July 2009

“Brussels in Brief”:
Highlights on EU policies and funding programmes related to the knowledge-based economy: The “Lisbon Strategy”

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  • General EU Information

    General EU Information

    • Council of the EU

      2009-07-01 - Swedish EU presidency to promote innovation and ERA

      The Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union begins on 1 July and will continue to the end of 2009. The new presidency's work programme has been published, clearly outlining its priorities over the next six months. In addition to tackling the urgent challenges of economy, employment and climate (they will work towards the adoption of a new climate agreement during the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December), the work programme stresses strengthening competitiveness by investing in research and education as well as improving the governance of the European Research Area (ERA).

      Further information
      2009-07-10 - Swedish Presidency: research must focus on grand challenges

      At a conference on research and innovation held in Lund, Sweden, hosted by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, approximately 350 researchers, policy makers and representatives from industry and research funding institutions agreed on a declaration stating that European research policy should focus on global 'grand challenges' such as climate change, water shortage and pandemics.

      Further information
  • EU policies and funding programmes for Research, Innovation, Training and Competitiveness

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

    • Research Policy

      • General points
        2009-07-13 - European Commission and industry to invest € 3.2 billion in economic recovery for a stronger, greener and more competitive economy tomorrow

        The European Commission and industry today announced the first round of research calls for proposals injecting €268million in three key market areas in order to trigger economic recovery and make it more sustainable and knowledge-based. A total of €3.2 billion has been earmarked for European public-private partnerships (PPPs) dedicated to develop new technologies in manufacturing, construction and the automotive sectors. These collaborations between the Commission and the industry will foster global competitiveness for European businesses, bring down the excessive energy consumption of Europe's buildings that make up one-third of EU CO 2 emissions, and develop new and sustainable forms of road transport. The three planned partnerships are part of the Commission's European Economy Recovery Plan endorsed by the European Council on December 2008 aiming to promote the convergence of public interest and industry commitment for research.

        Further information
        2009-07-24 - ERC review highlights successes but warns that changes are needed

        The European Research Council (ERC) has 'succeeded beyond expectations', according to a newly published review of the ERC's structures and mechanisms during its first two years of operation. Nevertheless, the review panel raises serious concerns about the long-term sustainability of the institution, and calls on the Commission to do all it can to adapt its rules and procedures to the ERC's mission of supporting competitive, frontier research in Europe.

        Further information
        2009-07-30 - Commission launches 53 FP7 calls for proposals

        The European Commission has published several calls for proposals in various thematic areas of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

        Thematic areas under the Cooperation Specific Programme include:
        - 'Health' (three calls);
        - 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology' (one call);
        - 'Information and communication technologies' (two calls);
        - 'Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies' (six calls);
        - 'Energy' (four calls);
        - 'Environment (including climate change)' (one call);
        - 'Transport' (six calls);
        - 'Socio-economic sciences and humanities' (four calls);
        - 'Space' (one call);
        - 'Security' (one call).

        Calls under the Capacities Specific Programme are dedicated to the following Themes:
        - 'Research infrastructures' (two calls);
        - 'Research for the benefit of SMEs' (one call);
        - 'Regions of knowledge' (one call);
        - 'Research potential' (two calls);
        - 'Science in society' (four calls);
        - 'Activities of international cooperation' (four calls).

        An additional seven cross-thematic calls combine up to five different Themes. Finally, the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Independent Researcher Grants (three sub-calls) are intended to support up-and-coming research leaders who are about to establish or consolidate a proper research team and to start conducting independent research in Europe.

        Further information
        2009-07-31 - Funding opportunities from the European Commission and the cosmetic industry

        In a unique joint effort, the European cosmetic industry has decided to match research funds made available by the European Commission under the 7th RTD Framework Programme.

        The European Commission launched a Call for Proposals on 30 July 2009 asking researchers to submit proposals on the development of a strategy towards alternative solutions to animal testing in the field of repeated dose systemic toxicity. The European cosmetic industry has committed to match the funding given by the European Commission, making a total of EUR 50 million available for this theme.

        Further information
      • European Research and Innovation projects
        • ICT
          2009-07-01 - The 'virtual human' healthcare model

          A revolution in healthcare treatment and diagnosis may be imminent with a pan-European personalised healthcare project, the Virtual Physiological Human (VPH), a Network of Excellence (NoE). Funded with EUR 72 million under the 'Information and communication technologies' Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the VPH aims to create an entire framework to deliver personalised patient computer models for the predictive healthcare of the future. Success could significantly limit the need for animal testing and patient drug trials.

          Further information
          2009-07-02 - Whiskered robot rat gives tactile sensing a boost

          Whiskers are an integral component of a rat's life. Without them, rats would have a hard time navigating in their world, as well as orientating and balancing themselves. Now scientists from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) - a partnership between the University of the West of England Bristol (UWE Bristol) and the University of Bristol (UoB) - in the UK have developed the innovative 'SCRATCHbot' robot rat that is able to search and identify objects by using its whiskers.

          Further information
          2009-07-03 - Worldwide computing grid set to handle data from CERN's Large Hadron Collider

          The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's most powerful particle accelerator, is expected to produce roughly 15 million gigabytes of data annually once it is up and running at the end of this year. The 'worldwide LHC computing grid' (WLCG), which has the crucial role of supporting this data and making it available to physicists around the globe, has already completed two weeks of continuous operation. The experiment marks the first production demonstration covering the full data cycle, from gathering to analysis.

          Further information
          2009-07-13 - Gaming-with-gaze gives people with disabilities an edge

          Europeans are taking virtual technology to new heights - and the COGAIN ('Communication by gaze interaction') project is a fine example. Supported by the 'Information Society Technologies' (IST) Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) with EUR

          Further information
          2009-07-14 - Europeans making telecoms security a priority

          When security enforcement in data systems is not up to par, problems eventually emerge. Data privacy is threatened, which could prove troublesome for users and service providers. Users want to have their personal details protected and service providers want to make sure that consumers pay for whatever they download. Enter the BUGYO project, funded through the European intergovernmental initiative Eureka, which targeted the development of a supervision tool that could check the proper use and control of security.

          Further information
          2009-07-29 - Making smart clothes for improved health

          A team of EU-funded researchers has succeeded in embedding sensing devices directly into textiles to create garments that are not only comfortable and practical to wear, but also smart. The devices will help physicians keep an eye on their patients. Healthwear ('Remote health monitoring with wearable non-invasive mobile system') was supported with EUR 990,000 by the EU's eTEN programme. The collaborative project targeted the delivery of a service that provides uninterrupted and ubiquitous monitoring of the health condition of people during their rehabilitation phase.

          Further information
        • Health
          2009-07-02 - Key protein not direct cause of heart disease, study reveals

          A protein that is widely used as an indicator of a person's heart disease risk does not actually cause heart disease, new research reveals. The findings are important because until now many researchers have viewed C-reactive protein (CRP) as a possible target for heart disease drugs.

