# European Strategy for AI in Science Canonical URL: https://digital-acquis.eu/initiative/european-strategy-for-ai-in-science Entry type: initiative Source edition current through: 17 July 2026 (2026-07-17). This is not a page modification date. Status: delivered. A delivered initiative is not necessarily legislation in force. Instrument: Communication Date as recorded: 08 Oct 2025 Date kind: date Status note: full date links only to published artifact types ## Previous steps Consultation. Presented on 8 Oct 2025. ## Summary Adopted alongside the Apply AI Strategy, this initiative fast-tracks responsible AI uptake across disciplines and builds the foundations of RAISE (i.e. a virtual European institute that pools talent, compute, data and funding for “science for AI” and “AI in science”). It launches Thematic Networks of Excellence and RAISE Doctoral Networks; secures priority access to EuroHPC AI Factories and future AI Gigafactories; and links Data Labs with EOSC and other data spaces. Ethics-by-design guidance and “living” rules govern use, while ERA-based coordination, indicators and summits align Member States and industry. Horizon Europe anchors early actions and an investment agenda for 2026-27. ## Sources - [Official source]() ## Action items (25; complete published list) ### 1. Action item 440001 launch the RAISE pilot with EU 108 million funding under Horizon Europe WP 2026-27, during the first edition of the AI in Science Summit in Copenhagen on 3-4 November 2025, under the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 1. Digital dimension: no. ### 2. Action item 440002 establish initial RAISE coordination for AI in science through a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) under Horizon Europe (WP 2025). Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 2. Digital dimension: no. ### 3. Action item 440003 partner with Member States and the private sector to build RAISE. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 3. Digital dimension: no. ### 4. Action item 440004 establish a high-level RAISE academic advisory board. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 4. Digital dimension: no. ### 5. Action item 440005 fund Doctoral Networks on AI in science to train the next generation of researchers (RAISE pilot). Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 5. Digital dimension: no. ### 6. Action item 440006 fund thematic Networks of Excellence on AI in science (RAISE pilot). Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 6. Digital dimension: no. ### 7. Action item 440007 regularly update the ‘Living Guidelines on the responsible use of generative AI in research’ and other ethics-related operational materials. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 7. Digital dimension: no. ### 8. Action item 440008 create a JRC Scientific AI Hub to monitor and evaluate AI models and systems for strategic scientific research, in close alignment with the European AI Office. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 8. Digital dimension: no. ### 9. Action item 440009 secure dedicated access to AI Gigafactories for EU scientists and startups, including for Horizon Europe specific objectives. Horizon Europe will invest up to EUR 600 million (RAISE pilot). Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 9. Digital dimension: no. ### 10. Action item 440010 continue developing the AI computing resources devoted to science through the AI Factories. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 10. Digital dimension: no. ### 11. Action item 440011 support the design of Data Labs, and their linking with Common European Data Spaces, in particular EOSC, to ensure their suitability and the accessibility and reusability of data for scientific research. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 11. Digital dimension: no. ### 12. Action item 440012 support scientists to identify strategic data gaps and gather, curate and integrate the datasets needed through the RAISE Networks (RAISE pilot). Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 12. Digital dimension: no. ### 13. Action item 440013 collect evidence on the need to improve access to and reuse of publicly funded research results and the use of publications and data for scientific purposes. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 13. Digital dimension: no. ### 14. Action item 440014 incentivise and coordinate investments in AI in science through an investment agenda in Horizon Europe’s 2026-27 Work Programme (RAISE pilot). Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 14. Digital dimension: no. ### 15. Action item 440015 seek to double current Horizon Europe yearly investment figures in AI, including doubling that for AI in science by 2028. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 15. Digital dimension: no. ### 16. Action item 440016 fund scientific laboratory automation and the development and update of scientific foundation models, including in industrial settings (RAISE pilot). Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 16. Digital dimension: no. ### 17. Action item 440017 organise AI in Science Summits, annual flagship events bringing together AI in science communities (scientists, policy makers, startups, tech companies). Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 17. Digital dimension: no. ### 18. Action item 440018 launch a campaign to encourage pledges from private companies on AI in science. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 18. Digital dimension: no. ### 19. Action item 440019 analyse the implications of the AI Act for the scientific community, for example by Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 19. Digital dimension: no. ### 20. Action item 440020 assessing the AI Act research exemption for spin-offs. