Parliament disappointed with lack of progress as Hungary blocks EU seven-year budget review negotiations. Proposed cuts to R&I still on the table

In the face of competing demands, it is critically important that FP10 is not stretched thin but instead concentrates on what EU research programmes do best

The independent advice panel is at the centre of a transparency row after its report on pharmaceutical innovation was withdrawn, prompting MEPs to challenge its leadership

With EU relations patched up, UK researchers and policymakers are planning the next moves. There are no firm plans for AI legislation, but an international collaboration fund set up during the wilderness years will continue, and there will be a focus on South American links

The newly released 2024 work programme will introduce lump sum funding and revised intellectual property rules, while the budget is going down from €1.6B to €1.2B

A partnership with the Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium is one of the latest moves to try and improve success rates in getting finance from the EU start-up funder

Concerted efforts to increase success in winning grants from the research programme are bearing fruit. While still low in the EU league table, the two countries now have the networks and support systems in place to make further headway 

SynergistEIC supports start-ups to give them a better chance of success in the EIC Accelerator. But high demand means getting selected for the scheme is almost as competitive as the EIC Accelerator itself

There is some progress, but Manuel Heitor, the Commission’s key adviser on Framework programme 10, says more needs to be done to improve working conditions for Europe’s two million researchers

The first 44 companies have been selected for NATO’s acceleration scheme for start-ups with dual-use technologies. In parallel, the programme is promoting the development of ecosystems around the host accelerators in Tallin, Copenhagen and Turin