CORDIS EXPRESS

In this week's CORDIS Express we begin by exploring some of the potential applications for the EU's propsed satellite navigation system, Galileo. Next we meet up with members of the European automobile sector as they call for more investment in research and development (R&D;) in order to meet emerging challenges, before looking into the first report bringing together figures on animal testing from the EU's 25 Member States.

Growing Galileo: the technology is already in place, conference hears

As discussions continue on where to find the EUR 3.4 billion still needed to fill the gap in the budget of Galileo, the EU's proposed satellite navigation system, stakeholders met in Brussels on 14 and 15 November in order to demonstrate their ongoing enthusiasm for the project. Conference participants also learnt about the wealth of potential Galileo applications, and heard that much of the technology is already in place.

Automotive industry calls for more R&D; to meet challenges ahead

The European automobile industry would like to see more invested in research and development (R&D) in order to meet the emerging challenges facing the sector. The European Council for Automotive R&D (EUCAR) held its annual conference on 8 November, where participants agreed that important results were achieved during 2007 but new challenges remain on the horizon.

New figures suggest upwards trend in animal experiments

The first report bringing together figures on animal testing from 25 EU Member States reveals that 12.1 million animals were used for experimental or other scientific purposes during 2005. Looking at figures for the EU 15 in isolation reveals a 3.1% increase in the number of animals used between 2002 and 2005. The number of animals used in the 10 Member States that joined the EU in 2004 (EU 10) represent 8.6% of the animals used in the EU 25.

EU project to showcase its robot arm at medical trade fair

A team of researchers have developed a robot control system based on electroencephalograph (EEG) signals, which could help paralysed people regain some independence. The EU-funded Brain2Robot project, developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Architecture and Software Technology (FIRST), involves a prosthetic robot arm that can be controlled through a Brain Computer Interface (BCI), which is combined with an 'eyetracker'.

ERA-NET recommends better coordination of flood research across Europe

The CRUE ERA-NET has published a raft of recommendations aimed at improving the coordination of flood-related research programmes in Europe. Proposals include the pooling of experts to identify research needs and the creation of a joint research agenda for flood research. ERA-NETs were designed to encourage the coordination of national and regional programmes. The CRUE ERA-NET was established to consolidate existing European flood research programmes, promote best practice and develop future joint activities in flood research.

Irish biotechnology and ICT research awarded EUR 87 million

In its largest funding effort under the Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) and new Strategic Research Clusters (SRC) programmes, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) has awarded €87 million to a number of industry-academic research projects. The projects involve 11 academic institutions and 48 companies - both indigenous and multinational - and will address questions of biotechnology and information and communication technology (ICT).

COST holds workshop in Rome

A COST workshop on NeuroMath: advanced methods for the estimation of human brain Activity and connectivity will take place in Rome, Italy, on 4 and 5 December. The main objective of the workshop will be to look into the state-of-the-art in the use of advanced mathematical methods for the estimation of human cortical activity and connectivity from non invasive neuroelectric and hemodynamic measurements.

EU-IndiaGrid Conference

The EU-IndiaGrid Conference will take place on 13 and 14 December in Bangalore, India. The conference is intended to facilitate Grid adoption across different scientific domains, and to support knowledge-sharing and cooperation across frontiers.

FP7 call for proposals: Galileo

The European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Supervisory Authority (GSA) has issued a call for proposals under the Transport (including aeronautics) part of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Topics covered by this call include: innovative GNSS-based road applications; innovative GNSS-based mobile location-based services (LBS) applications; GSA support; accelerating EGNOS adoption in aviation; mass-market GNSS applications and mass-market receivers.

Communicating the results of food research projects

The European Food Information Council (EUFIC) is eager to help research projects communicate and disseminate their results. The Council is particularly interested in projects related to food, nutrition, health and food safety. EUFIC is a non-profit organisation funded by companies from the European food and drinks industry.

Increasing fruit consumption with a trans-disciplinary approach

The ISAFRUIT project is seeking to increase fruit consumption in Europe through targeting customer satisfaction. The seven work packages include improvign the appeal and nutritional value of processed fruit, activities on quality and health effects, and improving pre-harvest chain management.

All things alliterative

Alliteration (where all the letters in a phrase start with the same letter) is a common device in literature. Now, a team of American psychologists is suggesting that our desire for alliteration could be taking over our lives…