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Work on FP10 Outline Must Start Immediately, says MEP Ehler

Work on FP10 Outline Must Start Immediately, says MEP Ehler

There is an urgent need to fill in the detail of FP10, the next EU research and innovation Framework Programme, following confirmation that a regulation to set it up will be published on July 16 alongside the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

Budget First, Impact Later: Academic Community Reacts to Horizon Europe Analysis

Budget First, Impact Later: Academic Community Reacts to Horizon Europe Analysis

The academic community has pushed back against conclusions drawn from an interim evaluation of Horizon Europe, published on April 30. Where the European Commission sees evidence of sound investment, with every euro spent so far yielding up to €11 in GDP gains by 2045, university groups find the unfunded 70% of excellent research proposals as sign of limited ambition.

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

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

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

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.

Europe Scrambles to Help Researchers Escape Trump

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.

Left MEPs Raise Concerns over Horizon Europe Funding to Israel

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

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

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

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. 

Commission R&I Chief Declines to Confirm Standalone FP10

Commission R&I Chief Declines to Confirm Standalone FP10

Marc Lemaître expects “radical reduction in the number of instruments under the EU budget”.

FP10 Will Happen, Says Leading MEP

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.