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On 2 June 2026, the European Research Council (ERC) published the first call for proposals for the new ERC Plus Grants. The new pilot programme is designed to support excellent researchers in implementing particularly ambitious and transformative research projects in Europe. A total of €210 million is available for the first round of calls.

With the Investment Readiness Assessment, innovative start-ups, scale-ups, and SMEs can analyse and further develop their investment readiness in a targeted way. BayFOR supports companies through free advisory services to help them prepare for investor meetings and funding rounds.

The European Commission’s annual report highlights strong demand for EU funding and the growing importance of research and innovation for Europe’s competitiveness. For universities, research institutions, businesses and innovative SMEs, the report makes it clear: Horizon Europe remains the European Union’s key instrument for promoting excellent research and strengthening Europe’s innovative capacity.

The European Commission has presented a new strategy to strengthen global health resilience in its communication “Reinforcing global health resilience amidst geopolitical change”. The aim is to make health systems worldwide more crisis-resilient, to diversify supply chains for medicines and vaccines, and to expand international cooperation on pandemic preparedness, research and health data. The initiative is part of the European health and security strategy and is also intended to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness.

On 20 May 2026, the Federal Cabinet presented the first roadmaps of the High-Tech Agenda Germany (HTAD). With these roadmaps, the German Government is setting out its innovation policy strategy in concrete terms to strengthen competitiveness, technological sovereignty and value creation in Germany and Europe. According to the Federal Government, almost half of the HTAD’s 76 flagship measures are already being implemented.

Research institutions, universities and project managers in Germany and across Europe now have new support for managing EU-funded projects: updated guidance has been published for both the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and so-called lump-sum projects under Horizon Europe. The new guidelines are designed to facilitate the legally compliant implementation, administration and financial reporting of European research projects.

The European Research Council (ERC) has partly adjusted the announced stricter resubmission rules for the 2027 Work Programme. For Starting, Consolidator, Advanced and ERC Plus Grants, the current approach is expected to largely remain in place.

The European Commission has published a revised version of the ERA Living Guidelines on the Responsible Use of Generative AI in Research. The Guidelines have been updated to reflect the rapid developments in the field of generative AI and to take into account current technological changes and their impact on the scientific community.

Update: The ERC has partially revised the announced changes to the reapplication rules for 2027. Our latest assessment is available in the new article:  www.bayfor.org/erc-revises-rules

The European Research Council (ERC) is responding to the sharp rise in demand for funding with significantly stricter application rules. In an open letter, ERC President Maria Leptin explains the planned changes for upcoming calls in the 2027 work program. For researchers—including those in Bavaria and Germany—this results in important new conditions for submitting applications.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) is currently seeking qualified experts in the field of defence technologies to assist in the evaluation of innovative companies for EU equity investments. The aim is to specifically promote disruptive deep-tech innovations in the European defence sector.