Success Stories

Tidal flows generate huge potential for clean electricity

More predictable than the wind and sun, tides have a massive potential when it comes to generating clean electricity. With tidal turbines already generating electricity within our seas, the challenge facing the industry now is to reduce costs. A consortium of EU-funded organisations has been using this knowledge to create a novel turbine able to make tidal energy more competitive.

Published: 3 June 2020

Wettability - made and measured to order

Industrial applications often call for surfaces designed to attract or repel water. EU-funded researchers are devising new methods to characterise and manufacture such surfaces and will make their findings public in a new Open Innovation Environment.

Published: 29 May 2020

Particle accelerator innovation steers greener, cleaner shipping

EU-funded researchers have developed innovative particle accelerator technology capable of removing harmful sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhaust in a breakthrough that will support the transition to a greener, less-polluting and more sustainable global shipping industry.

Published: 28 May 2020

How to achieve more in funding R&I for the circular economy

New solutions are needed to make our economies more sustainable, and they are needed quickly. Research and innovation to support the transition can be funded more effectively, if the relevant programme owners develop synergies and learn from each other, say EU-funded researchers championing a coordinated approach.

Published: 27 May 2020

Mapping out policy priorities for a carbon-neutral EU

EU-funded researchers have mapped out possible pathways to achieve the drastic technological, economic and societal transformations needed for the EU to become carbon neutral by 2050, meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement and lead global efforts to tackle climate change.

Published: 11 May 2020

Faster, more affordable vaccine purification

Generating safe antigens to induce immunity is one of several key steps in vaccine production. Purification is another, and it is typically a complex process. EU-funded researchers have designed a way to simplify the process, boost yields, limit waste and reduce costs, in a bid to help make more doses available more affordably.

Published: 7 May 2020

Enlisting feathered friends to fight illegal fishing

Illegal fishing destroys marine habitats and threatens species living at sea. An EU-funded project is helping authorities to crack down on these operations by developing the world's first seabird ocean-surveillance system.

Published: 6 May 2020

New microscope technology sharpens the focus on viruses

EU-funded researchers have employed quantum physics to develop an optical microscope that opens up the potential to view the tiniest of objects - including many viruses - directly for the first time.

Published: 30 April 2020

Transforming fashion through community innovation

The fashion industry has been linked to pollution, waste, and modern slavery. In light of this, an EU-funded project led a series of successful experiments designed to spark radical, sustainable change while, at the same time, uniting Europe's textile and clothing businesses.

Published: 17 April 2020

Collecting the world's viruses, empowering urgent research

Ebola, Zika, MERS, COVID-19? An EU-funded collection of mammalian viruses is supporting researchers around the globe in their efforts to shed new light on old and emerging illnesses and advance their treatment and control. This Research Infrastructure is the world's largest archive of such pathogens and is set up to respond to outbreaks quickly.

Published: 2 April 2020