Widening newsletter 9

The latest news

CONSULTATION TIME: Over the past three months, more than 2,700 research stakeholders gave feedback to the European Commission the performance of the EU’s €95.5 billion Horizon Europe research programme, and made suggestions to feed into the planning for its successor.

Some of the position papers submitted to the Commission last month have been made public, we have taken a look at how recent policy changes have been perceived by research organisations across Europe. Here’s the full story.

CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION IN POLAND: The anti-corruption bureau has launched an investigation into grants distributed by the National Centre for Research and Development, after two single companies were in line to get a full 22% of the total funding available under a fast-track call for digital innovations. Anna Rzhevkina has the story.

TAIWANESE INVESTMENTS IN CENTRAL EUROPE: A $200 million venture capital fund set up by Taiwan’s National Development Fund is filling a gap for start-up funding in central and eastern Europe and at the same time, building connections with Taiwan’s industry and research base. Following its formation in March 2022, the fund has made three investments to date, and is shaping up to be a significant player in a region where local venture capital is scarce. Ian Mundell has the story.

NEW FUNDING AGENCY: Slovenia is planning to create a new agency, called ARIS, that would bring research and innovation funding under the same roof, so the government can fund basic research and also prioritise public funding for technologies that are further along the development pathway. The plan has been welcomed by the scientific community, but there are warnings the real challenge is in the implementation stage. Thomas Brent has the story.

HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITIES IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The row between the European Commission and the Hungarian government over how universities in the central European country are organised continues.

The Commission has decided to suspend access of 21 Hungarian universities to Horizon Europe and Erasmus after it found that the institutions in question operate under the umbrella of public trust foundations headed by politicians close to the ruling party Fidesz.

The Hungarian government has made concessions, but a group of Hungarian researchers says removing cabinet ministers from the boards of these foundations does not address transparency and rule of law concerns. More on this here.

In other news

NEW DEAL: The Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Spanish National Research Council signed a cooperation agreement on Monday. The deal will enable scientists from the Slovak academy to participate more often in Horizon Europe projects and other international funding schemes. The two institutes will launch joint calls and will provide funding for three bilateral mobility projects.

MOBILITY BOOST: The Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH) has announced a new call for proposals for researcher mobility, to offer Hungarian researchers the opportunity to work abroad. “Encouraging mobility of researchers will contribute to the successful career development of ELKH researchers, support their professional development and experience in Europe and beyond, and provide an opportunity for researchers to work with the best in their field from all over the world,” said ELKH president Miklós Maróth. Applicants can find more information about the calls here (In Hungarian).

MoU: Austria has signed a cooperation agreement with Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary to boost regional cooperation in education policy and to have a stronger say in the European Education Area.

Mark your calendars 

BRUSSELS: Research liaison offices in Brussels from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia are organising a training event for research managers in central Europe. The event will take place between 29 and 31 March. Details here.

SOFIA: Bulgaria’s swanky new excellence centre in artificial intelligence is launching a lecture series featuring international experts in the field. Details here.

WARSAW: Science|Business is organising a hybrid roundtable in May to bring together research stakeholders on building attractive centres of excellence in the Widening countries. More details here.

Also in Warsaw, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Polish Academy of Sciences are launching the European Climate Conference. Details are available 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.