A sustained effort to diversify funding sources has enbled steady progress. Now, almost 40 years after joining the EU, that Portugal is in sight of meeting the target of spending 3% of GDP on research by 2030

EU officials say economic security assessments are a first step towards gaining competitive edge in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology

To deliver on their ambitious climate and health promises, the objective-driven research projects require a change in policymaking culture across Europe, says Wolfgang Polt, who is spearheading efforts to promote transnational cooperation in support of the Missions

Following the Russian invasion, the latest grants awarded by the European Defence Fund back technologies to improve the security of Europe. That is in contrast to earlier awards when the emphasis was on expeditionary capabilities

A dedicated unit, a debate in the European Research Area Forum and pilot projects are in the works, as the Commission looks to set European guidelines for science’s AI revolution. Now member states need to ‘wake up’ to ensure rules don’t diverge

Roadshows, seed funds, and high-level visits are planned to get EU and UK partners collaborating once again. But UK universities also want an explicit guarantee the country will join the successor programme, FP10

Industry welcomes declaration of intent to work together on research and stimulate international trade in hydrogen. And the agreement is seen as helping to re-establish research cooperation that was undermined by Brexit

A debate on how the EU’s Widening measures, which aim to close the east/west innovation divide, should be reformulated in the next framework research programme is heating up, with the Commission already hinting at possible changes

Shared values and principles did not stop the US and Europe going down different paths in data protection legislation. There is a risk that despite moves to promote harmonisation the same thing will happen in AI

The race is on to be the first to launch a satellite from a base in Europe, but private space start-ups are finding it hard to get the investment they need for lift off -  and to build a competitive EU sector