          Further information
          2009-07-03 - EU-funded study reveals schizophrenia triggers

          An international team of researchers has pieced together the puzzle of the genetics of schizophrenia. Published in the journal Nature, their findings bring to light a number of new 'common single-letter variants' in the sequence of the human genome linked to disease risk.

          Further information
          2009-07-06 - Study reveals new diabetes gene - and its 'off' switch

          EU-funded scientists have identified a gene associated with a higher risk of diabetes, as well as a 'jumping gene' that disrupts its activity and helps to reduce the risk of diabetes.

          Further information
          2009-07-06 - New EU project to probe standards in European hospitals

          The European Union has provided EUR 3 million for a study into raising the quality and safety standards of EU hospitals. The funding will help a research team develop both a best practice guide for hospitals and a framework for assessing how well they measure against these standards.

          Further information
          2009-07-06 - Researchers use new mass spectrometric technique to analyse metabolites

          German and Czech researchers have developed a new technique to detect metabolites (substances involved in metabolism) in a quick yet comprehensive manner. Their findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

          Further information
          2009-07-07 - Study sheds light on vitamin D's anti-cancer properties

          A new EU-funded study increases our understanding of vitamin D's apparent anti-cancer properties. The findings support the need for further clinical trials examining the potential of the active form of vitamin D3 to prevent and treat colon cancer.

          Further information
          2009-07-13 - EU project tackles pain relief without the side effects

          The EU-funded SOS ('Safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs') project is working to provide medical professionals with guidance on the risks (both cardiovascular and gastrointestinal) associated with certain painkillers. Ultimately, the project results should help to better protect patients against these side effects.

          Further information
          2009-07-14 - E. coli protein troika discovered to be essential to survival

          Scientists in Canada, the UK and the US have for the first time found a link between three proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli) that are necessary for the bacterium's survival. Because one of the genes is also present in the human genome, the findings have implications for the study of essential processes in humans as well. The study was published in the Journal of Bacteriology.

          Further information
          2009-07-15 - Two hearts beat as one

          Scientists in Germany and the UK have found that a mother's breathing rate affects the synchronisation of her heartbeat with that of her unborn child. The findings, reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were based on a novel mathematical approach that could be used to detect complications early in pregnancy.

          Further information
          2009-07-16 - Parasite genome sequences offer hope of new drugs

          The genomes of two parasites that cause the debilitating tropical disease schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia or snail fever) have been sequenced. The findings are published in two articles in the journal Nature. As well as uncovering possible targets for new drugs, the researchers identify a number of existing drugs that could be effective against the disease.

          Further information
          2009-07-20 - Better communication to help cancer patients and experts

          The EU has backed an initiative that will help patients and healthcare professionals improve their understanding of cancer prevention, treatment and care in Europe. The launch of a new, dedicated website is a key part of the ambitious project.

          Further information
          2009-07-20 - Patterns of genetic changes found in mental retardation

          Dutch and British researchers have shed more light on the connection between genes and mental retardation or intellectual disability. Thanks to their work, they shrank the list of genes whose changes trigger this disorder from thousands to several dozen. The findings are published in the open-access journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Genetics.

          Further information
          2009-07-22 - Study shows gene variant raises obesity risk

          An international team of researchers has found a connection between a variation in a gene active in the central nervous system (CNS) and an increased risk for obesity. The study, published in the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Genetics, adds weight to past findings that our genes play a major role in what we want to eat and how much of it, and in our susceptibility to obesity.

          Further information
          2009-07-28 - Rewards and dopamine affect sensory learning, study shows

          Researchers in Germany, Switzerland and the UK have confirmed the relationship between dopamine levels and sensory 'reward-based' learning in adult humans. The findings, published in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology, raise the possibility that dopaminergic drugs might be used together with reward-based training to treat patients with lapsed sensory processes, such as individuals who have suffered a stroke.

          Further information
          2009-07-28 - Study sheds light on natural killer cells' modus operandi

          European researchers have worked out how 'natural killer' immune cells determine whether a cell is diseased, and so needs to be destroyed, or healthy, in which case it can be left alone. The findings, published in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology, could lead to the development of new ways to boost the activity of these cells and treat diseases.

          Further information
          2009-07-29 - Food supplements under the EU microscope

          People across Europe consume food supplements for a variety of reasons: to ensure that they are getting enough nutrients or to rectify a nutritional deficiency that impacts their well-being, for example. But how safe are they? The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has completed a comprehensive assessment on substances used as sources of vitamins and minerals for food supplements that are found on European shelves.

          Further information
        • Environment
          2009-07-27 - Swedish scientists reveal the role of light in lakes

          Countering the previously held opinion that productivity in lakes is determined by the availability of nutrient sources, new research has now shown that light is in fact responsible for lake production. The findings, published in the journal Nature, also suggest that the landscape of lakes will alter in years to come as a result of climate change.

          Further information
        • Agriculture
          2009-07-17 - Europeans launch mega campaign to assess air pollution

          Environmentalists are taking a bite out of pollution thanks to one of the largest monitoring campaigns ever launched in Europe. A total of 20 research teams from across Europe have set up sites in Île-de-France (a region containing the Paris metropolitan area) to investigate sources of particulate pollution in the urban environment. Their objective is to quantify and describe these sources using diverse methods such as ground-based observations at permanent sites or from mobile platforms.

          Further information
          2009-07-23 - Ancient barley DNA could lead to new varieties

          UK scientists have extracted DNA from 3,000-year-old barley grains from Egypt's Upper Nile region. A genetic analysis of the grains sheds light on ancient farming methods and could aid in the development of new crop varieties that are able to survive climate change. The findings are published in the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE.

          Further information
          2009-07-23 - € 28 million EU support for the promotion of agricultural products

          The European Commission has approved 16 programmes in 12 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom) to provide information on and to promote agricultural products in the European Union. The total budget of the programmes running between one and three years is € 62.1 million, of which the EU will contribute € 27.8 million. The selected programmes cover organic products, dairy products, meat, wine, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, honey and flowers.

          Further information
        • Nanosciences
          2009-07-03 - EU study tackles nanotoxicology dilemma

          How nanoparticle toxicity (i.e. nanotoxicology) affects the health and environment of Europeans is a concern that many researchers are currently investigating. Rising to the challenge is the NHECD ('Nano health-environment commented database') project, funded under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 1.45 million. The project partners are seeking to create a critical and commented database on the health, safety and environmental impact of nanoparticles. The project coordinator is Professor Oded Maimon from Tel Aviv University with participants from JRC (Italy), IVAM (Netherlands) and tp21 (Germany).

