HORIZON BLOG: European R&D policy newsbytes

On Wednesday, the European Commission appointed two new members in the European Research Council’s (ERC) Scientific Council.

Tomaž Prosen from the University of Ljubljana, an expert in non-equilibrium statistical and quantum physics, and Maarit Karppinen from Aalto University, renowned for her work in inorganic materials. Both will take office in January 2025.

The ERC says their appointments aim to strengthen the ERC’s mission of promoting scientific excellence, with both having received ERC Advanced Grants for their groundbreaking research.

“The European Research Council is a symbol of scientific excellence, and the expertise and vision of these distinguished scholars will further enhance its mission,” said EU research commissioner Iliana Ivanova.

Read the announcement here.

The President of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Board, Michiel Scheffer, welcomed the nomination of Ekaterina Zaharieva as Commissioner-designate for start-ups, research, and innovation.

Zaharieva’s mission letter underscores the EIC's crucial role in bolstering EU’s competitiveness and its start-up ecosystem.

The EIC Board also endorsed the recent report on the future of EU competitiveness by former Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, which highlights key gaps in Europe's innovation landscape, and plans to integrate its recommendations into the EIC's future strategy.

On Tuesday, the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) has launched calls for proposals worth €65 million to support semiconductor research and innovation initiatives.

The funding will aid the establishment of a manufacturing supply chain for quantum chips in Europe.

Candidates have until January 21, 2025, to apply to these calls.

More details here and here.

The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities sent open letters to commissioners nominated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week.

The letters offer recommendations on European research and education policies in preparation for the upcoming public confirmation hearings at the European Parliament.

The Guild urges Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner-designate for start-ups, research and innovation, to prioritise a well-funded 10th Framework Programme (FP10) with a budget of at least €200 billion to support excellence-driven research and innovation. Read the full letter here.

Read the letters sent to the other Commission nominee:

• Stéphane Séjourné - Executive Vice-President-designate for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. Read the letter here.
• Roxana Mînzatu - Executive Vice-President-designate for People, Skills and Preparedness. Read the letter here
• Henna Virkkunen - Executive Vice-President-designate for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. Read the letter here.
• Jozef Síkela - Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships. Read the letter here.
• Olivér Várhelyi - Commissioner-designate for Health and Animal Welfare. Read the letter here.
• Piotr Serafin - Commissioner-designate for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration. Read the letter here.
• Wopke Hoekstra - Commissioner-designate for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth. Read the letter here.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations announced an agreement 22 September to work together on global policy development for artificial intelligence.

In a statement, the organisations said they “will focus on regular science and evidence-based AI risk and opportunity assessments. The two organisations will leverage their respective networks, convening platforms and ongoing work on AI policy and governance.”

In recent years, the Paris-based OECD has grown into one of the largest official centres for studying the development of AI policy around the world – and earlier this year merged its own policy research with a Franco-Canadian initiative called the Global Partnership for AI.

Hitherto, legislation to control potentially harmful repercussions of the new technology has been limited to the European Union’s AI Act – but several draft bills, while unlikely to be enacted during this election year, have been advancing through the US Congress. Leading AI scientists have warned that whatever policies get adopted should be coordinated internationally, as AI crosses borders.

Read the full OECD statement here.

The European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched today the Research and Innovation Careers Observatory which will provide data on careers in research and innovation across the EU and OECD countries.

The initiative, which is supported by the EU framework programme Horizon Europe, aims to enhance career sustainability, boost European competitiveness, and shape better policies for economic benefits.

The Research and Innovation Careers Observatory “will fill data gaps on research careers in Europe and provide information to policymakers as well as researchers themselves and their organisations,” said research commissioner Iliana Ivanova.

More here.

On Tuesday, the Clean Hydrogen Partnership has released the agenda for its Innovation Forum, set to take place from 19-21 November in Brussels during the European Hydrogen Week.

The forum will highlight the latest advancements in hydrogen research and innovation, featuring debates on various aspects on renewable hydrogen: production, transportation, and scaling technologies.

The event will conclude with the Clean Hydrogen Partnership Awards, recognising outstanding projects funded by the partnership.

Take a peak to the agenda here.

While China is not yet as innovative as leading Western nations, it is rapidly closing the gap, backed by massive efforts and government support, according to a report by the US Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).

The report warns that China’s progress could soon result in a surge of competitive Chinese firms challenging global market leaders.

“These research findings suggest that it’s time to reject the often ideologically based view that ‘China can’t innovate’,” reads the report.

“While China is ruled by a communist party, China is not the Soviet Union, and its firms have considerable degrees of freedom to act, as long as they are working to achieve the goal of making China the world innovation leader.”

Read the full report here.

EU member states and countries associated to Horizon Europe have joined forces to launch the new European Partnership on Rare Diseases (ERDERA).

The partnership aims to boost rare disease research across the continent and deliver significant health benefits to over 30 million people in Europe who suffer from rare diseases through improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

"The new ERDERA partnership can harness the unique potential of Horizon Europe in changing people’s lives for the better," said EU research Commissioner Iliana Ivanova. 

More details are available here. 

On Wednesday, Chi Onwura was elected as the new chair of the UK Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, securing 377 votes out of 560 in a secret ballot.

“This is a period of huge change in science and technology; it has the potential to drive economic growth and transform everyone's lives for the better. The Committee’s work is vital to ensuring that this potential can be unlocked,” said Onwura MP following the election result. “I intend to use my expertise to ensure the Government enacts robust science and technology policies in the public interest.”

Onwura, a chartered engineer, previously worked in industry and served as the shadow minister for science, research, and innovation.

More here.