Featured projects

Parkinson’s disease affects more than one million people in Europe today and this number is expected to double by 2030. Most of the symptoms are connected to movement, which makes it very important to monitor the patients' motor conditions. The REMPARK project developed a prototype of a monitoring device for patients. This device opens new possibilities for a more accurate disease management as it allows real-time monitoring of the evolution of the patient in ambulatory conditions.

The team behind CogNet predicts that there will be 11.5 billion mobile-ready devices in the world by 2020, as well as more connected devices. But the current mobile and wireless bandwidth will not be able to cope with Europe’s ever-increasing data demands. The CogNet solution? Automatic network management through machine learning algorithms.

An EU-funded project has advanced lung cancer research by focusing on its weak spot – the epigenetic (or non-inherited) changes that differentiate cancer cells from healthy cells, making them prime targets for new therapies and earlier detection. The project results are already contributing to clinical trials and new screening tools.

Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a devastating, inborn, progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a very early onset in childhood. The EU-funded project CHROMOREPAIR helped shed light on underlying issues in CS and related disorders, which may ultimately open the way for novel diagnostic options and treatment targets.

Marine bacteria play a crucial role in biogeochemical processes such as the cycling of carbon and nitrogen. They have a variety of functions, which in some species are triggered only when seasonal conditions indicate that the time is right. A Marie Curie fellow has taken a closer look at the task division among these tiny agents of change.

Political cynicism and alienation, as well as moves towards violent extremism, threaten the values that underpin democracy. EU-funded research reveals how we can engage young people in peaceful civic and political processes.

Growth in Central and Eastern European economies has slowed in recent years – and its rewards are spread unevenly. An EU-funded project studied how economic, social and environmental policies could work together to make these economies fairer and more sustainable.

When the Sun sends a great mass of solar material hurtling through space, the repercussions can be felt here on Earth in the form of a geomagnetic storm. One EU-funded scientist set out to understand why these eruptions happen, and to create a methodology for predicting the timeframe between the explosion and its impacts 150 million kilometres away on our planet.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to detect, making survival rates very low. The EU-funded SaveMe project has engineered nanoparticles that find the cancer using receptors for the tumour cells’ unique biological signal – a step towards early detection.

Innovative snow-making technology may help winter tourism destinations boost snow cover and extend their ski seasons.

With today’s technology, supercomputers of the future would consume the amount of energy needed to power a little town. To allow the further development in exascale supercomputing without that extremely energy-intense trade-off, Exa2green developed a set of energy efficient High-Performance Computing (HPC) components, tools and algorithms.

Although cervical cancer can be prevented, about 60 000 women in Europe develop the disease each year. Key to bringing this figure down and ultimately saving lives are effective vaccination and screening programmes. The findings of the EU-funded PreHdict project have been instrumental in improving programmes in Europe.

Europe still depends heavily on coal, despite the strides made in developing renewable energy sources. To use this coal more wisely, an EU-funded project investigated a resource-saving way to access more coal while cutting the CO2 it releases into the atmosphere.

People can now access millions of scientific data resources about our planet thanks to the EUROGEOSS project. EUROGEOSS (‘European approach to the global Earth observation system of systems’), backed under the Environment Theme of the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 6.1 million, has developed an innovative way to search thousands of Earth observation catalogues.

The EU is investing in research to help European manufacturers remain competitive in a growing market for personalised medical products. Two projects are developing ways to use 3D printing to make tailor-made components for the benefit of patients.

The deadly parasite Leishmania causes a staggering 40 000 deaths every year. By analysing the pathogen’s biology, the EU-funded project KALADRUG-R found out how it has managed to become a super parasite. This knowledge opens the door for scientists to find new ways to undermine the parasite’s newly evolved strengths.

Fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals are traditionally produced in batches. Switching to a flow process that generates a steady stream of such substances could offer huge benefits, notably in terms of sustainability, but this is not an easy task. Technical advances delivered by EU-funded researchers are facilitating the transition and opening up new possibilities.

Children get coughs and colds all the time. But when they don’t get better, is an allergy to blame? These are on the increase – and scientists want to know why. EU-funded researchers have developed new ways to understand allergy, and to improve research, prevention and treatment.

The polar regions are often seen as a barometer for the health of the global environment, and understanding how changes in this area affect Europe and the world had become essential. An alliance of 22 research institutes has therefore set out to enhance the integration of European capabilities for polar research and maximise the benefits to society.

What if doctors could regrow bone tissue that's specific to a patient without having to use the standard “one-size-fits-all” graft? That's the goal of EU-Funded project VASCUBONE, a new concept in bone regeneration. Clinical trials are planned for 2016 and the research has already led to the creation of a new company.