Living close to an airport means living close to noise. For many airport community residents, that fact alone is enough to diminish the pleasure of home life. Until now, aircraft noise engineers have focused on reducing the noise of airplanes, believing this would be enough to raise satisfaction levels.
Nearly a quarter of Europe’s adults under 25 are not in education, employment or training. These so-called NEETs are struggling to get on the first step of the employment ladder in this harsh economic climate. Young adults say that they need more confidence to get through job interviews but, with opportunities so scarce, they often go into interviews feeling nervous and underprepared. Now an EU-funded research project that uses virtual reality is helping to change that.
Packaging materials can use up precious raw materials and are often difficult to dispose of. The European Union (EU)-funded SUCCIPACK project demonstrated ways of using a new material for the food packaging industry – bio-based polybutylene succinate (PBS) – that is expected to significantly reduce the environmental impact.
Cities can be magnets for people, business and culture, as well as drivers for progress. Yet as they continue to grow, they strain to cope with the new demands, including the environmental costs of heavier transport and industry. The European Union (EU)-funded research project TURAS is addressing these issues by testing new ideas to help cities manage these challenges.
Our ageing population is changing our society's dynamics and our economy. By 2050 there will only be two (instead of 4) Europeans of working age for each person over 65, and within a decade Europe will need to care for an estimated 84 million people with age-related health problems.
At 94, Grandma Lea could not live alone anymore but wanted to stay at home. In our ageing society, many elderly people are in the same situation. Robotics offers a safe and affordable solution.
In the FET of Horizon 2020 interdisciplinarity is probably the key characteristic of the science and technology we are aiming to fund. But what is it?
Today’s public displays effectively disappear: people have become so accustomed to their low utility that they ignore them. However, researchers on the FET-funded PD-NET project believe that public displays of the 21st century should not disappear. Instead, displays should become the backbone of a new global communications medium.
A clear understanding of how environmental factors can affect historical buildings and structures is vital for their long-term conservation. To date, monitoring systems have focused on a limited range of environmental pressures, such as air pollution and temperature, but the system designed and commercialised by the European Union (EU)-funded SMooHS project widens the range of factors monitored and analysed, thus allowing better protective measures to be taken.
The variety of life contained in our oceans plays a vital role in preserving the planet’s equilibrium and in contributing to human quality of life. Healthy marine ecosystems provide a range of precious services.
Malarial infections during pregnancy can be a particular problem in sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease remains a widespread hazard to human health. Such infections can bring serious complications during pregnancy, including stillbirth, premature birth and low birth-weight, as well as severe risks to the mother's health.
Cancer drugs save lives, but they are highly toxic. Using the right amounts is crucial. EU-funded research focusing on doxorubicin, one of the main drugs used in chemotherapy, has generated new knowledge that will help to refine the dosages for children.
Mounting consumer concerns about food safety in recent years have raised questions about what we eat and drink. European authorities have some basic tools for risk assessment and risk management of food chemicals, but data is patchy and limited. The European Union (EU)-funded project FACET helped design a software tool that provides consumers with the best possible scientific data about the food supply.
The Human Brain Project has been listed as a "Key Player" in the MIT Technology Review's Top 10 Breakthrough Technologies List for its work on Neuromorphic Chips and Brain Mapping. This list recognises the breakthroughs that will have the greatest impact on the shape of innovation in years to come. Over the years, the prestigious and popular list has identified many technologies that have flourished and become part of our everyday lives.
Researchers of the AMBER centre @ambercentre in Dublin have developed a new process to mass produce graphene-based material. The method – which promises to be simple and affordable – could be used by industries for applications such as highly efficient batteries. The research team participates in the Graphene flagship @GrapheneCA, a €1 billion EU initiative to boost new technologies and innovation during the next 10 years.
Ever been to a rock concert and wished you could experience it again, just as it was… or better? This may be possible soon thanks to an EU-funded research project, SCENENET , which is developing the technology to combine mobile feeds from different spectators around the arena to reconstruct the event in 3D.
Improving science teaching and encouraging more young people into the sciences have been key government objectives in Europe for years. The European Union (EU) funded S-TEAM project tackled the issue by looking at the teaching side of the equation. Completed in 2012, it was one of the first EU research projects to focus on Inquiry-Based Science Teaching (IBST) as a method of improving take-up in the sciences.
High-profile food scares, such as the outbreaks of mad cow disease, foot-and-mouth disease and dioxin contamination episodes in recent years, have put a spotlight on a growing concern for food safety: the need to ensure that animal feed – an expanding global trade – is free from contamination. The European Union (EU)-funded project QSAFFE is working on faster and better ways of checking for contaminated feed.
Methane, often found in coal deposits, is a particularly harmful greenhouse gas and a potential hazard in the mining industry. Could this methane be converted into energy?
These days, we rely increasingly on the most microscopic of mechanisms, machines and modules. Yet until recently it hasn't been possible to take a close look non-destructively without using large-scale research equipment. A new affordable scanner designed by EU researchers gives a 3D view inside nano-objects, and so will advance materials research.