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 20. Digital dimension: no. ### 21. Action item 440021 coordinate with Member States, Associated Countries and R&I stakeholders in the ERA governance, such as the dedicated ERA Action on AI in science. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 21. Digital dimension: no. ### 22. Action item 440022 monitor the uptake of AI in science with indicators and metrics. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 22. Digital dimension: no. ### 23. Action item 440023 address specific issues of AI in science with relevant third countries and regions in the context of the overall EU international engagement on AI, in line with its priorities, and within the existing framework. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 23. Digital dimension: no. ### 24. Action item 440024 engage through existing regional policy dialogues on R&I to identify joint priorities, co-fund the use of AI in science projects and promote capacity building and mutual learning in the use of AI in science, in alignment with the international cooperation priorities of the EU’s AI strategy. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 24. Digital dimension: no. ### 25. Action item 440025 promote EU principles and values and standards for the responsible use of AI in science through relevant multilateral fora and international organisations, in alignment with the international cooperation priorities of the EU AI strategy. Provenance: source document doc-052, paragraph 25. Digital dimension: no. ## Referenced entries - [AI Factories]() — status: not recorded. Open, EU-wide hubs built around EuroHPC supercomputers that bundle AI-optimised compute, data storage, programming support and talent to develop frontier models and applications. Startups, SMEs, researchers and public bodies get streamlined one-stop access to computing time, data labs linked to Common European Data Spaces, and services for testing, validation and skills—cutting training from months to weeks and lowering costs. The first 13 Factories across 17 Member States are networked, with AI Factory Antennas extending reach. EuroHPC will provide a single entry point and procure AI-dedicated systems in 2025/26, tripling Europe’s available AI capacity. Source document doc-052, action item 440010: > continue developing the AI computing resources devoted to science through the AI Factories. - [AI Gigafactories]() — status: forthcoming. AI Gigafactories will give Europe frontier-scale compute to train state-of-the-art models. Each site will exceed 100,000 high-performance processors, be designed for energy and water efficiency and circularity, and be federated with EuroHPC’s AI Factories. Financing will blend public-private partnerships with the InvestAI Facility and an official EuroHPC call in Q4 2025. Facilities will co-locate data, training, safety and evaluation capabilities; provide shared access for startups, researchers and the public sector; and anchor regional skills pipelines. As a pilot for the Competitiveness Coordination Tool, they will crowd-in private capital, spur EU AI-chip design ahead of the 2026 Chips Act review, and secure sovereign AI capacity. Source document doc-052, action item 440009: > secure dedicated access to AI Gigafactories for EU scientists and startups, including for Horizon Europe specific objectives. Horizon Europe will invest up to EUR 600 million (RAISE pilot). - [Common European Data Spaces]() — status: not recorded. Will provide trusted, interoperable environments for cross-sector and cross-border data use, turning today’s fragmented datasets into high-value shared resources for businesses and public administrations. Linked tightly to Data Labs, they will offer services such as dataset cleaning and enrichment, standardised formats, synthetic data, shared technical building blocks, and cross-space interoperability to accelerate AI development and deployment. Antitrust-compliant data pooling will be enabled via trusted data intermediaries and governance under the EU data framework, lowering barriers for SMEs while protecting confidentiality and security. A common software layer (e.g. SIMPL) will simplify access and reuse across spaces, strengthening Europe’s AI ecosystem and data economy. Source document doc-052, action item 440011: > support the design of Data Labs, and their linking with Common European Data Spaces, in particular EOSC, to ensure their suitability and the accessibility and reusability of data for scientific research. - [Data Labs]() — status: not recorded. Embedded in the AI Factories ecosystem, Data Labs will federate datasets and link them to the relevant Common European Data Spaces, giving developers a single, trusted entry point to high-value data. They will provide AI developers with large volumes of high-quality data in health, energy and other domains under clear access conditions and governance. Beyond brokerage, they will offer value-added services: dataset cleaning and enrichment; standardised formats; synthetic data; and shared technical building blocks that strengthen interoperability across sectors and borders, with data-pooling compliant with competition rules via trusted intermediaries under the Data Governance Act. The Commission’s Simpl software will lower integration costs and expand participation. Source document doc-052, action item 440011: > support the design of Data Labs, and their linking with Common European Data Spaces, in particular EOSC, to ensure their suitability and the accessibility and reusability of data for scientific research. ## Current developments Latest updates from Digital Policy Alert and Global Trade Alert. Some entries have been reviewed without linked records. ## Associated policy priorities - [Research, Technology & Industrial Capacity]() ## Broader policy context (shared priority; not a direct citation) - [Advanced