Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

EU launches AI strategies to boost competitiveness and science

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 2h

The EU has launched two new strategies, Apply AI and AI in Science, to boost #Competitiveness and #Research. The goal: make #AI a driver of #Innovation and strengthen Europe’s scientific edge.

📌 Read the full story here:

The European Commission has launched two strategies it hopes will speed up the adoption of artificial intelligence and strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and innovation capabilities. The Apply AI…

Research community calls for more detail on 'transition countries' in FP10

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 5h

Without clear rules, the new “#TransitionCountries” label in #FP10 could do more harm than good. Vague criteria risk widening the #Innovation gap, Europe needs clarity and consistency in its #ResearchPolicy.

📌 Read the full story here:

The Commission’s proposal to create a new group of “transition” countries in the next Widening programme has been broadly welcomed by the research community. Yet key details on how countries will be…

Widening on the table as Council begins Horizon Europe talks

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 23h

As the EU opens talks on the next #HorizonEurope, the debate on #Widening returns. How can Europe strengthen #Research capacity across all regions without weakening #Excellence? The balance between #Cohesion and #Innovation will shape the continent’s future.

🔎Read here:

EU governments are hopeful that the future of Widening measures, which support member states with lower innovation capacities to participate in Horizon Europe, will not stand in the way of a swift…

Viewpoint: Europe stands at a crossroads

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 1d

Gregor Majdič warns that Europe’s focus on short-term impact risks weakening its foundation in #Research and #Science. To stay competitive globally, the EU must reinvest in #BasicResearch and long-term vision.

🔎Read here:

Universities remain the backbone of social and technological progress, even if in some European societies their role is too often questioned. We create knowledge, educate future leaders and drive…

US researchers: Choose Europe, but part-time

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 1d

Sweden’s @Karolinska Institutet and @Stockholm University are launching Trio Impact Invest, a new fund for early-stage #DeepTech ventures, co-financed by #Tillväxtverket, #EU funds and private investors to close a key #funding gap for research startups.

🔎Read here: buff.ly/O4OPJWm

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 1d

As pressure mounts on #AcademicFreedom in the US, Europe is reaching out. New “Bridge Professorships” invite #US scholars to split their time with Germany, keeping science open, connected and free across the Atlantic.

🔎Read here:

Amid the European rush to attract disenchanted US researchers, the Volkswagen Foundation is experimenting with a different approach: grants for US researchers to split their time between the US and…

Funding Radar: the UK and EU bring forward antimicrobial resistance research calls

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 1d

As #AntimicrobialResistance rises, the UK and EU are backing early-stage #research to turn lab discoveries into real treatments. With programmes like the £6M PACE call, public funding is stepping in where markets fall short.

🔎Read here:

One of the UK’s largest initiatives for combating antimicrobial resistance, Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy (Pace), has announced up to £6 million in funding to drive new research,…

Data corner: Europe’s top collaborators in Latin America and the Caribbean

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 2d

The EU is deepening #HorizonEurope ties with #LatinAmerica and the #Caribbean, using #ScienceDiplomacy to tackle shared challenges in #Health, #AI and #Climate. Real progress will come from working together, not apart.

🔎Read here:

On September 29, at a get-together in Brussels, the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) struck a deal to work more closely together on research and…

Lamy sounds alarm as ocean research community moves to fill knowledge gaps

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 2d

As the US turns away from #OceanScience, Europe must dive deeper. Pascal Lamy calls on the EU’s #Research community to lead a global effort to map, monitor and protect the world’s seas, before the knowledge gaps become unbridgeable.

#ClimateAction #Oceans

🔎Read here:

Significant gaps are appearing in international efforts to address the state of the oceans, according to Pascal Lamy. “At a time when, unfortunately, we see the US distancing themselves from ocean…

EU Council calls for life sciences investment fund

1 1

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 2d

EU Council backs exploring a new #LifeSciences investment fund to boost private #R&D, bridge the gap from discovery to deployment, and strengthen Europe’s #healthinnovation.

🔎Read here:

EU governments want to launch a European Life Sciences Investment Fund, as part of a coordinated strategy to make Europe an attractive place for private investment in research and innovation.

Horizon calls in 2026-27 lay groundwork for new AI in science strategy

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 2d

Europe is shifting from researching #AI to using it as a scientific tool. The next #HorizonEurope calls (2026–27) will fund shared data, infrastructure and talent, building a stronger, faster #AIinScience ecosystem across disciplines.

🔎Read here:

Calls for proposals across five topics in 2026-27 will act as pilots for the European Commission’s upcoming AI in science strategy. The strategy’s main aim is to establish the Resource for AI Science…

Push for more input from social sciences, arts and humanities

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 3d

An EU report shows progress in integrating social sciences, arts and #humanities into #research, but experts say it’s still not enough. Copenhagen’s Human Values and Grand Challenges conference on 1–2 Dec will take up the debate.
sciencebusiness.net/news/push-mo...

