Research & Technology in the EU

Latest news about Science, Research and Technology in the European Union.

Conducting European research policies and implementing European research programmes is in the first instance a legal and political obligation resulting from the Amsterdam Treaty. The Treaty does in fact include a whole chapter on research and technological development (RTD), so as to underline that RTD is an essential element in the functioning of industrialised countries, such as EU Member States: the competitiveness of companies and the employment they can provide depend to a great extent on RTD; and RTD is also essential for the support of other policies such as consumer protection or the protection of the environment. In short: the individual and collective wellbeing of citizens depends on the quality and relevance of RTD.

FACT SHEETS

Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)

• The main objectives of FP7
• FP7: How to participate
• Research for the benefit of SMEs

Research-performing SMEs

• SME participation in FP7 research projects
• Cooperation for research-performing SMEs

Research-acquiring SMEs

• EraSME research programmes network
• The CORNET Programme for research-acquiring SMEs

EU Research Contacts

LATEST NEWS

The Innovation Union Scoreboard - guide — 08 February 2012, 00:06 CET

This memo provides an overview of the research and innovation performance of the different EU Member States, and associated and neighbouring countries, as measured by the Innovation Union Scoreboard 2011. The Scoreboard is prepared by the Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (MERIT), in collaboration with the Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC).

EU signs orders for new Galileo space satellites — 03 February 2012, 10:55 CET

The EU on Thursday signed contracts with German and French engineering firms to build and launch another eight satellites for its Europe's Galileo geopositioning system.

eBSN eBusiness Solutions Guide — 24 January 2012, 19:12 CET

This web-based guide is created by the European Commission as part of the European eBusiness Support Network (eBSN). It provides a review of the eBusiness and IT solutions market and supports companies and consultants to find and select appropriate software products, solutions, and service providers.

Google hit by new anti- trust complaint in Europe — 24 January 2012, 17:15 CET

The French online shopping website Twenga has filed a complaint against Google at the Commission, accusing the search giant of abusing its dominant position to eliminate competition.

EU urges balance between Internet freedom and copyright — 22 January 2012, 22:55 CET

Governments must strike a balance between policing the Internet to protect copyright and upholding freedom of expression, EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding said on Sunday.

EU's top Internet official criticises US web crackdown — 20 January 2012, 15:47 CET

The European Union's top Internet official criticised on Friday planned US legislation against online piracy and voiced concerns about the closure of the popular file-sharing site Megaupload.com.

US joins effort to draw up space 'code of conduct' — 18 January 2012, 13:04 CET

The United States pledged Tuesday to join an EU-led effort to develop a space "code of conduct" that would set rules for orbiting spacecraft and for mitigating the growing problem of orbiting debris.

Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs - COSME - guide — 30 November 2011, 17:09 CET

Promoting access to finance and encouraging an entrepreneurial culture, including the creation of new enterprises are the core issues of the new financial support programme, tabled by the European Commission in Brussels today.

European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Strategic Innovation Agenda - guide — 30 November 2011, 17:05 CET

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is to significantly step up its efforts to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU with the creation of six new cross-border innovation hubs, known as Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), in 2014-2020. The European Commission has allocated a budget of €2.8 billion in the next financial framework to enable the EIT to expand and consolidate the development of its existing KICs which focus on climate change, sustainable energy and ICT.

Programming language 'can't be copyrighted' — 29 November 2011, 15:46 CET

A computer programming language cannot be protected by copyright, the adviser to the EU's top court said on Tuesday in an opinion that could affect the competitive IT industry.

Antimicrobial Resistance - guide — 17 November 2011, 17:57 CET

With about 25,000 patients dying per year in the EU from infections caused by drug resistant bacteria and related costs of over 1.5 billion euros in healthcare expenses and productivity losses , antimicrobial resistance is a growing health problem in the EU. Today, on the eve of European Antibiotic Awareness Day, the European Commission tabled a comprehensive Action Plan on Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which unveils12 concrete actions to be implemented in close cooperation with the EU Member States.

Binge drinking more common in northern Europe — 09 November 2011, 13:25 CET

The relationship between drinking and damage to one's health is stronger in the Baltic countries and Sweden than in Italy, new research from Europe shows. The findings, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, suggest that the northern part of Europe tends to report higher alcohol-harm relationships because of a stronger propensity to indulge in heavy episodic drinking, what experts label 'binge drinking'.

Germany warns Facebook over face-recognition app — 21 October 2011, 22:48 CET

Facebook has until November 7 to bring its facial recognition software into conformity with privacy laws in Germany and the European Union or face legal action, says a government lawyer.

