Research Europe – 18 July 2024

In issue 611, Marc Lemaître interviewed, Switzerland’s ERC win, Iter delays, FP10 debate and more

For the latest issue of Research Europe we sat down with the EU’s top research and innovation official Marc Lemaître, who set out his belief that the bloc’s R&I funding needs a “major simplification”. In an expansive interview, he also discussed his views on economic competitiveness, research security and defence.

The nuts and bolts of EU research funding are also a focus for our comment writers, with a look at the implications of two-stage grant applications and the risk of wider R&I policy having unintended consequences for the next Framework Programme. Meanwhile, there’s good news for Switzerland-based researchers, who can start applying for more ERC grants—but bad news for fusion facility Iter, which is facing €5 billion in extra costs as delays to its operations mount.