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 «Brussels in Brief - Interface Europe’s Newsletter» - July 2011

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  • European Parliament

    2011-07-04 - 2011-07-07 - Plenary Session - Strasbourg

    The start of Poland's six-month presidency of the European Union on 1 July was welcomed by Parliament's President Jerzy Buzek at the opening of this week's Strasbourg plenary session. Mr Buzek also commented on the recent referendum in Morocco, the demonstrations in Belarus during which some protesters were arrested and the deaths of two prominent MEPs.

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  EU policies and funding programmes for Research, Innovation, Training and Competitiveness

  • Research Policy

    • General points

      2011-07-05 - New report highlights cooperative nature of EU's future research policy

      An expert group established as part of the Seventh Framework Programme's (FP7) regional calls for 2010 has just published a new report containing several key recommendations for the future of EU research policy. Since October 2010, the Synergies Expert Group (SEG), made up of experts, rapporteurs and representatives from FP7, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the Cohesion Policy Funds, has been analysing how EU research policy should be aligned across the main European research policy framework programmes and actions.

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      2011-07-15 - EU support encourages students to pursue scientific careers

      Europe will need at least 1 million new research jobs in the near future to meet its ambitions of being one of the most innovative regions of the planet. Therefore, young women and men wanting to become researchers are desperately needed. The European Commission encourages and fosters an understanding of science among young Europeans, and in turn helps them follow related careers. Both the ERA-NET scheme and the Article 185 Initiative are helping drive this objective.

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      2011-07-29 - EU unveils Women Innovators prize ... apply now!

      Women continue to prove their prowess on Europe's research scene, developing, managing and commercialising the results of myriad studies that impact sectors across the continent. Despite their successes, however, a vacuum in the development of innovative enterprises still exists. Europe, and the world at large, needs women to stay at the top of their game and lead groundbreaking studies that could potentially resolve, or at least mitigate the growing concerns for some of the planet's biggest headaches: global warming, energy and resource efficiency, transport safety and health.

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    • European Research and Innovation projects

      • ICT

        2011-07-14 - High-end summer school fosters pan-European scientific cooperation

        This week 200 students and experts are meeting at a European summer school for advanced computer architecture in the Italian medieval town of Fiuggi from 10 July to 16 July. The aim is to build up networks and promote international contacts among scientists from both academia and industry, and to disseminate advanced scientific knowledge. Forging stronger ties and building solid cooperation is important for both researchers and industrialists, say the partners of the HIPEAC ('High performance and embedded architecture and compilation') project, which is organising the event. HIPEAC is backed with EUR 4.8 million under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). What sets this summer school apart from others is its broad scope, ranging from low level technological issues to sophisticated compilation techniques. So students, regardless if they are at either the entry or advanced level, receive the information to meet their needs.

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        2011-07-19 - Robots bridging gap between technology and society

        Improving our knowledge about face perception could give researchers the help they need to develop the next generation of life-changing software and robots. Driving this effort are scientists from Queen Mary, University of London, as well as from University College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, who are examining whether robots and computers have the capacity to do the same thing. The research is an outcome of the LIREC ('Living with robots and interactive companions') project, which is backed with EUR 8.2 million under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The researchers presented their work at the annual Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition in London from 5 to 10 July.

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      • Health

        2011-07-01 - Scientists develop blood test for vitamin D deficiency

        Weakening of the immune system is the result of not enough vitamin D coursing through the human body, potentially raising the risk of cancer and osteoporosis. But a British team of scientists has created a novel, super accurate blood test with the capacity to determine just how big a role a person's diet plays in vitamin D deficiency. The test is presented in two papers of the Nutrition Journal. After evaluating data retrieved from 20 years of research, researchers discovered that a clear link between vitamin D deficiency and health and diseases was missing. Enter the test...

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        2011-07-04 - Rare genetic condition tracked down with potential new biomarker

        An EU-funded team of researchers from Canada, Germany and Poland has made new headway in research into the genetic condition neurofibromatosis (NF1). Neurofibromatosis, which affects around one in every 3,000 people, can manifest in varying forms: benign 'café au lait' patches on the skin, small tumours under the skin, deep plexiform neurofibromas, and malignant tumours of the nerve sheath. Currently no biomarker - a protein measured in blood whose concentration can reveal the presence of a particular disease - exists for detecting tumours in NF1 patients, but now the international team of researchers has shown that a simple blood test for the protein melanoma-inhibitory activity (MIA) could potentially be used as a biomarker to indicate the presence of neurofibromas even when they are not visible to the human eye on the skin. Funded in part by the EUROGROW ('Pathophysiology of the cartilage growth plate') project, part of the 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), the team analysed levels of MIA from blood of patients with NF1. They discovered that the patients had very high serum levels of MIA, and that this level depended on the number and size of neurofibromas and plexiform neurofibromas present in each person. Tumour biopsies also showed an increase in MIA at the cellular level.

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        2011-07-04 - Plaques and the fight against heart disease

        Researchers in Europe have discovered that stabilising vulnerable plaques as part of secondary prevention could contribute to eliminating at least 50 % of coronary events. Published in the journal Thrombosis and Haemostasis, the position paper of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology suggests that research on the causes of plaque rupture, as well as the on development of improved diagnostics and treatments, should be intensified.

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        2011-07-05 - European healthcare feels fragility fracture pressure

        Last year some 2.5 million new fragility fractures emerged in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom alone, reveals the latest International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) report, produced in collaboration with the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EFPIA). The report provides major insight into how the burden of this physical ailment across the continent has been highly underestimated. Presented in the journal Archives of Osteoporosis, the 'Osteoporosis: Burden, healthcare provision and opportunities in the European Union' report investigates two key components of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures in Europe: epidemiology and health economics.

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        2011-07-06 - How neurobiology uncovers beauty

        Does beauty lie in the eye of the beholder or in the object? New research from the United Kingdom suggests that it lies in a region at the front of the brain, namely the medial orbito-frontal cortex. University College London scientists say this area of the brain 'lights up' when people experience beauty in a piece of art or a musical concept. Presented in the journal PLoS ONE, the findings indicate that all forms of art correlate, triggering activity in the same brain region. So at the end of the day, beauty does lie in the eye of the beholder, and not in the object. Writing in his 'Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful', the Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher, Edmund Burke, said: 'Beauty is, for the greater part, some quality in bodies acting mechanically upon the human mind by the intervention of the senses.' In a nutshell, any and all senses can stimulate a unique faculty of beauty. So would auditory and visual senses correlate with activity in the same or different regions of the brain?

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        2011-07-08 - EU-funded scientists develop new approaches to fight Alzheimer's

        Earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is one step closer thanks to a team of EU-funded researchers that has developed novel approaches for measuring biomarkers for diagnostics, and a sophisticated system for integrating the information analytically. The system, which offers researchers an objective method for measuring the patient's state, is an outcome of the PREDICTAD ('From patient data to personalised healthcare in Alzheimer's disease') project, which is backed with EUR 2.89 million under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

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        2011-07-11 - Researchers tackle cardiac death susceptibility

        Do genes play a role in cardiac death susceptibility? Yes, says an international team of researchers that discovered a genetic variation that may be putting people at higher risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). The study is funded in part by an EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) grant. Published in the journal PLoS Genetics, the findings could help shed light on the genetic contribution of SCD susceptibility and offer key targets for functional studies to probe the aetiology and pathogenesis of SCD.