          Further information
          2009-07-22 - EU-funded study follows 'nanoferries' into cells

          EU-funded researchers in Germany have succeeded in tracking individual nanoparticles as they make their way into target cells, applying a highly sensitive, real-time microscopic technique that delivers high spatial and temporal resolution. Their findings, reported in the Journal of Controlled Release, were an outcome of the MAGSELECTOFECTION ('Combined isolation and stable non-viral transfection of hematopoietic cells: a novel platform technology for ex vivo hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy') project.

          Further information
          2009-07-27 - New device makes invisibility a reality

          One of the first things that come to mind when thinking about Harry Potter and his cloak is ... invisibility. Researchers in Spain have developed a device that makes objects invisible under a certain kind of light. Called 'dc metamaterial', the device brings the inside of the magnetic field down to zero but does not change the exterior field. The results of the study are published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

          Further information
        • Space
          2009-07-02 - European researchers make advances in solar eclipse studies

          European researchers have succeeded in linking solar observations from satellites with ground-based observations. They used state-of-the-art image processing tools to reveal spatial details, effectively showing the structure of the coronal magnetic field. The findings are published in a review in the journal Nature.

          Further information
          2009-07-09 - Europeans develop ultra-fast astronomical camera

          Scientists at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), working together with researchers from three French laboratories, have developed a new ultra-fast camera that can take 1,500 finely exposed images per second. Called OCam, this camera uses a detector called CCD220 that was developed by e2v Technologies in the UK. The team said OCam will be a major component of the next generation of adaptive optics instruments of the ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), in particular for the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research (SPHERE) instrument.

          Further information
          2009-07-13 - Herschel delivers 'spectacular' results

          Early trials of the instruments on board the European Herschel satellite have produced spectacular images of the Universe. The results of these test observations were far better than anyone had expected and astronomers are now extremely optimistic about the scientific studies lined up for Herschel over the coming months and years.

          Further information
          2009-07-15 - Europeans reveal smoking gun in cosmic ray acceleration efficiency

          Astronomers recognise that cosmic rays - high-energy atomic nuclei (mostly protons) travelling through space at close to the speed of light that hit the Earth's atmosphere - have enough energy to produce defects in electronic components. New research, published in the journal Science, shows that galactic cosmic rays emerge from within the Milky Way, the galaxy containing our solar system. The protons, which move at the Universe's 'ultimate speed limit', have been accelerated to energies that surpass those generated by the Swiss-based Large Hadron Collider at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research).

          Further information
        • Energy
          2009-07-16 - Study suggests safer energy supplies via SuperSmart Grid

          A new study suggests that Europe could achieve safer supply of energy and climate change mitigation through renewable energy. The study also outlines how a 'SuperSmart Grid' could support long-distance transmission and decentralised energy production. Ultimately, such a grid could enable a complete renewable energy system by 2050. The study is part of CIRCE, a project funded with EUR 10 million under the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). Scheduled to end in 2011, CIRCE is targeting the development of an assessment of the climate change impacts in the Mediterranean area.

          Further information
        • Maritime Affairs
          2009-07-08 - Scientists aboard a new fishing management project

          An EU-funded project that brings together fishermen and scientists to discuss the problems faced by the fishing industry has completed an evaluation of how scientists and fishermen see their collaboration. The GAP1 ('Bridging the gap between science and stakeholders: phase 1 - common ground') project, funded with EUR 6 million under the 'Science in society' Thematic area of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), is the first phase of a programme to develop action plans for marine spatial planning, assess sustainability of resources and fisheries, make ecological marine studies, develop management measures and make decisions on fisheries management.

          Further information
          2009-07-08 - People continue to overexploit fisheries

          Fisheries not only provide animal protein for human consumption, they also offer direct and indirect employment for some 200 million people worldwide. But a report issued by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that 52% of the global fisheries stocks are fully exploited, and that 28% are being overexploited or have already collapsed. Now, an EU-funded study published in the journal PLoS Biology offers readers a look at how management practices affect the sustainability of fisheries.

          Further information
          2009-07-10 - Ozone hole shrinks atmospheric CO2 uptake in Southern Ocean

          Researchers in Europe have discovered that the ozone affects the ocean's role as a carbon sink, a reservoir that absorbs and stores carbon from another part of the carbon cycle. The four sinks are the atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere, oceans and sediments. The findings, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, will help improve future models developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that assesses the scientific, technical and socioeconomic information needed for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change.

          Further information
          2009-07-27 - High-speed video reveals how algae swim

          EU-funded scientists have discovered how individual algal cells change direction while swimming. The scientists used high-speed cinematography to study the motion of the flagella, hair-like appendages that the cells use to propel themselves through the water, in the algal species Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

          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
        • 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)

          8-10 May 2013, Dublin - Future Internet Assembly 2013
          14-16 May 2013, Nuremberg - Sensor+Test 2013
          15-17 May 2013, Cambridge - Applied Bioinformatics & Public Health Microbiology 2013
          19-20 May 2013, Copenhagen - Third International Conference on Environment and Industrial Innovation (ICEII 2013)
          3-24 May 2013, Bassel - Swiss NanoConvention 2013
          29 May 2013, Brussels - Mission Growth Conference: Innovation for the Competitiveness of European Industry
          2-7 June 2013, Chemnitz - Graphene week 2013
          5-7 June 2013, Cork - WIRE IV
          6-8 June 2013, Gdansk - 6th International Conference on Human System Interaction 2013
          12 June 2013, Geneva - The Microtechnics Alliance meets at EPMT Fair
          16-19 June 2013, Helsinki - 2013 SPIM Conference – Innovating in Global Markets: Challenges for Sustainable Growth
          16-20 June 2013, Helsinki - IoT Week 2013
          17-18 June 2013, Berlin - AMAA 2013 - "Smart Systems for Safe and Green Vehicles"
          18-20 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNanoForum 2013
          18-20 June 2013, Bucharest - ECOSUD 2013
          26-28 June 2013, Tallinn - pHealth 2013
          1-3 July 2013, Postdam - MEMSWAVE 2013
          3-5 July 2013, Lisbon - FuNeMS 2013
          18-19 July 2013, Athens - Ninth International Conference on Intelligent Environment (IE'13)
          29-31 July 2013, Reykjavík - 10th International Conference on Wireless Information Networks and Systems (WINSYS 2013)
          25-28 August 2013, Enschede - COMS 2013 - 18th edition of the annual international conference on commercializing micro- and nanotechnology
          8-11 September 2013, Krakow - Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (FedCSIS) 2013
          8-13 September 2013, Sevilla - European Congress and Exhibition on Advanced Materials and Processes (EUROMAT 2013)
          24-27 September 2013, Cork - Joint event MNBS 2013 & EPOSS Annual Forum 2013
          7-10 October 2013, Calgary - Workshop on Smart Materials and Structures, SHM1
          4-16 October 2013, Aachen - Microsystemtechnik-Kongress
          16-18 October 2013, Tampere - ITST 2013
          27-31 October 2013, Freiburg - MicroTAS 2013 - 17th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences
          6-8 November 2013, Vilnius - ICT 2013 - Create, Connect, Grow
          2-4 July 2014, Brenen - SysInt 2014 - 2nd International Conference on System-Integrated Intelligence: New Challenges for Product and Production Engineering

