Featured projects

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a type of heart disease in which the organ’s muscle becomes weaker. It can lead to heart failure and ventricular arrhythmia (a type of irregular heart beat) or even sudden death. The EU-funded INHERITANCE project has provided a better understanding of the genetic causes of DCM, while developing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patients.

One of the ‘chronic’ conditions in the healthcare field is patient non-compliance with the dosage prescribed on the bottle. Yet this is something that has only started to receive attention from experts in the last 40 years.

Improving air quality is a major challenge facing all European countries, both in order to combat climate change as well as to minimise the direct effects of breathing polluted air on human health.

EU and Japanese researchers have teamed up to map a path for developing high-speed air travel. Getting people to their destinations faster in a safe way for a reasonable cost is the goal. They will also look at potential technologies, environmental impact, and other factors to provide a vision of our transport of the future.

EU-funded researchers are identifying and treating patients with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in West Africa with the aim of reducing their risk of dying from liver cancer. The researchers are also developing a new test to identify those with liver cancer, so treatment can be given sooner – saving more lives.

Imagine, instead of hitting “Print” and watching a document slide out of your desktop printer, the end product is an aeroplane part, a hearing aid, a sculpture, or an artificial finger. As futuristic as this may sound, a technology known as “additive manufacturing” is turning the improbable into the possible.

The automotive, electronics and printing machine sectors are not obvious allies. But all are united in the quest to make metal-cutting both more efficient and environmentally friendly.

A pan-European project has developed a solution using generic adaptive technologies – sensors, processes and actuator systems able to automatically adjust metal-cutting operations in response to changes on the production line. These technologies are now being used by major European companies.

The Stars of European Research and Innovation is a free tablet app which showcases examples of what Europe is doing to stay at the forefront of research and innovation worldwide.

Small cracks in concrete are hard to avoid. These tiny fissures are no immediate threat to safety, but they can affect a building’s durability: water seeping in can corrode reinforcements, for example. Millions of euros could be saved every year in maintenance if concrete could be designed to repair itself. EU researchers are working on it.

Efforts to improve exterior shells in buildings via better insulation materials in frames and glass have led to deterioration in the indoor air quality (IAQ), especially in older buildings. The EU-funded project Climawin has developed an “intelligent window” prototype for optimal ventilation and minimal thermal loss.

ENCCA project helps to get better treatment more quickly to children and other young people suffering from the disease.

Peering into the very depths of the universe gives scientists a better understanding of its origins. Since the speed of light is finite, the objects we are seeing are from the distant past. A recently completed EU-funded project developed not only a new means of measuring these cosmic distances, but also discovered galaxies at the point of their creation.

10th February 2014 - European Epilepsy Day

An EU-funded study has uncovered data that suggests a change in the behaviour of certain genes – the unit of heredity in a living organism – could be involved in precipitating epilepsy. By gaining a better understanding of exactly how the brain works, the EpiTarGene project aims to open the door to potential new therapies and novel drugs.

During or just after birth many babies suffer from an inadequate intake of oxygen. Known as birth asphyxia this dangerous condition occurs in approximately 10 per 1,000 live births and is responsible for 23% of the 4 million newborn deaths worldwide each year.

31st  January 2014 - Nano World Cancer Day

4th February 2014 - World Cancer Day

European researchers are waging war on cancer, a major medical and societal challenge today. Thanks to progress in nanotechnology and strong leadership by Trinity College Dublin, teams from diverse scientific fields are developing sensitive portable devices to diagnose cancer much earlier and to better monitor treatment when and where it is needed.

4th February 2014 - World Cancer Day

Children rarely develop tumours, but if they do, the prognosis is uncertain. Sometimes, the growth just disappears, without therapy. Unfortunately, few families are so lucky, and there are only a handful of specifically developed treatments.

The EU-funded ASSET project is finding better ways to tackle some of the cancers that can appear in early life.

Toxic spills can be devastating to humans, animals and to the ecosystem The ERC-funded project CHOBOTIX has successfully created the first prototypes of chemical robots that could operate an "Intelligent Cleaning" system.

Age related hearing loss (ARHL) is far too easily ignored. Its onset is insidious. Its progression is gradual. People with declining hearing often mistakenly believe the problem is that their conversation partners mumble or speak too quickly – and as hearing ability diminishes further, social exchanges slowly turn from fluid repertoires to too many non sequiturs.

The world of archaeology has changed considerably since the days when wealthy enthusiasts such as Heinrich Schliemann excavated the site he believed was ancient Troy while Arthur Evans unearthed the spectacular Minoan palace of Knossos in Crete. While the shovel and the trowel are still important tools for finding ancient structures and artefacts, many of the exciting discoveries and breakthroughs are today being made in laboratories - a long way from the ancient remains.

You may be surprised at what can affect our climate. You always hear about the burning of fossil fuels. But what if you lived in Cyprus?  Would you expect atmospheric conditions  there  to be affected by the sands of the Sahara, wood burning in the Ukraine and the monsoons in India? 

The culprit in Cyprus is dust, natural dust from sand storms or man-made dust from the tiny sulphur compounds produced by burning wood.