Social Sciences Alliance Sounds Alarm Over Competitiveness Focus
EU’s R&I programme should aid society, alliance says, including through collaborative and multidisciplinary funding.
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Serbia's Academics Outraged over Limits to Research, Disappointed by EU Response
Serbia's Academics Outraged over Limits to Research, Disappointed by EU Response
Academics in Serbia are up in arms over a sudden move by the government to limit the time university lecturers can spend on research. Previously allowed to spend 20 hours a week on research, they will now be limited to just five hours.Critics of the new regulation point out that the move effectively invalidates the official accreditation of all public universities in Serbia, since this requires university staff to reserve half their working hours for research.
Commission Pushes to Water Down Gender Mainstreaming in Horizon Europe
The European Commission wants to water down gender mainstreaming requirements in Horizon Europe despite facing resistance from member states and research stakeholders. The changes proposed by the Commission are set to come into effect in 2025, with member states invited to endorse the revamped rules in a vote on the whole Horizon Europe work programme for the year.
Swiss Take Further Step Towards Horizon Europe Association
Switzerland's Federal Council has signed off an agreement that will allow the country to join Horizon Europe, another step towards ending a diplomatic stalemate over association that has dragged on since 2021. On April 9, the council approved the EU Programmes Agreement, which allows association to Horizon Europe, the Euratom atomic research programme and the Digital Europe Programme.
EU Should Attract More US Scientists, MEPs Say
Many MEPs have called on the Commission to increase efforts to attract US scientists affected by budget cuts and political interference in academia and research. They see the current geopolitical context as a chance for the EU to present itself as an international beacon for academic freedom.
ERC and EIC Unite to Call for Increased, Ringfenced Budgets in FP10
Coordinated statement adds to pressure for European Commission to reveal its plans for the next research Framework Programme.
Associated Countries Set out Horizon Europe Concerns
Associated countries to Horizon Europe have complained about being frozen out of sensitive calls, and want a bigger role designing the next Framework Programme, according to a study.
Europe Scrambles to Help Researchers Escape Trump
EU science ministers are calling on the European Commission to stand ready to welcome US researchers threatened by Donald Trump's ongoing tightening of restrictions on US science and provide them with concrete opportunities to pursue their work.
Italy Lobbies for Standalone FP10
Italy's research organisations, MEPs and government officials are pushing back against plans to reorganise EU research and innovation funding, as the mediterranean country relies on EU Framework Programmes to pad its national R&D budget and establish collaborations around the world.
Left MEPs Raise Concerns over Horizon Europe Funding to Israel
MEPs in the European Parliament's Left political group have criticised the flow of Horizon Europe research funding to Israel, and the overall shift in emphasis towards the programme supporting economic competitiveness. Israel has long been an associated country to the Framework Programmes, meaning its scientists can participate on an equal basis to their EU counterparts, both leading projects and receiving money. But this has become particularly controversial since the country's attack on Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas assault on Israel in October 2023.
Parliament Set for Showdown with Commission over Standalone FP10
The European Parliament has adopted a report calling for a standalone research Framework Programme in the next long-term EU budget. This lays the ground for a conflict with the European Commission, which is expected to place the programme within a broader EU Competitiveness Fund.
Europe Could Be a 'Haven' for US Researchers, Says ERC President
The EU's research funding bodies are thinking of ways to welcome US scientists and European ex-patriots who might be looking for a more sympathetic place to work now that Donald Trump is in the White House. This mirrors discussions at the national level of possible "repatriation awards" and the expansion of programmes to attract American scientists.
Leptin Calls for a Doubling of the ERC Budget
With concern for the future of the European Research Council (ERC) still in the air, its president Maria Leptin has called on the European Parliament to protect the council from attacks on its freedom and its resources. "My message today is simple: an independent ERC with a doubled budget in the next MFF [Multiannual Financial Framework] is a strategic investment," she told MEPs on the Industry, Research and Energy Committee on February 19.
Zaharieva Urges More EU-US Science Collaboration
The EU is "really open to work with the US", research and innovation commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva told the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
Competitiveness Compass Must Find a Place for Basic Research
Commission’s silence on the next EU R&I programme is becoming alarmingly loud, says the author
FP10 Will Happen, Says Leading MEP
A leading member of the European Parliament has reassured the research and innovation community that there will be an FP10, despite concerns that the next EU research Framework Programme could be swallowed up in a political drive to boost economic competitiveness."There will be a Framework Programme 10," said Christian Ehler, a prominent member of the Parliament's research and industry committee, at the annual Science|Business conference on Thursday.
EU Cybersecurity Centre Plans Calls on AI Tools and Quantum Threats
EU Cybersecurity Centre Plans Calls on AI Tools and Quantum Threats
Calls for proposals on artificial intelligence cybersecurity tools and countering threats from quantum computers are set out in a draft work programme from the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC).
Leaked EU Competitiveness Plan Prompts Concerns over ERC Independence
Leaked EU Competitiveness Plan Prompts Concerns over ERC Independence
A leaked EU competitiveness strategy is prompting fears that Brussels intends to undermine the independence of the European Research Council by pushing for more alignment with the European Innovation Council and the EU's broader political goals.
Experts Warn of Fragmentation in Global Collaboration for Innovation
Global collaboration around innovation and technology is still growing, but the sector is at risk of fragmentation amid heightened competition, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned in its second annual Global Cooperation Barometer.
Swiss Association to Horizon Europe Faces Referendum Challenge by 2028
Swiss Association to Horizon Europe Faces Referendum Challenge by 2028
Switzerland could once again fall out of the EU's Horizon Europe research programme if voters reject a wider, underpinning deal in a likely 2026 or 2028 referendum, the leaders of the country's biggest research funding agency have warned. An overarching deal between Brussels and Bern expected this week should allow Swiss researchers to finally fully participate in Horizon Europe, after years of political squabbles locked them out of certain parts of the programme since it began in 2021.
The Trap of Securitizing Science
In response to China's rise, Western governments are acting to limit scientific collaboration but this may hurt science and the economy.
Universities Push for Research Careers Pilot in Horizon Europe
The CESAER university association is calling on the European Commission to pilot a 'Choose Europe for a research career' programme to tackle brain drain and precarity in research careers.
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