ABSTRACT
The article discusses European Union is helping small companies in their growth after they have suffered financially due to Coronavirus. It mentions that European Innovation Council (EIC) will help companies that need more time and money to get market ready, such as medical device and biotechnology companies, which have to satisfy complex regulations and certifications. It also mentions that a new European agency has funded Norwegian startup EpiGuard, that makes gurneys that isolate patients.
ABSTRACT
Last week’s noisy resignation of Mauro Ferrari as president of the €2.2 billion European Research Council (ERC)—the European Union’s foremost funder of basic research—revealed a rift over its approach to research on the coronavirus pandemic. Ferrari’s departure, just 3 months into the job, also showed the limits of an ERC president’s power to influence the course of a funding agency that prides itself on its independence. On 7 April, the same day Ferrari stepped down as ERC president and chair of its Scientific Council, he released a statement to the Financial Times, saying he had “lost faith in the system” and was upset by ERC’s unwillingness to set up a “special program” to address the COVID-19 pandemic. But the next day, the 19 other members of the science council hit back. In a sharp statement, the council said Ferrari “displayed a complete lack of appreciation for the raison d’être of the ERC.” It also suggested that Ferrari had neglected his duties to attend to personal projects in the United States. It said the council unanimously called for his resignation on 27 March.