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Spring is here and that means the Hungarian presidency of the EU, scheduled for the second half of this year, is fast approaching. One plan in the works is to propose a new partnership to boost development of the bioeconomy of central and eastern European countries. The Hungarians want to model this on the Mediterranean PRIMA partnership. Elsewhere, we look at the impact of the EU unfreezing €137 billion of funding for Poland, the possible effect of two new European Investment Bank offices opening in the Baltics, and a foresight report that sets out policy suggestions for boosting innovation in the Western Balkans

There is always a lot of fuss about the effectiveness of current policies intended to close Europe’s research and innovation gap, but it is worth remembering the deep-rooted historical reasons for its existence. In this week’s newsletter, we dive into new research looking at the lasting impact of 45 years of Communism and a hurried transition to a market economy on eastern Germany’s innovation performance. Take note: investment alone cannot solve the problem. Elsewhere, we look at why a leading tech conference CEO is optimistic about central and eastern Europe’s start-up scene despite a downturn in investment, and what the EU’s former research commissioner has to say about Horizon Europe’s Widening measures amidst calls for change.

The Innovative Health Initiative is looking to fund interdisciplinary projects tackling shortcomings in heart disease management, data (under)use, biomarkers, healthcare workforce and long-term management of illnesses

This week we examine the response to several cases of alleged fraud at universities in Widening countries that are under investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office; review the policy changes the Polish research community hopes to see once the new government is installed following the elections last month; and look into Bulgaria’s attempts to professionalise its network of National Contact Points.

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

Following criticism of its role in indirectly funding Chinese research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the NIH is demanding foreign collaborators submit full data sets and lab notebooks every year. A red tape nightmare looms

UK companies can now get grants of up to €2.5M from the EIC Accelerator programme but are still excluded from its equity fund - and investments of up to €15M

This week we’re taking a close look at how the Polish government is withholding funding to a sociology research institute, and how research institutions in eastern Europe see the future of the “Widening excellence” programme in Horizon Europe.

We also have an interview with the rector of the University of Tartu on technology transfer and a deep-dive into Ventures Thrive, an EIC-backed accelerator that offers mentoring to start-ups in eastern Europe

This week we’re taking a close look at a European Parliament report on academic freedom in Hungary in a new instalment of the ongoing row between Brussels and Budapest over the limits of government interference in higher education and research.  

Thomas Brent is looking at why Romania ranks last in the EU regional competitiveness index and has fresh figures on how researchers in Poland have fared in funding competitions since the launch of Horizon Europe. Ian Mundell has a story on women entrepreneurship in central and eastern Europe.