After 15 years working with North Korean researchers on Mount Paektu, geophysicist James Hammond reflects on sanctions, science diplomacy and the risks of cutting scientific ties entirely:

Lead MEPs on the European #Competitiveness Fund are warning that the instrument cannot fund every sectoral priority promised by the Commission, as debates intensify over its future scope and governance: sciencebusiness.net/news/eu-budg...

Ekaterina Zaharieva is urging European university alliances to make greater use of Horizon Europe opportunities, as discussions continue over their future role and funding model under FP10: sciencebusiness.net/news/horizon...

Researchers warn Serbia’s national research fund is effectively “on hiatus,” after delays in grant evaluations and growing uncertainty over future funding:

FP10 risks missing Europe’s full innovation potential if it does not do more to support regional innovation ecosystems, warns Anne Besnier from the Committee of the Regions:

For some Hungarian researchers, exclusion from HorizonEU and Erasmus+ has come to feel like an “academic Huxit.” More than three years after the EU froze 30 Hungarian institutions out of the programmes, academics describe lost collaborations and growing isolation: sciencebusiness.net/news/researc...

Boosting #competitiveness requires stronger support for #technology transfer, argues Sebastiaan Berendse. A new Dutch association is pushing for structural #funding to match growing expectations around spin-outs and innovation:

In this week’s Data Corner, we look at success rates for AI, digital and data calls under Horizon Europe. Only around 1 in 20 proposals are expected to be funded in 2026, with a success rate of just 5.5% across Cluster 4:

European investors are increasingly open to defence technologies, but caution remains, an EIF survey shows. Interest is growing, but few fund managers are ready to create dedicated defence funds:

France risks falling behind as R&D investment stalls, warns CNRS chief Antoine Petit. He points to €500 million in cuts and a widening gap with competitors, with Germany spending €80 billion more annually on research:

New funding opportunity for open science policy research. The Global Research Initiative on Open Science has launched its first call, supporting projects on incentives and data sharing, open worldwide: buff.ly/FAy4huF

EU research funding needs to do more for scholars at risk, with Afghanistan emerging as a test case. Organisations are calling for more flexible rules and longer-term support as participation declines: buff.ly/qvTgHOo

The UK is backing two new focused #research organisations with £21 million, testing a model designed to #fund scientific tools that fall outside traditional grants and venture capital. The approach is still largely unproven in Europe: buff.ly/oAz9lrd

Research commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva pitched the EU as a destination for US scientists and investors during a two-day visit to San Francisco, as applications from US-based researchers to ERC and MSCA calls continue to rise. Read more: sciencebusiness.net/news/interna...

Associated countries want a bigger role in shaping priorities under the next Horizon Europe programme, including in sensitive research areas, diplomats said at a Brussels policy event: sciencebusiness.net/news/fp10/as...

Germany, the Netherlands and Italy gained AI researchers in 2025 while France lost ground, new data show. At the same time, more tech workers are now moving from the US to Europe than the other way around: sciencebusiness.net/news/ai/germ...

EU governments want a closer role in setting priorities under the next Horizon Europe programme, according to draft compromise texts prepared by the Cypriot presidency and seen by Science|Business. Negotiations are continuing ahead of a possible agreement in May: sciencebusiness.net/news/fp10/ex...

After a backlash from more than 1,000 researchers, the European Research Council has reversed stricter resubmission rules for its 2027 calls. ➡️ sciencebusiness.net/news/europea...

Can Europe protect its #research strength without closing the door on international collaboration? On 28 May, together with @digital-science.com, we look at how research #security policy is evolving across Europe and how #digital tools and AI-driven compliance ➡️ sciencebusiness.net/events/resea...

This week’s Funding Radar looks at €63 million in new calls under the Digital Europe Programme supporting #AI innovation, including pilots in medical imaging, digital health services and training programmes on AI in #health. ➡️ See which topics are open and who can apply:

How could the EU structure defence R&D funding after 2028? A draft European Parliament report on the European Competitiveness Fund outlines three new instruments and a €13B envelope for defence research and innovation. 🔍Read more:

More than 1,000 scientists have signed a letter asking the European Research Council to reconsider its new resubmission rules. The Scientific Council is expected to revisit its options this week. Read what researchers are proposing instead:

EU countries have agreed on their position on new genomic techniques, moving the bloc closer to updated rules for plants developed with targeted genetic methods. The proposal now heads into the next phase of negotiations with Parliament: sciencebusiness.net/news/patents...

Plans to introduce expert councils into #HorizonEU governance are facing pushback from the European Commission, which warns they could slow call preparation and make the programme more complex for applicants as FP10 discussions continue: sciencebusiness.net/news/plannin...

