On 16 July, Ursula von der Leyen was elected to be the next European Commission President following a series of uncertain weeks of negotiations between the various European institutions and eventually the European Parliament’s vote in favour. It is the first time a woman will hold the position of President of the European Commission. In her agenda proposal for her candidacy, von der Leyen emphasised the central role research funding would play, most notably in establishing a European Green Deal and moving closer to climate-neutrality in Europe. You can read the European Parliament press release here and download von der Leyen’s agenda of political priorities here.