The Widening

The US has finally managed to push through a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine, a vital and timely boost for the country as it continues to fend off Russia’s invasion. While for many in the US and western Europe the war can seem distant, it is very real and its impact stretches far and wide. One example that we look at in this week’s newsletter is cooled interest from foreign investors in Latvia’s market as businesses opt for caution in uncertain times. On the ground in Ukraine, we look at why the country needs big companies, not just start-ups, to support its resilient innovation ecosystem. Finally, we get Poland’s view on the war in a wide-ranging, two-part interview with ministers from the country’s newly re-established Ministry of Science and Higher Education. 

Ukraine’s role as test bed for new technologies and a place where adaptable private firms can prosper was showcased at the European Parliament in Brussels

A new report says investment is at its lowest level in a decade, but a closer look shows that there are positive signs for Latvia’s emergent innovation landscape

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

The bank wants to stimulate and strengthen capital markets in the Baltic states, beginning with new offices in Riga and Tallinn. The move is expected to increase access to scale-up funding for high tech start-ups

A new paper on how the next 12 years could play out in the region shows there is high potential, but  policymakers must adopt forward-looking measures

Reform of Poland’s judiciary has opened access to long-delayed EU payments and sparked hopes of increased R&D funding. But experts say there is now a need for long-term planning and a strategic use of resources

The new partnership, to be proposed during Hungary’s EU presidency in the second half of this year, aims to bring the region up to speed in the sustainability transition

Milena Stoycheva is an entrepreneur who in June 2023 was handed the keys to Bulgaria’s innovation ministry. She has set her sights on making the country a regional hub for high tech business and, in time, an innovation destination 

Some rectors of the country’s civilian state universities have secured third or even fourth mandates, a trend that is of concern to the European Parliament and others in the higher education sector