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Your daily news relating to Research and Innovation in Europe.
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SMARTeST International conference - IMPLEMENTING FLOOD RESILIENCE
27-28 September 2012, Athenes, Greece
The climate is changing, floods are becoming more frequent and more intense throughout Europe. Science and flood resilience technology are advancing towards increased efficiency and reduced damage costs.
The conference is addressing innovative flood resilience technologies and systems, testing of standards, damage modelling, decision support, and future actions needed. The conference will run parallel to an international exhibition dedicated to flood resilient technologies and systems for the built environment.
Join us!
For a link to this event only use the event permalink
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Research and Innovation: An agenda for a renewed partnership
2-3 April 2012, Barcelona
The recent developments on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea have created a new context and momentum for developing a new phase of cooperation and establishing a more strategic partnership in research and innovation. This conference will take place on 2-3 April 2012 in the World Trade Centre in Barcelona and will be opened by the EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Mrs. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and other senior policy-makers from EU Member States and Southern Mediterranean countries.
For a link to this event only use the event permalink
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Aircraft Powerline Communication: TAUPE Final Workshop
15 February 2012, PARIS
This event is intended for anyone interested in the research topics addressed by the project: aeronautics, PLC-related technologies, EMC, etc. We are expecting attendees from industry (mostly aeronautics, but also automotive, railways, etc.), universities, research centres and SMEs.
In addition to presentations on PLC and PoD consideration in aircraft environment, project methodology, network measurements and modeling, modem development, safety issues, V&V approach, project outcomes there will be an exhibition and demonstration of a cabin mock-up, with a cabin lighting system using PLC technology
For a link to this event only use the event permalink
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6th World Water Forum
12-17 March 2012, Marseille, France
Every three years since 1997, the World Water Forum mobilises creativity, innovation, competence and know-how in favour of water. It gathers all stakeholders around today’s local, regional and global issues that cannot be undertaken without all stakeholders into a common framework of goals and concrete targets to reach.
The goal of the 6th World Water Forum is to tackle the challenges our world is facing and to bring water high on all political agendas. There will be no sustainable development while the water issues remain unsolved. Everywhere on the planet, for all and everyone, the Right to Water (recognised by 189 states at the UN one year ago) must be guaranteed and implemented.
For a link to this event only use the event permalink
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3rd Marine Board Forum
18 April 2012, Brussels, Belgium
The 3rd Marine Board Forum is designed to examine emerging or future “Blue Technologies”. In this case, blue technologies are those technologies which will either be used in, or drawn from, the seas and oceans and which should have the potential to make a transformational or step-changing contribution either to marine science itself or to society.
For a link to this event only use the event permalink
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European Research Headlines
report on recent developments in research and innovation in Europe
and beyond.
Sources include reports from EU-funded research projects, European
Commission activities, news from science websites and press services,
as well as from European research organisations and institutions.
The newest items automatically appear on the front page of this site.
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10-02-2012
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Environmentalists the world over been investigating and measuring climate change over the years, and they found that the period from 2000 to 2009 was the warmest since they began taking worldwide climate measurements. Although their studies focused on local areas, there is proof that mountain plant communities are changing, and that this is linked to the warming trend. An EU-funded team of researchers recently took this one step further by looking at the problem from a continental perspective. The study, presented in the journal Nature Climate Change, was backed in part by the ENSEMBLE ('Ensemble-based predictions of climate changes and their impacts') project. This EU-funded project received EUR 15 million under the Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems' Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
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09-02-2012
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We're constantly on the go, and products that make our lives easier are always welcome. But keeping products safe is important. This is especially true for the food industry. When fats, oils and other food components are oxidised, the foods we eat lose nutrients and colours. Steering clear of oxidation is crucial for food packaging. An EU-funded team of researchers has developed a biomaterial from whey protein as well as a commercially viable method of producing multifunctional films on an industrial scale. This is steps ahead of the conventional films based on petrochemicals. The results are an outcome of the WHEYLAYER ('Whey protein-coated plastic films to replace expensive polymers and increase recyclability') project, which received more than EUR 2.5 million under the 'Research for the Benefit of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises)', Seventh Framework Programme Capacities Work Programme of the EU.
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06-02-2012
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A European team of researchers has discovered that people with a specific form of inherited hearing loss are more sensitive to low frequency vibration. Presented in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the findings provide insight on the association between hearing loss and touch sensitivity. Specialised skin cells must be tuned to enable a person to 'feel'.