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        2011-07-12 - Scientists say text messages can help smokers quit

        An international team of researchers led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in the United Kingdom has discovered that mobile phones can help smokers give up their biggest vice. How? Supportive and encouraging messages sent via mobile phone texts have succeeded in helping twice the number of smokers quit the habit at six months, as compared to the control group in the trial. Presented in The Lancet journal, the findings of TXT2STOP show how text messaging is an innovative and effective approach to help smokers.

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        2011-07-13 - Latest research shows how cancer cells react to chemotherapy

        EU-funded researchers have made good progress in understanding how cancer cells can sometimes resist the effects of chemotherapy. This new knowledge will move forward the development of increasingly effective cancer treatments and could go some way to reducing relapse, good news for cancer patients and scientists alike. As part of the APO-SYS ('Apoptosis systems biology applied to cancer and AIDS') project, which received a funding boost of EUR 11 million under the 'Health' Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the team of researchers from the Dublin-based Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) carried out a comprehensive study of cancer cells.

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        2011-07-15 - Treating heart conditions boosted by EU-funded study

        An international team of EU-funded scientists has developed a new low-energy method for treating life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia, a group of conditions characterised by irregular electrical activity in the heart. With a funding boost of EUR 12 million as part of the 'Identification and therapeutic targeting of common arrhythmia trigger mechanisms' (EUTRIGTREAT) project funded under the 'Health' Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the team from Germany, France and the United States worked on reducing the energy required for defibrillation, a treatment that delivers a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the heart for patients with cardiac arrhythmia.

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        2011-07-15 - How malaria parasites use camouflage to beat the system

        Malaria parasites use camouflage to beat the immune defences of pregnant women, new international research shows. Presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study was funded in part by the EVIMALAR ('Towards the establishment of a permanent European virtual institute dedicated to malaria research') project, which is backed under the Health Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 12 million. The findings could help improve our understanding of this often fatal disease and lead to a viable vaccine. Researchers from the Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet) and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, in cooperation with the University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana, and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom, have found that malaria parasites attack the placentas of expectant mothers by hiding from the body's immune system.

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        2011-07-22 - Study uncovers new Parkinson's gene

        Researchers led by the Medical University of Vienna in Austria have identified a new gene called VPS35 that impacts Parkinson's disease. The findings, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, show that this gene is mutated in individuals with Parkinson's disease; it is the sixth one to be linked to the neurological disorder and the third dominant gene.

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        2011-07-26 - Innovative network for personalised health care, the EU way

        Europeans continue to push the envelope when it comes to developing sophisticated technology that benefits various sectors across regions. A new project funded by the EU is continuing this effort by targeting the development of a massive network of computer programs that could revolutionise health care in Europe and beyond. Developed by the ITFOM ('IT [information technology] future of medicine') project, which is backed under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 1.48 million, this network could help save money - and lives.

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        2011-07-27 - Scientists piece together epigenetic memory puzzle

        A new British study sheds light on how an organism has the capacity to create a biological memory of a variable factor like temperature or nutrition. Presented in the journal Nature, the findings provide insight on the mechanism of this memory, what experts call a kind of 'biological switch', and how offspring can inherit it. Carried out by John Innes Centre (JIC) researchers, the study was funded in part by the ENVGENE ('Dissection of environmentally mediated epigenetic silencing') project, which received an Advanced Investigator European Research Council (ERC) grant worth EUR 2.45 million under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

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        2011-07-28 - Language and speech gene regulates neural wiring, scientists find

        New research shows that the Foxp2 gene, which is known for its involvement in speech and language in humans, helps control the brain's neural wiring. Presented in the journal PLoS Genetics, the study was funded in part by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship grant under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The findings help elucidate how the gene directs particular features of the development of the nervous system, helping bridge the gap between genes and complex aspects of brain function.

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        2011-07-28 - EU offers fresh funds for healthy life expectancy boost

        Efforts to increase the number of years Europeans live in good health are about to get stronger thanks to a EUR 4.2 million injection of funds made available by the EU to researchers. Under the European Commission's Active and Health Ageing Innovation Partnership, healthy life expectancy will increase by two years between now and 2020, effectively mitigating people's concerns about ageing and well-being. Researchers willing to meet this challenge head on can submit their bids for funding for Europe's first joint call for ageing research: ERA-AGE 2 ('European Research Area on Ageing 2'). This initiative is funded under the ERA-NET scheme, helping Europeans deal with the issue of ageing by consolidating research resources and know-how, and by optimising the impact of research on policy, practice and product development.

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      • Environment

        2011-07-01 - The copepod and its role in the Arctic food chain

        The miniscule copepod Calanus glacialis, a cousin of crayfish and water fleas, influences the diet of many creatures in the Arctic region, particularly during the extreme winter season. A herbivorous Arctic zooplankton species, Calanus successfully adapts to melting sea ice and the blooming of tiny algal species. In a new study, led by the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) in Norway, researchers shed new light on the relationship between sunlight, phytoplankton and zooplankton, and how plankton depends on sea ice. The research is part of the CLEOPATRA ('Climate effects on planktonic food quality and trophic transfer in Arctic Marginal Ice Zones') project, an initiative conducted under International Polar Year (IPY), a worldwide research campaign in support of polar science. CLEOPATRA is partially backed by a number of EU projects funded under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

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        2011-07-04 - Researchers shed light on magma-seawater boundary

        Scientists on the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 335 Superfast Spreading Rate Crust 4 have succeeded in recovering a set of heat-tempered basalts: these offer a comprehensive picture of the boundary between magma and seawater, something that has not been easy to get. Completing operations in Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 1256D, a deep scientific borehole over 1,500 metres below the seabed into the igneous crust of the Pacific Ocean, the research team sampled a full section of the intact oceanic crust down into gabbros (a group of coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt that represent 66 % of the ocean crust) in one of the planet's deepest 'hard rock' penetration sites of scientific ocean drilling, said the IODP in a statement.

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        2011-07-06 - Artistic seed dispersion in plants

        A team of German researchers has found that many plants disperse their seeds in an almost artistic fashion. This discovery was made by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and the Technische Universität Dresden following a thorough investigation into plants' opening mechanism. Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the team explains how when the seed capsules of plants like the ice plant Delosperma nakurense are moistened by rain, they unfold lids over the seed compartments much like a piece of movable origami. The lids open up because the honeycomb-structured cells on the inside them absorb water and change their structure.

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        2011-07-06 - Swedish bumblebees in jeopardy

        Dramatic changes to the Swedish community composition of bumblebee species and their relative abundances have emerged in the last 70 years (1940s, 1950s and present), new research from Sweden shows. The study, funded in part by the STEP ('Status and trends of European pollinators') project that has clinched EUR 3.5 million under the Environment Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B - Biological Sciences.

