EU Public Diplomacy Transformation: From the Crisis of Narrative towards External Threat

he paper deals with the recent transformation of EU public diplomacy. Changes in EU public diplomacy organizational structure are considered as well as programming documents, funding, statements of EU leadership, and expert evaluations. The problem of EU self-representation and positioning has exacerbated after the crisis of 2008. It is concluded that EU public diplomacy is in the midst of significant changes: emphasis on unique, multilateral, and peaceful nature of EU is being sidelined by the issue of external threat and securitization of EU communications. This is being carried out in expectation of consolidation of support for the integration project as well as expanding the authority of EU institutions. It is argued that financing plans for 2021‒2027 period, planning documents of European Commission, and general directorates for the next 5 years map out expansion of external threat messages within EU framework programmes. Implementation of such plans will highly likely lead to increased confrontation between the EU and Russia.

Rise of Biobanking in the EU: Evidence from the Framework Programmes

he topic of biobanking has been anchoring in the world and Europe as well. The biobanking field today is characterised by heterogeneous entities that could be classified according to many different categories. This article aims to outline the process of the gradual embedding of the field of biobanking in the European Union (EU) from the point of view of the number of high-quality international research projects related to biobanking or biobanks as such. To identify these research projects, data from the European Commission's (EC's) database on research and innovation projects financed from Framework Programmes (FPs) of the European Union and the Horizon programme were used. It was found that the number of research and innovation projects in which biobanks played an important role more than doubled between 1994 and 2021. The highest increase in the number of biobank-related research and innovation projects occurred between 2002 – 2006 and 2007 – 2013. Several leading countries, in terms of the number of biobank related research projects, emerged during the whole period. The main actors were all countries of western Europe, characterised mostly by above-average performance in indicators such as GDP per capita, Human Development Index (HDI) or Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI).

Legal Foundations of Funding Fundamental Science Projects within the Horizon Europe Programme

Since the end of the twentieth century, there has been a trend in Europe towards the accumulation of scientific knowledge, increasing the competitiveness of European research and the mobility of scientists themselves. The goals and objectives set by the European Union are being realised through the creation of a common European Research Area and the implementation of special framework programmes. The EU funding for basic research is now being pursued under a new framework programme known as Horizon Europe. Despite a number of changes caused by the increasing complexity of the structure of the bodies involved in funding research projects, grants to researchers, including through the activities of the European Research Council, remain the main sourсe of investment. Horizon Europe provides research and innovation funding for multinational cooperation projects as well as for individual researchers and supports SMEs with a special funding instrument. Attention should also be paid to such aspects of the programme implementation as European partnerships (in various forms) and research infrastructures. However, despite all the positive experiences of the previous framework programmes, the current legal regulations make it very difficult for researchers from third countries to participate in the call for proposals, usually the possible implementation of such projects is subject to the participation of European researchers or research organisations, thereby ensuring EU competitiveness in the international arena.

EU research policy as a transnational memory policy instrument? The framework programmes and the production of competing visions of Europe

This article considers the history-based research networks funded by the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development (FPs). It sheds light on the interactions between the European Commission and scholars – Commission-appointed experts, funded researchers, but also scholars who disagree with the EU memory policy. Even if the scholars’ influence is significant, the FPs remain an instrument in the hands of the European Commission. The visions of the history of Europe brought forward are in conformance with official narratives highlighted by works on other EU memory policy instruments. This leads to a confrontation between ‘authorised’ and alternative narratives at European level. While the institutionalisation of European research networks as a form of knowledge production which is intended to be specifically European contributes to shaping ‘Europe’, the idea of the emergence of an autonomous ‘European memory space’ nevertheless deserves nuancing because of the FPs’ fragmented nature and of the role that national academic levels continue to play.

An analysis of the sectoral structure of industry of the Vologda Oblast mono-cities

Subject. This article explores the development of the mono-industry town's economy and its dependence on the successful operation of the township-forming enterprise. Objectives. The article aims to analyze the sectoral structures of industry of the Federal Districts of Russia, and the Northwestern Federal District, in particular, as well as the Vologda Oblast and mono-cities located in it. Methods. For the study, we used a comparative analysis. Results. The article identifies problems common to the areas under study. Conclusions. To develop mono-industry towns, it is necessary to design and adopt framework programmes, supplemented by targeted measures that take into account the industry specifics.

Digital Transformation Supporting Transport Decarbonisation: Technological Developments in EU-Funded Research and Innovation

The European Commission’s Communication on a European Green Deal sets out the objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, which will require a reduction in transport emissions. To this aim, digital technologies, together with connectivity and automation, are transforming traditional concepts of mobility, with a potential impact towards transport decarbonisation. New business models are emerging and giving rise to innovative mobility services including new online platforms for car-pooling, car or bicycle sharing services, freight operations, or smartphone applications offering real-time travel information and other analytics. This study provides an overview of the European Union (EU) funded research and innovation (R&I) and related technologies that are influencing the uptake of digital transformation in transport and identifies issues and challenges from a European perspective. To that end, it follows a two-tier approach that examines policy and legislative initiatives from the European Commission, highlighting possible challenges and enablers. Moreover, it analyses transport technology developments in Europe, focusing on the technology maturity from EU R&I framework programmes, using the European Commission’s Transport Research and Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS). The technology analysis provides insights that aid policy decisions related to funding allocation in future R&I framework programmes.