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How to Make a European Research Framework Programme

How to Make a European Research Framework Programme

As the year draws to a close and 2024 comes into view, we're here to brief you on the preparations underway to shape Framework Programme 10 (FP10). FP10 doesn't start until 2028, but 2024 is going to be a big year for the next seven-year research programme, with the European Commission starting to pencil in the outline ahead of a comprehensive proposal in 2025.

Swiss Researchers Should Be Able to Apply for European Research Council Grants in 2024

Swiss Researchers Should Be Able to Apply for European Research Council Grants in 2024

The EU and Switzerland have made further progress in talks about their relationship, opening the door for Swiss academics to apply for European Research Council (ERC) grants from next year. On 15 December, Switzerland's ruling Federal Council signed off a draft negotiating mandate with the EU, paving the way for formal negotiations to start next year. That followed on from 18 months of exploratory talks about everything from food safety to financial markets.

Has Your Research Influenced Policy? Use This Free Tool to Check

Has Your Research Influenced Policy? Use This Free Tool to Check

Sage Policy Profiles scans a database of 10 million documents to show researchers where their papers have been cited.

Let's Ketchup: Nasa Releases Pictures of Tomatoes Lost in Space for Eight Months

Let's Ketchup: Nasa Releases Pictures of Tomatoes Lost in Space for Eight Months

Despite being nearly a year after the initial disappearance of the tomatoes, the fruit was found in a plastic bag dehydrated and slightly squished.

Time to Open Its Doors Wider, or Will China Fall into a Middle-technology Trap?

Time to Open Its Doors Wider, or Will China Fall into a Middle-technology Trap?

Chinese Academy of Sciences says China faces a risk of being hamstrung at the low and mid-end of the global value chain amid the ongoing tech war with the US.

Designing for Diversity - What Makes People Pick Up a Science Magazine?

Designing for Diversity - What Makes People Pick Up a Science Magazine?

Jemima Coleman and Wendy Sadler say that science magazines have a responsibility to ensure that science is accessible and inclusive for all

Evolution, Religion and Science: World Not As Polarised As We Think

Evolution, Religion and Science: World Not As Polarised As We Think

A new global survey has revealed that evolutionary science and religion are more compatible than many of us assume.

Students Demand Cardiff University Tackles Sexual Violence

Students Demand Cardiff University Tackles Sexual Violence

Students campaigning to stop sexual violence say they will fight to ensure Cardiff University acts after a meeting with senior staff. One student said they were laughed at by three male employees when speaking on sexual violence at a staff meeting. The university said it took sexual assaults seriously and investigated them robustly.

How a Bullying Scandal Closed a Historic Astronomy Department

How a Bullying Scandal Closed a Historic Astronomy Department

At Lund University in Sweden this week, astronomers moved out of a building that was custom-built to hold telescopes and other artefacts from their 350 years of history, and they relocated to a physics building down the road. That’s because the astronomy department no longer exists, having been dissolved in the wake of a bullying scandal.

UK Weighs Global Science and Technology Priorities After Horizon Europe Association

UK Weighs Global Science and Technology Priorities After Horizon Europe Association

With EU relations patched up, UK researchers and policymakers are planning the next moves. There are no firm plans for AI legislation, but an international collaboration fund set up during the wilderness years will continue, and there will be a focus on South American links.

A Synthesis of Evidence for Policy from Behavioural Science During COVID-19 - Nature

A Synthesis of Evidence for Policy from Behavioural Science During COVID-19 - Nature

Evaluation of evidence generated to test 19 proposed policy recommendations and guidance for the future.

Towards Understanding Policy Design Through Text-as-data Approaches: The Policy Design Annotations (POLIANNA) Dataset - Scientific Data

Towards Understanding Policy Design Through Text-as-data Approaches: The Policy Design Annotations (POLIANNA) Dataset - Scientific Data

Despite the importance of ambitious policy action for addressing climate change, large and systematic assessments of public policies and their design are lacking as analysing text manually is labour-intensive and costly. POLIANNA is a dataset of policy texts from the European Union (EU) that are annotated based on theoretical concepts of policy design, which can be used to develop supervised machine learning approaches for scaling policy analysis.

EU Ministers Take Small Steps Towards Improving Research Career Structures

EU Ministers Take Small Steps Towards Improving Research Career Structures

EU ministers have adopted joint recommendations on what the bloc should do to improve research careers, taking a small step towards meaningful change.

National Science Funders Eye Setting Up International Network to Share Research-Security Information

National Science Funders Eye Setting Up International Network to Share Research-Security Information

As part of a broader push to tighten security, science funders in the US, UK and Canada are considering setting up a network to share information about security risks affecting international research projects, according to a senior US science official.

Being Neurodivergent in Academia: Working with My Brain and Not Against It

Being Neurodivergent in Academia: Working with My Brain and Not Against It

When attempts to capitalize on her undiagnosed ADHD traits led to repeated cycles of overwork and burnout, a postdoc re-evaluated how she faces the daily challenges of being a neurodivergent scientist.

The EU Just Passed Sweeping New Rules to Regulate AI

The EU Just Passed Sweeping New Rules to Regulate AI

The European Union agreed on terms of the AI Act, a major new set of rules that will govern the building and use of AI and have major implications for Google, OpenAI, and others racing to develop AI systems.

Federal Council Regulates Crisis-Related Activation of Scientific Expertise

Federal Council Regulates Crisis-Related Activation of Scientific Expertise

The Federal Council has adopted an implementation proposal regarding the creation of ad-hoc scientific advisory groups during crises. Switzerland’s ERI institutions are to jointly propose experts for the groups.