Our JRC Nanobiotechnology Laboratory offers free-of-charge open access to versatile facilities and interdisciplinary expertise in biotechnology, life sciences and materials sciences through different programmes
Scientists explain: Textile fibre production is dominated by fossil-based synthetic fibres like polyester, placing a significant strain on the environment. A shift towards bio-based fibres can help reduce the consumption of fossil-based materials.
Our scientists are working to make Europe’s industry cleaner! María José is one of them – she and her team are at the forefront of environmental policy in Europe, leading the way in industrial transformation. She coordinates a group of experts from EU countries, industry and NGOs to develop environmental norms for industrial sectors – a process known as the ‘Sevilla process’.
A new JRC report has confirmed Europe’s leadership in scientific research on emerging innovations such as AI, digital twins, and biotechnology. However, challenges remain, and strategic investment is needed for Europe to maintain its competitive edge.
Jennifer Marzullo, Director of Impact Licensing Studio, joined us in February 2025 and discussed impact licencing and the Impact Licencing Initiative, a EU-funded project.
The Sustainable Finance Research Forum's publication archive give you access to all JRC's publications on Sustainable Finance and to other relevant publications by external sources (Joint Research Centre's partners and others).
Since your last reading we have been working hard. Here you will find our latest research, reports, articles and working papers. You may also check our page to find the entire collection of related papers.
Giacomo Bressan joined us in December. Giacomo Bressan works as Associate Director in the ESG Methodology Department at Morningstar Sustainalytics. He presented an overview of the regulatory landscape in the EU, explaining differences and data needs for the Taxonomy, SFDR and BMR.
In November Zuzana Stanton-Geddes, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the World Bank in Brussels, discussed key results from the Economics for Disaster Prevention and Preparedness series developed by the European Commission and the World Bank.
In October 2024 we hosted Theodor Cojoianu, Associate Professor in Sustainable Finance at the University of Edinburgh. He discussed the key innovations of the EU green taxonomy with respect to traditional environmental policymaking tools.
In June of 2023 we launched a new Interview Series: once a month we discuss with leading economists and practitioners on current sustainable finance topics.
Together with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE and Wirtschafts Universität Wien (WU Wien), the JRC supports the European Commission department for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) in their Flagship Technical Support Project aiming at developing a new ESG risk management framework.
Significant increases in tourists’ flows were recorded in 2023 in Cork, Ireland’s second largest city, as well as in other EU towns like Copenhagen, Munich and Porto, according to the EU Tourism Dashboard. In 2023 Mallorca was the most visited region in the EU, recording over 51 million overnight stays, followed by Paris, with nearly 44 million, and Rome with 41 million.
In the Nordic countries, between 3 % and 40% of the original peatland area has been drained for agricultural purposes. Overall, in countries such as Ireland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland more than 80 % of peatlands have been drained. Drainage is the key driver of the deg radation of peat soils. Agricultural uses vary from extensive pastures to intensive cultivation. Ireland embarked on the Irish soil information system project between 2008 and 2014, resulting in a new national soil map and associated digital soil information system.
The number of persons ordered to leave Ireland for irregular migration almost doubled in 2023 compared to the previous year, from 630 to 1.065, according to the Eurostat data presented in the Atlas of Migration 2024 published by the JRC on the International Migrants Day last December.
In 2023 in Ireland, R&D investment growth was positive thanks to substantial increases by Accenture (business services) and Aptiv (automotive), both raising R&D by 15% in 2023. The largest decrease in R&D was recorded by Seagate (ICT hardware), down 29.2%.
In 2023, Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreased by 4% in Ireland compared to the previous year, according to the data of the new JRC report on GHG emissions of all world Countries. The most relevant reduction was registered in the power industry sector (-12%) and in waste management (-11%).
In 2023, Ireland made notable progress in FTTP infrastructure and invested significantly in the digital literacy of its population, according to the second annual EU State of the Digital Decade report, published in July.
I 2023 var de samlede investeringer i FoU for virksomheder med hjemsted i Danmark betydeligt højere end det foregående år. Især de sundhedsfaglige virksomheder øgede deres FoU betydeligt, navnlig Novo Nordisk: Virksomheden øgede sine investeringer i FoU med 33 % i 2022 og med yderligere 34 % i 2023.
On the EU coastlines, single-use plastic has been reduced by 40%. Fisheries-related items have decreased by 20% and plastic bags are down by 20%.
