HORIZON BLOG: European R&D policy newsbytes

The community of Research Managers and Practitioners at research organisations in Finland recommended to simplify the EU’s Framework Programmes for research and innovation. 

Citing “ambiguous call and topic texts,” the organisations say that the European Commission should simplify Horizon Europe work programmes. 

“More developed calls have better potential for initiating great advancements beyond the state of the art and current knowledge base will improve the competitiveness of the EU,” they wrote in a statement. 

Read the full statement here.

Spain’s transnational research centre IDIBAPS called for “preserving and enhancing” Pillar II in the next Framework Programme as it pointed to insufficient opportunities for low technology readiness levels research, the lack of bottom-up topics and inconsistent and overlapping call deadlines under Horizon Europe. 

“Preserving and enhancing Pillar II is essential to ensure European efforts remain cohesive, efficient, and impactful for closing the gap between research and societal challenges such as health,” the organisation wrote in a position paper. “By refining call structures, providing less prescriptive topics, reinforcing support for early-stage collaborative research, and enhancing coordination across EU instruments.” 

Read the full statement here.

Global quantum computing start-ups attracted £1.2 billion in funding last year, up 9% from 2023, and they are projected to receive an additional £40 billion over the next decade, according to a study by the UK-based investment and advisory firm Heligan Group. 

“Every day we inch closer to realising commercial quantum usage for real applications,” Will Ashford-Brown, the head of strategic insights a Heligan, said in a statement. “It would seem we are at the point where commercial application, investment and opportunity are knocking at the door,” he added. 

Ashford-Brown believes that projections for the market for quantum computing to grow from £412 million in 2020 to £8.6 billion in 2027 are an underestimation given the surge in demand that a new generation of computing platforms could soon trigger. 

Europe’s top quantum start-ups are already seeing an increase in investments this year, including Quantinuum with £617 million, Alice & Bob with £150 million, Pascal with £140 million and Riverlane with £131 million. On a national level, China was leading the way in 2022 with an estimated funding of £13,3 billion, Europe at £7.2 billion, and the US at £2.1 billion. 

Read the full statement here.

Climate KIC, Europe’s leading climate innovations agency, has launched a new academy to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to drive the transition to a sustainable economy.  

“Currently, only one in eight workers possess at least one green skill essential for advancing climate ambitions,” the organisation said in a statement.  

It will therefore look to strengthen participants’ knowledge in areas like circular economy and urban design, help them create collaboration across sectors and engage in policy, business and community-driven initiatives. 

Read the full statement here. 

The European Commission has launched two consultations on the future EU Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Science, which aims at helping scientists make a productive use of AI in research areas like climate change and health.  

“Scientists and researchers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to gain insights and make ground-breaking discoveries,” research commission Ekaterina Zaharieva said in a statement. “Europe needs to lead this transformation, so I invite the community to take part in the consultations and help design a strategy that supports European science as the bedrock of our competitiveness.” 

Members of the research and innovation community are invited to contribute to a call for evidence and to answer a questionnaire to provide insights on funding, infrastructure, talent development and policy coordination across the EU. 

Read the full statement here. 

Thirty-eight organisations from civil society, academia, and industry urged European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to ensure that the next Framework Programme is independent of the European Competitiveness Fund and has a dedicated budget. 

“It is with profound concern that we, the undersigned, urge you to work towards building a strong and independent Framework Programme 10,” their letter reads. “A fragmented or weakened R&I framework would risk diminishing the EU’s ability to respond effectively to future crises and societal needs.” 

Referring to concerns by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU over the potential dilution of FP10 into the Competitiveness Fund, the organisations warned that “disregarding these positions would send a damaging signal to the EU’s co-legislators and actors in the research and innovation ecosystem but also to the European citizens.” 

Read the full letter here.

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking has opened its 2025 call for proposals with €172 million in funding for the development of innovative bio-based solutions and their commercialisation. 

Funding will go to 13 different topics, including circular-by-design fibre-based packaging, sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative applications and scaling-up nutritional proteins from alternative sources. 

The call, which is open to all the sector stakeholders, from farmers to companies to research organisations to local authorities, will close on September 18. 

Read the full statement here.

The European Commission has launched a call for applications to the board of the European Innovation Council (EIC), which oversees the implementation of the agency’s funding programmes. 

The EIC board, which comprises 15 to 20 members – from researchers to investors to public administration experts, is looking for candidates with “a strong deep tech focus and a strong track record in any of the areas of growing a deep tech company, corporate innovation, public sector transformation, venture capital, or research.” 

The call will close on May 19. 

Read the details here. 

Systemic reforms brought by the European Universities Initiative must benefit the whole education system, the European University Association (EUA) said as it welcomed a draft report by the European Parliament on the subject. 

“It is very positive that the draft presented by the rapporteur, MEP Laurence Farreng, highlights the EUI’s role in promoting systemic reform,” the EUA said in a statement. “These reforms must benefit the sector as a whole, including higher education institutions that do not take part in an alliance, by dismantling barriers to cooperation for all.” 

The report, entitled ‘A new vision for the European Universities alliances,’ is set to be analysed by the Parliament’s committee on culture and education. 

The EUA also highlighted the need to ensure that funding remains strong under the EU’s new Framework Programme and that new alliances can be established. The organisation is also supportive of the report’s call to retain the EUI as one of the flagships of Erasmus+, thanks to funding sources outside the EU existing schemes. 

Read the full statement here. 

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund has mobilised more than €2.6 billion in additional investment, primarily from private investors, for early-stage technology start-ups, the European Commission says. 

This equates to “over EUR 3 of additional investment for each EURO of direct investment through the EIC Fund,” the Commission wrote in a report assessing the impact of the EIC. 

The EIC Fund has completed more than 150 investment rounds in start-ups and SMEs, including 60 last year.  

The Fund allocated €830 million for quantum and semiconductors, €725 million for artificial intelligence, and €700 million for energy generation and storage solutions. 

Read the full report here.