The European Commission has highlighted the growing impact of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), which has mobilised €29 billion to strengthen innovation and competitiveness across key sectors.
An initiative that supports the development and manufacturing of critical technologies, reinforcing the Union’s strategic autonomy.
Funding has been directed toward digital and deep-tech innovation, clean technologies, biotechnology and defence, combining resources from EU programmes and Member States.
Such a coordinated approach reflects efforts to reduce strategic dependencies instead of relying on fragmented investment strategies.
The platform has also improved access to funding, with hundreds of calls and projects supported across all Member States. Tools such as the STEP Seal and the planned AI-based access systems aim to simplify processes and attract further public and private investment into high-potential projects.
Looking ahead, the initiative is shaping broader reforms, including proposals for a European Competitiveness Fund. These developments signal a continued focus on streamlining funding mechanisms while supporting innovation ecosystems and long-term economic growth across Europe.
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A new warning from Google says advances in quantum computing could weaken widely used cryptographic systems protecting cryptocurrencies and digital infrastructure. A new whitepaper suggests future quantum machines may need fewer resources than previously estimated to break elliptic curve cryptography.
The research focuses on the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem, which underpins much of today’s blockchain security. Findings suggest quantum algorithms like Shor’s could run with fewer qubits and gates, increasing concerns about cryptographic resilience.
To address the risk, the paper recommends a transition to post-quantum cryptography, which is designed to resist quantum attacks. It also outlines short-term blockchain measures, including avoiding reuse of vulnerable wallet addresses and preparing digital asset migration strategies.
Google also introduced a responsible disclosure approach using zero-knowledge proofs to communicate vulnerabilities without exposing exploitable details.
The company says this balances transparency and security, supporting coordinated efforts across crypto and research communities to prepare for quantum threats.
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The European Patent Office (EPO) has reinforced cooperation with industry stakeholders through discussions with the German Association of Industry IP Experts, focusing on strengthening the European patent system and supporting innovation.
A meeting that brought together representatives from major industrial actors to align priorities and explore future collaboration.
Discussions between the EPO and the stakeholders centred on enhancing technology transfer, empowering startups and fostering economic growth across Europe.
Participants emphasised the importance of inclusive engagement among patent system users instead of fragmented approaches, ensuring that innovation strategies reflect both industrial and societal needs.
The Unitary Patent system was highlighted as gaining traction, particularly among smaller entities such as SMEs, individual inventors and research organisations. Such a trend reflects broader efforts to improve accessibility and scalability within the European innovation ecosystem.
AI also featured prominently, with both sides recognising its growing role in improving efficiency and quality in patent processes.
A human-centric approach remains essential, ensuring that AI deployment supports responsible innovation while maintaining high standards in patent examination and services.
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The UK has fined Apple Inc. subsidiary Apple Distribution International £390,000 for breaching sanctions linked to Russia. The penalty relates to payments routed through a UK bank to a Russian streaming platform.
The payments, totalling more than £635,000, were made to Okko from a UK-based account. The subsidiary, responsible for Apple product sales across Europe and the Middle East, instructed the transfers despite the platform’s ownership links to sanctioned entities.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation found the funds were linked to Sberbank and a company later sanctioned after the 2022 Ukraine invasion. Payments were made shortly after those restrictions came into force.
Regulators said the firm had voluntarily disclosed the transactions and had not been aware of the sanctions breach at the time. Apple stated it follows all applicable laws and has strengthened its compliance procedures following the incident.
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New proposals from Ofcom aim to reduce scam activity on mobile messaging services across the UK. The measures are designed to strengthen protections for users and businesses affected by large-scale fraud campaigns.
Scammers often combine mobile messages with other channels such as calls, emails, social media and online adverts to trick victims into revealing personal information or making payments.
While telecom operators have introduced safeguards in recent years, regulators say current efforts do not go far enough.
The proposed framework would require mobile operators and messaging aggregators to prevent scammers from accessing messaging systems and to detect and disrupt malicious activity where it occurs.
The goal is to close existing gaps in industry defences and reduce the volume of scam messages reaching users. Ofcom plans to finalise its decision in summer 2026, following completion of its consultation process.