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        2011-07-06 - Shrinking rabbit population poses threat for carnivore species

        The survival of many carnivore species, including the Iberian lynx and fox, is contingent on them getting their key prey: the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). But a Spanish-Argentinean team of researchers has investigated how the collapse of the rabbit population in the late 1980s, triggered by viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD), has adversely impacted the lives of certain carnivores in Doñana National Park, a national park and wildlife refuge in south-western Spain. The findings, published in the journal Basic and Applied Ecology, indicate that the population decline for the most part has affected the lynx; this medium-sized wildcat cannot hunt other prey. In total, the researchers assessed the diet of five species: the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), fox (Vulpes vulpes), Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon); genet (Genetta genetta), and badger (Meles meles).

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        2011-07-07 - Green algae: ANSES publishes its report and issues recommendations

        In response to a solicited request received in February 2010 as part of the national plan to combat the spread of green algae, ANSES today published an Opinion and an Expert Assessment Report which complements the initial recommendations published by the Agency in July 2010. The key recommendation is that green algae should be collected and processed as rapidly as possible to mitigate potential risk.

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        2011-07-11 - Polar bears discover their Irish roots

        An international team of EU-funded researchers has discovered that if the polar bear could trace its family tree it would lead back to a female brown bear that lived close to what we know today as modern Ireland, around 20,000 to 50,000 years ago in the middle of the last ice age. With a funding boost from the European Research Council as part of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the team of scientists from Ireland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States explains how climate changes affecting the North Atlantic ice sheet more than likely caused periodic overlaps in bear habitats. These overlaps then led to interbreeding and therefore the maternal DNA from brown bears was introduced into polar bears.

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        2011-07-12 - New study shows ocean's carbon catching ability under threat

        The ocean is Earth's biggest tool in managing emissions, soaking up nearly one third of all human carbon emissions. But how long can the planet's largest carbon absorber keep this up for? Now, a team of international EU-funded researchers has analysed how climate change is affecting the ocean's capacity to guzzle up carbon emissions. As the biggest natural carbon sink, a natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores carbon-containing chemical compounds for an indefinite period by removing it from the atmosphere, the ocean is vital for offsetting carbon emissions. And worryingly, findings from the Franco-American study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, show that indeed climate change is having a negative effect on this natural carbon sponge.

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        2011-07-13 - Protecting the world's undiscovered species

        New research shows that most of the world's 'missing' or undiscovered species live in regions that have already been identified by scientists as conservation priorities. The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Kent, Duke University and Microsoft Research in the United Kingdom and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggests that recent conservation efforts have hit their targets and should reduce uncertainty over global conservation priorities. However, the extinction threat for many of the undiscovered species is worse than previously feared.

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        2011-07-18 - Higher atmospheric CO2 triggers release of potent greenhouse gases

        A new research study led by Trinity College Dublin in Ireland suggests that soil releases the potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide when a bigger concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) is found in the atmosphere. The findings, published in the journal Nature, are funded in part by a Marie Curie Actions grant under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The researchers believe that the capacity of land ecosystems to mitigate global warming has been overestimated.

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        2011-07-18 - Pacific-based earthquake triggers in the spotlight

        An international team of researchers is unearthing the triggering mechanisms behind large, destructive earthquakes like the Tohoku earthquake that hit Japan last March. Led by the University of Florence in Italy, the researchers collected new samples of rock and sediment from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The team retrieved almost 1 500 metres of core from the ocean floor not far from the coast of Costa Rica in South America. Supported by the scientific drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution during the latest Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Costa Rica Seismogenesis Project (CRISP) Expedition, the samples provide key information in relation to 2 million years of tectonic activity along a seismic plate boundary.

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        2011-07-19 - The parrots that crossed the Andes

        Due to its hostile terrain, the South American Andes are normally a no-go area for various birds. Species that live on both sides of the mountain range in more moderate climates only cross this treacherous environment of glaciers, salty deserts and high elevation steppes on rare occasions, if at all. But now, European researchers have discovered that the ancestors of the burrowing parrot (Cyanoliseus patagonus) occupied what is today Chile, and from there made a single successful crossing of the Andes. The scientists hail from the University of Freiburg and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany and the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology in Vienna, Austria.

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        2011-07-20 - Study finds evaluation culture on the rise

        A European study offers fresh insight into the systematic cataloguing of the emerging patterns of policy evaluation in Europe. The findings are an outcome of the ADAM ('Adaptation and mitigation strategies: support European climate policy') project, which was funded under the 'Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems' Thematic area of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) to the tune of EUR 12.9 million. The study is presented in the journal Policy Sciences.

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        2011-07-22 - How krill helps fertilise Southern Ocean with iron

        Small and large marine creatures make their way to the Southern Ocean each year to feed on the abundant number of krill, the shrimp-like creature that plays a crucial role in the Antarctic food chain. Besides being an important source of food for penguins, fish, seals and whales, commercial fisheries also harvest krill for human consumption. New international research shows that krill could influence the fertilisation of the ocean with iron. This would promote the growth of phytoplankton, which are microscopic plant-like organisms. Presented in the journal Limnology and Oceanography, the findings reveal that this process boosts the ocean's capacity for natural storage of carbon dioxide.

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        2011-07-27 - How powdery mildew knocks down plant's defence system

        One of the biggest problems plants contend with is powdery mildew, a disease that is triggered by various fungi species and is really easy to spot. Researchers in Germany have investigated the effects of powdery mildew on barley; not only does powdery mildew manoeuvre itself inside the cereal grain, but it can tap into the nutrients of the plant's cells. Published in the journal The Plant Cell, the findings reveal how the fungus accomplishes this feat on a molecular level, and how barley can stop the fungus in its tracks.

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      • Agriculture

        2011-07-12 - E. coli infection and consumption of sprouts: ANSES reviews existing knowledge and issues recommendations for further research

        As of 22 June 2011, cases of bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) occurred in adults, mostly women, in the Bordeaux area. These people were infected by a strain of Escherichia coli belonging to the serotype O104:H4, a bacterium which is genetically related to that responsible for the epidemic reported in Germany in May 2011. The epidemiological investigation conducted in France quickly identified the source of this contamination as being the consumption of sprouts (fenugreek sprouts in particular) at a local fair in early June.

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        2011-07-20 - Use nutrition for personalised healthcare, say European scientists

        Can we use nutrition as a basis to personalise healthcare? European researchers believe we can and should. The FOOD4ME ('Personalised nutrition: an integrated analysis of opportunities and challenges') project, launched earlier this year, has set its sights on probing the potential of personalised nutrition. FOOD4ME is funded under the 'Food, agricultural and fisheries, and biotechnology' (Knowledge-based bio-economy, KBBE) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 8.94 million.

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      • Nanosciences

        2011-07-08 - Seeing red? Making carbon nanotubes clearer to the naked eye

        If you were to look at a carbon nanotube with the naked eye you wouldn't see much more than black powder, but now a team of EU-funded scientists has developed a novel way of making these multi-purpose nanotechnology building blocks more visible. Carbon nanotubes are structures that resemble lots of honeycomb-shaped hexagons all rolled-up into a seamless cylindrical tube. It is difficult to make them emit light as they are excellent electrical conductors and capture the energy from other luminescent chemical species placed nearby. Yet now the pan-European team has worked out ways to make use of the carbon nanotubes' relatively high surface area, which allows many other molecules, including those capable of emitting light, to attach themselves to it. These molecules take the form of chemicals that are able to display red light.