          Further information
          European Technology Platform Food for Life (Food)

          19-20 June 2013, Lille - NutrEvent

          Further information
          Forest Based Sector Technology Platform (Forestry)

          6-8 May 2013, Hannover - LIGNA 2013
          15-16 May 2013, Riga - Invest in Forest
          16-21 May 2013, Estoril - 3rd International Congress on Planted Forests
          3-6 June 2013, Copenhagen - 21st European Biomass Conference & Exhibition
          4-6 June 2013, Brussels - Green Week 2013
          18-20 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNanoForum 2013 & FTP wood nanotechnology workshop
          23-26 September 2013, Gerardmer - 5th Forest Engineering Conference
          23-24 September 2013, Biarritz - 6th International Wood Fibre Polymer Composites Symposium
          30 September-2 October 2013, Brussels - EFIB 2013
          30 September-3 October 2013, Brussels - 5th European Innovation Summit
          3-4 October 2013, Aarhus - 5th European Innovation Summit
          23 October 2013, Brussels - Workshop - 21st Century Design and Construction
          9-13 December 2013, Rovaniemi - European Forest Week
          9-13 December 2013, Rovaniemi - Metsä 2013 Joint session of the ECE Timber Committee

          Further information
          Embedded Computing Systems (ARTEMIS)

          14-17 May 2013, Berlin - 9th International nanotechnology Conference on Communication and cooperation
          11-12 June 2013, Madrid - ARTEMIS Summer Camp 2013
          16-20 June 2013, Budva - The 2013 Mediterranean Conference Event: Embedded and Cyber-physical Systems
          18-20 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNanoForum 2013
          24 June 2013, Budapest - 2nd Workshop on Open Resilient human-aware Cyber-physical Systems (WORKS 2013)
          26 September 2013, Paris - European Microelectronics Summit
          26-27 September 2013, Messecenter Graz - JTI Electronics In Horizon 2020
          1-2 October 2013, Brussels - JTI Event
          6-8 November 2013, Vilnius - ICT 2013: Create, Connect, Grow
          8-10 November 2013, Dresden - SEMICON Europa 2013
          27-28 November 2013, Barcelona - European Nanoelectronics Forum (ENIAC)
          4-5 December 2013, Stockholm - Co-summit 2013

          Further information
          Nanoelectronics Technologies 2020 (ENIAC)

          14-17 May 2013, Berlin - INC9
          24 May 2013, Brussels - 7th SEMI Brussels Forum
          18-20 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNanoForum
          15-19 July 2013, Otsu - 13th International Forum on Embedded MPSoC and Multicore
          16-20 September 2013, - ESSDERC-ESSCIRC Conference Series
          18-20 September 2013, Roma - Nanoforum
          8-10 October 2013, Dresden - SEMICON Europa 2013
          6-8 November 2013, Vilnius - ICT 2013: Create, Connect, Grow
          27-28 November 2013, Barcelona - European Nanoelectronics Forum

          Further information
          European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC)

          No events planned

          Further information
          European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC)

          14 May 2013, Brussels - ERTRAC 2nd Steering Group
          6 June 2013, Brussels - ERTRAC 2nd Plenary meeting 2013
          24 September 2013, Brussels - ERTRAC Steering Group
          22 October 2013, Brussels - ERTRAC Plenary

          Further information
          European Space Technology Platform (ESTP)

          No events planned

          Further information
          European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP)

          16 May 2013, Brussels - European Steel Day

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

          16 May 2013, Brussels - Joint workshop organised by STARGRID and ETP SmartGrids

          Further information
          Future Manufacturing Technologies (MANUFUTURE)

          16-17 September 2013, Hannover - VDMA Congress: "Producing more intelligently"

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

          27-28 May 2013, Brussels -PROsumer.NET project final conference
          23-23 October 2013, Brussels - 1st European Textile Flagships Conference

          Further information
          Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH)

          9 September 2013, Brussels - The 5th International Conference on Hydrogen Safety

          Further information
          Industrial Safety ETP (IndustrialSafety)

          21-22 May 2013, Stuttgart - 5Th INTeg-Risk Conference 2013

          Further information
          Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)

          13 May 2013, Brussels - IMI Stakeholder Forum 2013

          Further information
          Integral Satcom Initiative (ISI)

          No events planned

          Further information
          Mobile and Wireless Communications (eMobility)

          8-10 May 2013, Dublin - FIA Event 2013
          31 May 2013, Ghent - ONIT 2013
          9-13 June 2013, Budapest - IEEE International Conference on Communications
          19-20 June 2013, Bogota - Dinero Movil LatAm (Mobile Money LatAm 2013)
          3-5 July 2013, Lisbon - Future Networks and Mobile Summit 2013

          Further information
          Nanotechnologies for Medical Applications (NanoMedicine)

          15 May 2013, London - Nano4Life 2013
          18 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNanoForum 2013
          23 June 2013, Basel - European Summit on Clinical Nanomedecine (CLINAM 2013)
          25-28 June 2013, Porto - Advanced Summer School Interrogations at the Biointerface
          26-28 June 2013, Tallinn - pHealth 2013 Conference
          18-20 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNanoForum 2013
          23-26 June 2013, Basel - European Summit on Clinical Nanomedicine (CLINAM 2013)
          6-13 July 2013, Thessaloniki - ISSON 2013
          9 July 2013, Thessaloniki - 10th International Conference on Nanoscience & Nanotechnologies (NN13)
          8-11 October 2013, Faenza - MiMe - Materials in Medicine International Conference
          4-6 November 2013, Vienna - Bio-Europe 2013
          3-5 March 2014, Amsterdam - International Congress on Targeted Anticancer Therapies - TAT2014

          Further information
          Networked and Electronic Media (NEM)

          8-10 May 2013, Dublin - Future Internet Assembly
          27-31 May 2013, Ghent - IM 2013 - The 13th IFIP/IEEE Symposium on Integrated Network and Service Management
          27 May-1 June 2013, Valencia - CONTENT 2013
          2 June 2013, Dresden - 3rd International Workshop on Self-Organizing Networks (IWSON)
          9-13 June 2013, Budapest - Context-aware Personalization Systems
          10-12 June 2013, Seoul - 11th IEEE IVMSP Workshop on "3D Image/Video Technologies and Applications"
          23-28 June 2013, Rome - Eighth International Conference on Internet and Web Applications and Services
          3-5 July 2013, Lisbon - Future Network and Mobile Summit - FuNeMS2013
          8-11 September 2013, Berlin - The 3rd IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics(IEEE 2013)
          28-30 October 2013, Nantes - NEM Summit 2013
          6-8 November 2013, Vilnius - ICT Event 2013: Create, Connect,Grow
          12-13 December 2013, Bayonne - 8th International Workshop on Semantic and Social Media Adaptation and Personalization

