Viewpoint

“I’m offering to come to Brussels and demonstrate on my (or your) laptop the value of text and data mining for open science,” says Peter Murray-Rust of Cambridge University, as he presses the EU to go further on copyright reform

Innovation and research are distinct activities. If Europe is to extract greater value from its science we need an independent European Innovation Council, with a different brief from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and separate from the European Research Council

Factoring real world evidence and patients’ opinions into the operation of healthcare systems can reduce inequality within and between countries, whilst increasing sustainability. We need to start by measuring outcomes

The EU Research Commissioner may have correctly identified the reasons for Europe’s failure to commercialise its science, but setting up a new agency that separates innovation from research is not the answer, says Estonian MEP Kaja Kallas

As the volume of information soars, it is no longer enough to search for papers - researchers need computers to read and analyse them too, says Jon Hill, computational biologist at Boehringer Ingelheim

From outright farce while on field work, to rejected grant applications, missing the primary endpoint in a clinical trial and the prototype that did not fly – the mishaps, the unexpected and the unwanted results - should be a source of learning

With less fear of failure, Europe’s innovators would get more shots on goal. So yes, more misses, but a greater chance to “score big”, said tech guru Nathan Myhrvold in the Science|Business annual lecture

The new EU institute should ensure grant money is handed out faster, Commissioners have a better source of advice and that legislative logjams hampering companies are identified quicker, says Philippe De Backer, MEP

The EU needs a US-style chief technology officer at the head of the new innovation body, says Martin Curley, Intel vice president. The council should also provide more incentives for applied research

The cloudy vision for the EIC invites scepticism. Convince me with a set of objectives, a strategy and action plan, says MEP Hans-Olaf Henkel, deputy chair of ITRE