Horizon Europe Launches €40M CONNECT 2025 Call to Boost Innovation Ecosystems

Europe is advancing its innovation landscape through the Horizon Europe's CONNECT 2025 call, allocating 40 million euros to foster synergies between Regional Innovation Valleys and European Innovative Ecosystems, aiming to boost company growth and innovation collaboration across countries. Complementing this, the EU has launched the 'Bridges of Innovation' campaign, featuring the CONNEXEUS 2025 Talk Series with Nobel laureates to inspire and enhance EU-Caribbean cooperation in science, innovation, and economic partnerships. Meanwhile, New Zealand is implementing major science reforms by consolidating seven Crown Research Institutes into three new entities focused on bioeconomy science, earth science, and public health and forensic science, emphasizing the translation of research into commercial outcomes to drive economic growth. In Australia, former Labor leader Bill Shorten has urged industry to increase its investment in research and development, advocating for stronger partnerships between universities and industry to sustain and justify public funding and enhance the quality and impact of higher education. These initiatives collectively highlight a global trend toward strengthening innovation ecosystems through funding, collaboration, and reform to drive economic progress and scientific advancement.