          Further information
          Networked European Software and Services Initiative (NESSI)

          8-10 May 2013, Dublin - Future Internet Assembly 2013
          16 May 2013, Brussels - The 2013 European Cyber Security Conference
          11-12 June 2013, Dublin - SMEs and Europe: with innovation out of the crisis
          26-27 June 2013, London - Cloud World Forum 2013
          1-5 July 2013, Montpellier - European Conference on Software Architecture, ECSA 2013
          3-5 July 2013, Lisbon - Future Network & Mobile Summit 2013
          29-31 July 2013, Reykjavik - 8th International Joint Conference on Software Technologies
          10-13 September 2013, Wrexham - Fifth International Conference on Internet Technologies & Applications

          Further information
          Photonics21 (Photonics)

          12-16 May 2013, Munich - 3rd EOS Conference on Manufacturing of Optical Components (EOSMOC 2013)
          12-16 May 2013, Munich - 2nd EOS Conference on Optofluidics (EOSOF 2013)
          13-16 May 2013, Munich - Laser World of Photonics (13 - 16 May 2013) & World of Photonics Congress (12 - 16 May 2013)
          27-28 May 2013, Frankfurt am Main - Trends in Bioanalytical Imaging - Analytics and Applications
          9-14 June 2013, San Jose - CLEO
          11-13 June 2013, Munich - LOPE-C 2013
          16-21 June 2013, Whistler - Optical Interferings Coatings
          14-19 July 2013, Rio Grande - Advanced Photonics
          14-19 July 2013, Orlanda - Frontiers in Optics
          22-26 July 2013, Porto - 8th Iberoamerican Optics Meeting / 11th Latinamerican Meeting on Optics, Lasers and Applications
          23-26 July 2013, Porto - ETOP 2013 - 12th International Conference on Education and Training in Optics and Photonics
          29-31 July 2013, Reykjavik - OPTICS 2013- International Conference on Optical Communication Systems
          25-29 August 2013, San Diego - SPIE Optics + Photonics 2013
          26-31 August 2013, Riga - Biophotonics Riga 1st International Conference
          10-13 September 2013, Almaty - FOAN2013 - 4th International Work Shop on Fiber Optics in Access Networks
          23-26 September 2013, Dresden - SPIE Security+Defence 2013 & SPIE Remote Sensing 2013
          23-25 September 2013, London - ECOC 2013
          14-17 October 2013, New York - SPIE Optifab 2013
          16-17 October 2013, Coventry - Photonex, UK's Premier Photonics Event
          27 October-1 November 2013, Paris - Advanced Solid Stae Lasers

          Further information
          Photovoltaics (PV Platform)

          No events planned

          Further information
          Plants for the Future (Plants)

          13-14 May 2013, London - Plant Genomics Congress
          14-16 May 2013, Calabria - 31st New Phytologist Symposia on Orchid symbioses-models for evolutionary ecology
          3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen - 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
          9-16 June 2013, Athens - SAHYOG Summer School
          9-13 June 2013, University of Norway - Essential and Detrimental Trace Elements entering the Food Chain via Plants
          23-27 June 2013, Gargnano - SUMMER SCHOOL on Biomchemical and genetic dissection of control of plant mineral nutrition
          24-28 June 2013, Sydney - International Arabidopsis Conference
          30 June-6 July 2013, Szeged - EPPN Summer School on Plant Phenotyping
          2-5 July 2013, Zurich - 13th International Fire Blight Workshop
          4-6 July 2013,Evry - Plant signalling in a changing environment
          8-19 July 2013, Barcelona - 2nd Summer biotechnology course
          16-19 July 2013, Warsaw - 11th International Conference on Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species in Plants
          26-30 July 2013, Helsinki - Plant Vascular Biology Meeting
          28 July-2 August 2013,Hong Kong - Gordon Conference on "Post-Translational Modification Networks
          11-15 August 2013,Helsingor - 25th SPPS Congress
          20-23 August 2013, Eindiedeln - Science & Policy Summer School: Governing the Transition to a Bio-based Economy
          26-28 August 2013, Utrecht - 7th International Utrecht PhD Summer School
          1-4 September 2013, Greece, - 7th EPSO Conference
          5 September 2013, Porto Heli, Plant Phenotyping Workshop of the European Plant Phenotying Network
          8-10 September 2013,Amsterdam - 2nd Current Opinion Conference on Plant Genome Evolution
          17-20 September 2013, Madrid - 2nd International APLE-APLF Congress on Pollen Biotechnology, Diversity and Function in a Changing Environment
          25-27 September 2013, Norwich - AAB Conference International Advances in Plant Virology
          14-18 October 2013, Versailles - 6th Workshop on Leaf Senescence
          10-14 November 2013, Antalya - International Plant Breeding Congress
          20-23 November 2013 Buenos Aires - 32nd New Phytologist Symposium on Plant interactions with other organisms (molecules, ecology and evolution)
          4-6 December 2013, Nantes - Conference on Biopolymer Assemblies for Material Design
          22-26 June 2014, Dublin - Plant Biology Europe FESPB/EPSO 2014 Congress

          Further information
          Robotics (EUROP)

          6-10 May 2013, Karlsruhe - 2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2013)
          24-30 June 2013, Eindhoven - WK RoboCup International Robot Tournament (RoboCup 2013)
          26-28 June 2013, Porto - FAIM 2013 - Workshop on Robotics in Smart Manufacturing
          27-28 June 2013, Berlin - Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS 2013)
          29-31 July 2013, Reykjavík - 10th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO 2013)
          29-31 July 2013, Reykjavík - The 3rd International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications (SIMULTECH 2013)
          11-15 August 2013, Montreal - The 30th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction and Mining (ISARC 2013)

          Further information
          European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem)

          14 May 2013, Brussels - F3 Factory session at Suschem stakeholder
          3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen - 21th European Biomass conference and exhibition
          5-6 June 2013, Budapest - Smart Cities Annual Conference
          18-20 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNano Forum 2013
          19-20 June 2013, Frankfurt - Biochemicals & Bioplastics
          8-13 September 2013, Sevilla - Annual Congress and exhibition on advanced materials and processes

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

          21-24 May 2013, Prague - 1st ARCHER EUROCOURSE
          1-5 July 2013, Saclay - MATTER International School on DEsign Rules for gen IV reactors and INnovative reactors (DERIVIN)
          17-19 July 2013,Karlsruhe - EURACT-NMR workshop
          21-26 July 2013, Karlsruhe - ACTINIDES 2013 Conference
          8–12 September 2013, Brussels - 21st International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management Economy 2013
          9–12 September 2013, Bled - 22nd International Conference Nuclear Energy for New Europe
          1–3 October 2013, Cannes - 10th International Conference on Non Destructive Evaluation
          2–4 October 2013, Avignon - ERMSAR 2013
          14-16 October 2013, Vilnius - FISA & EURADWASTE 2013
          27-31 October 2013, Paris - 2 nd SNA & MC 2013 - Joint International Conference on Supercomputing in Nuclear Applications + Monte Carlo

          Further information
          Water Supply and Sanitation Platform (WSSTP)

          No events planned.

