Widening newsletter 2

The latest news

The government is upgrading its research and innovation strategy so it can spend the €30 billion it is set to receive from the EU’s pandemic recovery fund. The proposed changes signal an unprecedented political push in national R&D policy, but critics warn it could all be in vain if the plan does not outlive the current government.

The head of Romania’s research funding agency says the proposed reforms can set Romania on the path to tripling its participation in Horizon Europe. Adrian Curaj (yes, his last name means courage) told Science|Business that researchers in Romania should get at least €1 billion out of the EU’s research flagship scheme by 2027. Read the full story here.

STRATEGIC ALLIES: Politicians in Bucharest are also working on strengthening Romania’s strategic partnership with the US thanks to a flurry of R&D investments announced recently. The east European country is set to become a test bed for a next-generation nuclear power station using US-designed small modular reactor (SMR) technology, while Lockheed Martin has announced an R&D partnership with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca.

All this is part of a bigger diplomatic effort to boost R&D cooperation with the US, at a time when NATO is strengthening its presence in eastern Europe. At the US-Romanian economic forum last week, the deputy secretary general of NATO Mircea Geoană, a Romanian career diplomat, told delegates said the two countries should be “innovating together” and “investing together” in cutting edge technologies

BAD REPUTATION: But, despite the ongoing optimism and political momentum, let’s not forget that, thanks to government incompetence, Romania has dented its reputation in international science. Over the past few years, it has built up a whopping €102 million in unpaid contributions to the European Space Agency, which the new research minister has promised to pay.  

Last but not least, Romania has failed to finish an EU-funded laser research laboratory in time for it to be included into the ELI European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ELI-ERIC). The project has been delayed due to litigation over a gamma beam built by a group of European research institutes and companies. The contract for the beam ended up being given to a company in the US.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: We recently ran a new story on the ongoing laser wars at ELI-NP. Policymakers in Bucharest are renewing efforts to get all components of the lab up and running before EU fines for delays kick in. Thomas Brent interviewed Romania’s science minister Sebastian Burduja and other research leaders involved in the project on the political will needed to complete the construction of the research lab. Full story here.

UKRAINE LATEST: A flurry of international aid has been rolled out this year to Ukrainian research since the Russian invasion in February. Now, some targeted financial help would get Ukraine’s most westward institutions that are cash strapped but could deliver more in terms of immediate impact on the country’s research system, according to two experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who visited Ukraine this summer. Read the full story.

FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE: Their Soviet past and proximity to a newly aggressive Russia is motivating companies in the Baltics to grow fast and develop new defence technologies. SMEs in the Baltic member states performed well in the €1.2 billion first round of European Defence Fund (EDF) awards announced this year and are taking part in 19 of a total of 61 projects. Caterina Tani has the story.

Emerging innovations

THE ECOSYSTEM: Estonia’s e-residency scheme is not just for digital nomads. Start-ups with new technologies are also taking advantage of what it has to offer. The scheme helps start-ups get around bureaucratic barriers at home and access Estonia’s dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ian Mundell has the story.

In other news

ROMANIA: US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has announced a partnership between STELarLab and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca to do joint research in artificial intelligence with applications in security and the environment.

STELarLab, Lockheed Martin’s first multi-disciplinary R&D facility outside the US, was launched in Australia in 2016. Now it’s establishing a foothold in eastern Europe. The agreement “proves Lockheed Martin’s commitment to invest in long-term partnerships in Romania,” said Ray Piselli, the company’s VP for international affairs.

POLAND: The Academy of Sciences is looking to establish closer research ties with Taiwan, the academy  announced after a meeting in Warsaw last week. The two parties agreed to give more weight to humanities in their joint exchange programmes.

Also in Poland, the National Science Centre announced the deadline to submit proposals for a third round in its flagship programme aimed at attracting researchers from abroad.  Researchers can apply until 15 December and, if successful, they get to spend 24 months in a Polish research institution. Researchers can access up to €100,000 for basic research and a monthly salary of €4,465 gross. More details here.

APPOINTMENT: Hungarian conservation biologist András Báldi has been appointed to chair the advisory board of the Biodiversa+ partnership for the next two years. The research partnership is co-funded by the EU and brings together 74 research programmes and funders and environmental policy actors from 37 European and associated countries.

Mark your calendars

WROCLAW: On 24 and 25 October, the Wrocław University of Science and Technology will host the 2022 edition of the Central European Technology Forum. A who’s who of Brussels policymakers will attend the conference, including EU research commissioner Mariya Gabriel, Romanian MEP Cristian-Silviu Buşoi, and Peter Droell, director for prosperity at the European Commission’s directorate for research. Register here.

VILNIUS: Europe’s leading event on industrial biotechnology will take place this year in Lithuania on 26 and 27 October. Policy makers, researchers, start-ups and investors will gather in Vilnius to talk about how Europe can meet global demand for sustainable products. Register here.

PRAGUE: The first Science|Business Widening conference will take place in Prague on 10 November. Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and other high-level speakers will be there to discuss how Europe can tackle the challenges of brain drain and capacity building in EU13 countries. Register here.

TIMIȘOARA: The European University Association will take its Quality Assurance Forum to Romania this year. The Western University of Timișoara will host rectors and vice rectors from across Europe at an event that will take place between 17 and 19 November. More details here.

BRUSSELS: Czech, Hungarian, Slovak and Polish science liaison offices in Brussels organise training for experienced research managers working on Horizon projects. Experts from the Commission, the HETFA research institute, and French and Belgian universities will guide participants though the increasingly complex world of EU research and innovation funding. The training sessions will take place between 12 and 14 October. More details here.

The Widening newsletter is a roundup of news and analysis of research and innovation policy and investments in central and eastern Europe, delivered to your inbox twice a month. Sign up here.