HORIZON BLOG: European R&D policy newsbytes

17 Feb 2025 | Live Blog

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.

If you have any tips, please email them at [email protected].

You can read the full archive of this blog here.

 

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) launched today a call for proposals aimed at assembling a tenth knowledge and innovation community, EIT Water, that will focus on water, marine and maritime sectors and ecosystems. 

The selected research organisations, universities and industry will build a new sustainable innovation partnership to strengthen Europe’s water, marine and maritime sectors and ecosystems, tackling challenges such as water scarcity, droughts, floods, and marine and freshwater degradation.

“EIT Water will be a pan-European project to strengthen water innovations,” said Stefan Dobrev, Chairperson of the EIT Governing Board, who is inviting leaders in the water-related sectors “propose bold and impact-driven proposals ready to experiment and challenge the status quo, boosting Europe’s competitiveness.”

The deadline for submitting applications June 17, 2025.

More here.

 

On Wednesday, the Commission called on member states to review outbound investments by their companies into non-EU countries, with a focus on three strategic, high-risk technologies: semiconductors, AI, and quantum technologies. 

The recommended review, which is aimed at safeguarding the bloc's economic security, will span 15 months and cover transactions from 2021 onwards, with Member States required to submit a progress report by mid-July and a comprehensive report on the implementation of the recommendation and any identified risks by the end of June 2026. 

The Commission’s recommendation is part of the EU's broader Economic Security Strategy.

More here.

 

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is set to bolster its support for research and innovation in the Western Balkans, as it includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Israel in the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS).

Launched in 2014, EIT RIS aims to help lagging countries connect local innovation actors with EIT’s innovation ecosystems.

To qualify for participation in the scheme, the three countries classified as 'moderate' or 'modest' innovators in one of the recent European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) assessments.

More information is available here.

 

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) have signed an agreement in Brussels to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, advanced training, and innovative projects leveraging AI to tackle challenges in the life sciences.

The two organisations will work together on integrating AI into scientific research. The collaboration will also focus on enhancing data infrastructures and fostering researcher mobility.

“By further integrating AI into our scientific endeavors, we can unlock new insights and drive transformative solutions that benefit society as a whole,” said Edith Heard, EMBL Director General.

More information here.

 

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) should follow Ukraine’s example and embrace artificial intelligence (AI), a report by Parliament’s Defence Committee said, warning of a mismatch between rhetoric and reality. 

“The use of AI in Ukraine shows that it offers serious military advantage on the battlefield,” explained MP Emma Lewell-Buck, the chair of a Defence Sub-Committee on Developing AI. 

“Our inquiry discovered a gap between the Ministry of Defence’s rhetoric and reality on AI. While the department acknowledges the importance of AI, these words have not been borne out by action,” she added. 

To make AI a core part of its toolkit, the report found that MOD would have to improve digital infrastructure, data management and the AI skills base, among other gaps. Recommendations include giving AI a greater role in military education, facilitating AI specialists’ move between the civilian and defence sectors, and working with smaller and non-traditional defence suppliers. 

“Artificial intelligence in defence is here to stay – the UK must move fast to avoid falling behind,” Lewell-Buck said. 

Read the report here. 

 

The European Commission has set up a new task force on start-ups and scale-ups and changed the management of directorates and units in its Directorate-General for Research & Innovation (DG RTD). 

The Commission has appointed András Inotai as acting principal adviser in the new task force on start-ups and scale-ups. 

Meanwhile, Pauline Rouch and Magda de Carli are respectively replacing Ann-Sofie Rönnlund and Manuel Aleixo, who have both joined the cabinet of the new research commissioner, Ekaterina Zaharieva.  

Rouch is the new Director of the Common Policy Centre Directorate and acting head of the unit overlooking the common programme analysis and regulatory reform. De Carli, on the other hand, is leading the unit on European Research Area (ERA) spreading excellence and research careers. She leaves her place at the European semester and country intelligence unit to Beñat Bilbao-Osorio. 

Signe Ratso is now the acting Director of the ERA and Innovation Directorate in place of Anna Panagopoulou, appointed as head of cabinet of Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas. 

Check the full chart here. 

 

The Europe Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has been awarded top investor in the Sifted’s 2024 ranking for its support to Europe’s fastest-growing start-ups. 

The ranking placed the EIT ahead of 49 other leading public and private investors, a statement read.

“This recognition highlights the EIT’s outstanding contribution to fostering innovation across Europe,” the statement said. “With a leverage ratio of 5.6, the EIT has mobilised nearly €10 billion in external funding.” 

Among the start-ups that the organisation invested in, the EIT cited Munich-based Orbem, which is boosting AI-powered imaging in the poultry industry, as well as Klimate, a Danish platform that simplifies carbon management for corporations. 

Read the full report here. 

 

The European Commission has established the world’s largest and most powerful ground-based gamma-ray observatory, known as the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory European Research Infrastructures Consortium (CTAO ERIC). 

“This state-of-the-art centre will solidify Europe’s leadership in the field of astro-particle physics, while also enhancing its role as a hub for international research collaborations,” new research commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva said in a statement. 

“The establishment of the CTAO ERIC underscores the strength and potential of the ERIC model in fostering not only pan-European partnerships but also global scientific cooperation,” she added. 

Set to be operational at the end of the decade, the observatory will comprise telescopes in Spain and Chile, while its legal seat will be located in Italy and data centre in Germany.  

According to the Commission, it will expand the catalogue of known cosmic sources emitting gamma rays. 

Read more about it here. 

 

The EU needs a technology boost in defence and security to increase its strategic autonomy, according to António Costa, president of the European Council. 

“It is clear that the European Union’s budgetary architecture and policies will have to evolve. That could mean exploring ways for other policies – such as defence, innovation, the twin digital and energy transitions,” Costa said at the opening of the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU. 

Costa said new investments in defence and security could turn the sector “into a real economic engine, creating better and more skilled jobs, developing a more autonomous European industry, and creating technological champions.” 

For its second stint at the helm of the Council, Poland has made security its watchword at a time of political uncertainty sparked by Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine, economic stagnation, and the re-election of Donald Trump. 

“Prosperity and security go hand in hand,” Costa said. 

Read his speech here. 

 

South Korea has joined Horizon Europe under a transitional agreement, given that its association to the EU research framework programme is considered as imminent, the European Commission said. 

As of January 1, researchers and organisations from South Korea are able to take part in the calls and activities of Horizon Europe’s Pillar II, which funds pre-competitive research and innovation projects and currently receives the major share of the budget. 

“This transitional arrangement follows the successful conclusion of negotiations between the Commission and the Government of the Republic of Korea regarding Pillar II of Horizon Europe programme,” the statement read. 

Meanwhile, the signing of the association deal is expected to take place in 2025. 

Read more about it here. 

 

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