Policy

Europe's top innovation problem is how to scale up companies, according to Dr Hermann Hauser. Credit – Flickr/ Franz Johann Morgenbesser

interview | open innovation | policy

21 November 2017

You are never going to have breakthrough ideas without risk – Dr Hermann Hauser

High-risk, high-reward ideas in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and synthetic biology are typical contenders for support from the EU’s new European Innovation Council (EIC), which aims to help European innovators and entrepreneurs scale up their ideas internationally, according to Dr Hermann Hauser, serial entrepreneur, who is a founding partner of Amadeus Capital and founder of ARM in the UK.He heads up the EIC advisory board, which on 20 November published their first set of recommendations for the future direction of the EIC.

A 10-year research partnership between Mediterranean countries will tackle water scarcity and food insecurity in the region. Image credit – CC0

policy | open to the world

13 November 2017

Jordan joins Mediterranean research effort to tackle water, food insecurity

Jordan has become the latest country to sign up to an international research effort to tackle water scarcity and food insecurity in the Mediterranean region.

Commissioner Moedas says that political leaders should talk more about science and innovation. Credit – Flickr/ Web Summit

policy | open innovation

09 November 2017

European taxpayers are changing lives, but people don’t always know it - Commissioner Moedas

Carlos Moedas, EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, has called for political leaders to speak more about science and innovation to connect people with the life-changing research that is funded by their taxes and has the potential to combat urgent global problems.

Paris, France, is home to the world's largest start-up campus. Credit – Station F / Patrick Tourneboeuf

policy | open innovation

07 November 2017

Paris is named the 2017 innovation capital of Europe

Paris, France, has been named 2017's European Capital of Innovation thanks to an 'inclusive innovation strategy', which saw it scoop the EUR 1 million first prize in the EU's iCapital awards. The awards, which are designed to recognise the most innovative cities in EU countries and those associated to the Horizon 2020 funding programme, were announced on 7 November at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal. Two runner-up prizes of EUR 100 000 were awarded to Tallin, Estonia and Tel Aviv, Israel, and the prize money will be used to scale up and further expand the cities' innovation efforts.

The last EUR 30 billion of Horizon 2020 includes priorities for start-ups, open science, digitalisation and tackling extremism. Credit – European Union, 2017/ Audiovisual Service/ Georges Boulougouris

policy

27 October 2017

EUR 30 billion in research spending allocated for 2018-2020

The final three years of the EU’s Horizon 2020 funding programme will see EUR 30 billion go towards tackling challenges such as low-carbon living, digitalisation, the circular economy and security, as well as backing to promote market disrupting innovation.

Ocean monitoring tools can tell scientists how climate change affects our waters. Image credit — Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA)

environment | policy | open to the world

13 July 2017

South Atlantic agreement takes on board questions too big to be solved alone

Scientists from different continents are coordinating their research to provide a deeper understanding of the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean, thanks to an EU-led collaboration.

Many start-ups suffer because investors are too risk-averse. Image credit_Flickr/Berlin Startup Tours

policy

05 July 2017

Next EU research fund needs to help start-ups to scale-up

Fear of investing in innovation is preventing promising start-ups from reaching their full potential and that’s preventing growth across Europe, a conference on the future of EU research funding heard.

Former World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy says the EU’s next research funding programme should be twice as big. Image credit: Flickr/ Sebastiaan ter Burg

policy | interview

03 July 2017

The next EU science fund should be doubled in size – Pascal Lamy

The next EU research funding programme should be doubled in size to help fix Europe's growth problems, according to former World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy, who is chairing a group of experts selected by the European Commission to analyse which changes to make after the current programme expires in 2020.

policy

15 June 2017

Europe joins forces to create largest ever shared data repository for researchers

World-leading research institutes have agreed to join forces with funding agencies and policymakers to create the European Open Science Cloud, the largest shared data repository in history.

Prof. Luke Georghiou says that Europe needs more companies that are able to apply research. Image credit: Prof. Luke Georghiou

policy | open innovation | interview

29 May 2017

Europe’s companies often need a kick-start for innovation – Prof. Luke Georghiou

Europe needs to demonstrate to many of its companies the benefits of innovation, according to Professor Luke Georghiou, the vice-president for research and innovation at the University of Manchester, UK.