News

Challenging the public's view of gender and science

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

According to She Figures 2012, which analyses gender equality in research, in 2010 women accounted for only 10 % of university rectors in Europe and 15. 5 % were heads of institutions of the higher education sector. Although, the research has shown that the number of PhD graduates in general is getting closer to gender balance.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-23

Sensitive bomb detector to rove in search of danger

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

European researchers have developed and tested a light-weight device capable of detecting extremely minute quantities of explosives from up to 20 metres away, providing an invaluable law-enforcement tool in the fight against bomb attacks. The EU-funded OPTIX ('Optical Technologies for the Identification of Explosives') team uses advanced optical technologies that can be mounted on a compact remote vehicle and then used to detect quantities of less than 1 mg of explosives. According to reports, no other research organisation or company has achieved this degree of sensitivity.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-23

New approach to improve the integration of earth observation data

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

One of the fundamental challenges in the 21st Century is to achieve a greater understanding of the complex interactions between environment and human society. To meet this challenge, the social and environmental sciences need to be better integrated, to move from disciplinary to multidisciplinary research and close the gap between citizens, scientists and policy makers. The EU-funded EuroGEOSS project ('European approach to GEOSS'), with EUR 6 million in European funding, asked: what kind of information systems do we need to facilitate this major multi-disciplinary research effort? And, how we can best support closer interaction among specialists from different fields, as well as non-specialist stakeholders? The project worked specifically within the context of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), which is supposed to provide a framework for integrating the world's earth observation efforts.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-21

Enhanced solar power by dry-cooled energy generation

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

A cutting edge system is being developed to deploy more solar-based energy plants, enabling the delivery of cleaner power more efficiently, while keeping Europe at the leading edge of energy technologies. The aim of the EU-funded MACCSOL project ('The Development and Verification of a Novel Modular Air Cooled Condenser for Enhanced Concentrated Solar Power Generation') has been to develop more efficient dry cooling technologies. The project's new 'modular air-cooled condenser' (MACC) incorporates sensors that can detect changes in temperature, ambient wind, and fan flow rate, all of which control algorithms to continuously vary fan speed.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-21

A vision turns into reality in the development of electricity networks

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Europe's vision for the development of electricity networks, which can significantly reduce the environmental impact and allow consumers to play a part in adjusting the system, has turned a vision into a reality. This is also thanks to the project ADDRESS, which stands for ('Active Distribution Network with Full Integration of Demand and Distributed Energy Resources'). This five-year project, answered the call of the European Community's 7th Framework Programme, in the Energy area, for the 'Development of Interactive Distribution Energy Networks'.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-15

Massive study closes in on cancers risk markers

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Cancer research has taken a huge leap forward with scientists now able to identify more than 80 genetic markers found to increase the risk of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. The COGS international research initiative is believed to be the largest of its kind. Although the results have been widely reported, the cross-border efforts behind this monumental initiative have not.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-14

Badminton-playing robot tests software designs of the future

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

The drive to decrease the ecological impact of production machines is leading manufactures to focus on novel ways to incorporate energy efficiency in the designing of new products. One answer is the first-ever badminton playing robot - designed to test a software application that optimises energy efficiency in machine design. The robot is the result of the ESTOMAD project ('Energy Software Tools for Sustainable Machine Design'), led by the Flanders' Mechatronics Technology Centre (FMTC) in Belgium.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-14

SMEs a presence in the medical world in developing cancer treatment

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Cancer treatment is one of the most important areas of research in the medical world today. With research predominately conducted in large pharmaceutical research organisations, it is rather significant to hear of small medium enterprises (SMEs) developing their own innovative treatment for cancer. Two small research-based pharmaceutical companies BioInvent (the primary coordinator), in Sweden and Thrombogenics in Belgium, joined together with three other partners to form the ANGIOSTOP project, with EU-funding of nearly EUR 2 million.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-13

Hospital visits take on new meaning with therapeutic robots

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Having hospital visits from a robot may sound like a strange form of therapy, but according to robotics experts, they can be extremely helpful therapeutic devices. The idea comes from the MOnarCH project (Multi-Robot Cognitive Systems Operating in Hospitals). Coordinated by Lisbon's Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), the consortium of nine European companies and research centres from five countries aims to develop and introduce a fleet of robots that collaborate with medical personnel and interact with patients.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-13

Breaking through the blood-brain barrier

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

To mark the European Month of the Brain, we look at one EU-funded project that has focussed efforts on drug delivery across the so-called blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier (BBB), while preforming a key protective function, is now recognised as the major obstacle in the treatment of most neurological disorders. It hinders the delivery of many potentially important therapeutic and diagnostic substances to the central nervous system (CNS).
Quality validation date: 2013-05-10

Developing a clearer understanding of ocean ecosystems

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

The EU-funded HERMIONE project ('Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact on European Seas') has contributed much needed data on the complexity of deep-sea ecosystems. This in turn has created a community of scientists who continue to work together to better understand the remarkable world of the deep sea and its vast diversity of habitat and life. Europe's almost 90 000 km of coastline span a vast area of the globe, from the polar waters of the Arctic to the warm seas of the Mediterranean.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-07

United response to nuclear safety

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Radioactivity as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in the 1980s is still present in the environment. But 17 national emergency management organisations and 33 research institutes have come together to prevent or minimise the impact of such a thing happening again. Their objective has been to ensure that Europe can respond better to similar emergencies in the future.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-07

What contributes to improving a child's educational success?

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

A study of schools across Europe has identified educational initiatives which can improve school success. The five-year project INCLUD-ED ('Strategies for Inclusion and Social Cohesion in Europe from Education') has made significant progress in educational results, having first addressed the various characteristics of the school systems. While also accessing the educational reforms, which are generating high and low rates of educational and social exclusion.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-06

Assessing the impact of indoor air pollution on Europeans

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

The health impact of indoor air pollution is a real environmental health issue, which is believed to have a bearing on respiratory conditions such as asthma. This has prompted a European study to take action. While outdoor pollution is often cited as the cause of many asthma related issues, indoor threats are also being addressed in the light of World Asthma Day.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-06

How the brain influences our eating behaviour

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Why do we overeat and consume more calories than we need? Is food our way of rewarding ourselves, and can stress make us want to eat more? These are just some of the questions a European food study aims to answer. NEUROFAST ('Integrated Neurobiology of Food Intake, Addiction and Stress') is a project led by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. It has also gathered together the clinical and experimental expertise of 13 partners from across seven European countries.
Quality validation date: 2013-05-03