Europe’s most futuristic, high-risk research – for example on projects to make computers read the human mind and to create “friendly robotic companions” – will receive a big boost in investment, the European Commission announced on Tuesday.

The commission will increase funding for its Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme from around €100m a year now to €170m in 2013 and, if member states agree, to €200m in 2015.