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03-02-2012
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A European team of scientists has discovered how cells accurately inherit information that is not contained in their genes. The research, presented in the journal Developmental Cell, was funded in part by the EPICENTROMERE ('Determining the epigenetic mechanism of centromere propagation') project, which has clinched a Marie Curie Action 'International Reintegration Grant' worth EUR 100 000 under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The results help piece together a puzzle on the biological processes of genes and cells, and in particular on cell division.
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01-02-2012
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Natural food does not always mean safe food. EU-funded researchers have discovered that the compounds found in some botanicals and botanical preparations, such as plant food supplements, may be detrimental to one's health. Presented in the journal Food and Nutrition Sciences, the study was funded in part by the PLANTLIBRA ('Plant food supplements: levels of intake, benefit and risk assessment') project, which is backed with nearly EUR 6 million under the 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology' (KBBE) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
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30-01-2012
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Diseases are not the only things that can be contagious; yawning is catching too. And while most of us have long recognised this phenomenon, thanks in part to falling 'victim' to it, no one succeeded in shedding scientific light on this mystery ... until now. Researchers in Italy have offered the first behavioural evidence that yawning is a fast and frequent effect between people who share an empathic bond, like friends and family members. The results were published in the journal PLoS ONE.
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27-01-2012
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It's safe to say that Europeans love their bread. Whether it's Germany's dark pumpernickel or France's baguette, Europeans enjoy consuming this starchy food. A team of researchers led by Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania believes that Europeans are now baking their own, or buying it from their local bakeries. The results are part of the FERMFOOD ('Fermented products by using lactic acid bacteria with antimicrobial activity for bread production') project, which is supported under EUREKA, the European platform for research and development (R&D).
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25-01-2012
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Scientists in Finland have discovered how a biochemical signature can potentially predict progression to Alzheimer's disease. The study is funded in part by the PREDICTAD ('From patient data to personalised healthcare in Alzheimer's disease') project, which received almost EUR 2.9 million under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Results suggest that this neurological disorder is preceded by a molecular signature indicative of hypoxia and an upregulated pentose phosphate pathway. The study, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, could lead to the development of methods for early disease detection.
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23-01-2012
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Researchers from Germany and the United States suggest that the European conquest triggered the loss of more than half the Native American population. The results of their study provide new insight into the demise of the indigenous population. Experts recognise that Native Americans died while at war or due to diseases when Europeans first arrived in the Americas; the question this latest study addresses is how the overall population was impacted by the conquest. Extensive genetic analysis proved that a transient contradiction in population sizes by some 50% occurred approximately 500 years ago. The findings substantiate historical records indicating how the European settlers impacted the peoples of North and South America: diseases, wars, famine and slavery all played a part. The study was presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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20-01-2012
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Birds are finding it increasingly difficult to adapt to Europe's warming climes. That is the warning from a pan-European group of researchers in a major new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study, which received funding from four different EU-funded projects, brings together scientists from the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
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18-01-2012
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An EU-funded team of researchers in Finland is studying how climate change impacts nature and the various spheres that depend on it, namely agriculture, forestry, fishing and tourism. The study is funded under the VACCIA ('Vulnerability assessment of ecosystem services for climate change impacts and adaptation') project, which is supported by the EU LIFE+ programme. The results of the study will help decision-makers, industry and the general public, and give Finland the support it needs to adapt to a changing climate.
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16-01-2012
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Novel light-source technology just got a big boost in Europe thanks to the OLED100.eu ('Organic LED (light-emitting diode) lighting in European dimensions') project which tackled the challenge to develop the techniques needed to form the basis for efficient OLED applications for the European general lighting industry. Backed with EUR 12.5 million under the 'Information and communication technologies') Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the OLED100.eu project partners have successfully increased the energy efficiency and lifetime of organic LEDs for large-area lighting applications.
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13-01-2012
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An EU-funded team of researchers has developed a robot able to help neurosurgeons in performing keyhole brain surgery. This robot is accurate in performance and has incredible memory, especially since it has 13 types of movement compared to the 4 available to human hands, as well as 'haptic' feedback — physical cues allowing physicians to assess tissue and perceive the amount of force applied during surgery. The ROBOCAST ('Robot and sensors integration as guidance for enhanced computer assisted surgery and therapy') project received EUR 3.45 million under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
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11-01-2012
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The latest Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reveals that myriad factors are wreaking havoc on amphibian populations around the globe. Their numbers are dwindling faster than those of other animal groups, with over 30% of all amphibian species listed as 'threatened'. The study, presented in the journal Nature, underlines that areas containing the greatest number of amphibian species are the areas that are at most risk. Led by the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, the study brought together experts from Denmark, Portugal, Spain and the United States.