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        2011-07-13 - EU project tackles engineered nanomaterials risk

        EU-funded scientists have developed risk assessment criteria for engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) that will help support experts in making innovation and policy decisions. An outcome of the NANOHOUSE ('Life cycle of nanoparticle-based products used in house coating') project, which is backed with EUR 2.4 million under the 'Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies' (NMP) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), findings reveal that product design can affect the unintentional release of ENMs. Making responsible decisions about future product development will be possible by bringing together product life-cycle knowledge with a systematic evaluation of what hazards could emerge. The NANOHOUSE team suggest that their risk assessment criteria should be used to assess and minimise potential risks. This would benefit those working in the building sector in particular, because it is estimated that nanomaterials will be used to develop 15 % to 30 % of façade coatings within the next 4 years. The study is presented in the journal Environment International.

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        2011-07-19 - Scientists investigate human reaction to androids

        Are people wary of or even repulsed by androids? Scientists believe they are; while human replicas look and act a lot like human beings, people will have feelings of disgust for them at some point. The Japanese robotics researcher, Masahiro Mori, coined the term 'uncanny valley' in the 1970s to describe this phenomenon. The 'valley' is a dip in a proposed graph of the android's likeability when it loses its machine-like characteristics and becomes too human-like. An international research team investigated the uncanny valley phenomenon by probing the brains of people watching videos of an uncanny android called Repliee Q2. The findings, published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, suggest that a perceptual mismatch between appearance and motion is responsible for these feelings.

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      • Space

        2011-07-01 - Close shave for European Space Agency's four-satellite cluster mission

        A four-satellite cluster mission that nearly met a sticky end following a technical blip, has now been recovered and put back on the right track thanks to a European Space Agency (ESA) 'dirty hack' - space jargon for a 'non-standard' procedure. The four satellites, which were launched in 2000 from a Soyuz-Fregat rocket launcher at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and have been orbiting Earth in a controlled formation ever since, stopped responding to commands from mission control in March. The satellites, which work together and weigh 550 kg each, have matching equipment on board to investigate Earth's space environment and its interaction with the solar wind - the stream of charged particles pouring out from the Sun.

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        2011-07-14 - Black holes activated by intragalactic forces

        Most galaxies in the Universe harbour massive black holes varying in mass from about 1 million to 10 million times the mass of our Sun. To find them, astronomers look for the enormous amount of radiation emitted by gas which falls into such objects during times that the black holes are active. This gas 'infall' is believed to be the means by which black holes grow. However, in some like our own Milky Way, the central black hole is quiet. A team of astronomers say that black holes can be activated without galactic collisions, something not previously considered possible. They used data from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the X-ray space observatory XMM-?ewton of the European Space Agency (ESA).

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        2011-07-18 - Scientists discover 10 new planets

        A total of 10 new planets have been unearthed by an international team of scientists, and one of these is orbiting a star just a few tens of millions years old. Using the CoRoT (Convection, Rotation and Transits) space telescope, operated by the French Space Agency (CNES), astrophysicists from the UK and France were able to see planets from outside our solar system, so-called 'exoplanets', when they were in transit, i.e. when they passed in front of their stars. As well as the planet orbiting the unusually young star, the team also uncovered seven hot Jupiter-like planets, two Neptune-sized planets orbiting the same star, and a planet slightly smaller than Saturn.

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        2011-07-22 - Scientists discover only 20% of climate data accessible

        Can history help us understand the present? If we are talking about changes to the Earth's climate, and improving our understanding of these changes, then the answer is yes. When we understand what happened in the recent past, we can improve our knowledge of and response to climate variations, new research from Europe shows. The study is funded in part by the EURO4M ('European reanalysis and observations for monitoring') project, which has clinched almost EUR 4 million under the Space Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The findings, published in the journal Climate Research, underline the need to recover all data recorded in perishable formats as soon as possible.

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        2011-07-25 - Astronomers discover hydrogen peroxide in space

        For the very first time, astronomers have discovered molecules of hydrogen peroxide in interstellar space. This new information, presented in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, could help scientists shed new light on the chemical link between water and oxygen, molecules that we know play a crucial role for life. Hydrogen peroxide is a highly reactive chemical, particularly important for the chemistry of water and ozone in Earth's atmosphere. And since a significant volume of water on Earth is believed to have formed initially in space, researchers are eager to provide insight on how it was created.

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      • Energy

        2011-07-05 - 'Cling-film' solar cells promise new age of renewable energy

        To date, most photovoltaic devices have been made of silicon and have relied upon intricate nanostructures that require lots of time and effort to develop. But now British scientists say that plastic solar cells can be printed to create cling-film-like substances that can be 'spread' to make 'ultra-cheap solar energy panels for domestic and industrial use'. Specifically, plastic films can be deposited from solutions using low-cost roll-to-roll printing techniques. Some large circuits with thin-film transistors and other devices already use this technology. However, its efficiency needs to be improved from between 7 % and 8 % to at least 10 % to make it commercially viable. Scientists from the universities of Sheffield and Cambridge in the United Kingdom studied the structure and composition of certain polymers, using the ISIS neutron source and extremely bright X-rays at the Diamond Light Source facility of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) in Oxfordshire.

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      • Maritime Affairs

        2011-07-12 - Does the sea pose a risk to our health? New study investigates

        A new study has discovered viruses in almost 40 % of more than 1,400 bathing water samples collected from coastal and inland areas in 9 European countries. The research is an outcome of the VIROBATHE ('Methods for the concentration and detection of adenoviruses and noroviruses in European bathing waters with reference to the revision of the bathing water directive 76/160/EC [European Commission]') project, which was supported under the Research for Policy Support Cross-cutting activity of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) to the tune of EUR 2.25 million. The findings, presented in the journal Water Research, suggest that the presence of infectious adenoviruses and noroviruses in water samples "could pose a risk to health".

        Further information
        2011-07-14 - Can sea urchins survive giant seaweed invasion?

        Sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus) in the Mediterranean seabed are currently in the throes of a battle for survival in the face of exotic marine species that are spreading into their habitat and threatening its biodiversity. But while the humble sea urchin is harnessing all its energy to fend off these exotic predators, mainly giant seaweeds, its ability is limited and can only stretch so far. Its battle for survival was the focus of a new EU-funded study published in the journal Biological Invasions, which investigates native herbivores and their resistance to Mediterranean marine bioinvasions. A team of researchers from Spain's University of Girona, University of Barcelona, Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB), and Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies investigated how effectively the sea urchin can limit the invasion of two seaweeds, Lophocladia lallemandii and Caulerpa racemosa.

        Further information

      • Socio-economic sciences and Humanities

        2011-07-25 - Children, not chimps, share when they collaborate

        Researchers in Germany and the United States have discovered that children as young as three years of age will share their toys equally with peers but only when they work together to obtain them. The study, led by the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, suggests that sharing in children is a collaborative phenomenon; in stark opposition, chimpanzees neither demonstrate this phenomenon nor does their behaviour hint at any collaborative connection. The findings are published in the journal Nature.

