Joint Research Centre - European Commission

The JRC has released a new clinical reference material certified for C-reactive protein (CRP) in collaboration with the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). This reference material, developed by the JRC Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM), is the global standard for CRP, enabling laboratories worldwide to use common reference ranges in diagnosis, and to compare results between hospitals and countries over time.

CRP is one of the most important health status markers measured in human blood tests as its levels change rapidly in response to inflammation and infection, making it a sensitive marker of inflammation and tissue damage. Measurements of CRP are used in the diagnosis of bacterial and viral infections, the assessment of disease activity in inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and the determination of the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.

At the European Nuclear Society Communication Conference (PIME) held 12-15 February in Warsaw, the JRC and the Dutch Nuclear Research Centre (NRG) won the 2012 PIME Award for Communications Excellence. The winners emerged from five previously shortlisted candidates, the other competitors coming from Russia, The United Arab Emirates, Austria, and France.

The European Nuclear Society is a federation of 24 nuclear societies from as many Eurasian countries. Its annual Communication Conference is a unique event addressed to communication specialists in the nuclear industry and research fields. It attracts professional nuclear communicators from across the world.

The JRC has decided to create a permanent Forum to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on the science needs of industry in key sectors for European competitiveness.

The initiative was launched following the roundtable "Scientific Support to European Industrial Competitiveness", organised by the JRC on 15 February. The event brought together for the first time chief science representatives from top R&D investor companies, industry associations, the scientific community and the European Commission.

A new report published by the JRC and the European Environment Agency shows that the main soil degradation processes are accelerating in many parts of Europe, often as a result of human activities.

The report presents an overview on the state of soil in Europe using data from the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) and from research activities within the JRC. It shows that soil resources in many parts of Europe are being overexploited, degraded and irreversibly lost. These trends are accelerated by inappropriate land management practices, industrial activities and land use changes. Bringing together data which are often fragmented and incomplete, ESDAC – a focal point for pan European data and information on soil – allows trends such as soil sealing, contamination, erosion and loss of organic carbon to be captured.

The JRC has published a study mapping the potential of renewable energy sources in Africa. The report analyses the continent's current energy consumption and assesses potential of renewable energy sources - solar, wind, biomass and hydropower - and their cost efficiency and environmental sustainability.

The map of Africa's solar electricity potential, for example, based on the JRC's Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS), shows that in many parts of Africa the same photovoltaic panel could produce twice as much electricity as it would produce in Central Europe. However, in order to assess the suitability of solar energy to provide electricity in rural areas, this option has to be assessed against costs for grid extensions and with the traditional diesel generators.