News

1. Events - 1st OpenChina-ICT Thematic Workshop on Smart and Sustainable Cities - 31 May 2013, Guangzhou, P.R. China

The 1st OpenChina-ICT Thematic Workshop on Smart and Sustainable Cities is organised by the OpenChina-ICT project under the aegis of the European Commission through its FP7 research-funding programme, aiming at facilitating ICT related research cooperation between Europe and China. This event (free of charge) will be held in Guangzhou, P.R. China on May 31, 2013 and will bring together policy and main research stakeholders from Europe and China specialized on the ICT aspects of Smart and Sustainable Cities to create feasible research collaboration with the emergence of concrete projects. The agenda, featuring high-level speakers from Europe and China, including representatives from the European Commission DG CONNECT, government officials, key research experts, researchers and many other speakers is available on the project website: www. Read more

2. Events - ICE Flooding 2013 - 23 May 2013, London

The Institution of Civil Engineers is holding its first national-level flooding conference. Focussing on developing flood resilient communities, the programme examines every stage; from planning, design and construction, drainage and insurance to engaging the puvlic. Read more

3. Success Stories - Ensuring that 'green paradoxes' are understood when defining climate action policy

Applying advanced economic analysis to climate change policies and the efficient use of resources can sometime lead to surprising and counter-intuitive outcomes. Indeed the longer term impact of some well-intentioned policy initiative may end up having a negative impact. Read more

4. Success Stories - A European Flood Alert System to protect Europe's cities

In August 2002 Europe was struck by a disastrous flood when the Elbe and Danube overflowed, affecting the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Croatia. The cities of Dresden and Prague particularly suffered extensive damage. In response to this disaster, the European Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), launched the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS). Read more

5. Success Stories - Enhancing sustainability by unlocking the secrets of wood

If the world is to live within its environmental limits, the need to make the most sustainable use of its raw materials will become ever more vital. Increasingly, this will require us to focus on making maximum use of all the components of those raw materials, right down to the waste products. In today's world, everything has to be used. Read more

6. Success Stories - Materials and drives for High & Wide efficiency electric powertrains - Reducing dependency on rare earth materials

Presently, drives for Fully Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Electric Vehicles develop their highest efficiency of around 93–95% within a speed range of usually 1/4 to 1/3 of the maximum, and at an ideal torque, whereas in real-life driving cycles the motor operates at a wider range of speeds and at partial load, resulting in much lower efficiency. Read more

7. Success Stories - Leading the charge into the future, one electric car at a time

Overconsumption of fossil fuels, excessive carbon emissions and threats to air quality are all urgent problems that would be addressed if all-electric vehicles were fully operational and in widespread use. Research conducted by the European Union funded Fuerex project could give consumers in the near future the option of driving a car with almost zero emissions, without compromising on the range of the battery. Read more

8. Success Stories - How to save historic buildings from climate change

From Roman temples and Gothic churches to Greek theatres and medieval castles, Europe is peppered with historic buildings that reflect its rich cultural heritage. But these monuments all need to be preserved, a task complicated by age, pollution, tourist demands and climate change. Now science is lending a hand in this task, with a new European Union research project developing measures to reduce energy loss from within old buildings. Read more

9. Success Stories - Mapping the vulnerability of Europe's seas

The seas are Europe’s lifeblood. With the highest ratio of shoreline to land area of any continent, Europe is very much a maritime continent. Now, an EU-funded tool called EMIS (Environmental Marine Information System) allows policymakers and citizens to monitor those seas at the click of a button. Read more

10. Success Stories - Reducing forest-fire danger and damage on a European scale

About one million hectares of forests, which corresponds to one third the size of Belgium, are destroyed by fire every year in the Mediterranean basin. Forests are an important economic resource in that region, and the loss of forests weighs on the economies of the affected countries, especially in North Africa where a warming of 2 degrees Celsius and decreasing rainfall has been recorded. It is expected that climate change in North Africa will substantially increase the yearly losses to fire. Read more