        Further information

    • Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development 2007- 2013 (FP7)

      • News

        Become an expert evaluator for FP7

        The website to register as an expert for research activities is available on CORDIS. The call for experts is open both for individuals and for organisations.

        Further information
        2011-07-12 - Task force makes recommendations to build on the success of the European Research Council

        The task force set up by the European Commission on the future of the European Research Council (ERC) has recommended from 2014 a quasi-full time role for the President of the ERC, who chairs its Scientific Council, which sets the organisation's scientific and research policy. The President would be based in Brussels. It also recommends an enhanced role for the Director of the ERC's Executive Agency, which administers the ERC's funding for the leading researchers in Europe. In its report issued today, the task force proposes a number of other changes designed to reinforce the ERC's flexibility, efficiency and autonomy - without compromising its accountability - and to make it easier for researchers to apply for and manage ERC grants. The task force concludes that the ERC should remain an executive agency as the best way for it to deliver its expected major contribution to the forthcoming Horizon 2020 programme.

        Further information
        2011-07-20 - Funding boost of EUR 7 billion for Innovation Union

        Research is set to remain high on the EU's political agenda as Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn announces the release of nearly EUR 7 billion for stimulating European innovation through research funding. As the biggest ever European Commission funding package, it is hoped that this money will go some way to creating around 174,000 jobs in the short term, as well as 450,000 jobs and nearly EUR 80 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) growth within the next 15 years.

        Further information

      • European Technology Platforms

        Advanced Engineering Materials and Technologies (EuMaT)

        No events planned

        Further information
        Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE)

        No events planned

        Further information
        European Technology Platform for Wind Energy (TPWind)

        No events planned

        Further information
        European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration (EPoSS)

        2-3 February 2012, Besancon - dMEMS 2012
        20 March 2012, Zurich - MEMS Executive Congress Europe
        20-21 March 2012, Berlin - Microsys Berlin - micro-optics and micro-optical systems convention
        21-22 March 2012, Zurich - SSI 2012: International Conference & Exhibition on Integration Issues of Miniaturized Systems
        10-13 April 2012, Brussels - Graphene Conference 2012
        8-10 May 2012, Nuremberg - SMT Hybrid Packaging - System Integration in Micro Electronics
        30-31 May 2012, Berlin - AMAA 2012
        10-14 June 2012, Montecatini Terme - 4th International Conference "Smart Materials, Structures and Systems"
        13-15 June 2012, Graz - EURIPIDES Annual Forum 2012
        26-28 September 2012, Paris - EPoSS General Assembly & Annual Forum 2012

        Further information
        European Technology Platform Food for Life (Food)

        No events planned

        Further information
        Forest Based Sector Technology Platform (Forestry)

        7-8 February 2012, Helsinki - 4th WoodWisdom-Net Research Programme Seminar
        22 February 2012, Basque Country - ROK-FOR Conference: Innovative and Sustainable Wood Arquitecture and Construction
        28 February 2012, Brussels - PROsumer.NET workshop on innovation
        21 March 2012, Copenhagen - International Conference on Research Infrastructures - ICRI2012
        26-29 March 2011, London - Planet Under Pressure 2012 conference
        15 May 2012, place tbc - FTP joint Partnering Event together with COST
        21-24 May 2012, Tours - Tackling climate change: the contribution of forest scientific knowledge
        18 June 2012, Milan - 20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
        8-13 July 2012, Lisbon - 2012 IUFRO Conference
        23 October 2012, Helsinki - 4th Nordic Wood Biorefinery Conference

        Further information
        Embedded Computing Systems (ARTEMIS)

        1-2 February 2012, Madrid - ITEA 2 PO Preparations Days 2012
        1-3 February 2012, Toulouse - ERTS2 2012
        1-4 February 2012, Vilamoura - HEALTINF 2012
        22-23 February 2012, Stockholm - CELTIC-PLUS EVENT 2012
        28 February-1 March 2012, Nuremberg - ARTEMIS Spring Event 2012
        6-10 March 2012, Hannover - CEBIT 2012

        Further information
        Nanoelectronics Technologies 2020 (ENIAC)

        7-8 February 2012, Frankfurt - Common Brokerage Event
        26-28 February 2012, Munich - ISS Europe 2012 - 25th Anniversary
        12-16 March 2012, Dresden - DATE Conference
        9-11 October 2012, Dresden - SEMICON Europa
        20-21 November 2012, Munich - European Nanoelectronics Forum 2012

        Further information
        European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC)

        17-19 April 2012, Dubai - GulfRail 2012
        23-26 April 2012, Athens - TRA (Transport Arena)
        24-26 April 2012, Stockholm - 10th UIC ERTMS World Conference "ERTMS - Global Dimensions"
        10-13 July 2012, Philadelphia - UIC HIGHSPEED 2012, 8th World Congress on High-Speed Rail
        18-21 September 2012, Berlin - INNOTRANS

        Further information
        European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC)

        14 February 2012, Brussels - Electrification Roadmap workshop
        15 February 2012, Brussels - Steering Group meeting
        15 March 2012, Brussels - ERTRAC Plenary

        Further information
        European Space Technology Platform (ESTP)

        No events planned

        Further information
        European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP)

        No events planned

        Further information
        European Technology Platform for the Electricity Networks of the Future (SmartGrids)

        No events planned

        Further information
        Future Manufacturing Technologies (MANUFUTURE)

        No events planned

        Further information
        European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (Euratex)

        29-30 March 2012, Brussels - 7TH ANNUAL PUBLIC CONFERENCE: "FROM FP7 TO HORIZON 2020"

        Further information
        Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH)

        9 February 2012, Brussels - FCH public information session and Brokerage event
        24 April 2012, Paris - Workshop of the International Energy Agency on On-site H2 supply

        Further information
        Industrial Safety ETP (IndustrialSafety)

        No events planned

        Further information
        Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)

        27 February 2012, Brussels - Open Info Day: 5th Call for proposals

        Further information
        Integral Satcom Initiative (ISI)

        22-23 March 2012, Bradford - PSATS 2012
        10 April 2012, Brussels - 15th ISI General Assembly
        11 April 2012, Brussels - 5th SatCom Event
        18-20 April 2012, Poznana - European Wireless Conference

        Further information
        Mobile and Wireless Communications (eMobility)

        10-11 May 2012, Aalborg - Future Internet Assembly (FIA)
        4-6 July 2012, Berlin - Future Network & Mobile Summit 2012

        Further information
        Nanotechnologies for Medical Applications (NanoMedicine)

        27 February-2 March 2012, Dublin - NanoImpactNet – QNano conference
        29 February-9 March 2012, Saarbrücken - Biological Barriers 2012
        3 April 2012, Brighton - Tissue Regeneration Strategies and Innovative Biomaterials in Orthopaedic Surgery
        16 April 2012, Brussels - Innovation in Healthcare without borders
        19-20 April 2012, Berlin - Spring Conference “Nanomedicine: Visions, Risks, Potential”
        7 May 2012, Basel - European Summit for Clinical Nanomedicine 2012
        18 June 2012, Varese - Nanobio-Europe 2012
        30 June 2012, Thessaloniki - ISSON12 Summer School on Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies:Organic Electronics & Nanomedicine
        3 July 2012, Thessaloniki - NN12 - 9th International Conference on Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies
        15 July 2012, Amsterdam - Colloids and Nanomedicine 2012
        13-15 November 2012, Grenoble - Nanosafe 2012