Connecting Europe Facility — 19 October 2011, 22:59 CET

The European Commission has adopted a plan for a EUR 50 billion boost to Europe's transport, energy and digital networks. Targeted investments in key infrastructures will help to create jobs and boost Europe's competitiveness at a time when Europe needs this most. At this opportunity President Barroso stated: "The Connecting Europe Facility and the Project Bond Initiative are a perfect demonstration of the added value that Europe can provide. These proposals will help to build the roads, railways, energy grids and pipelines, and broadband networks that are so important to our citizens and businesses. We are closing the missing links in Europe's infrastructure networks that otherwise would not be built. This investment will generate growth and jobs and at the same time make work and travel easier for millions of European citizens and businesses". 'Connecting Europe Facility' will also make Europe's economy greener by promoting cleaner transport modes, high speed broadband connections and facilitating the use of renewable energy in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy.

A pilot for Europe 2020 Project Bond Initiative - EC legislative proposal - guide — 19 October 2011, 22:56 CET

The European Commission has tabled a plan which will fund EUR 50 billion worth of investment to improve Europe's transport, energy and digital networks. The "Connecting Europe Facility" will finance projects which fill the missing links in Europe's energy, transport and digital backbone. To assist with the financing of the Connecting Europe Facility, the Commission has also adopted the terms for the Europe 2020 Project Bond Initiative which will be one of a number of risk-sharing instruments upon which the facility may draw in order to attract private finance in projects. The pilot phase will start next year.

Connecting Europe Facility - guide — 19 October 2011, 22:46 CET

The European Commission has today tabled a plan which will fund €50 billion worth of investment to improve Europe's transport, energy and digital networks. Targeted investments in key infrastructures will help to create jobs and boost Europe's competitiveness at a time when Europe needs this most. The "Connecting Europe Facility" will finance projects which fill the missing links in Europe's energy, transport and digital backbone. It will also make Europe's economy greener by promoting cleaner transport modes, high speed broadband connections and facilitating the use of renewable energy in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy. In addition the funding for energy networks will further integrate the internal energy market, reduce the EU's energy dependency and bolster the security of supply.

Commission Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial - guide — 19 October 2011, 13:45 CET

"Nanomaterials" are materials whose main constituents have a dimension of between 1 and 100 billionth of a metre, according to a recommendation adopted by the European Commission on 18 October. The announcement marks an important step towards greater protection for citizens, clearly defining which materials need special treatment in specific legislation.

The 2011 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard — 18 October 2011, 22:55 CET

The 2011 "EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard" (the Scoreboard) collects information on the top 1000 EU companies and 1000 non-EU companies investing the largest sums in R&D in the last reporting year. The Scoreboard includes data on R&D investment along with other economic and financial data from the last four financial years.

EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard 2011 - guide — 18 October 2011, 23:01 CET

The European Commission's 2011 "EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard" shows that R&D investment by top EU companies recovered strongly in 2010, with a 6.1% rise following a 2.6% decrease in 2009. However, data for the world's top 1400 companies show EU companies as a whole lagging behind major competitors from the US and some Asian economies on R&D growth. There was a general positive trend in 2010, as global R&D investment increased by 4%, a robust up-turn after the 1.9% drop observed in 2009. The global top 50 in terms of total R&D investment includes 15 EU companies, 18 US firms and 13 from Japan. Two pharmaceutical companies occupied the top spots: Roche from Switzerland (€7.2bn) followed by Pfizer from the US (€7bn). Volkswagen (€6.3bn), in sixth place, is the biggest EU investor in R&D, followed by Nokia (11th with €4.9bn), Daimler (13th with €4.8bn) and Sanofi-Aventis (14th with €4.4bn).

EU approves Microsoft's Skype takeover — 07 October 2011, 23:59 CET

European anti-trust officials approved on Friday US technology giant Microsoft's $8.5 billion takeover of Internet voice and video leader Skype.

Google exec rejects charge search results 'cooked' — 22 September 2011, 10:12 CET

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt rejected charges that the Internet giant has "cooked" search results to favor its own services during a grilling on Wednesday by a Senate antitrust panel.

Schmidt defends Google in Senate testimony — 21 September 2011, 22:00 CET

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt defended the Internet giant on Wednesday against accusations it is abusing its dominant position in online search.

Google under scrutiny over search dominance — 20 September 2011, 10:55 CET

Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt will take center stage at a Senate hearing Wednesday into whether the Internet giant is abusing its dominant position in online search.

Progress in the Development of Alternative Methods to Animal Testing for Cosmetics - Commission report — 14 September 2011, 20:03 CET

The European Commission presented on 13 September its yearly report on Alternative Methods to Animal Tests in the Field of Cosmetics to the European Parliament and Council.

Google to let hotspots mask location data — 14 September 2011, 19:19 CET

Google is out to appease European officials by letting the owners of Wi-Fi "hotspots" opt-out of sharing data that helps pinpoint the locations of smartphones.