HORIZON BLOG: European R&D policy newsbytes

The European Commission approved €5 billion worth of state aid by the German federal government aimed at setting up a new semiconductor manufacturing facility.

The initiative involves building a microchip manufacturing plant in Dresden, which should help Europe secure its supply of semiconductors.

The project will be put forward by European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (‘ESMC'), a joint venture between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (‘TSMC'), Bosch, Infineon, and NXP.

“This €5 billion German measure will strengthen semiconductor production capacity in Europe, helping us deliver our green and digital transition and creating opportunities for high-skilled employment,” said Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president in charge of competition policy.

“The measure’s open foundry model will ensure widespread access to power efficient chips, including by smaller companies and start-ups, while limiting any potential distortion of competition,” Vestager said.

Read the full announcement here.

The European Commission is looking for scientists to join the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA), a seven-member group aimed at providing scientific advice to EU commissioners.

Scientific and research organisations across Europe are encouraged to nominate candidates for future members of the GCSA. The deadline for submitting nominations is September 30.

“High-quality scientific advice, provided at the right time, is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of EU policy making and legislation,” said EU research commissioner Iliana Ivanova.

“The Group of Chief Scientific Advisors ensures that the European Commission decisions are informed by the latest scientific insights and that the EU remain responsive to emerging challenges and opportunities in an increasingly complex world,” Ivanova said.

More details here.

Sweden aims to increase its participation in FP10, according to a new government paper on the future of the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation.

The paper also calls on the EU to allocate a "strong" budget for the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).

The Swedish government also wants to keep the current structure of the programme. "The pillar structure, in its current form, should be maintained to ensure continuity and predictability, enabling participants to focus on addressing global challenges and promoting Europe’s competitiveness without needing to adapt to a new structure that may result in missed opportunities and altered participation conditions," the paper says. 

The full text is available here. 

A second batch of fellowships for researchers displaced from Ukraine is now available under the MSCA4Ukraine scheme.

Around 50 doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships will be supported with the additional funding of €10 million. The money comes from the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme.

Since 2023, the scheme has enabled 125 displaced researchers from Ukraine to train and work in 21 countries.

The call for proposals opened on 5 August and will close on 5 September.

You can find more information here and watch the recording of the info day here.

Eurostat published data on Tuesday showing a 5.3% increase in the EU's total government budget allocations for R&D in 2023 compared to 2022, underscoring significant growth in research funding across the EU.

In 2023, the total budget reached €123.7 billion, equivalent to 0.73% of GDP. Per capita R&D allocation was €275.6 per person at the EU level, with Luxembourg, Denmark, and Germany leading in spending, while Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary recorded the lowest allocations per person.

More information here.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has received a €850,000 donation for five university cooperation projects with Ukraine.

The donation comes from the Harald Christ Foundation for Democracy and Diversity, of which €200,000 is contributed by Germany’s ZEIT publishing group.

The projects will be part of a programme which brings together German and Ukrainian universities to develop virtual education offers that enable students to study during the war.

The EU is looking to fund studies providing strategic insights for its €10 billion innovation fund, the European Innovation Council (EIC).

The winning contractor will provide a strategic assessment of the technologies and sectors the EIC supports as well as insights into the performance of EIC companies.

Applications are welcome until 6 September. The estimated budget is €900,000, excluding VAT.

Find the call for tenders here.

During the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2024 held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between July 29 and 30, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) called for enhanced global research to better prepare for future pandemics.

They advocated for expanding research to cover entire families of pathogens, creating adaptable tools and countermeasures, improving surveillance, and deepening understanding of pathogen transmission and immune responses.

“History teaches us that the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. It also teaches us the importance of science and political resolve in blunting its impact,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO. “We need that same combination of science and political resolve to come together as we prepare for the next pandemic. Advancing our knowledge of the many pathogens that surround us is a global project requiring the participation of scientists from every country.”

More details here.

On Thursday, the Irish government announced the creation of Taighde Éireann (Research Ireland), a new competitive research funding agency.

The new agency will merge the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland activities, helping in achieving the objectives of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy.

“This agency will enhance our capacity to address the issues Irish society is facing, in particular climate change and the digital transition. It will also enable us to engage and compete with greater impact at an international level, making the most of future opportunities in research and innovation,” said Ireland’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan.

Read the full announcement here.

The Commission has launched a consultation on an upcoming code of practice for general-purpose artificial intelligence (GPAI) models. It is inviting input from GPAI providers with operations in the EU, businesses, civil society representatives, rights holders and academic experts.

The code of practice is foreseen by the EU’s AI Act, and will address areas including transparency, copyright-related rules, risk identification and assessment, and risk mitigation.

The Commission expects to finalise the code of practice by April 2025 ahead of an entry into application in August 2025, with the newly-created AI Office set to oversee the enforcement of the rules.

The AI Act officially entered into force on 1 August. Its first provisions, banning AI systems judged to present unacceptable risk, will take effect in February 2025. Most of the rules though will not kick in until 2 August 2026.