Materials Act]() — status: forthcoming. Europe’s competitiveness in the green and digital transitions will depend on its ability to develop, produce and deploy next-generation materials at scale. To achieve this, the Commission will propose an Advanced Materials Act establishing clear framework conditions for the entire value chain; from fundamental research and prototyping to manufacturing and market uptake. The Act will focus on accelerating industrialisation, de-risking private investment and securing resilient supply chains for materials critical to clean technologies, energy, defence and space. By providing a coherent strategic framework, it aims to reduce dependencies, boost technological sovereignty and position Europe as a global leader in advanced materials innovation. - [Charter of Access for Industrial Users to Research and Technology Infrastructures]() — status: forthcoming. This initiative will standardise and simplify industrial access to Europe’s research and technology infrastructures so innovators can prototype, test and scale faster. It will set common, transparent access and contractual terms (e.g. IP use, pricing, liability, data handling) across borders and introduce a streamlined entry point for companies, including startups and scaleups. Linked to the AI Factories ecosystem, the Charter will be backed by dedicated EU support to make AI computing facilities affordable for SMEs. Complementary guidance will clarify how universities and public research organisations can grant access under State aid rules. Together, these measures cut fragmentation, lower transaction costs and speed time-to-market. - [EU Bioeconomy Strategy]() — status: delivered. The EU Bioeconomy Strategy combines regulatory, investment and market actions to support sustainable and circular bio-based activity. The Commission plans work on biotechnology, construction-product standards, biomass monitoring, bio-based plastics, public procurement, biogas and biomethane, and industrial symbiosis. It will also establish forums and investment arrangements, support blue-bioeconomy innovation, provide practical guidance for land managers, and pursue international cooperation, stakeholder dialogue and EU-wide monitoring. - [European Biotech Act 1]() — status: in progress. As a cornerstone of the EU’s Life Sciences Strategy, the law will make Europe the most attractive place for biotech by 2030 by speeding approvals and risk assessments without compromising safety, unlocking risk-tolerant finance and biomanufacturing scale, building EU-wide clusters/infrastructure, closing skills gaps, and enabling trusted AI/data use (incl. supercomputing and EHDS links). It tackles single-market fragmentation across health, agri-food, industrial and marine biotech, strengthening competitiveness and economic security. Expected impacts of the law includes faster time-to-market, deeper investment pipelines, resilient supply chains and environmental benefits, supported by strong EU governance. - [European Biotech Act 2]() — status: forthcoming. The proposed European Biotech Act aims to make Europe's health-biotechnology sector more competitive through easier funding, quicker regulatory processes and stronger safeguards. It would support industry, manufacturing and research, especially start-ups and SMEs; facilitate AI, data and digital solutions; simplify rules on clinical trials and cell and gene therapies; and introduce biosecurity measures. The Commission says the Act should help patients gain timelier, broader access to treatments and products. In 2026 it will address the wider biotechnology sector. - [European Centre of Expertise on Research Security]() — status: forthcoming. EU work is underway to establish a Centre of Expertise on Research Security, investing in the evidence base for policymaking and creating a community of practice. It sits alongside a due-diligence platform in development to help universities choose international partners. The Commission presents these measures as support for open but secure research cooperation, responding to risks including foreign interference, malign influence and misuse. - [European Innovation Act]() — status: forthcoming. It will create horizontal, Single-Market-wide conditions to accelerate deployment and diffusion of innovation. The law will (i) simplify and make rules more innovation-friendly (incl. regulatory sandboxes), (ii) unlock IP-backed finance and improve access to EU/national funding, (iii) open research & technology infrastructures to companies, (iv) make public/private procurement more supportive of novel solutions, (v) improve commercialisation of publicly funded R&I (i.e. IP, standardisation, certification), (vi) enable talent attraction/retention (e.g. employee ownership schemes), and (vii) establish EU–Member State coordination of innovation policy, helping to close the EU’s innovation gap. - [European Innovation Council (EIC) Reform]() — status: not recorded. The council will be reformed to operate more strategically and ambitiously, inspired by the US ARPA model. It will shift towards challenge-driven, staged funding for breakthrough, high-risk technologies, focusing on strategic EU priorities and research excellence. The reform will simplify procedures, strengthen the Trusted Investor Network, and build closer ties with Europe’s unicorns to improve policy feedback loops. By combining public and private capital, the EIC will accelerate the scale-up of deep-tech companies in critical sectors and better align innovation funding with Europe’s competitiveness, technological sovereignty, and security objectives. - [European Research Area Act & ERIC Reform]() — status: forthcoming. The Act Act will realise a “fifth freedom” by enabling the free movement of researchers, knowledge and technology across a single EU R&I market, anchored in TFEU