MEPs are preparing for a difficult fight over the FP10 budget as negotiations on the next EU long-term budget approach. Parliament is calling for at least €200 billion for Horizon Europe but expects resistance from member states: sciencebusiness.net/news/eu-budg...

For decades, researcher mobility in Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans has been framed as brain drain, but the focus should now shift to circulation, with return pathways and diaspora engagement strengthening research systems across the region: sciencebusiness.net/viewpoint/re...

Representatives from Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia say additional support tools may be needed alongside national reforms to improve participation and success rates in ERC funding: sciencebusiness.net/news/researc...

Poland plans to transfer €30 million from regional EU funds to support Horizon Europe applicants who receive positive evaluations but miss out due to budget limits. It becomes the fourth country to use this cohesion policy synergy tool: sciencebusiness.net/news/researc...

Closing Europe’s east-west research gap requires greater attention to researchers’ institutional context when assessing excellence, says ERC Scientific Council member Leszek Kaczmarek, following a new ERC white paper: sciencebusiness.net/news/researc...

Participation from Middle Eastern countries in EU #research programmes has increased over time, but remains uneven across the region. Israel, Türkiye and Egypt lead in both funding and the number of grants as associated countries. 🔍

Up to €1.3 million is available for #research ideas that may sound like #science fiction today but could define entirely new scientific fields. Germany’s Volkswagen Foundation is inviting proposals exploring “unknown unknowns.” More about the call:

European defence start-ups are facing growing public investment opportunities, but access to traditional procurement channels can remain slow. Selling directly to the Ukrainian military is emerging as a faster route to deployment and early revenue for some companies:

The #EIT says funding for the 2026–28 activities of its Knowledge and Innovation Communities is on track, after suggestions that payment delays contributed to the bankruptcy of EIT Manufacturing. Grant agreements for several KICs are already signed: sciencebusiness.net/news/r-d-fun...

As Europe accelerates its energy transition, research and innovation policy needs closer alignment with the energy strategy. The next EU budget cycle could be decisive for scaling clean technologies and strengthening industrial capacity:

Industry leaders say a future Chips Act 2.0 should better link research with industrial deployment to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem. The next phase may need to focus more on scaling technologies and manufacturing capacity:

Israeli participation in Horizon Europe has halved as academic boycotts linked to the war in Gaza begin to affect research cooperation across Europe. New data points to growing pressure on universities and partnerships:

MEPs are calling for a €200 billion budget for the next Horizon Europe as part of their position on the EU’s long-term budget after 2027. The proposal now feeds into negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework:

The European Research Council is tightening application rules for the 2027 calls, affecting how often researchers can apply and when they can return after rejection. Changes that will shape planning for future ERC applicants: buff.ly/Aj5n5BR

Hungarian academics hope Péter Magyar's election victory and the Tisza Party's success could help lift the Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ ban affecting 30 institutions. Next steps depend on reforms to restore academic autonomy and meet EU transparency milestones: buff.ly/Oyntzab

A new study from CentraleSupélec proposes a different way to understand deep-tech start-ups, with lessons for public and private funders. Read more: buff.ly/jokmkAT

Europe is preparing its next research programme, but how often do we test whether funding decisions themselves work as intended? Sam Bogerd argues the EU should create an experimental metascience unit inside the European Commission to trial new approaches across FP10.

The TenU Rise mentoring scheme is helping technology transfer professionals build skills in negotiation, licensing and commercialisation pathways often learned only on the job. 🔍

Two new bottom-up calls under the European Defence Fund are opening this week, offering €62 million to support disruptive defence innovation projects led by SMEs and research organisations across a wide range of technologies. 🔍

In Berlin, a historic industrial site is being used to test a new model for industrial R&D, bringing start-ups and researchers into a working factory environment. buff.ly/jokmkAT

As geopolitical attention around Greenland grows and the EU prepares an update of its Arctic policy, the question of how Greenland participates in European climate research — and benefits from it — is moving higher on the agenda:

What role can universities play in Europe’s technological sovereignty in areas such as AI? A key question at the Udice European Forum in Brussels on 26 March.

#Patent applications to the European Patent Office passed 200,000 for the first time in 2025, with the fastest growth coming from China and South Korea. The trend reflects shifting momentum in strategic technology fields such as #AI and #batteries:

Aviation is one of the sectors expected to feature in the EU’s future “moonshot” initiatives under the next Framework Programme. The Clean Aviation partnership hopes its successor could help steer investment from research to deployment:

The European Commission is preparing a €120 million pilot scheme to fast-track funding for disruptive #defence #innovation, with grants expected to reach start-ups within four months. The Agile instrument targets technologies such as AI, quantum and drones:

After filing for liquidation, EIT Manufacturing is exploring the creation of a new legal entity to continue supporting its innovation projects across Europe. Whether that happens now depends on backing from the EIT and policymakers in Brussels. More: buff.ly/vj5W8bk