Science|Business Widening Newsletter No. 47 | Sign up here
26/02/2025
“The Widening” is a product of Science|Business and is not related to EU institutions or programmes.

Focus on central and eastern Europe

Welcome to a new edition of The Widening newsletter, a roundup of news and analysis of research and innovation policy and investments in central and eastern Europe, delivered to your inbox twice a month. Sign up here.

Edited by Florin Zubașcu

This week we take a look at geographical imbalances in the Twinning scheme in Horizon Europe, how student protests in Serbia are slowing down research, and what the Commission has in store for the next two years of research funding through the Widening programme. We also have an interview with Romania’s research minister, who confirmed a plan to reform the country’s R&D ecosystem.

The latest news

THE INTERVIEW: In an exclusive interview, Daniel David, Romania’s latest research minister, tells Science|Business about his plans to reform the national R&D system. David was rector of Romania’s largest university until he was co-opted into a government coalition in December, after a lengthy and tumultuous electoral year that culminated in the rise of far-right parties and the cancellation of the presidential elections. The full story is here.

IMBALANCED TWINNING SCHEME: An analysis of the €307 million Twinning scheme for countries that struggle to take part in Horizon Europe shows that the Widening countries that most need a boost in terms of funding returns get the least support.

The southern Widening states, such as Portugal, Greece and Cyprus, and Estonia in central Europe all secure relatively large shares of Horizon Europe funding. And they also do well in the Twinning scheme. Estonia’s University of Tartu is the best performing institution overall, securing 11 projects worth €8 million in total. Greece and Portugal meanwhile are the scheme’s best performing Widening countries with €20 million in grants each. But at the other end of the spectrum, Bulgaria holds only one Twinning grant, worth €34,000. Croatia as a whole has secured only €2 million, while research organisations in Latvia and Hungary have been awarded less than €3 million. All of these countries are also at the bottom of the overall Horizon Europe ranking. Read the full analysis here.

BALKAN DISPATCH: Student protests in Serbia, triggered by the collapse of a public building in November, are starting to have an impact on academic life in the country. Some researchers and lecturers have had activities disrupted by boycotts and demonstrations, which have blocked access to faculty buildings. Others are missing out on grants or have stopped working to join the protests. The full story is here.

WIDENING LEAKS: As the European Commission prepares to review its Widening programme, leaked plans show that it will add two new actions in 2026-27 intended to boost the research and innovation performance of lagging EU member states.

In 2026, it plans to create a Teaming synergies action to develop thematic clusters and common strategies within the scope of its Teaming actions, which pair institutions in better and worse performing countries. It will also establish a pilot for a research management and administrative support facility, which will provide training and consulting services to institutions in the Widening countries. Juliette Portala has the story.

THE HORIZON PAPERS: Science|Business has been publishing the Commission’s sector-by-sector plans for Horizon Europe. On this page, you can find links to the draft Horizon Europe work programmes for 2025, including a history of the drafting process, with earlier-stage drafts that were leaked to us over time.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? We welcome opinion pieces and other contributions on R&I policy in central and eastern Europe. Send yours to news@sciencebusiness.net.

In other news

FRANCOPHONIE R&D: France and Romania have announced the extension of the Brâncuși-Hubert Curien grants, a joint R&D funding programme. The announcement is part of a broader Franco-Romanian deal in education and research. The two countries are planning to work together in European University alliances and to encourage more Romanian scientists to publish their results in French.  

POLAND LURES US TECH COMPANIES: The Polish government has announced an agreement with Microsoft to build a €700 million AI data centre in Poland by 2026. The project is part of a broader deal between Microsoft and Poland that kicked off in 2020, which has resulted in €1.7 billion in investments so far. Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said the investment will benefit the country’s cybersecurity sector but also scientists and tech start-ups.

Meanwhile, Poland has also announced a long-term memorandum of cooperation with Google. The US technology giant is planning a $1 billion investment in partnership with the Polish Development Fund.

POLISH QUANTUM COMPUTER: Researchers in a consortium led by the Warsaw University of Technology are developing a prototype of a “modular quantum computer infrastructure for special and military IT applications” based on calcium ions, Science in Poland reports. The consortium also includes Poland’s Military University of Technology, the Military Institute of Armament Technology, the Silesian University of Technology, and Sonovero R&D.

Mark your calendars 

VILNIUS, 28 FEBRUARY: The Lithuanian Quantum Technologies Agenda launch event will take place tomorrow in Vilnius. Details and registration are available here.

KRAKOW, 18 MARCH: Registrations for the Euro HPC Summit are now open.

WARSAW, 20 MARCH: The institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences can attend a masterclass on how to apply for EU funding through EIC Pathfinder. Register here.

KRAKOW, 14-16 MAY: The European Defence Agency is organising the third European Defence Innovation Days. Register here. 

BRNO, 2-6 JUNE: Masaryk University is organising a five-day training programme for academics interested in improving their knowledge of grant funding opportunities and management. The MUST Week 2025 for Research Managers and Administrators will take place in Brno, Czechia. The application deadline is 28 February. 

BRNO, 10-12 JUNE: The Czech city of Brno hosts a conference on core technologies for life sciences. The event is aimed at facility administrators, managers, researchers and professionals, who will discuss cross-facility workflows, professional development of facility staff, open science in core facilities, the building of a national core facility community, and engagement with industry. Registration is now open. Early bird fees are available until 28 February 2025.

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