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.
An EU-funded project has developed prefabricated energy-efficient building concepts made from materials, components and structures derived from construction and demolition waste. The concept enables the easy assembly and disassembly of buildings for future reuse.
Agricultural waste represents a huge pool of untapped resources that can be turned into valuable assets with many potential industrial applications. An EU-funded project is looking for innovative approaches to convert the growing amount of human-produced agricultural waste into eco-efficient, bio-based products.
Recent outbreaks of a plant bacterium have led to losses in olive and almond orchards in southern Europe. Known as Xylella fastidiosa (XF), there is no known cure. An EU-funded project is making major strides in improving prevention, early detection and control of the disease, aiming to avoid further economic damage and to save jobs.
The EU-funded project G2P-SOL is gathering, improving and disseminating genetic and phenotypic information on key food crops like potato and tomato. This information can be used in farming to improve the productivity of such crops and provide healthier food.
Data drives the internet as we know it. Getting it from one place to another, fast and unfettered, is one of the greatest challenges facing networks as the growth in video and other heavy applications show no signs of abating. European and Taiwanese network experts joined forces to prepare for the coming data tsunami by better integrating the front-and back-end mobile systems to deliver smoother, faster, cheaper 'crosshaul' solutions.
The dangers of smoking are widely recognised, but what interventions work best to help people quit this deadly habit? EU-funded researchers are assessing a range of existing approaches and new cessation treatments. The results will inform public health policy in Europe and the wider world.