This week we are taking a close look at the ongoing stand-off between Hungary and the European Commission over Horizon Europe funding, and how angel investors in central and eastern Europe are keeping an upbeat perspective on deep-tech in the region.
We also have a guest opinion piece on what eastern Europe can learn from Portugal’s sustained effort in R&D policy and funding, and a report from a Science|Business conference in Prague last week.
The latest news
HUNGARIAN DEADLOCK: Hungary is making fresh efforts to free up some of the €22 billion in Cohesion funds that the EU is currently withholding because of various rule-of-law concerns. Meanwhile, severalHungarian universities are still banned from accessing Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ funding, a state of affairs that has a knock-on effect on institutions that are not subject to the EU ban. They are now calling on the European Commission to make it clear that they are exempt. Thomas Brent has the story.
WHAT CAN EASTERN EUROPE LEARN FROM PORTUGAL: A sustained effort has seen the country make steady progress in improving its research and innovation system. Now, almost 40 years after joining the EU, Portugal is in sight of meeting the target of spending 3% of GDP on R&D by 2030. Former Portuguese science minister Manuel Heitor explains how that can be achieved in this exclusive analysis for Science|Business.
NEW IDEAS FOR BRIDGING THE EAST-WEST GAP: Improving research careers and access to innovation funding are two key areas the European Commission will focus on in future efforts to bridge the EU’s East-West research performance gap and improve on the Widening measures that were set up under the €95.5 billion Horizon Europe programme. These were the main takeaways from a conference organised by Science|Business and Charles University last week in Prague. The full report is available here.
THE ECOSYSTEM: Angel investors in central and eastern Europe are increasingly comfortable putting their money into deep-tech despite signs of economic slowdown. With plenty of start-ups in the pipeline, investors are increasingly willing to look beyond the digital innovations that usually hold their attention. Ian Mundell has the story.
In other news
ELECTION WOES: Polish voters are expected to vote in landmark parliamentary elections in 11 days, and science is also on the ballot. As a side note to the fiery political campaign between the ruling Law and Justice party and the more moderate opposition, the Academy of Sciences has organised a series of public conversations on how R&D policy should be shaped in the coming years. The recordings (in Polish) are available here.
JOINT CALL: Poland’s main funder of basic science, the National Science Centre (NCN), has announced a new funding call aimed at Polish-Lithuanian teams working jointly on projects that can last up to 36 months. More details here.
BILATERAL DEAL: Bulgarian and Romanian ministers for research and innovation have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at boosting the competitiveness of high-tech companies as well as supporting the start-up scene in the two countries. “Together, Romania and Bulgaria can become growth leaders in the region,” said Romanian minister for research and innovation Bogdan-Gruia Ivan.
RULEBOOK FOR CHATGPT IN ACADEMIA: The University of Ljubljana has published guidelines for faculty and researchers on the ethical use of generative AI tools in academic work. The university says machine learning and artificial intelligence are already being used and is suggesting steps for assessing the way they are applied to teaching and research. The report, published last month, is available here. Separately, the European Commission is also gearing up to tackle the impact of generative AI tools on research funding.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: The Czech Academy of Sciences is planning to offer financial support for researchers who want to take their fundamental research and move it closer to market. The academy says the new funding programme is a way to address a gap: "In the Czech Republic, there is still a lack of more systematic support for knowledge and technology transfer," said academy vice president Ilona Müllerová.
Mark your calendars
25-26 OCTOBER, WARSAW: Poland is to host an international matchmaking event aimed at researchers, companies and investors interested in Horizon Europe funding for projects in clean energy, raw materials, hydrogen and the circular economy. Register here.
21-22 NOVEMBER, WARSAW: Horizon4Poland’23is the country’sbiggest matchmaking event for Horizon Europe applicants. It will bring together entrepreneurs and leading innovation institutions in Poland with counterparts from across Europe, with the aim of increasing cross-border cooperation in Horizon Europe competitions. More details here.
3 OCTOBER, PRAGUE: CZARMA Conference, the Czech association of research managers and administrators, is organising its annual conference at Charles University in Prague. Registration is now open.
15 NOVEMBER, BRNO: The Velvet Innovation conference aims to “inspire and connect people dedicated to innovation without demolition”. This should be interesting. Get tickets here.
SCIENCE|BUSINESS CONFERENCE: Later this autumn, we will organise the annual Science|Business Widening conference. Location and date to be announced soon.
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