Viewpoint

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

The ecosystem is improved, but dedication, commitment and hard work remain the key to success, says Croatian entrepreneur Ivo Spigel, who interviewed 28 of Europe’s most successful entrepreneurs for his book, The European Start-up Revolution

What is claimed as the world’s largest technology incubator is taking shape in Paris. Its director, Roxanne Varza, says the city is gathering steam as a digital hub and the EU needs to support European start-ups in going global

Setting up a body to do for innovation what the European Research Council has done for science won’t work. Support for research and support for innovation are two different realms, Peter Tindemans, secretary general of Euroscience tells Science|Business

As Research Commissioner Carlos Moedas advances plans for a new body to support innovation, the European Association of Research and Technology Associations backs the proposal and says there should be a wide remit

Since her term as President of the European Research Council ended in 2013, Helga Nowotny has turned author. Her book on the role of uncertainty in science, The Cunning of Uncertainty, has just been published. Science|Business spoke to her at the recent Innovation Conference in Barcelona