Craig Nicholson

Lead MEP seeks to reverse ‘wrong direction’ on FP10 - Research Professional News Christian Ehler proposes new funding councils and “radically European approach” for next EU R&I programme

Breaking: Lead MEP seeks to reverse ‘wrong direction’ of European Commission on next EU research and innovation programme

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Research-intensive universities agree areas of joint focus - Research Professional News Amid “global instability”, associations will collaborate on issues including research security and academic freedom

Free to read: Research-intensive universities agree areas of joint focus

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Auditors issue warning over Commission plans for Erasmus+ - Research Professional News Court says planned budget needs explaining and expresses caution over merger with volunteering programme

Auditors issue warning over Commission plans for Erasmus+

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Parliament calls for Darpa-like EU defence research funder - Research Professional News But resolution is silent on controversial issue of whether funder should sit within R&I programme

Parliament calls for Darpa-like EU defence research funder

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EU data plans must not neglect research, universities say - Research Professional News Guild calls for more clarity on data infrastructure and consideration of academia in legislation

EU data plans must not neglect research, says @guildeu

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Controversial laws banning animal research repealed - Research Professional News Italy removes long-delayed prohibitions on using animals in xenotransplantation and drug research

Italy news: Controversial laws banning certain kinds of animal research repealed

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French researchers protest over university funding shortages - Research Professional News Institutions’ deficits are causing hiring freezes on researcher posts, says union leader

France news: Researchers protest over university funding shortages

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Research evaluator spared the axe after bill amendment - Research Professional News French parliamentary committee removes motion to shut Hcéres

France news: Research evaluator spared the axe after bill amendment

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MEPs agree ERA Act should help EU reach 3% R&D spending target - Research Professional News But adopted position sets up clash with Commission over separate legislation to protect scientific freedom

MEPs agree European Research Area Act should help EU reach 3% R&D spending target, but split with Commission over legislation for scientific freedom

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EU Council seeks to encourage students into Stem fields - Research Professional News Increased uptake of scientific tertiary education is needed to meet skills shortages, national governments agree

EU Council seeks to encourage students into Stem fields

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Zaharieva: research careers must not come at cost of wellbeing - Research Professional News Commissioner for research “doesn’t see need” for separate legal act to protect scientific freedom

EU legislation will help ensure researchers can achieve wellbeing, says commissioner, also revealing considerations around mandatory open access to publicly funded research

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Overhaul student aid to avoid ‘disaster’, government told - Research Professional News Germany must deliver on promised increases to financial support, students and others warn

Germany news: Overhaul student aid to avoid ‘disaster’, government told

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German group proposes EU funding for institutional networks - Research Professional News European research excellence hubs should get €20 million annually in seven-year pilot, organisations suggest

German group proposes EU funding for institutional networks

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Open science’s economic benefits ‘systematically underestimated’ - Research Professional News But “unevenly” distributed costs fall on researchers, institutions and publishers that do invest, report says

Open science’s economic benefits ‘systematically underestimated’, study finds

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Closure of UK flying lab ‘a big blow to international mission’ - Research Professional News Researchers on joint Europe-Japan mission decry impact of funding cut, with UK’s reputation already damaged

Closure of UK flying lab ‘a big blow to international mission’

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Early taste of research encourages students into PhDs - Research Professional News Norwegian Research Path spurs students down research career pathway, study finds, but urges funding increase

Nordic news: Early taste of research encourages Norwegian students into PhDs

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ERC president warns of ‘passive suppression’ of research freedom - Research Professional News Precarious working conditions and political steering of funding can erode science, Maria Leptin cautions

Free to read: ERC president warns of ‘passive suppression’ of research freedom

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Universities ‘must adjust to support competitiveness’ - Research Professional News European University Association secretary-general calls on institutions and partners to “make the future we want”

Universities ‘must adjust to support competitiveness’

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EUA's @kamilakozirog.bsky.social said the risk of concentrating funding in only a few countries is a legitimate concern. The ECF should include measures like simplification, stronger advisory support and practical capacity-building tools so that more actors can compete successfully on merit.

Parliament president: academic freedom ‘in interest of all Europe’ - Research Professional News Europe cannot “lower our guard” in defence of principle, warns research commissioner

Parliament president: academic freedom ‘in interest of all Europe’

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Are some funding calls a waste of time and money? - Research Professional News Diagnosing wasted effort in research funding is harder than it looks, says Tom Stafford

Opinion: Are some funding calls a waste of time and money?

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Lessons from Kyiv on linking civilian and dual-use research - Research Professional News Europe should design FP10 and defence funding around project-level rules rather than institutional labels, says Andrii Shysholin

Free-to-read opinion: A Ukrainian university has found, in hosting civil, dual-use and defence work, that "openness and security are not opposites but variables calibrated at project level"

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ECF funding should focus on excellence, sector leaders say - Research Professional News Research and innovation representatives reject MEPs’ calls for European Competitiveness Fund to have geographical allocations

From our latest issue: The planned European Competitiveness should focus on excellence and avoid national allocations, sector leaders say

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Why research impact is so important—and hard to show - Research Professional News Five specialists discuss the benefits and challenges around research impact

From our latest issue: Why research impact is so important—and hard to show

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EU ‘approaching pivotal moment’ on researcher conditions - Research Professional News Researcher networks say ERA Act must set minimum employment standards or risk loss of capacity

From our latest issue: EU ‘approaching pivotal moment’ on researcher conditions

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French digital and agricultural research agencies grow closer - Research Professional News Inrae-Inria deal furthers collaborations on AI and data science and includes research support

France news: Digital and agricultural research agencies grow closer

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France celebrates improved openness on clinical trial data - Research Professional News Open Science Barometer publishes 2025 results as Japan adopts French model

France news: Improved openness on clinical trial data celebrated

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After months of wrangling and an epic list of delays, the Commission has finally released its Industrial Accelerator Act.

This could turn into one of the EU’s most consequential industrial policy files in years - and the proposal is honestly not a bad place to start.

Some quick thoughts:

Portugal launches national debate to find new R&I priorities - Research Professional News Country and Europe need “more and better science”, says research minister

Free to read: Portugal launches national debate to find new R&I priorities

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How can the EU hit its 3 per cent R&D spending target? - Research Professional News Experts advocate creating right conditions for industry and getting taxpayers on board with public spending

How can the EU hit its 3 per cent R&D spending target?

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