          Further information
          Waterborne ETP (Waterborne)

          21 May 2013, La Valletta Malta - SG47+MIRROR GROUP + GA
          26 September 2013, Brussels - SG48 + MG
          21 November 2013, Brussels - SG49 + MG

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

          No events planned

          Further information
        • Joint Technology Initiatives
          Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)

          13 May 2013, Brussels - IMI Stakeholder Forum 2013

          Further information
          Embedded Computing Systems (ARTEMISA)

          14-17 May 2013, Berlin - 9th International nanotechnology Conference on Communication and cooperation
          11-12 June 2013, Madrid - ARTEMIS Summer Camp 2013
          16-20 June 2013, Budva - The 2013 Mediterranean Conference Event: Embedded and Cyber-physical Systems
          18-20 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNanoForum 2013
          24 June 2013, Budapest - 2nd Workshop on Open Resilient human-aware Cyber-physical Systems (WORCS-2013)
          26 September 2013, Paris - European Microelectronics Summit
          26-27 September 2013, Messencenter Graz - JTI Electronics in Horizon 2020
          1-2 October 2013, Brussels - JTI Event
          6-8 November 2013, Vilnius - ICT 2013: Create, Connect, Grow
          8-10 November 2013, Dresden - SEMICON Europa 2013
          27-28 November 2013, Barcelona - European Nanoelectronics Forum (ENIAC)
          4-5 December 2013, Stockholm - Co-summit 2013

          Further information
          Nanoelectronics Technologies 2020 (ENIAC)

          14-17 May 2013, Berlin - INC9
          24 May 2013, Brussels - 7th SEMI Brussels Forum
          18-20 June 2013, Dublin - EuroNanoForum
          15-19 July 2013, Otsu - 13th International Forum on Embedded MPSoC and Multicore
          16-20 September 2013, - ESSDERC-ESSCIRC Conference Series
          18-20 September 2013, Roma - Nanoforum
          8-10 October 2013, Dresden - SEMICON Europa 2013
          6-8 November 2013, Vilnius - ICT 2013: Create, Connect, Grow
          27-28 November 2013, Barcelona - European Nanoelectronics Forum

          Further information
          Aeronautics and Air Transport (Clean Sky)

          30 May 2013, Brussels - Clean Sky SME Day
          17-23 June 2013, Paris - International Paris Air Show 2013
          1-5 July 2013, Munich - EUCASS 2013: Fifth European Aerospace Conference

          Further information
          Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH)

          9 September 2013, Brussels - The 5th International Conference on Hydrogen Safety

          Further information

    • Innovation policy

      2009-07-08 - Transforming the EU into an innovation society: new blog invites the public to share ideas

      An open consultation on EU innovation policy has been set up by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry (DG ENTR) in the form of an online Web log (blog). Members of an expert panel have posted their ideas for creating a more innovative Europe, and the public is invited to comment, vote, and share their own ideas between 7 July and 31 August. The feedback will be used by the panel to make recommendations for the Commission's European Plan for Innovation in early autumn.

      Further information

    • Education policy

      2009-07-01 - 10,000 Erasmus Mundus scholarships for 2009-2010

      The European Commission has just awarded almost 10,000 new grants to be funded by the Erasmus Mundus programme in the academic year 2009-2010. 8,385 students and academics will come to study or teach in Europe, and 1,561 Europeans will spend periods at partner institutions in countries outside Europe.

      Further information
      2009-07-08 - Going abroad to learn - Commission launches a public consultation on mobility opportunities for young people

      The European Commission today published a Green Paper on "Promoting the learning mobility of young people" with the aim of opening up a debate on how best to boost the opportunities for young people in Europe to develop their knowledge and skills by going abroad. Spending a period in another country for studying, learning, work experience or volunteering is one of the fundamental ways in which young people can strengthen their future employability as well as their personal development. With this Green Paper the Commission is launching a public consultation which will be open until 15 December 2009. Responses will be gathered via an online questionnaire and by written submissions.

      Further information
      2009-07-16 - Key data on education in Europe: Longer schooling, fewer pupils and teachers

      The European Commission today presented a report identifying both major positive trends and serious challenges for education systems across Europe. Positive news include: the increasing enrolment of 4-year olds in pre-school education, a significant rise in the numbers of students in higher education and a general trend towards longer periods of compulsory schooling. Among the important future challenges to be addressed will be demographic change, which means both fewer children of school age in Europe and teacher retirement on a very large scale in many countries in the near future. The report also states a universal trend to greater autonomy of schools in Europe.

      Further information
      2009-07-30 - Erasmus reaches the 2 million students mark

      According to new figures, released today, the EU’s Erasmus programme for mobility and co-operation in higher education, continued its successful course in the academic year 2007/2008 by enabling more than 162 000 European students and 27 000 academics to go abroad to study or teach. For the first time Erasmus has also supported as many as 20 000 students in doing work placements in companies and organisations in other countries and allowed almost 5 000 university staff to pursue training abroad. Student exchanges with Erasmus, counting both studies and placements abroad, grew by 5.2 % compared to 2006/07, while the increase for study mobility alone was of 2.1 %. On the basis of these latest figures, it can be assumed that by mid 2009 Erasmus has exceeded the mark of 2 million students.

      Further information

    • Regional policy

      2009-07-22 - The European Commission proposes simplifying the management of the European Funds to assist regions in tackling the crisis

      The European Commission today adopted new measures aimed at simplifying management rules for the Cohesion Policy. In the context of the current crisis, the aim is to boost the European economy by improving the conditions for launching more projects in the regions. As part of the measures to combat the crisis, the Commission may reimburse 100% of the costs declared by the Member States for projects financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) in 2009 and 2010.

      Further information

    • Information society

      2009-07-01 - End of 'roaming rip-off': cost of texting, calling, surfing the web abroad to plummet from today thanks to EU action

      As of today, sending a text message from abroad in the EU costs a maximum €0.11, almost three times cheaper than the previous EU average of €0.28 (excl. VAT). To make a roamed call in another EU country must not cost more than €0.43 per minute, and no more than €0.19 to receive a call. From today, outgoing roaming calls will be charged by the second, after the first 30 seconds, rather than by the minute, and incoming calls will be charged by the second from the first second. Holidaymakers and business travellers can also surf the web,  download movies or send photos with their mobile  without fear of ‘bill shocks’ while roaming thanks to a wholesale cap of € 1 per megabyte (MB) downloaded. All these measures are expected to cut roaming charges for EU consumers by a further 60% and increase mobile phone use. The EU first acted on roaming in 2007 reducing the cost of voice roaming calls by 70%.

