With Europe facing significant challenges over the next decade, it is vital that the EU’s research activities are designed not just by bureaucrats but by a wide range of voices to ensure that they are fit for purpose, according to Jean-Eric Paquet, the European Commission's Director General for Research and Innovation. In this interview with Horizon he explains how the European Commission’s new annual event, Research and Innovation Days, aims to...

The European Commission has announced the higher education institutions from all over Europe that will be part of the first “European Universities” alliances. They will enhance the quality and attractiveness of European higher education and boost cooperation between institutions, their students and staff. Out of 54 applications received, 17 European Universities involving 114 higher education institutions from 24 EU Member States were selected (...

Companies in the European Union (EU27) have increased their investment in research and development (R...

Seventy-six top researchers will receive ERC Proof of Concept grants of €150,000 each. This top-up funding is awarded to ERC grantees to explore the innovation potential of their scientific discoveries and bring the results of their frontier research closer to market. This final injection of €11.4 million pushes the total number of ERC Proof of Concept funded projects for 2019 to 200. With the additional money researchers can, for example,...

Report by ScienceBusiness With 70% of the EU population now fully vaccinated, European universities are planning to welcome students back to lecture halls and seminar rooms for the 2021-22 academic year, after long months of disruption and distance learning. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities across the world shut their campuses and moved courses online. Later on, many institutions brought in hybrid formats, but teaching...

The call for ERC Consolidator Grants 2020 closed for applications on 5 February 2020. These are the preliminary data on the submitted proposals: The ERC received 2,506 proposals for Consolidator Grants, an increase of 2.2% compared to the 2019 call when 2,452 applications were submitted. Physical Sciences and Engineering attracted the highest number of applications (1,102), followed by Life Sciences (710), and Social Science and Humanities (694...

Known as the “Oscar of Science,” the 2020 Breakthrough Prize, was awarded on 5 September 2019 to the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a global scientific collaboration that captured the first-ever image of a black hole. With the €14 million grant from the European Research Council, the EU has provided funding for three of the leading scientists and their teams involved in the discovery. Over the past 15 years some €30 million from the EU's Horizon...

The European Commission today approved a €12 billion Important Project of Common European interest (IPCEI) which will attempt to revolutionise the EU battery market. “Europe is cementing its position as a global hot-spot for battery investments,” said EU vice-president, Maroš Šefčovič, and highlighted that batteries are “vital to our transition to climate neutrality.” The project brings together 12 member states that will provide up to €2.9...

A Letter of Intent was signed on 24 September 2020 setting out a common objective between the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s first Knowledge and Innovation Communities - KICs (EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Digital and EIT InnoEnergy) (EIT), to maximise EU support for game-changing innovators and entrepreneurs across Europe. The Letter of Intent sets about common principles, including commitment...

As part of EU efforts to provide guidance on the use of coronavirus tests, the JRC has created a database of COVID-19 in vitro diagnostic devices and test methods that gathers information on available tests in one place. Testing for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus or past exposure to it is an essential aspect of combatting the COVID-19 outbreak, and for efficient strategies for gradually lifting the confinement measures. At the moment, a...