Our favourite features from Research Europe over the past year
1. European Commission: Leaving it open
The end of November brought the end of R&D commissioner Carlos Moedas’s five-year term. We reported what those who worked with him felt about his legacy.
An even more experienced European Commission figure also left EU officialdom in 2019: long-serving R&D chief and foremost advocate Robert-Jan Smits.
3. Plan S special: One year on
Smits was the main man behind the radical open-access initiative Plan S, which was still making waves when it reached the first anniversary of its inception.
4. Academic freedom: A helping hand
Research Europe itself hit a major anniversary in 2019, marking its 500th issue with a special on academic freedom.
5. Universities: The networked future
The European Universities Initiative got underway with much excitement, and predictions that cross-border collaboration will only increase from here on out.