Global Scans · Science · Weekly Summary

• [New] China is pushing harder than ever for science and technology independence in its next Five-Year Plan until 2030, placing particular emphasis on accelerating its space ambitions. CNA
• [New] The Department of Industry, Science and Resources now expects the value of gold exports to overtake liquefied natural gas exports in 2026. The Conversation
• [New] Expert Predictions: Experts predict a continued convergence of materials science, advanced lithography (like ASML's High-NA EUV system launching by 2025 for 2 nm and 1.4 nm nodes), and advanced packaging. FinancialContent
• [New] Key collaboration opportunities include access to the UK's blanket and fuel cycle R&D facilities, joint AI-enabled science partnerships with companies like AMD, Microsoft, and Google DeepMind, and a coordinated approach to codes and standards. The Fusion Report: The Business of Fusion Energy
• [New] If successful, EscaPADE could be the first bright spot in NASA's campaign to conduct planetary science on the cheap. CNN
• [New] The current fragility could be transformed into a lever for renewal, promoting the emergence of a strong culture of academic freedom and, in so doing, strengthening France's position in global science geopolitics. The Conversation
• [New] More than a dozen of the world's leading ocean science, philanthropic, and other stakeholder organizations will represent ocean issues at the world's largest climate negotiation. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• [New] Nestle says goals align with its R&D Accelerator programme, which supports work on disruptive ideas grounded in cutting-edge science, technological advances, and evolving consumer needs. FoodNavigator.com
• [New] Citizen science can become a cornerstone of future wildlife conservation - and Indonesia could lead the way in making it happen. The Conversation
• [New] A new Trump administration plan to expand the use of artificial intelligence in US science could greatly boost research productivity. Science|Business
• [New] RAISE will support the EU's goals of prioritising science and technology, maintaining research leadership, promoting innovation for the benefit of humanity, and attracting global talent to Choose Europe. Open Access Government
• [New] Funding for the Metascience Unit - which supports research into increasing the impact and efficiency of science investment - will treble to £49 million. Chemistry World
• [New] Brazil's presidency offered a compromise: voluntary science-based roadmaps on fossil fuel transition and deforestation over 2026. ESG News
• [New] Planette, a long-range weather prediction platform that combines cutting-edge AI with decades of Earth system science, says it can predict long-range weather more accurately than others. Marcellus Drilling News
• [New] The UK's Space Agency says it will achieve its plans by building inclusive workplaces that attract and keep talent, making more investments in science and innovation fields and through international partnerships. Yahoo News Singapore
• [New] Congress should establish a Quantum First national goal focused on achieving a quantum computational advantage in cryptography, drug discovery, and materials science by 2030. AIP
• [New] The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report, do not fail to scale: seizing the opportunity of engineering biology, is clear that the UK faces a familiar risk: world-class science that scales somewhere else. CPI
• [New] A bold U.S. Quantum First agenda might encourage even more international collaboration - and healthy competition - in quantum science. PostQuantum - Quantum Computing, Quantum Security, PQC
• [New] In 2025, advances in AI-driven material science, additive manufacturing, and robotics are transforming how we imagine and assemble the built environment. Logiciel Solutions
• [New] The best available science from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that crossing the 1.5 degrees C threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts, including more frequent and severe droughts, heatwaves, and rainfall. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
• [New] The vibrant coastal city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil will welcome the global ocean community in 2027 for the next Ocean Decade Conference: a milestone moment to accelerate science-based ocean action and shape the legacy of the Ocean Decade. Ocean Decade
• [New] The UK government unveiled a sweeping roadmap to phase out animal testing, promising to accelerate the shift toward humane, high-tech alternatives that could redefine modern science itself. ScienceBlog.com

Last updated: 08 December 2025