Latest Science|Business news & analysis

Welcome to the weekly Science|Business roundup of the most significant news in R&D policy and funding, tailored for our LinkedIn audience.

Policy news

As Ursula von der Leyen is re-elected as president of the European Commission, she promises to increase EU research spending in the new term and to “expand” the ERC and the EIC.

Meanwhile, Polish MEP Borys Budka is expected to be confirmed as the next chair of the Parliament’s ITRE committee.

In international news, pressure mounts on the Commission to release a secret Horizon Europe report that found Singapore is democratic enough to join the programme. In parallel, EU and South Korea announce winners of four co-funded semiconductor projects.

In an exclusive op-ed, Nikos Kastrinos, a former Commission official asks what should we expect from FP10: Scale or focus? The EU tries to target R&I funding to specific goals – but doesn’t achieve the scale to compete globally. It’s time to choose.

Funding news

?Artificial intelligence is on the menu this week as David Matthews reveals the European Commission's plan for a €500 million call for generative AI projects in next year's Horizon Europe work programme. Delving further into AI, the Funding Radar rounds up other grants on offer for AI research.

?In his regular Ecosystem column, Ian Mundell looks at how entrepreneur in residence schemes are bringing seasoned entrepreneurs onto campuses to inspire would-be innovators.

?The Data Corner has an analysis of the European Innovation Scoreboard rankings from 2017 to 2024, showing there has been little movement up the innovation categories in the past eight years.

?Finally, Insider’s View describes how the German Research Foundation’s bottom-up approach encourages cross-border research cooperation.

Elsewhere in Europe:

We take an in-depth look at how Cyprus managed to move up the European Innovation Scoreboard when very few countries have significantly improved their position in the ranking since 2017.

In Romania, inspired by the success of three of its cities being selected for the EU climate-neutral and smart cities Mission, the government has come up with a national plan to help cities in less developed regions to learn from this.

Artificial intelligence models consume huge amounts of electricity, but this is getting overlooked in the rush to develop and apply this technology. A new research centre in Poland aims to make AI more climate-friendly.??

Policy Bulletin

Von der Leyen vows to increase EU research spending in new term

As Ursula von der Leyen is re-elected as president of the European Commission, she promises to expand the ERC and the EIC. Click here to read more

Borys Budka to chair European Parliament’s industry and research committee

The Polish MEP is expected to be confirmed as the next chair of the ITRE committee, which will draft the Parliament’s position on FP10. Click here to read more

Call for release of secret Singapore Horizon Europe report

Commission finds Singapore is democratic enough to join. ‘Indefensible’ says human rights body. Christian Ehler MEP wants the opinion public. Click here to read more

EU and South Korea announce winners of four co-funded semiconductor projects

€12M joint call is a practical demonstration of how the EU and South Korea are strengthening their ties in a key technology. Click here to read more

Viewpoint: Scale or focus? A choice for Framework Programme 10

The EU tries to target R&I funding to specific goals – but doesn’t achieve the scale to compete globally. Time to choose, a former official says. Click here to read more

Funding Newswire

Commission is shaping up €500M generative artificial intelligence calls

GenAI4EU initiative will fund consortia to solve real-world industrial problems in partnership with companies. Click here to read more

Funding Radar: This week’s round up of calls for proposals in AI

Here’s a list of funding opportunities in the EU, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, and the US. Click here to read more

The Ecosystem: European universities test out entrepreneurs in residence

Bringing entrepreneurs onto campus can inspire academic start-up founders and provide practical help in forming companies. Click here to read more

Latest picture of Europe’s innovation mobility is more like a still life

The 2024 European Innovation Scoreboard adds up to little progress: in the past 8 years most countries stayed in the same category. Click here to read more

How Germany’s main science funding agency backs international research

A conversation with DFG’s head of international cooperation J?rg Schneider on its very bottom-up approach to cross-border science. Click here to read more

The Widening

Spotlight on Cyprus: The small island rising up the innovation rankings

Widening countries moved up the rankings in the 2024 European Innovation Scoreboard, with Cyprus making the biggest gains of all. Click here to read more

Romania’s €1B bet on making cities carbon neutral

While some doubt the effectiveness of the EU Cities Mission, the country is doubling down on making its cities greener, smarter, and more sustainable. Click here to read more

Warsaw hub aims for ‘lighthouse role’ in AI energy efficiency

AI has a huge appetite for electricity. A new Polish centre wants to set standards for energy efficiency and develop taxonomy for AI models. Click here to read more

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Funding Newswire , sent out every Tuesday to help you follow where the public and private R&I money is going and which collaborative opportunities you can pursue.

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