        Further information
        Networked and Electronic Media (NEM)

        22-23 February 2012, Stockholm - Celtic-Plus-Towards a Smart Connected World
        20 March 2012, Brussels - 13th NEM General Assembly
        10-11 May 2012, Aalborg - Future Internet Assembly
        4-6 July 2012, Berlin - Future Network and MobileSummit 2012

        Further information
        Networked European Software and Services Initiative (NESSI)

        No events planned

        Further information
        Photonics21 (Photonics)

        4-9 February 2012, San Diego - SPIE Medical Imaging 2012
        14-16 February 2012, Munich - FTTH Council Europe 2012
        16 February 2012, London - The Smart Building of the Future
        4-8 March 2012, Los Angeles - OFC/NFOEC 2012
        5 March 2012, Brussels - Intensive Training on Entrepreneurship in Photonics
        27-28 March 2012, Brussels - Photonics21 Annual Meeting 2012
        31 March-3 April 2012, Tunis - 1st EOS Topical Meeting on Photonics for Sustainable Development – Focus on the Mediterranean (PSDM 2012)
        2-4 April 2012, Eindhoven - Photonics PhD Event 2012
        16-20 April 2012, Brussels - SPIE Photonics Europe 2012
        17-20 April 2012, Moscow - Photonics. World of Lasers and Optics 2012
        23-27 April 2012, Baltimore - SPIE Defense, Security and Sensing 2012
        15-17 May 2012, Florence - Fotonica 2012
        5-7 June 2012, Lyon - LumiBat - The international indoor lighting trade fair
        19-21 June 2012, Jena - ICOB 2012
        2-4 July 2012, Amsterdam - SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012
        2-6 July 2012, Thessaloniki - 2nd International Exhibition on Nanotechnologies & Organic Electronics
        4-6 July 2012, Berlin - Future Networks and Mobile Summit
        12-16 August 2012, San Diego - SPIE Optics + Photonics 2012
        17-22 September 2012, St Petersburg - Sixth International Congress on Advanced Electromagnetic Materials in Microwaves and Optics – Metamaterials 2012
        24-27 September 2012, Edinburgh - SPIE Security and Defence + Remote Sensing
        21-22 November 2012, Paris - ForumLED Europe 2012

        Further information
        Photovoltaics (PV Platform)

        No events planned

        Further information
        Plants for the Future (Plants)

        No events planned.

        Further information
        Robotics (EUROP)

        22-23 February 2012, Vienna - CogSys 2012
        5-7 March 2012, Odense - European Robotics Forum 2012
        5-8 March 2012, Boston - HRI 2012
        8-9 March 2012, Megève - The third Augmented Human International Conference (AH 2012)
        19-21 March 2012, Island of Kos - IEEE-ICIT'12 International Conference on Industrial Technology
        11 April 2012, Guimarães - Robotica 2012
        14-18 May 2012, St Paul - ICRA 2012
        22-25 May 2012, Munich - Automatica 2012 - International Trade Fair for Automation and Mechatronics
        4-8 June 2012, Valencia - AAMAS 2012
        18-24 June 2012, Mexico City - RoboCup 2012
        24-28 June 2012, Puerto Vallarta - International Symposium on Robotics and Applications (ISORA 2012)
        24-28 September 2012, Thun - ELROB 2012

        Further information
        European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem)

        17-18 April 2012, Brussels - SusChem's 10th Annual Stakeholder Event

        Further information
        Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNE-TP)

        11–12 January 2012, Paris - NUGENIA Executive Committee n. 1
        30–31 January 2012, Karlsruhe - Executive Committee n. 13
        20 March 2012, Brussels - NUGENIA General Assembly n. 1
        21 March 2012, Brussels - Governing Board n. 9

        Further information
        Water Supply and Sanitation Platform (WSSTP)

        15-16 May 2012, Brussels - “Water Innovation Europe” event

        Further information
        Waterborne ETP (Waterborne)

        22 February 2012, Brussels - SG 42 + Mirror Group
        11 April 2012, Athens - TRA 2012

        Further information
        Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants Technology Platform (ETP ZEP)

        7 February 2012, London - Carbon Capture and Storage: demonstration programmes and the 2050 roadmap
        14-16 February 2012, Warsaw - COAL: Here to Stay. The Reality of Europe’s Energy Mix
        15 February 2012, Edinburgh - Carbon Capture and Storage Club
        27-28 February 2012, London - Platts 6th Annual European Carbon Capture and Storage Conference
        12-18 March 2012, Leszcze - CGS Europe Spring School on CO2 geological storage
        22-23 March 2012, Shanghai - Asia Green Fossil Power Plant Summit 2012
        26-27 March 2012, Edinburgh - Third EAGE CO2 Geological Storage Workshop: Understanding the Behaviour of CO2 in Geological Storage
        29-30 March 2012, Beijing - 8th Annual Clean Coal Forum 2012
        17 April 2012, Abu Dhabi - Higher Technology Conference
        17-19 April 2012, Venice - 7th CO2GeoNet Open Forum and CGS Europe Workshop
        26-27 April 2012, Brussels - European Business Summit
        15 May 2012, Brussels - 3rd Annual Brussels Carbon Capture and Storage Summit
        15-17 May 2012, Bali - Clean Power Asia 2012
        4-5 June 2012, Malta - Eurelectric Annual Conference
        12-18 August 2012, Beijing - 6th IEAGHG International CCS Summer School
        2 October 2012, Brussels - ZEP General Assembly
        9-10 October 2012, Copenhagen - Global Green Growth Forum
        18-22 October 2012, Pittsburgh - One Young World Summit 2012
        22-26 October 2012, Perth - CSLF Annual Meeting

        Further information
        European Technology Platform on Renewable Heating & Cooling (RHC)

        13 February 2012, Brussels - Meeting of the HWG on Shared SRA
        13 February 2012, Brussels - Steering Committee meeting of the Cross-cutting Technology Panel
        14 February 2012, Brussels - Board Meeting of the RHC-Platform.
        15 February 2012, Brussels - Meeting of the Biomass Technology Panel  Steering Committee
        1 March 2012, Offenburg - Meeting of the Geothermal Technology Panel
        26-27 April 2012, Copenhagen - 3rd Annual conference of the RHC-Platform

        Further information

      • Joint Technology Initiatives

        Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)

        27 February 2012, Brussels - Open Info Day: 5th Call for proposals

        Further information
        Embedded Computing Systems (ARTEMISA)

        1-2 February 2012, Madrid - ITEA 2 PO Preparations Days 2012
        1-3 February 2012, Toulouse - ERTS2 2012
        1-4 February 2012, Vilamoura - HEALTINF 2012
        22-23 February 2012, Stockholm - CELTIC-PLUS EVENT 2012
        6-10 March 2012, Hannover - CEBIT 2012

