Industrial Leadership

How can we guarantee the integrity of existing buildings while continuing to develop urban spaces? Professor Debra Laefer's ERC-funded project tackles fundamental problems at the interface between new engineering undertakings and building conservation. The research team will draw on a largely unmined data source to create a system to predict the degree of damage likely to be sustained by buildings as a result of tunnelling.

The consortium of Demo ShopInstantShoe project presented the results in Villena, Spain, at Calzamedi’s facilities. A new adjustable female shoe based on a new memory shape composite leather/nithynol material, is now available! The new material allows fitting the shoe to the foot shape, after getting anthropometric measurements through the Shopintantshoe portable scanner and modifying it through the “Shoptool”, a machine that completes the process directly into the shop.

Does Saturn’s moon Mimas have an underground ocean? EU-funded researchers think this is a distinct possibility. The clues are in the way the moon wobbles, which scientists now understand better. This breakthrough and others made by the ESPaCE project are providing new insights into the origins of our solar system.

The average car in Europe weighed around 1400 kg and emitted about 132 g of CO2 per kilometre travelled in 2012. Lower weight equals a decrease in fuel consumption and as a result CO2 emissions. An EU-funded project has developed two new high-volume materials that could help new car models lighten their emission load.

Olives are not only a ‘superfood’ – they also create thousands of jobs in the Mediterranean region. But ironically, producing table olives or olive oil requires huge amounts of water – sometimes a scarcity in hot, dry southern Europe. An EU-funded project has developed a system to re-use the water used to wash olives – good news for both the environment and olive producers limited by low water levels.

EU-funded research has shown that natural rubber from home-grown dandelions and guayule could be used for tyres. Researchers and industry are now working together to scale up production – paving the way for Europe to reduce its dependence on rubber imports and to boost competitiveness.

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.

Researchers, businesses and innovators from Ukraine will now be able to fully participate in Horizon 2020, the European Union's research and innovation funding programme, on equal terms with EU Member States and other associated countries.

For three decades, the EU Framework Programmes have been funding breakthroughs across Europe. RTD’s Horizon Magazine looks at the people and events that have helped shape European research policy, taking you behind the scenes during the pivotal moments from the last 30 years of research funding. These articles have been brought together into a special Horizon supplement to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Framework Programmes.

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+, 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 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 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.

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.

This video explains the concept of the European Research Area, a unified area open to the world, in which scientific knowledge, technology and researchers circulate freely. It explains how European policies are geared towards removing barriers and putting the conditions in place so that scientists can move more easily, have better access to funding and concentrate on their research.

Horizon 2020 has started, a new game with new rules. What are the experiences so far? What has improved? What new obstacles and challenges have appeared? Are there already best practices we can learn from?

What is the Fast Track to Innovation Pilot and to whom is it targeted? Which type of innovation activities can be supported? What is the level of funding that eligible consortiums can obtain? Learn this and so much more via this promotional leaflet!

A high-level event on Pre-Commercial Procurement and Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions is being held in Milan on 26-27 November 2014.