      Further information
      2009-07-03 - Adjusting EU ICT standardisation policy to the realities of 21 century

      The landscape for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) standardisation has dramatically changed over the last decade. Alongside the traditional standard stetting organisations, specialised and mostly global fora and consortia have become more active and several have emerged as world-leading ICT standards development bodies, such as those responsible for the standards covering the internet and the World Wide Web. This development is not reflected in the EU standardisation policy. Fora and consortia standards cannot currently be referenced, even if they could be of benefit in helping to achieve public policy goals. Without decisive action the EU will fail to master the information society, will not realise a number of important European policy goals which require interoperability such as e-health, accessibility, security, e-business, e-government, transport, etc, and will face obstacles to being a driving force in the development and promotion of international standards for personal data protection as set out in the Communication on the Stockholm programme. The reforms proposed in the White Paper should improve the possibilities to use and reference EU recognised standards in legislation and public procurement. The proposed reforms will also give the EU a bigger influence on international standard setting in the field of ICT.

      Further information
      2009-07-10 - How to transform the "digital dividend" into consumer benefits and up to €50 billion in economic growth for Europe?

      The change from analogue to digital TV in Europe will free up radio frequencies for use by new services. The EU is well placed to benefit from this “digital dividend”: Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders) and major areas in Austria have already switched off analogue terrestrial TV transmissions, and other EU countries will follow by 2012 (  IP/09/266 ) . On 12 June, the USA also switched to digital TV transmissions. Unleashing the full potential of the switchover is on top of the EU's telecoms policy agenda as the newly available radio spectrum can improve the way we communicate and access audiovisual content. Used efficiently, it will also bring economies of scale and improve the EU’s competitiveness by increasing innovation in equipment and wireless services, as well as by facilitating access to mobile broadband. Today, the Commission launched a consultation to determine how to better work together at EU level to get the most from this unique opportunity. The consultation will run until 4 September 2009.

      Further information
      2009-07-27 - EU frees new spectrum for new and faster mobile services

      Europe took an important step towards a new generation of mobile services today. The Council of Ministers followed the European Parliament in approving a proposal from the European Commission to modernise European legislation – the so-called GSM Directive – on the use of the radio spectrum needed for mobile services. The GSM Directive of 1987 reserves the use of part of the 900MHz spectrum band to GSM (Global System for Mobile or originally Groupe Spécial Mobile) access technologies such as mobile phones. The updated Directive now allows the 900 MHz frequency band to be used to provide faster, pan-European services such as mobile internet while ensuring the continuation of GSM services. This new flexibility will foster stronger competition on Europe's telecoms market and contribute to a more rapid and more widespread roll-out of wireless broadband services, one of the drivers of economic recovery. Industry savings of up to € 1.6 billion are expected from the reform of the GSM Directive. The renewed Directive will enter into force this October. The Commission had proposed the reform of the GSM Directive in parallel to the reform of the EU Telecoms Rules. The reformed GSM Directive is the first of several important Directives in the telecoms sector being negotiated where the agreement of Parliament and Council now paves the way for a stronger wireless economy.

      Further information
  • Other EU Policies and funding programmes supporting the Lisbon Strategy

    Other EU Policies and funding programmes supporting the Lisbon Strategy

    • Environment

      2009-07-02 - Air quality: Commission takes decision on Member State requests for additional time to comply with EU air quality standards

      The European Commission today adopted nine decisions addressed to Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, Hungary and the Slovak Republic concerning temporary exemptions in 94 zones or agglomerations from the EU's air quality standards for airborne particles known as PM 10. Under the 2008 EU air quality Directive   1   , Member States may, under strict conditions and for specific parts of the country, extend the time for meeting the PM 10 standard until June 2011. The Commission decisions approve the time extensions for 19 air quality zones in Austria, Germany and Hungary and raised objections to the exemptions in all other zones.

      Further information
      2009-07-13 - Many of Europe's most vulnerable species and habitats under threat

      Today the Commission published a report on the conservation status of over 1150 species and 200 habitat types protected under EU law. Only a small proportion of these vulnerable habitats and species have achieved good conservation status and Member States will need to strengthen their efforts if this situation is to improve. The report, which covers 2001-2006 and is the most comprehensive survey of EU biodiversity ever undertaken, provides an invaluable reference point for measuring future trends. Grasslands, wetlands and coastal habitats face the greatest threats, mainly due to the decline of traditional patterns of agriculture, tourist development and climate change. The picture is not uniformly gloomy, however, and some larger, emblematic species such as the wolf, Eurasian lynx, beaver and otter are beginning to re-colonize parts of their traditional range. Many Member States invested heavily to carry out the detailed monitoring, and despite a number of gaps, the reporting has been a great success.

      Further information
      2009-07-16 - Commission calls time on sub-standard landfills in the EU

      Today marks the deadline for sub-standard landfills in the European Union to comply with EU rules. Member States have had eight years to ensure sites that existed before European legislation on landfills became applicable were brought into line or closed down altogether. The Commission has written to all Member States to remind them of their obligation and to gather data on compliance. Those found to be in breach of the legislation may face legal action. Sub-standard landfills are a hazard to public health and the environment. They have the potential to create air emissions and odours, pollute soil and water, and contaminate the groundwater. From today, Member States are also required to reduce the amounts of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfills by half of 1995 levels.

      Further information
      2009-07-29 - Europeans overwhelmingly consider the environmental impact of products they buy

      Four out of five Europeans say that they consider the environmental impact of the products they buy reveals a Eurobarometer survey published today. Environmental consideration was highest in Greece where more than 9 in 10 of those surveyed said the impact of a product on the environment plays an important aspect in their purchasing decisions. In the same survey Europeans were evenly divided about claims by producers on the environmental performance of their products while nearly half thought that a combination of increased taxes on environmentally-damaging products and decreased taxes on environmentally-friendly products would best promote eco-friendly products. There was also strong support for retailers to play a role in promoting environmentally-friendly products and for mandatory carbon labelling.

      Further information

    • Health

      2009-07-08 - Commission calls for scaling up of seasonal flu vaccination in Europe

      Today, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Council recommendation on seasonal flu vaccination. The proposed recommendation calls on EU countries to ensure that 75% of their elderly population and 75% of people with some specific underlying health problems are vaccinated every year against seasonal flu. This target should be achieved by 2015 at the latest. Vaccination coverage rates in older people vary considerably in Europe ranging from 2% in Lithuania to 80% in the Netherlands. Additional measures mentioned in the proposal include education and training for healthcare workers on seasonal influenza as well as information to those people targeted for vaccination and their families. Each country should report annually to the Commission on the progress they make with vaccination coverage until 2015 and then every 3 years.

