Featured projects

The European FP7 project DeCanbio brought together a consortium of clinicians and researchers in genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics to identify and validate biomarkers that hint at a recurring bladder cancer. The Centre de Recherche de la Santé (CRP-Santé) joined forces with researchers and clinicians from France, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, and Germany to develop a simple test to spot this.

In today’s society we are surrounded by a vast sea of information — we find ourselves constantly bombarded by a bewildering array of messages via different platforms from media organisations, advertising agencies, and even from our friends and families.

Stroke is the most common neurological disease. It is also the most common cause of life-long impairment in adulthood and of institutionalisation, implying a change from a self-determined, independent life to extensive or complete dependence on others.

Imagine you are ill and see the doctor. After a brief examination and blood analysis, you receive an efficient, personalised treatment that is adjusted to both your personal physiological makeup and your lifestyle. What sounds like science fiction today could soon come closer to reality with the help of the FP7 project CASyM, funded by the European Union.

A large number of engineering applications involve granular material or a particulate phase in combination with a gaseous or liquid phase. Applications for this kind of materials mix can be found in diverse domains such as the pharmaceutical industry, the food and processing industry, energy production or systems biology. Everyday products such as coffee, corn flakes, nuts or fertilizer all depend on this field of knowledge known as multi-physics.

Large-scale industrial pollution of soil and groundwater is a well-known problem. Cleaning that pollution is far from easy because site managers may often have little knowledge of how the pollutant is behaving beneath the surface.

European countries have been required to check environmental air quality and measure any airborne pollutants that could endanger human health since 1996. Yet for many governmental and scientific institutions, meeting these targets with traditional air-sampling methods has been a challenge, with equipment that can be difficult to calibrate and sometimes prone to breakdown.

The scientific community has expressed an increased need for radiation sources capable of producing ultrashort pulses, with extreme brightness and coherence.

The global car industry faces a big challenge to develop engines that are both efficient and environmentally friendly. But a family-owned Austrian company is hoping to find an answer through research into new technologies like hydrogen fuel cells and nanocomposites.

Despite many scientific breakthroughs over the years, cancer remains a deadly disease, and treatments are often limited in their scope. But cancer research is improving and one of the most promising areas is in biological therapy, or biotherapy, where a €100 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) with financial backing from the European Union is helping find out how to manage molecules to kill cancer cells while sparing their healthy neighbours.

Ion Beam Applications is developing and commercialising cutting-edge technologies and pharmaceutical and customised solutions in the field of oncology, which are used by some 3 000 hospitals worldwide. Its innovative proton therapy solution has been designed from the ground up to meet the needs of patients and clinicians. Its smaller footprint means it is more affordable, easier to install and operate and offers a shorter time to first patient treated.

Although today’s tourists take it for granted that they can book hotels, flights and cruises online, the search process can often be complicated, slow, daunting and confusing. But European researchers are working to improve the information technology driving the travel industry, and a €200 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), with financial backing from the European Union, helps to develop new innovations that make bookings much easier.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), physical and social environments are key determinants of whether people can remain healthy, independent and autonomous long into their old age. Creating age-friendly environments is therefore one of the most effective approaches to respond to demographic change. To support this approach, the AFE-INNOVNET thematic network on innovation for age-friendly environments (AFE) has now kicked off with the support of the European CIP ICT PSP Programme and will run for two years.

Electric cars are the most likely environmental-friendly replacement for combustion engine-powered vehicles. To help industry make the expected transition, the EU-funded LOCOBOT project has developed reconfigurable robotic assistants to increase productivity on the assembly line – reducing costs. And as the robots are so adaptable, they will be particularly useful for the new and varied production processes expected in electric-car manufacturing.

A new EU research project will over the next three years develop an electronic wall that can help those weakened by age enjoy greater independence and increased quality of life at home.

A robot that is 'human' enough to communicate with, could be a great support partner for older people living alone. But is it possible? The recently launched EU-funded project Miraculous-Life for Elderly Independent Living will develop and test a Virtual Support Partner which will attend to the daily activities and safety needs of the elderly citizens (65+) in their everyday lives.

Genetic variants associated with schizophrenia and autism still have an impact on cognitive skills and brain structure in people who carry the genes but do not suffer from these conditions. This is one of the main findings from research published Nature by scientists from the NEWMEDS project, which is supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI).

Thanks to CHESS visitors to museums across Europe may soon be able to shape their own cultural experience before even leaving home or getting on a plane.

Fires can have a devastating impact on invaluable archaeological and cultural sites. These areas are often at greater risk of fires because they are commonly surrounded by vegetation or situated close to forest regions. Early detection, however, can significantly reduce the potential damage fires cause.

Changes in climate patterns, ocean circulation, as well as temperature and light – all related to climate change – are having a growing impact on marine ecosystems. Understanding how these factors, together with anthropogenic drivers (such as fishing and pollution), affect the environmental status of marine ecosystems is vital if we are to ensure that they are effectively managed.