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From 1 to 5 November 2025, Bavaria's Minister President, Dr Markus Söder, will travel to the Republic of South Africa. The destination is the partner province of the Western Cape, with its capital Cape Town. The trip will focus on political discussions and strengthening scientific and economic cooperation between Bavaria and South Africa, particularly in the areas of research, innovation, and technology transfer. 
Martin Reichel, Managing Director of the Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR), attended the signing of the 'Bavaria-Western Cape Biotech Initiative'. BayFOR hosts the Bavaria-Africa and Bavaria-Quebec/Bavaria-Alberta/International Scientific Coordination Offices, which coordinate these strategic partnerships.

At the beginning of October, the European Commission once again made an updated draft of the 2026–27 work programmes for the “Climate, Energy, and Mobility” cluster and for the five EU missions available in the Comitology Register once again. Please note, however, that these are not final documents and significant changes are still possible!

Successful EU research projects require not only scientific excellence and professional management. With a budget of over €95 billion for research and innovation, and more than 20,000 participating institutions, the EU Framework Programme Horizon Europe (2021–2027) makes efficient project management crucial for success.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation and call for evidence on the planned Advanced Materials Act. The aim is to gather feedback from all relevant stakeholders—researchers, companies, SMEs, and policymakers—in order to establish a robust European framework for advanced materials. Deadline: 13 January 2026.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the further development and completion of the European Research Area (ERA). The consultation period runs from 13 October 2025 to 5 January 2026. With this initiative, the Commission wishes to gather insights and opinions from stakeholders on the current challenges and potential solutions in the European Research Area. This feedback will contribute to the development of practical and effective EU measures that strengthen research, innovation and the European single market.

The European Commission has unveiled two new strategies to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in European industry and science. Through the 'Apply AI' and 'AI in Science Strategy' initiatives, the EU intends to establish Europe as a leader in the development of trustworthy AI and encourage its use in business, research, and the public sector.

The Scientific Coordination Office Bavaria-Africa has published a guide to foster research collaboration between Africa and Europe. Based on the outcomes of the Cooperation Lounge Africa–Europe: Science meets Politics (10–11 December 2024 in Brussels), the guide provides recommendations for researchers, policymakers and funding bodies to improve cooperation frameworks and to advance research and innovation of global relevance.

The European Commission has published its first monitoring report on the integration of the social sciences and humanities (SSH) into Horizon Europe. The report aims to increase the societal impact of European research and innovation projects, as well as promoting interdisciplinary solutions to current challenges by systematically integrating SSH expertise.

In August 2025, the DESCA initiative published an updated version of its model consortium agreement for EU research and innovation projects: DESCA HE AP 2.0. This freely accessible model agreement has been the de facto standard for European research projects for many years, and is used by universities, research institutions, and companies alike.

The European Commission has published the draft Horizon Europe work programmes for 2026–2027 in the online register of European committee procedures. These documents offer important guidance to companies, research institutions and project organisers on how to prepare for upcoming EU funding calls.