Achievements

While many of us are used to checking transport schedules on our smartphones, the i-TOUR app, created by EU-funded researchers, goes much further. It advises which form of transport is most appropriate to get from A to B in large urban areas wherever you are in Europe, and takes into account personal preferences, weather and changing circumstances. The i-TOUR team is currently discussing how to take the idea to the market.

Superconductors can provide a greener way to transport energy but are expensive to make and maintain. An EU-funded project has developed a way to ‘print’ the superconducting tapes that form power cables, reducing costs and opening the way to their wider use by industry.

Just as the internet revolutionised the way we use mobile devices, the ‘connected car’ has the opportunity to transform the driving experience. CARMESH, a European Union (EU)-funded Marie Curie project, took the first steps towards a seamless integration of digital life into the car.

Graphene is the strongest, most impermeable and conductive material known to man. Graphene sheets are just one atom thick, but 200 times stronger than steel. The European Union is investing heavily in the exploitation of graphene’s unique properties through a number of research initiatives such as the SEMANTICS project running at Trinity College Dublin.

An EU research project is developing tools to help software engineers create energy-efficient code, which could reduce electricity consumption at data centres by up to 50% and improve battery life in smart devices.

Years of research, application and targeted policy initiatives have massively improved the safety of Europe’s transportation system. An EU-funded project has identified ways for researchers to share their knowledge and work with each other and policymakers, leading to new insights on how to make all transport modes safer for Europeans.

An EU-funded project has demonstrated that biofuel produced from wood and agricultural waste can be used to recycle scrap steel – replacing fossil fuels. The research aims to help Europe’s steel recycling industry cut greenhouse gases, lower costs and become more competitive.

Despite the recent rise of radical, extreme or populist movements in Europe, young Europeans still accept democracy and reject violence, an EU-backed project has found. However, many feel that the political establishment does not represent them, leading them to consider alternative politics. Politicians must start listening more to young people to engage them fully in the democratic process, the researchers advise.

Lighter aircraft parts are on the runway following the development of new, cheaper and faster manufacturing methods by EU-funded researchers. The technology puts European industry on course to produce high performance, lighter parts at lower cost, and will eventually make possible increased payloads and decreased emissions.

Experts predict that, in the coming years, a higher frequency and intensity of heat waves could lead to an increase of fatalities in the elderly population. To help prevent this, a Marie Curie research fellow, Dr. Andreas D. Flouris, studied and explained the sequence of events leading to heat stroke. His research work was as part of the EU-funded project THERMOMICS.

The battle against corruption has been a challenge ever since the first bribe was exchanged for private gain. There have been some successes and many failures. In response, EU-funded researchers are taking a fresh look at one of the murkiest sides of human behaviour. Their studies have already yielded results – steps towards practical solutions to an age-old problem.

Wind turbine towers are growing taller, with rotor blade diameters exceeding 100 metres. And like any other machine, these ‘giants’ occasionally need repairing. EU-funded researchers have now started to develop a novel system for on-site maintenance.

Sometimes a simple cast is not enough to fix a broken bone. Surgery may instead be necessary to insert a nail into the bone and stabilise it. An EU-funded project has developed a prototype of a surgical tool for such operations that will help prevent potential cross-contamination. Thanks to a novel welding method, the new tool does not have any crevices where bacteria can hide and is also easier to clean than traditional tools.

EU-funded researchers have assessed the impact of climate and land-use change on deforestation in the Amazon and put forward policy recommendations designed to ensure the long term sustainability of this vast ecosystem.

Forecasters predicting the spread of Ebola are using one of the most sophisticated modeling systems in the world – the result of an EU research project.

EU-funded researchers have used advanced nanomaterials to engineer heart tissue, and have explored the development of innovative stem cell-based therapies that could greatly improve the recovery rates of people who have suffered heart attacks. The researchers have made some preliminary tests on rats, the basis for further study. An automated microscope and software developed in the project are currently being commercialised.

EU-funded research has developed new spraying systems for compressing millions of nano-particles to create a super-strong, long-lasting, water-resistant coating on the blades of wind turbines used for generating electricity. With it, wind farms can slash maintenance costs and blade life can be extended by up to 30%, the researchers say.

Its arms are soft and deformable, they can bend in any direction at any point along the arm; however, they can stiffen when needed and they can grasp and pull objects with considerable strength; the octopus does not have a large brain, yet it can control this huge range of possible movements and motion parameters. What are the secrets to the octopus's soft dexterity? This is the core question the OCTOPUS project endeavoured to answer.

Physicists use particle accelerators to study the nature of matter and energy. These large machines guide charged particles through a magnetic field in a hollow evacuated tube and accelerate them by an electric field.

Global warming, largely caused by increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, has a major impact on biodiversity and climatic conditions on Earth. One of the answers to the growing concerns surrounding man-caused greenhouse gas emissions is the development of carbon capture and storage technology (CCS).