http://ec.europa.eu//research/fp6/ en Fri, 24 May 2013 14:47:23 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss For more RSS news feeds click the link above. Fri, 24 May 2013 14:47:23 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_15_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29993 Psychiatric disorders are a major, though often "hidden", health problem. It is estimated that mental disorders affect more than 160 million Europeans - 38% of the population each year. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in four of us will suffer from at least one mental disorder during our lifetime. In addition to the direct impact this has on patients and their families, the impact on national healthcare systems is significant. In Europe, the annual cost is estimated to be more than €200 billion. ]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-15:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_15_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29993 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-safer&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29921 Even 10 seconds can make a difference. When Japan was hit by the earthquake in 2011, early-warning systems were in place, and within seconds even the high-speed "bullet" trains stopped. About half of Europe is also a high-risk earthquake area, especially Mediterranean countries like Greece, Italy, and also other regions around the Black Sea. ]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-safer&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29921 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_02_27_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29314 A groundbreaking European Union (EU)-funded research project has shown that eating high quantities of common foods such as fried potatoes - or even toast – during pregnancy can lead to significant health problems for the new-born child. ]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-02-27:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_02_27_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29314 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-isense&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=28939 In today's world, there has never been a greater need for quick and accurate ways to detect explosives, toxic chemicals, illegal drugs and other potential hazards to public safety and health. Contributing to this effort is a European Union (EU)-funded project that has united a Russian-born physicist working at a Dutch university with a private company in the UK. ]]> Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-01-10:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-isense&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=28939 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_10_24_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=27714 Investigating the genetic footprint that drug resistance causes in HIV, researchers in Europe have discovered that compensatory polymorphisms enable resistant viruses to survive. Presented in the journal Retrovirology, the study was supported in part by three EU-funded projects: VIROLAB, EURESIST and CHAIN. Both the VIROLAB ('A virtual laboratory for decision support in viral diseases treatment') and EURESIST ('Integration of viral genomics with clinical data to predict response to anti-HIV treatment') projects were funded under the 'Information society technologies' Thematic area of the FP6 to the tune of EUR 3.3 million and EUR 2.1 million, respectively. CHAIN ('Collaborative HIV and anti-HIV drug resistance network') has received almost EUR 10 million under the Health Theme of the FP7.]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-10-24:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_10_24_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=27714 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_10_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=27613 Water: about 60 % of our body weight is made up of it; it is the body's principal chemical component. Every system in our body depends on it; it carries nutrients to our cells and it takes toxins out of vital organs. Without it we couldn’t survive. It also acts in a similar way for the Earth. The Global Water Cycle plays a central role in global atmospheric circulations, controlling the global energy cycle (through latent heat) as well as the carbon, nutrient and sediment cycles. Recent research indicates that afternoon storms are more likely to develop when soils are parched. The study was funded in part by the WATCH ('Water and global change') project, which was backed with EUR 9.9 million under the 'Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems' Thematic area of the FP6.]]> Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-10-22:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_10_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=27613 http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=publications&tab=9 Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-08-30:/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=publications&tab=9 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_07_18_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=26193 Electricity prices are rising and more and more people are becoming concerned about what the future holds for energy security. What is responsible for these increases? Higher water temperatures and reduced river flows, in both Europe and the United States. A new study shows that even more worrisome is the drop in production or temporary shutdown of various thermoelectric power plants, which also trigger higher prices. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, was funded in part by two EU projects: WATCH and ECLISE.]]> Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-07-18:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_07_18_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=26193 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-na-nose&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=25373 No-one wants to be told that they have cancer. But the earliest possible diagnosis is often the key to ensuring survival. So a new technique developed by scientists wich can instantly detect cancer even in its very earliest stages, using just a simple breath-test, offers the clear hope of a major breakthrough in improving cancer survival rates.]]> Wed, 20 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-20:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-na-nose&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=25373 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-chill-on&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=25333 Few would dispute that the emergence of chilled and frozen food technologies in the last century was a major advance for modern society, transforming all our lives and bringing convenience and choice. In Europe today, consumption of chilled and frozen foods is rising by more than 10% a year.]]> Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-19:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-chill-on&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=25333 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_18_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25273 Europeans are driving research and technology, and their latest achievement is in discovering that embryonic stem cell properties are impacted by the laboratory conditions used to grow them. In their groundbreaking study, a European team of researchers evaluated embryonic stem cells grown in a pure undifferentiated state. The study, presented in the journal Cell, was supported in part by four EU-funded projects: HEROIC, PLURISYS, EUROSYSTEM and ATLAS.]]> Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-18:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_18_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25273 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-pharma-planta&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=25293 In June 2011, medical regulators gave the go-ahead for trials in humans of a potential new anti-HIV drug. The drug was produced in genetically modified tobacco leaves. It was the first ever clinical trial of a drug of this type that had been derived from GM plants.]]> Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-18:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-pharma-planta&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=25293 http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp6/index_en.cfm?p=8_nest5 Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-15:/fp6/index_en.cfm?p=8_nest5 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_12_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25193 Can a painkiller be re-engineered to get a closer look at how proteins bind to communication channels? Researchers across Europe are using state-of-the-art computing techniques to re-engineer a painkiller from the XEP-018 protein, which was identified inside the venom of the Conus consors, a species of sea snail. The study is funded in part by the CONCO project, which is backed with more than EUR 10 million under the 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' Thematic area of the FP6.]]> Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-12:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_12_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25193 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_11_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25173 Researchers from Australia and the United Kingdom have discovered that discrimination is alive and kicking in the labour market. Presented in the International Journal of Obesity, the study shows that obese women do not really stand a chance of landing a job when they are up against non-overweight candidates. But that is not all. Obese women are even paid less than their thinner counterparts.]]> Mon, 11 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-11:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_11_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25173 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25153 Scientists have developed a process that can cut the amount of sludge generated from wastewater treatment plants by a factor of 10. This biological treatment is an outcome of the INNOWATECH ('Innovative and integrated technologies for the treatment of industrial wastewater') project, which was supported under the 'Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems' Thematic area of the FP6 to the tune of EUR 2.75 million.]]> Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25153 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_06_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25093 Thousands of people from around the world volunteered their home computers to run a complex atmosphere-ocean climate model, enabling scientists to better forecast the impact of changing climate patterns. As a result of their efforts, scientists concluded that global warming of 3 degrees Celsius is possible. The study, presented in the journal Nature Geoscience, was supported in part by the EU-funded projects WATCH and ENSEMBLES.]]> Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-06-06:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_06_06_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=25093 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_05_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24874 Researchers in Spain and the United Kingdom have identified the stages of gypsum crystals formation – a mystery that boggled the minds of many over the years. A mineral that occurs naturally, gypsum is usually used in industrial processes. If left untouched for thousands of years, gypsum can develop into large, over 10-metre tall and translucent crystals. The study was funded in part by the MIN-GRO ('Mineral nucleation and growth kinetics: generating a general, fundamental model by integrating atomic, macro- and field-scale investigations') project, which received a Marie Curie Research Training Networks grant worth EUR 3 million under the FP6. The results were published in the journal Science. ]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-05-22:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_05_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24874 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_05_21_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24853 The chances of our planet being hit by a global warming of 3 degrees Celsius by 2050 is as likely as it being hit by an increase of 1.4 degrees, new research shows. Presented in the journal Nature Geoscience, the British study ran close to 10 000 climate simulations on home computers via a sophisticated climate model to get the results, which suggest that failure to stop emissions will force Earth to cross the two-degree barrier before this century ends. ]]> Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-05-21:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_05_21_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24853 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_04_23_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24673 Scientists have gained a new tool in their efforts to research the world's changing environment: the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas. This is the most comprehensive dataset of surface water carbon dioxide measurements for the world's oceans and coastal seas, made up of 6.3 million global observations generated from research vessels, commercial ships and moorings around the world since 1968. The information provides researchers with a 40-year record of CO2 accumulation in the surface ocean. The study was funded in part by the CARBOOCEAN and CARBOCHANGE projects, which received EUR 14.5 million and EUR 7 million under the FP6 and FP7 respectively.]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-04-23:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_04_23_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24673 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_04_10_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24473 Researchers in China, Italy and the United Kingdom have discovered what gene is responsible for blood orange pigmentation, and how it is controlled. The results, presented in the journal The Plant Cell, could help improve the growth of health-promoting blood oranges and lead to novel solutions for patients suffering from cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. The study was partially supported by two EU-funded projects: FLORA and ATHENA.]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-04-10:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_04_10_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24473 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_03_28_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24353 Scientists in Cameroon, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States have discovered that chimpanzee populations living in pretty close proximity are considerably more different genetically than are humans living on different continents. The study shows that genomics can play a key role in chimpanzee conservation. Presented in the journal PLoS Genetics, it was funded in part by the EUPRIM-NET ('European primate network: specialised infrastructures and procedures for biological and biomedical research') project, which clinched more than EUR 4.7 million under the Infrastructures Thematic area of the FP6. ]]> Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-03-28:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_03_28_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24353 http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/index_en.cfm?pg=budget Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-03-09:/fp7/index_en.cfm?pg=budget http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_03_05_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24113 An international team of researchers led by the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom has identified a genetic link for coronary artery disease (also called coronary heart disease). The results of the study, presented in the journal The Lancet, demonstrate how a father passes on to his son a common heart disease that kills thousands each year. The study was supported in part by a grant under the FP6.]]> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-03-05:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_03_05_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24113 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_02_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23993 An international team of scientists has discovered that the effect of fishing for tuna and similar species since the early 1960s has led to a decline in these populations by around 60%. The study, presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was funded in part by the METAOCEANS ('Elucidating the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems through synethesis and comparative results') project, which clinched a Marie Curie Early Stage Research Training grant worth EUR 2.23 million under the FP6.]]> Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-02-22:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_02_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23993 http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp6/ For more information on Research policy - Sixth Framework Programme, click the link above, which will take you to the Sixth Framework Programme web site. Fri, 24 May 2013 14:47:23 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp6/