        Further information
        Nanoelectronics Technologies 2020 (ENIAC)

        7-8 February 2012, Frankfurt - Common Brokerage Event
        26-28 February 2012, Munich - ISS Europe 2012 - 25th Anniversary
        12-16 March 2012, Dresden - DATE Conference
        9-11 October 2012, Dresden - SEMICON Europa
        20-21 November 2012, Munich - European Nanoelectronics Forum 2012

        Further information
        Aeronautics and Air Transport (Clean Sky)

        29 February 2012, Madrid - Clean Sky Info Day - presentation of 2012 work programme
        13 March 2012, Amsterdam - Clean Sky Symposium
        11-16 September 2012, Berlin - ILA Berlin

        Further information
        Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH)

        9 February 2012, Brussels - FCH public information session and Brokerage event
        24 April 2012, Paris - Workshop of the International Energy Agency on On-site H2 supply

        Further information

  • Education policy

    2011-07-11 - Extra funds for education, youth and creativity will boost jobs, says Commission

    As part of its strategy for boosting employment, the European Commission is aiming to nearly double the number of young people, teachers and researchers who get EU grants for study and training abroad, from 400 000 recipients per year now to almost 800 000 in future. This is one of the key objectives behind the significant increase in EU investment for education, youth and creativity proposed by the Commission in its budget plan for 2014-2020, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, told a press conference today. Improving education and training and helping people acquire the right skills is crucial for meeting future job needs and fighting poverty. Investing more in the creative industries will also boost job opportunities in a sector which represents 4.5% of EU GDP and 3.8% of employment.

    Further information

  • Information society

    2011-07-06 - Digital Agenda: Commission proposes more competition, more choice and lower prices for mobile phone users abroad

    A proposal for a long-term solution to the continued high cost of using mobile phones and other mobile devices whilst travelling in the EU (roaming) has been presented by the European Commission. The directly binding Regulation proposed would for the first time introduce structural measures to boost competition by allowing customers from 1 July 2014, if they so wish, to sign up for a cheaper mobile roaming contract, separate from their contract for national mobile services, whilst using the same phone number. The proposal would also give mobile operators (including so-called virtual mobile operators, who do not have their own network) the right to use other operators' networks in other Member States at regulated wholesale prices, and so encourage more operators to compete on the roaming market.

    Further information

    2011-07-14 - Digital Agenda: Commission consults on practical rules for notifying personal data breaches

    The views of telecoms operators, Internet service providers, Member States, national data protection authorities consumer organisations and other interested parties are being sought by the European Commission on whether additional practical rules are needed to make sure that personal data breaches are notified in a consistent way across the EU. The revised ePrivacy Directive (2009/136/EC), which entered into force on 25 May 2011 as part of a package of new EU telecoms rules, requires operators and Internet service providers to inform, without undue delay, national authorities and their customers about breaches of personal data that they hold (see IP/11/622 and MEMO/11/320). The Commission wants to gather input based on existing practice and initial experience with the new telecoms rules and may then propose additional practical rules to make clear when breaches should be reported, the procedures for doing so, and the formats that should be used. Contributions to the consultation are welcome until 9th September 2011.

    Further information

    2011-07-15 - Digital Agenda: more open access to scientific information - Commission seeks views

    A public consultation on access to, and preservation of, digital scientific information has been launched by the European Commission on the initiative of European Commission Vice President for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes and Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. European researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs must have easy and fast access to scientific information, to compete on an equal footing with their counterparts across the world. Modern digital infrastructures can play a key role in facilitating access. However, a number of challenges remain, such as high and rising subscription prices to scientific publications, an ever-growing volume of scientific data, and the need to select, curate and preserve research outputs. Open access, defined as free access to scholarly content over the Internet, can help address this. Scientists, research funding organisations, universities, and other interested parties are invited to send their contributions on how to improve access to scientific information. The consultation will run until 9 September 2011. Accessing and re-using knowledge is a key objective of the Digital Agenda for Europe and the Innovation Union.

    Further information

    2011-07-15 - Digital Agenda: addressing the challenges of an ageing population

    The European Commission calls on EU Member States to develop and pursue a common vision on how to coordinate research at EU level in the field of ageing. This was the message of a Recommendation just adopted by the Commission entitled "More years, better lives - the potential and challenges of demographic change". The Recommendation urges Member States to participate in a Joint Programming Initiative on ageing populations in research areas such as how to retain people in the labour market, how to help older people remain active for as long as possible, in good health and with a better quality of life and how to make our future care systems sustainable.

    Further information
• 

  Other EU Policies and funding programmes supporting the Lisbon Strategy

  • Internal Market

    2011-07-20 - New EU rules to strengthen toy safety

    There will be no more places for defective and dangerous toys in the EU market. As from today, new EU rules for toys are in force to fulfill the highest safety requirements worldwide. With the entry into force, the new Toys Directive, all actors involved in the production, selling and control of toys on the EU market will get more responsibilities to better protect children. First of all, Member States will have to ensure that market surveillance authorities perform adequate checks both at the EU external borders and within the Union itself, also through visits at the premises of economic operators that will ensure the immediate confiscation of dangerous toys. Second, toy manufacturers, importers and distributors have more obligations too. Before placing a new toy on the market, they will have to identify the hazards and the potential exposure to children via a safety assessment. Finally, manufacturers are also obliged to ensure traceability of the toy by indicating name, address and number of the item.

    Further information

  • Environment

    2011-07-13 - Emissions trading: Member States agree to auction 120 million phase 3 allowances in 2012

    EU Member States today agreed to the European Commission's proposal to auction 120 million emission allowances for phase 3 of the Emissions Trading System in 2012, the year before phase 3 starts.

    Further information

    2011-07-15 - Commission proposes to cut sulphur dioxide emissions from shipping by 90 %

    Better air quality is on the way, thanks to proposals from the European Commission to lower the sulphur content of shipping fuels. The proposals should reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by up to 90 %, and fine particle emissions by up to 80 %. The benefits for public health will be between EUR 15 and 34 billion, far exceeding the expected costs, which are in the range of EUR 2.6 to 11 billion. With nearly half of Europe's population living in areas where EU air quality objectives are still not met, air pollution is one of the main environmental worries facing citizens.

    Further information

    2011-07-20 - Environment: Fewer risks from hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment

    The ban on heavy metals and other dangerous chemicals in electrical and electronic equipment has now been extended to a much wider range of products, with new rules entering into force tomorrow. The new law will improve the safety of electronic products such as thermostats, medical devices and control panels, and will prevent the release of hazardous substances into the environment. Member States have 18 months to transpose the new rules.

    Further information

    2011-07-25 - Climate Action: Reducing CO2 emissions from cars through eco-innovation

    The automotive industry will have a greater incentive to invest in new technologies that reduce CO2 emissions from new cars, under legislation adopted by the European Commission today.The Regulation enables motor manufacturers to receive recognition for CO2 savings achieved by fitting new cars with approved "eco-innovations" which reduce emissions. These savings will help the industry meet the European target of limiting CO2 emissions from new cars to an average of 130 grams/km by 2015. Eco-innovations will count for up to 7 g CO2/km towards the target.

