Viewpoint

Europe needs a mandatory exception to let scientists mine publicly-funded research locked up in the online databases of academic content. The recent EU Parliamentary vote does not provide this, says Paul Ayris, Director of Library Services at University College London

EU moves to make data mining by researchers exempt from copyright law would not remove the technical barriers. The right way to open up this resource is through a single sign-on licensing service, says Duncan Campbell, Director at John Wiley & Sons

At two hours from Lisbon by plane, Madeira is looked upon as something of an innovation backwater. We’re gathering a team of researchers that will challenge the perception, says Nuno Nunes, a researcher with a penchant for subversive and surprising technology

There are several barriers holding back science-industry collaboration, but the most urgent one is the reluctance to protect intellectual property in advance of publishing research results, according to two of Poland’s leading patent attorneys

More than 850,000 amateurs across the UK have contributed observations to a volunteer data collection programme at Imperial College London. Governments could capture such enthusiasm to promote environmental protection, says David Slawson of the Open Air Laboratories project

Today massive demand, tomorrow resentment: if the European Commission fails to acknowledge the overheads of applying for grants and act on low success rates, the credibility of its R&D programme could begin to slide

There are great UK-EU science stories buried under all the one-sided anti-Brussels spin and now is the time to tell them, says Mike Galsworthy, researcher turned political activist

The EU has put in considerable effort to attract research-based companies to take part in Horizon 2020. But two-stage evaluations and prioritising economic impact are not working, says GE’s Director of EU Funding, Chris Haenen

Poorly spread-out cuts to the European Institute of Innovation & Technology’s budget means we can’t plan research agendas for the next two years or train the same number of students, says Diego Pavía, chief of EIT energy

The EU needs objective science advice when framing its policies. Action is needed to clarify how and by whom this is delivered, says the former EU science chief Anne Glover