrative duplication, especially in the so-called Widening countries, the report says.
Read the full report here.
EU research and university bodies called on the European Commission to bolster research, development and innovation as part of its plans to boost competitiveness in the bloc.
Together, they asked for a “robust and dedicated” EU Research Framework Programme to succeed Horizon Europe. This goes alongside “a substantially increased budget” for R&D&I of more than €200 billion, and a simplification of the regulatory and application processes.
“It is encouraging to see different sectors coming together to call for a more strategic and ambitious approach, that will ensure excellent, cooperative, inclusive and impactful R&I across Europe,” European University Association Secretary General Amanda Crowfoot said in the joint statement. “Strengthening Europe’s leadership in R&I requires bold action, and universities are ready to contribute to this.”
Read the full statement here.
The European Commission has announced the six finalists for the European Innovation Procurement Awards, which promotes organisations investing in innovative solutions to tackle societal and industrial challenges.
Focused on turning research and ideas into applicable solutions, the award aims to drive demand for innovation. It is supported by the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe.
“These projects demonstrate how smart purchasing is key for propelling groundbreaking innovations from SMEs and start-ups in Europe,” Ekaterina Zaharieva, the commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said in a statement.
At the EIC Summit on 2 April, the winners will be awarded up to 75,000€.
Read more about it here.
The gender gap in research and innovation is widening in critical sectors like information and communications technology, according to a report by the European Commission.
Although more women than men complete a university education, women remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, information technology and mathematics careers, the report found.
This deepens the existing skills shortage and is a threat to Europe’s competitiveness.
Gender disparities also persist at the highest fields of research and innovation, the report explains, citing that only 9% of inventors are women and 98% of EU research fail to integrate a gender dimension.
“Talent has no gender, but opportunity too often does,” Ekaterina Zaharieva, the commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said in a statement. “A truly competitive and innovative Europe is one where every mind, regardless of gender, gets the chance to thrive.”
Read more about it here.
The European Commission has launched InvestAI, a new programme that will spur public-private partnerships on artificial intelligence in a bid to “make Europe an AI continent.”
As part of the efforts to boost AI adoption in the EU, InvestAI will mobilise €200 billion in investments, including a new European €20 billion fund for AI gigafactories, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the AI Action Summit in Paris this week.
“This unique public-private partnership, akin to a CERN for AI, will enable all our scientists and companies – not just the biggest – to develop the most advanced very large models needed to make Europe an AI continent,” she said in a statement.
The EU plans on financing four gigafactories across the EU that will have some 100,000 last-generation AI chips – around four times more than the AI factories being currently set up. This will be a pilot case for the strategies announced earlier this month in the Competitiveness Compass, the Commission said.
Brussels also intends to set up a European AI Research Council and an ‘Apply AI’ initiative to help industry adopt AI in key sectors.
Read the full statement here.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged at the AI Action Summit to step up efforts to train, integrate and collaborate on AI in a bid to boost productivity across Europe.
“The development of AI for public good demands not just competition – but also collaboration,” Von der Leyen said in a speech at the AI Action Summit which gathers in Paris governments, representatives from academia and industry and NGOs.
The EU is hoping to lead the global digital transition race, but “is far from widespread adoption of AI in economy and society,” Von der Leyen warned, as she shared plans to expand open cooperation to host frontier innovation in AI.
The Commission’s head also brought to attention the plans to create a CERN of AI, providing further involvement from the private sector. The next step for the EU is to set up AI giga factories with huge computational power, she said, with related resources made accessible to all.
“Europe has a long and successful tradition of pooling knowledge, sharing research – think of Horizon … and working together,” Von der Leyen concluded. “This is the European way.”
Read the full speech here.
Horizon Europe's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) has announced €417 million in funding for its 2024 postdoctoral fellowships.
The goal of MSCA is to build long-term careers of excellent researchers in Europe. As Europe’s leading funding programme for young researchers, they equip them with the necessary resources to enable their scientific research and innovations.
All the fellows of the programme are receiving supervision and training by skilled professionals while developing their own projects. “I look forward to seeing your projects and expertise enrich the EU's research and innovation landscape,” Ekaterina Zaharieva, the commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said in a statement.
Th biggest number of fellowships was granted in social sciences and humanities with 23%. Projects in life science received 21% of fellowships and projects in information sciences and engineering 16%. The fellows will not only conduct their research in universities and research centres, but also in public institutions and private companies.
Young researchers can apply for the next funding period from 8 May 2025.
Read more about it here.
Universities should create a “culture of academic freedom”, according to a new paper by the European University Association (EUA) published today.
The paper includes guidelines and practical advice on how universities could do a better job protecting themselves and their teaching and research staff from interference and attempts to limit their autonomy. “[…] It is essential to support universities as central actors in the protection and promotion of academic freedom,” the paper said.
As the institutional autonomy of universities in Europe is under increased pressure, the paper offers some basic guidelines on how universities, individuals and university communities can act to protect researchers’ freedoms.
"It is within universities themselves that the seeds of academic freedom take root. While policy makers have a significant responsibility to uphold academic freedom, its protection cannot be left to public authorities alone," the EUA said.
Several MEPs have been trying to push freedom of research at the top of European Parliament’s agenda, citing concerns over violations of academic freedom across EU member states. However, the Parliament has not put forward any legislation on the topic.
Read the full paper here.
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