MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE

EuResist - Enhancing HIV treatment with more precise patient modeling

HIV is not curable but it is treatable, states Dr Francesca Incardona, CEO of EuResist Network GEIE and research area manager at Informa Srl, the SME responsible for coordinating the EuResist project.
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SILCO - Doing away with bacteria in water systems

The SILCO project has developed an innovative monitoring device that senses the elimination process of complex bacterial communities known as biofilm and unsafe bacteria from drinking water systems. The prototype successfully killed legionella bacteria at a natural source spa in Slovakia
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FIRELI - New hose equipment to increase safety of firemen

Every year, fires affect large areas of forest in Europe - mostly in the Mediterranean countries, where an average of around 500,000 hectares are destroyed annually. That is the equivalent of 50 times the land area of Paris. The economic cost is estimated at between €600 and €800 million per year.
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Smart irrigation technology set to reduce costs and save water

Due in large part to inefficient water irrigation systems, the agriculture industry wastes 60% of the water it uses each year, or 70% of the world's freshwater. WaterBee has developed a smart irrigation system to reduce this wastage, thereby saving money and increasing both crop quality and yield.
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NANORAY - A portable x-ray machine

X-ray technology has existed for more than 100 years, but in spite of repeated efforts no one has found a way of solving the problems involved in making X-ray machines portable. Now, thanks to an innovative European Union (EU) funded multinational research project, that breakthrough has at last been achieved.
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Making life more comfortable for patients and caregivers

2012 marks the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations (EY2012). The number of Europeans aged 65 to 80 is expected to significantly increase in the upcoming decades, posing enormous challenges and tremendous implications for both the ageing population and primary caregivers.
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CleanHatch - New high-tech solution to clean fish hatcheries

Due to increased market pressure to produce high quality and low cost fish, the aquaculture industry has been forced to develop technologies that reduce the level of risk to investors yet maintain reliable production output.
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Let there be sight

Transplanting the human cornea (1) can enable a blind person to see. But it requires the perfect human donor match and there are no guarantees of success. A group of EU-funded SMEs and researchers, however, has developed an artificial cornea that offers failed transplant patients a potentially life-changing alternative.
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European Commission looking for expert advisers to give input on SME support-component of Horizon 2020

The European Commission has launched a call in view of composing advisory groups that will contribute to shaping the agenda of Horizon 2020, the European Union's future funding programme for research and innovation. Designated experts will provide high quality and timely advice for the preparation of the Horizon 2020 calls for project proposals.

The European Commission is in search of expert individuals from the SME world at large to become part of its different advisory groups on Horizon 2020, and to contribute to setting the Research and Innovation agenda on topics of major concern for European citizens, such as climate change, making renewable energy more affordable, ensuring safe food or coping with the challenges of ageing.

As for the field of innovation in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in particular, a dedicated group of experts is intended to promote and accompany the specific measures for SMEs under the Programme. This group will consist of experts from SMEs, SME representative bodies or associations, and other highly-qualified individuals with extensive experience with working with or for SMEs. Their joint expertise will cover all aspects of successful innovative SME management, including intellectual property rights, research and development, business management and technology transfer.

DG Research and Innovation with its call aims to reach especially those SME experts who have operational experience with managing innovation and translating innovation into new services, products or business processes that have proven their success on the market.

The experts sought after should be particularly familiar with opportunities and barriers to innovation in SMEs, and with the structuring of innovation projects in an SME setting. In addition, they preferably have a proven track-record in working with SMEs undergoing rapid expansion brought about by (high-risk) innovation activity. Last but not least, they also have a sense of what makes a good business opportunity and how to capitalize on it.

The experts will start their work during spring of this year to provide advice in time for the first Horizon 2020 calls, which are expected to be launched by the end of 2013. Individuals and actors wishing to be considered for the first advisory groups have until 6 March 2013 at 5 p.m. Brussels local time to register. The call for expressions of interest will stay open for the lifetime of the Horizon 2020 programme in order to accommodate the renewal of groups at the end of each mandate.

Individuals can express their interest, acting either in a personal capacity, as representatives of collective interest groups or as representatives of organisations. Details of the criteria on which selection will be based, including the profile of experts, are set out in the call. The full text and guidance on how to register can be found through the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=h2020-experts.