    Further information

    2011-07-26 - Environment: Tighter restrictions on industrial creosote use

    Tough restrictions on the industrial uses of creosote, a toxic chemical known for its use on wooden railway sleepers, electricity poles and in fencing, will come into force on 1 May 2013, following a tightening of rules by the European Commission. Creosote, a carcinogenic substance, may no longer be placed on the EU market unless a company receives an authorisation to do so. Consumer use of creosote has been banned since 2003.

    Further information

    2011-07-26 - Summertime: Safer and less polluting leisure boats

    The European Commission today proposed new legislation that will make the use of jet skis and sailing boats less harmful for European waters. Scientific studies show lakes and seashores can be seriously polluted by the concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions resulting from some six million jet skis and motor and sailing boats cruising in the EU. The proposed revision of the Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) sets stricter limits for NOx, hydrocarbons (HC) and particulate matters for new recreational crafts. T oday’s proposal also improves market surveillance, for example by updating the rules on CE marking. Member States will have to ensure that adequate checks are performed both at the EU external borders and within the Union itself, also through visits at the premises of economic operators that will guarantee the immediate prohibition and confiscation of non conform recreational boats.

    Further information

  • Health

    2011-07-28 - Food : Commission to present list of health claims by the end of the year after EFSA finalises its assessments

    European consumers have the right to know whether some food products which claim to have beneficial impact on their health actually have such effect. The European Commission will present by the end of the year a list of permitted health claims on food products for all substances other than the so-called "botanicals," after the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published today a sixth and final set of opinions on the matter.

    Further information

  • Transport

    2011-07-06 - Road safety: EU crackdown on drivers committing traffic offences abroad

    Drivers will be punished for traffic offences they commit abroad, including the four "big killers" causing 75% of road fatalities - speeding, breaking traffic lights, failure to use seatbelts and drink driving - following a vote in the European Parliament today.

    Further information

    2011-07-07 - Commission launches new Neighbourhood Transport Action Plan

    The European Commission today published a new Neighbourhood Transport Action Plan to strengthen transport links with neighbouring regions to the East and South of of the EU. The plan proposes more than 20 concrete measures, in the short and longer term, to make transport connections smoother, safer and more reliable. At the same time, it will deepen market integration to the advantage of both the EU and its neighbouring regions. The plan was presented on 7 July 2011 by Vice President Siim Kallas responsible for Transport and and Commissioner Stefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood policy.

    Further information

    2011-07-19 - Road transport: new tachograph rules will save companies more than €500 million per year

    The European Commission has proposed to revise the tachograph legislation to make full use of new technological opportunities such as satellite positioning. This will make fraud more difficult and reduce the administrative burden, which is expected to save companies €515 million per year. By ensuring better compliance with rules on driving times and rest periods, drivers will be better protected, road safety increased and fair competition assured.

    Further information

    2011-07-20 - Maritime: Task Force on maritime employment and competitiveness delivers report Brussels

    he Task Force on maritime employment and competitiveness set up by Vice-President Kallas has today delivered its report containing recommendations for possible future measures for the shipping industry.

    Further information

    2011-07-29 - Digital Agenda: Commission facilitates deployment of car radar systems to boost road safety

    Authorisation to use the 24 GHz radio frequency band for short-range anti-collision radar in cars has been extended until 2018 by a European Commission decision. This temporary extension will ensure short range car radar systems remain available on the market until manufacturers develop technology using the 79 GHz band, which was the operating frequency designated for such systems back in 2004.

    Further information

  • Agriculture and fisheries

    2011-07-05 - €37.6 million EU support for the promotion of agricultural products

    The European Commission has approved 26 programmes in 13 Member States to provide information on and to promote agricultural products in the European Union. The total budget for the programmes, which will run for between one and three years, is €75.1 million, of which the EU will contribute €37.6 million (50%). The selected programmes cover wine, PDOs, PGIs and TSGs, organic food and farming, fruit and vegetables, horticulture, milk and milk products, olive oil and table olives, eggs, seed oil and meat.

    Further information

    2011-07-06 - Statement by Commissioner John Dalli : The adoption of Food Information regulation is good news for consumers

    The European Parliament has just adopted a Regulation on Food Information for consumers. Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli, made the following statement: "I welcome today's important decision. It completes an effort which started more than three years ago to help consumers make more informed decisions when they buy food. The Parliament's vote constitutes a significant step in our efforts to further boost consumer empowerment and, contribute to the fight against the rising levels of obesity and chronic diseases in the EU."

    Further information

    2011-07-14 - Green Paper on promoting the tastes of Europe

    The European Commission has today launched a debate on the future of promotion and information schemes for EU agricultural products. With the publication of a Green Paper on these issues, the Commission is looking at how to shape a more targeted and more ambitious strategy for the future, which will make clearer to consumers – both in the EU and beyond - the quality, traditions and added-value of European agricultural and food products.

    Further information

  • Energy

    2011-07-11 - Strong global green energy investments in 2010: UNEP report

    Green energy investments swelled by almost a third in 2010, backed primarily by the European market that reported a rise in the installation of solar panels on rooftops as well as the development of wind farms in China, says the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in its latest annual report on renewable energy, called 'Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2011'. A breakdown shows that the renewables sector was injected with a whopping USD 211 billion (around EUR 149 billion) in 2010, against USD 160 billion invested in 2009. The figures show a 540 % jump since 2004.

    Further information

    2011-07-19 - First EU sustainability schemes for biofuels get the go-ahead

    Biofuels can represent an environmentally-friendly replacement of fossil fuels. However, we need to make sure that tropical forests and carbon rich peatlands are not turned into oil palm or sugarcane plantations. We also have to guarantee that compared to fossil fuels biofuels used in the EU deliver tangible greenhouse gas savings. To this end, the sustainability of biofuels needs to be checked by Member States or through voluntary schemes which have been approved by the European Commission. Today the Commission recognised seven such voluntary schemes: ISCC, Bonsucro EU, RTRS EU RED, RSB EU RED, 2BSvs, RSBA, and Greenergy. This recognition applies directly in 27 EU Member States.

    Further information

    2011-07-19 - Nuclear waste: Commission welcomes adoption of radioactive waste directive

    Will the EU have binding standards for managing radioactive waste in the EU? Including final repositories for nuclear waste from nuclear power plants? Will Member States have to notify detailed programmes on when and how they will build these repositories? The answer to all these questions is: Yes. Today, the Council has adopted the "radioactive waste and spent fuel management directive", proposed by the Commission on 3rd November 2010. With this adoption, the Directive will enter into force at the latest in September this year, and Member States have to submit the first national programmes in 2015.

    Further information

  • Maritime Affairs

    2011-07-13 - European Commission: a fisheries policy for the future

    In its proposals for a major reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the European Commission has set out a radical approach to fisheries management in Europe. The plans will secure both fish stocks and fishermen's livelihood for the future while putting an end to overfishing and depletion of fish stocks. The reform will introduce a decentralised approach to science-based fisheries management by region and sea basin, and introduce better governance standards in the EU and on the international level through sustainable fisheries agreements.

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  • List of opened calls for proposals launched by the European Commission

    To consult our updated table of calls, click on our dedicated webpage below

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