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09-01-2012
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Can pregnant women help boost their children's brainpower by eating fish? The findings of a study, presented in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, show how children born to women who consumed more fish during their pregnancies demonstrated improved outcomes in tests for verbal intelligence, fine motor skills and prosocial behaviour. The results are an outcome of the NUTRIMENTHE ('Effect on diet on the mental performance of children') project, which is backed under the 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology' (KBBE) Theme of the EU' Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 5.9 million.
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22-12-2011
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A team of Swedish and German researchers has uncovered how negative ions interact, according to findings set out in the Review of Scientific Instruments.
Negative ions play a crucial role in everything from how our bodies function to how the universe is structured.
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21-12-2011
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A team of EU-funded German scientists has investigated how fibres made of the muscle protein actin behave when they are transported and cross-linked at the same time. In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team explain how they discovered that at a certain point, systems suddenly enter a so-called 'absorbing state', albeit without ceasing to consume energy. Their research was funded in part by the COMPNET ('Dynamics and Self-organisation in Complex Cytoskeletal Networks') project, which has clinched a EUR 1.5 million European Research Council (ERC) grant under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
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20-12-2011
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Thanks to microscopic tubes that suck in carbon dioxide from the air, land that has been deemed unsuitable for tree planting could still be used to reduce levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere — even without trees.
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19-12-2011
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A protein that controls how the deadly plant poison and bioweapon ricin kills has finally been identified by a team of Austrian researchers in a new study. With a combination of stem cell biology and modern screening methods, the team were able to get to the bottom of how the poison works.
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16-12-2011
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Researchers believe obesity raises people's risk of suffering from chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. And with the incidence of obesity increasing in Europe and the rest of the world, it is important to achieve a more accurate estimate of future obesity prevalence. This can be achieved by obtaining and using data from longitudinal studies. The problem is that insufficient longitudinal data is published in literature compared with results of cross-sectional data. New research, presented in the journal PLoS ONE, tackles this issue through the DIOGENES ('Diet, obesity and genes') project, which received more than EUR 14 million under the 'Food quality and safety' Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
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15-12-2011
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An international team of scientists has reconstructed the Last Ice Age's marine and terrestrial productivity and carbon stocks by combining isotope data that are relevant to both global quantities and models. The study, published in the journal Nature, is funded in part by the MOTIF ('Models and observations to test climate feedbacks') project, which clinched more than EUR 181 000 under the 'Energy, environment and sustainable development' (EESD) Thematic programme of the EU's Fifth Framework Programme (FP5).
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14-12-2011
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Maximising prospects for successful clinical trials of stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's and Parkinson's is possible through solid cooperation between experimental and clinical researchers. The NEUROSTEMCELL ('European consortium for stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative disease') project is driving this effort, and positive results are already coming in. NEUROSTEMCELL is supported under the Health Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 11.9 million.
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13-12-2011
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New international research suggests that increasing temperatures will affect the habitats of animals and plants, as several will be forced to leave their surroundings and find new environments; some marine species will have nowhere to go. The findings of the study, published in the journal Science, indicate how it will be difficult for marine species to keep up with the changes.
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12-12-2011
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Scientists in Austria and Germany have discovered a genetic switch that regulates the formation of flight muscles in flies, creatures with very small wings in relation to their bodies. The study, published in the journal Nature, suggests that spalt proteins switch myofibres from tubular to fibrillar fate during development. This function is potentially conserved in the heart of vertebrates: the stretch-stimulated muscle resembles the muscle used for insect flight.
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09-12-2011
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Creatures on Earth have annual cycles consisting of life history stages of breeding, moult and migration. For some, moon cycles influence their periodic behaviour, particularly in the case of birds. New research from Université de La Réunion on Réunion, France probed the influence of photoperiod and moon phases on the migration dates and at-sea activity of Barau's petrel, a tropical seabird species, throughout its annual cycle. The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, was funded in part by the RUN-EMERGE ('Supporting the research potential on emerging infectious diseases in La Reunion Island, and EU outermost region in the south-western Indian Ocean') and the RUN SEA SCIENCE ('Improvement of the tropical sea sciences research potential in western Indian Ocean, and of the technology capacities in La Reunion Island') projects, which received EUR 1.8 million and EUR 922 953 respectively under the 'Capacities' Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
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