Snake venom could turn out to be good for you. An EU-funded project shows how researchers can unlock the medical benefits of venom more quickly, promising breakthrough treatments for health problems such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Injection moulding is the most common method for manufacturing plastic parts, from bottle caps and pocket combs to mechanical components and medical devices. But it has its limitations. An EU-funded team has created the first commercial moulding machine that uses ultrasound to overcome those confines. The technology has already been sold to European and US companies.
Looking at Europe’s flamboyant cathedrals, it is easy to forget that even stone does not last forever. Without effective conservation, gargoyles erode, stained glass shatters, and choir stalls eventually rot. EU-funded researchers have produced innovative compounds to protect our cultural heritage.
An EU-funded project has developed an online network to encourage global collaboration in research and innovation on food safety. The project’s network, online information portal and research aim to improve food safety in Europe and reduce health risks.
Whether an innovative concept sinks or swims depends on customer acceptance, among other things. Moving into uncharted waters can be unnerving. An EU-funded project dedicated to innovation in shipbuilding has devised new business models in a bid to build client confidence. It has also developed new products and techniques.
EU-funded researchers are developing advanced technology for the manufacturing industry, aiming for zero-defect production of everything from aircraft parts to machine tools. Their work will increase efficiency, reduce waste, boost competitiveness and lower costs for European manufacturers, particularly small and medium companies.
A new ‘lab-on-a-disc’ technology developed by an EU project research team can diagnose malaria and other febrile infectious diseases simultaneously in just an hour – allowing faster point-of-care treatment and precise drugs administration that could save thousands of lives.
Freshwater habitats covering more than 80% of the Earth’s land surface have been catalogued in an EU-funded research project, yet even in Europe our knowledge of freshwater biodiversity is far from complete.
A+, A++, even A+++. Looking at energy efficiency labels, it is hard to believe that some household appliances such as fridges could yet be made even more energy-efficient. EU-funded researchers have forged ahead in developing a technology that might achieve just that: magnetic cooling.
An EU-funded project has accelerated the development of vaccines for diseases such as Lyme disease, malaria, tuberculosis, dengue, influenza, mumps, whooping cough, pneumonia, HIV, and two types of cancer. Their work could lead to new, more effective vaccines – potentially saving millions of people from disease.
An artificial intelligence-based system developed by EU-funded researchers for the plastic injection moulding industry promises to boost productivity, cut time to market, reduce scrap and lower costs. This comes at a time of rapid change and rising competition for one of Europe’s largest manufacturing sectors.
EU-funded researchers have developed an innovative, cost-effective and green method for recycling polystyrene packaging – such as those used to pack large quantities of fish – thanks in part to a solvent used in chewing gum. The project consortium is currently in discussions with various plastics companies and recycling firms about commercialising the technology.
A consortium of EU researchers, software developers and standardisation bodies is creating a new business ecosystem to unleash the power of the Internet of Things for every type of user – from shoppers and motorists to holidaymakers and sports enthusiasts.
EU-funded researchers are developing new materials to replace a rare and increasingly expensive component of ‘spin electronic’ devices such as hard disk drives and magnetic memories. This ground-breaking work, which the team plans to patent and commercialise, should lead to substantial cost reductions for the electronics industry and advance the development of new memory technologies.
ADSEAT’s EvaRID, a virtual crash test dummy representing an average woman, is currently available on the market through Humanetics. The ADSEAT partner, the world’s largest supplier of crash test dummies, sells EvaRID through a commercial software licence.
Knee implants made from high-strength silk scaffolds developed by EU-funded project Silkbone will undergo clinical trials this year. If successful, the tests will mark a major step toward commercialisation of the first medical product on the market based on research by Silkbone, which ended in 2008.
We normally think of anthropologists studying ‘exotic’ cultures – ancient tribes that live in faraway places. But how about cultures that are closer to home? Professor Rebecca Cassidy has devoted herself to anthropological studies of European cultures of gambling. In the ‘Gambling in Europe’ (GAMSOC) project – funded by the ERC – Prof. Cassidy and her team have taken this a step further, and conducted an anthropological study of the gambling research community itself.
Nuno Jardim Nunes calls it “weird”, while Chris Csikszentmihalyi calls it “zany”. Whether you use the British or US term to describe it, the mind-set is behind a renowned US technologist’s move to Europe for a lifetime position at the Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute.
The second-largest university in the Czech Republic, Masaryk University in Brno is well known nationally, but less so elsewhere. Professor Petr Dvořák, head of the university’s biology department and vice-rector for research, plans to change that. He hopes to see his university ranked in the top 400 worldwide within a few years. His trump card? The appointment of renowned molecular biologist Professor Mary O’Connell as the university’s first ERA Chair.
Where water is scarce, it is particularly important to ensure that the precious drops aren’t wasted. Recycling and reuse technologies can help to preserve this precious resource even in very arid regions. An EU-funded project has developed a decision support tool to help communities select the solutions that offer the best fit for their needs.
