Research and Innovation

Gender equality in research and innovation not progressing fast enough, according to new She Figures report

The Commission has released the latest edition of its flagship publication series, She Figures, which presents the most up-to-date and Europe-wide statistics on gender equality in Research and Innovation (R&I). Europe’s innovation potential is at risk. While women outnumber men in university education, they remain strikingly underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers …

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The EIC Forum presents its recommendations to close Europe’s innovation gap

On 6 February, the EIC Forum Plenary held their first meeting of 2025. At the top of the agenda was the presentation of their yearly report the EIC Forum Policy Orientations to the Director-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission Marc Lemaître. Mr Lemaître welcomed the report and presented the Competitiveness Compass, the first major initiative of …

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More than €1 billion from the European Defence Fund to develop next generation defence technologies and innovation

The Commission has adopted the fifth annual Work Programme under the European Defence Fund (EDF), allocating over €1 billion to defence collaborative research and development projects. With the 2025 EDF Work Programme, the Commission unlocks significant additional funding to support the development of critical defence technologies and capabilities. The Work Programme allocates around €100 million each …

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91 new EU-funded projects to deliver innovative research on sustainable food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture, and environment 

The 91 new projects are funded through the EU Horizon Europe framework programme for research and innovation, under Cluster 6 “Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment”. They will be working on delivering the commitments outlined in the EU Green Deal. Namely, to help curb environmental degradation, reverse biodiversity decline, better manage natural resources whilst ensuring food and …

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MSCA opens €101.8m call to co-fund doctoral and postdoctoral programmes

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND) 2024 call is open as of 23rd of January 2025. The deadline for submission of proposals is 24 June 2025. Under this call, the European Commission will award €101.8 million to support institutional, regional, national and international training and career development programmes for researchers. COFUND allows …

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Europe must prioritise research and innovation to be competitive

This article is published in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. Jean Tirole, Nobel Prize Laureate at Toulouse School of Economics, together with ERC President Maria Leptin, explain why Europe must take urgent action to address the major economic growth gap with the US and China. Research and innovation have been identified as key areas to …

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Applications for ERC Consolidator Grants 2025: Facts and figures

The ERC Consolidator Grants 2025 call closed for applications on 14 January 2025. These are the preliminary data on the submitted proposals: The ERC received 3 121 applications, marking a 35% increase compared to the previous call and a 46% increase compared to the 2023 call. The highest number of applications came from the Physical Sciences and Engineering domain with 1 …

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2024 EIC Tech Report identifies a watch list of 34 emerging technologies that could change future European competitiveness

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has released its 2024 Tech Report, highlighting 34 emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations that could shape the industries of tomorrow. Drawing on EIC’s internal data and the views of experts in the field, the report identifies early stage trends of novel technologies with the potential to make major impacts on …

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EIC Board publishes environmental, social and governance policy recommendations to drive responsible deep tech innovation

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Board has recently published its recommendations on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) policy, outlining a strategic approach to responsible deep tech innovation. As one of the EU’s largest deep tech investors, the EIC aims to leverage its position to catalyse the integration of ESG principles within the European deep …

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