For the past few weeks, Science|Business has been publishing leaked draft documents about the €95.5B Horizon Europe programme. Editor-in-Chief Richard L. Hudson explains why

Excellence and impact will be the main criteria in evaluating proposals, but in case of a tie, gender balance in research groups will swing it. All institutions awarded grants must have published gender equality plans - and show they are implementing them

Accepted wisdom holds earthquakes can’t be predicted. But a large-scale AI supported sensor system could change that, at the same time building Europe’s skills in real time environmental monitoring and becoming a standard bearer for citizen science

Leaked draft indicates there will be no open calls for synergy and proof of concept grants this year. About 980 projects will be funded, down from 1,213 in 2020

Leaked draft – dating from January - envisages the European Innovation Council handing out €602M to start ups and €507 million for targeted calls addressing specific areas of research in the next 11 months

Chair of the Parliament research and industry committee calls on Commission to ignore legal niceties and get money from new research programme flowing as soon as possible. MEPs also want more effort to create synergies with other funding streams

On 2 February, the European Commission announces its plans for the launch of Horizon Europe, its next R&D programme. In this essay for Science|Business, Commissioner Mariya Gabriel restates the broad goals of the programme.

Official work programmes are not due until April, but drafts circulating online give researchers and industry chance to start formulating grant applications

UK contribution of €2B per annum to Horizon Europe smooths the way, but researchers are concerned visas, data transfer and assorted red tape will cause friction, a Science|Business conference hears