Articles 179 and 182(5). It will (1) secure national commitments and new mechanisms to reach the 3% of GDP R&D target; (2) align EU–national investments and priorities around strategic technologies; and (3) upgrade framework conditions—attractive careers and mobility, open science and data access, a stronger legal basis for research infrastructures, and better knowledge valorisation. The Act will safeguard fundamental values, bolster research security, and clarify cooperation with third countries. - [European Strategy on Research and Technology Infrastructures]() — status: delivered. The strategy aims to improve Europe's research and technology infrastructure capacity, investment and access. It covers criteria and roadmaps for infrastructures of European interest, funding coordination, upgrades, transnational collaboration and services for startups and scaleups. It also addresses FAIR and AI-ready research data, an enhanced EOSC Federation, coordinated governance, skills, international partnerships, resilience, and trusted storage, processing and sharing of critical data. - [Horizon Europe 2026-2027]() — status: not recorded. The next work programme will channel major investments into Europe’s industrial and scientific transformation. A €600 million flagship call under the Clean Industrial Deal will bridge R&I and deployment, fostering synergies with the Innovation Fund and supporting fusion through new PPPs. In life sciences, the Commission will establish a network of ATMP Centres of Excellence (€4 million), pilot stepwise collaborative health research funding, and invest €50 million in multi-modal genAI for biomedical research. €170 million will support a new health–climate agenda, complemented by global research collaboration and foresight on life sciences skills. - [Life Sciences Strategy]() — status: delivered. The Life Sciences Strategy addresses fragmented funding and innovation systems, regulatory complexity and slow market uptake. Its actions include the Biotech Act, coordinated work on new biomedical research methods, a research and innovation agenda for food systems, and a data assembly for cross-regulatory cooperation. The Commission presents these measures as support for innovation, economic growth and job creation in European life sciences. - [Quantum Act]() — status: forthcoming. The Act will make the Quantum Europe Strategy operational, fixing fragmentation by aligning EU and national programmes around a shared RTI agenda and targets. It sets EU-level governance and extends the Chips Joint Undertaking’s remit to quantum technologies, coordinating investments across EU programmes. It anchors a three-stage pipeline—Discover; Lab-to-fab via pilot lines, design tools and standards; Apply & use in lead sectors, while scaling pan-European infrastructures in quantum computing, secure communication (EuroQCI) and sensing. The Act backs skills and industrialisation, strengthens supply chains. It also drives standardisation and interoperability and fosters talent attraction. - [Quantum Europe Strategy]() — status: delivered. **Skills.** The Strategy will launch a European Quantum Skills Academy - initially virtual, then networked - linked to Quantum Competence Clusters and Semiconductors Competence Centres. It will host a Quantum Talent Portal, fellowship schemes and “teach-the-teacher” modules to broaden participation and close the gender gap. Complementary actions include a Digital Europe–funded Quantum Apprenticeship pilot and returnships; Advanced Digital Skills Competitions from 2026; an EIC Researchers-in-Residence scheme placing scientists in quantum startups; and a European Quantum Talent Mobility Programme with fellowships for non-EU PhDs and professionals. Skills intelligence will track needs via the European Skills Intelligence Observatory, ensuring training aligns with fast-evolving industrial demand. **Research.** It contains coordinated roadmaps to speed research-to-industry. The Commission will publish an EU Quantum Computing and Simulation Roadmap, a Quantum Chips Industrialisation Roadmap, and a European Quantum Standards Roadmap, while expanding Quantum Competence Clusters to link labs, pilot lines and design facilities. It adds a coordinated European Quantum Sensing, Measurement and Testing Roadmap. To catalyse uptake, the EU will pilot two Grand Challenges (fault-tolerant computing; quantum PNT) and launch a Pilot Programme for Researchers-in-Residence in quantum startups. For dual-use and space, it will deliver a Quantum Technology Roadmap in space with ESA and a Quantum Sensing Space & Defence Technology Roadmap aligning civil-security priorities. **Infrastructure.** The strategy’s infrastructure track will strengthen secure networks, prove platforms, and link civil–defence use. EuroQCI expands 2025–2035 with cross-border terrestrial links, satellite ground stations and EU certification, converging with IRIS² for end-to-end QKD services. In 2026, a pilot European Quantum Internet will test quantum-safe components and early use cases alongside the EU’s post-quantum cryptography roadmap. Europe will deploy ground/airborne gravimeters and prepare a space-gravimetry pathfinder after 2030. A centralised network of open-access quantum testbeds will serve developers, startups and SMEs. An EU-wide Quantum Technology Risk Assessment concludes in 2026. Spin-in initiatives from 2026 accelerate defence uptake. - [RAISE – European AI Research Council]() — status: not recorded. RAISE has entered a pilot phase as the Resource for Artificial Intelligence Science in Europe. The European Commission and the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU organised the European AI in Science Summit in Copenhagen, where Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva announced its launch. --- [Reading guide and interpretation notes]() · [Methodology]()