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South Korea has unveiled a national strategy to become one of the world’s top three AI powers by 2028. The plan combines investment in digital infrastructure, data systems and next-generation connectivity.
The strategy includes developing talent across education levels and investing in core technologies such as semiconductors and quantum computing. AI adoption is expected to expand across sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare and agriculture.
The South Korean officials also plan to promote digital inclusion through learning centres and assistive technologies. Coordination between ministries will be strengthened to ensure effective delivery of the long-term roadmap.
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Enforcement of the Online Safety Act intensifies in 2026, with regulators pushing stronger age verification across social media, gaming, messaging, and adult platforms. Significant progress has been reported in the adult sector, with most major pornography services now using age assurance or restricting UK access.
Ofcom has issued new expectations for major children’s platforms, including stricter age verification, stronger protections against grooming, safer feeds, and tighter product testing. The regulator has warned that further enforcement action may follow if compliance is not met.
New obligations are also being introduced, including a requirement from April 2026 for services to report child sexual exploitation and abuse content to the National Crime Agency.
Providers are being instructed to keep risk assessments up to date and adapt to evolving regulatory guidance, including upcoming consultations and expanded reporting duties.
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DeepSeek’s chatbot suffered a seven-hour-plus disruption in China, prompting multiple updates as the company worked to restore full functionality. Users began reporting issues on Sunday evening, with further performance problems recorded on Monday morning.
Initial alerts appeared on monitoring platforms and DeepSeek’s own status page, which acknowledged an incident shortly after it began. Although early fixes were deployed within hours, additional disruptions followed, requiring further corrective updates before the system stabilised.
The company has not disclosed the cause of the outage, and no official comment has been provided. The extended downtime stands out for a platform known for consistent performance, which has maintained a near 99 percent uptime record since the launch of its R1 model in 2025.
The disruption comes at a time of heightened anticipation for DeepSeek’s next major update, as speculation builds across China’s competitive AI sector, where firms continue to race to release new models.
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The European Commission has confirmed a cyber-attack targeting its cloud infrastructure hosting the Europa.eu services, with authorities acting swiftly to contain the incident and prevent disruption to public access.
The attack was identified on 24 March, prompting immediate mitigation measures to secure systems and maintain service continuity.
Preliminary findings indicate that some data may have been accessed from affected websites, although the full scope of the incident remains under investigation.
The Commission has begun notifying the relevant EU entities that may be affected, while continuing efforts to assess the extent of the breach and strengthen safeguards.
Officials confirmed that internal systems were not affected, limiting the overall impact of the attack.
Monitoring efforts remain ongoing, with additional security measures being implemented to protect data and infrastructure, rather than relying solely on existing defences. The Commission has also committed to analysing the incident to improve its cybersecurity capabilities.
The attack comes amid growing cyber and hybrid threats targeting European institutions and critical services.
Existing frameworks, including the NIS2 Directive and the Cyber Solidarity Act, aim to strengthen resilience and coordination across member states, supporting a more unified response to large-scale cyber incidents across the EU.
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The European Commission and Japan have reinforced their digital cooperation through the 31st the EU–Japan ICT Dialogue held in Tokyo, focusing on advancing shared priorities in emerging technologies instead of pursuing separate national strategies.
A meeting that forms part of the broader EU–Japan Digital Partnership, which aims to deepen collaboration in key areas of the digital economy.
Discussions covered a wide range of topics, including AI, cybersecurity, and secure connectivity infrastructure such as submarine cables and Arctic networks.
Both sides also explored developments in 5G and 6G technologies, alongside emerging solutions like quantum key distribution, highlighting the importance of secure and resilient communication systems in an evolving digital landscape.
The dialogue also emphasised cooperation between the EU AI Office and AI Safety Institute, as well as joint efforts in research, innovation, and international standardisation.
These initiatives aim to align regulatory approaches and technological development rather than create fragmented global frameworks.
By strengthening collaboration across critical digital sectors, the EU and Japan seek to enhance technological resilience and promote secure, interoperable systems.
The ongoing partnership reflects a shared commitment to shaping global digital standards while supporting innovation and economic growth in both regions.
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