Social sciences, arts and humanities (SSAH) have a relatively strong presence in the EU’s Horizon Europe framework programme (2021-2027), according to a monitoring report published in July 2025. The E...

sciencebusiness.net

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 5d

Europe’s #research still leans on foreign #datainfrastructure, a risk, warns the #EuropeanParliament. Dependence could undermine #openscience and #innovation, spurring calls for stronger EU capacity.

🔎Read here:

Dependence on foreign data infrastructure threatens EU research, Parliament hears

Europe must reduce its dependence on foreign-controlled databases, particularly those in the US, the European Parliament has heard. Dependence on these resources leaves European researchers and…

Research ministers confident of role in Horizon Europe negotiations

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 6d

Who should shape Europe’s biggest #R&D programme, finance or science? As #HorizonEurope talks heat up, research ministers push back against budget ministries, warning that sidelining them could weaken investment in #innovation and critical #technologies.

🔎Read here:

EU research ministers do not expect to have a reduced role during negotiations on the future Horizon Europe programme, despite Council plans to assign parts of it to finance ministers via the ad hoc…

Leptin re-appointed at the helm of ERC as FP10 talks begin

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 6d

Maria Leptin has been re-appointed as president of the #EuropeanResearchCouncil until 2027. Her second term begins just as #FP10 negotiations start, with debates over governance and the ERC’s autonomy high on the agenda.

🔎Read here:

Maria Leptin has been re-appointed by the European Commission as president of the European Research Council (ERC) for another two years, as the research community raises concerns about the basic…

Attacks on academic freedom are spreading to democracies, report shows

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 6d

hashtag#AcademicFreedom is under pressure not only in authoritarian states but also in hashtag#democracies. A new report warns that censorship and political meddling are shrinking space for open hashtag#research and hashtag#highereducation in the US and Europe.

🔎Read here: buff.ly/t0LymSC

Academic repression is increasingly being felt in traditionally democratic countries, according to a report from Scholars at Risk. The most striking case is the US, where a gradual erosion of…

Japan moving towards Horizon Europe association

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 7d

Japan is edging closer to joining #HorizonEurope, with formal talks underway since late 2024. Both sides hope to seal the deal soon, but questions remain over how cooperation on sensitive areas will work beyond 2028.

🔎Read here:

Japan is edging closer to signing off on a deal to join the EU’s €93.5 billion Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, with research Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva flying to the country…

EU governments set out priorities for Chips Act 2.0

1 3

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 7d

EU member states have outlined priorities for #ChipsAct 2.0, focusing on #research, #innovation and manufacturing. The aim is stronger coordination between national and EU programmes to reinforce Europe’s #semiconductors industry.

🔎Read here:

EU governments say there is an “urgent need” for an “ambitious and forward-looking” follow-up to the EU Chips Act, in a declaration presented to the European Commission on September 29.

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 8d

INESC TEC and SINTEF are joining forces on a pilot for monitoring floating #offshoreenergy structures, strengthening #oceanengineering and driving Europe’s #blueeconomy forward.

🔎Read here: buff.ly/NeBtbpZ

How to turn your EU project results into policy

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 8d

The EU has a new guide to help #researchers turn project results into #policy: be brief, use plain language & time it right. Tools like #Smart4Policy and #HorizonEurope’s Horizon Booster can help.

🔎Read here:

The European Commission has published a new guide for researchers on writing policy briefs to communicate their findings to policymakers. The bottom line: keep it brief, do not bury important…

Data Corner: Germany leads Europe in digital agriculture patents

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 9d

Germany leads Europe in digital #agriculture patents, ranking second globally behind the US. With universities and startups driving #innovation in #AI, automation and sensing, Europe remains a strong hub, but fast-growing #Asia is quickly closing the gap.

🔎Read here:

As digital agriculture reshapes farming worldwide, with smarter, data-driven tools, Germany stands out in Europe as the top source of patents, according to a new study by the European Patent Office…

This week’s round up of hydrogen-related funding calls

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 9d

This week’s funding radar spotlights new opportunities in #hydrogen and #robotics. From #HorizonEurope calls on circular fuels and disaster-response robots, to #ESA studies on space-enabled hydrogen and US #SME support, innovators have a wide range of options to explore.
🔎Read here:

From September 30 to October 3, the European Commission will host European Hydrogen Week 2025 in Brussels, an event that will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and…

Horizon Europe’s new antimicrobial resistance partnership looks to the market

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 9d

Europe bets €253M on #AMR, a new #HorizonEurope partnership aims to turn #research into market-ready #innovation and deliver the next generation of antimicrobial therapies.

🔎Read here:

Horizon Europe’s partnership for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research launched last week with a plan to bring Europe closer to finding new anti-microbial therapies in the next decade. With more of…

EU Competitiveness Fund will not finance research activities

Science|Business @sciencebusiness.net · 9d

The EU’s new €234B Competitiveness Fund will focus only on deployment, leaving #research to #HorizonEurope. Universities warn that without fresh support, #basicresearch, the backbone of #innovation, could be at risk.

🔎Read here:

The European Commission has confirmed that all research and innovation funding will be channelled through Horizon Europe, with the planned European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) focusing exclusively on…