      Further information
      2009-07-09 - 'Be Healthy, be yourself' – Commission launches youth health initiative

      Involving young people more actively in developing EU health policies is the aim of an initiative launched today by the European Commissioner for Health, Androulla Vassiliou. The initiative kicks off with a conference on Youth Health in Brussels on 9 and 10 July 2009. Over 200 young people, from across Europe, aged 18-25 years will meet with policymakers and health organisations to debate key health issues, such as the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs, or physical activity and mental health. Cross cutting issues, including the financial crisis, inequalities in health, education and the role of the media will also be addressed. The conference is organised jointly with the European Youth Forum and accompanied by a multi-lingual website on the EU health portal which includes a blog where young people can have their say on health.

      Further information
      2009-07-22 - Commission steps up action on Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions

      Today, the European Commission adopted concrete proposals to tackle Alzheimer’s disease, dementias and other neurodegenerative conditions. These shared health and social challenges in Europe call for coordinated actions to ensure efficient prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for those affected. In addition, European countries are also invited to pool their resources and better coordinate their research efforts in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, and Alzheimer’s in particular, by programming their research investments jointly for the first time, instead of each separately. There are currently over seven million people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders in Europe and it is predicted that this number will double in the next 20 years. It is vital to plan, invest and cooperate in this field today both to control the social costs of these diseases as well as to offer hope, dignity and healthier lives to the millions of sufferers and their families. Today's actions mark important new steps both in the Commission's 'Europe for Patients campaign' and the new approach of Joint Programming in research.

      Further information
      2009-07-22 - Commission approves extra funds to combat Bluetongue and Scrapie

      The European Commission decided today to provide additional financial support to the Bluetongue vaccination programmes of various Member States and approved a series of special support measures to help Cyprus better deal with the problem of Scrapie in its sheep and goat populations. Vaccination is the main tool to control Bluetongue and, by extension, to reduce farmer losses and trade disturbances that are attributed to the disease. The additional amount to be made available to Member States for vaccination is approximately 59 million Euros. The special support measures to combat Scrapie in Cyprus will be employed to implement a two-year programme that has been submitted by the Cypriot authorities. More than 5 million Euros will become available in 2009 to assist Cyprus' efforts against Scrapie.

      Further information
      2009-07-23 - Commission calls on EU Member States to join forces against Alzheimer's disease

      On 22 July the European Commission called on EU Member States to pool their resources and better coordinate research efforts to combat Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The proposals adopted by the Commission follow a 2008 recommendation by the Council of the European Union to launch a joint programming initiative in this field in 2009.

      Further information

    • Transport

      2009-07-22 - Mandates of the European coordinators in the trans-European transport networks sector renewed

      The European Commission, on a proposal from Vice-President Tajani, has just renewed the mandates of six coordinators in the trans-European transport networks sector. With this decision, the Commission confirms the European coordinator solution which has proved to be both effective and decisive for Priority Projects where progress has met with difficulties.

      Further information

    • Agriculture and fisheries

      2009-07-06 - Roadmap to boost the European agro-food industry

      The EU’s food industry is not excluded from today’s economic downturn. To give this important industry sector fresh impetus, European Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen and Commissioners Mariann Fischer Boel and Meglena Kuneva, today discussed with stakeholders the follow up to the recommendations of the High level Group, which were issued on 17 th March 2009.

      Further information
      2009-07-22 - Milk crisis: Commission proposes measures to stabilise dairy market

      The European Commission will continue do all it can to support milk farmers and stabilise the dairy market. In its dairy market situation report, published today, the Commission sets out the catalogue of measures available to help alleviate the very difficult market situation. The Commission will continue to use instruments such as intervention, private storage aid and export refunds. It will allow direct payments to farmers to be paid early and has just launched a new round of dairy promotion programmes. Other potential measures include using levies on producers who exceed their quota to finance voluntary retirement from milk production, and the extension to farmers of the Temporary Crisis Framework for state aid. Member States also have the possibility to redistribute aid to the dairy sector under last year's Health Check agreement, while there are a number of possibilities to help milk farmers within Rural Development policy. The Commission is continuing its examination of potential anti-competitive practices in the food supply chain, especially the dairy sector. In line with the conclusions of the June European Council, the Commission will not reverse decisions already taken on the quota system.

      Further information

    • Energy

      2009-07-02 - Gas Coordination Group identify regional cooperation and filling storages as the best means to mitigate potential gas cuts

      The Gas Coordination Group, chaired by the Commission, has analysed in a extraordinary meeting held today in Brussels the progress made by the Member States of the EU and the Energy Community (EnCT) to increase their preparedness to a potential supply disruption. The Commission has stressed the need to fill the storages and seek further regional arrangements ahead of any possible disruption.

      Further information
      2009-07-02 - Hydrogen buses, clean power stations and greener laptops: Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative launches a €140 million call for proposals for cutting-edge research

      With today's publication of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative (JTI)'s second call for proposals for research, Europe stays the course to realise the potential of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies and to create a cleaner energy system for the future. Around €140 million have been allocated to this second call, with €71.3 million by the Commission matched by in-kind contributions of the industrial partners. The 29 project topics aim to put fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies on the market two to five years sooner than what is estimated without the support it offers. Selected teams of researchers will investigate bottlenecks in the whole range of applications for these energy technologies, from cars to large scale power plants, as well as the whole supply chain from hydrogen production to demonstration of the market-readiness of applications. Breakthrough research should foster the use of hydrogen-fuelled buses and fuel cell vehicles. It will help develop hydrogen storage and improve fuel cells' durability, performance and the cost-efficiency to make green applications such as power stations or laptops ready for the market. This call is the second being launched by this EU-wide collaborative private-public partnership whose total budget amounts around €1bn to be invested by 2014.

      Further information
      2009-07-10 - President Barroso and Commissioner Piebalgs welcome the signature of the Nabucco Intergovernmental Agreement

      President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs welcome the signature in Ankara on Monday of the Nabucco Intergovernmental Agreement, which sets out the terms and conditions under which gas can be exported from the Caspian Sea and the Middle East to the European Union and Turkey. Potentially Nabucco can supply up to 5-10% of European gas demand, but in countries that are currently 100% reliant on one external supply route, it will provide immediate tangible security of supply benefits.

      Further information
      2009-07-16 - Commission proposes to improve transparency on investment projects into EU energy infrastructure

      The European Commission adopted today a proposal for a regulation to receive better information on investment projects into energy infrastructure within the EU. This will establish greater transparency on the likely evolution of energy infrastructure in main energy sectors such as oil (including biofuels), electricity (including nuclear electricity) and gas, but also in related areas such as the transport and storage of carbon related to energy production. Transparency on planned and ongoing investment projects will help to assess whether there is a risk of infrastructure gaps over the coming years as a significant proportion of ageing capacities have to be renewed or new capacities have to be built in order to make the low carbon energy mix a reality.

      Further information
      2009-07-16 - The Commission adopts new rules to prevent and deal with gas supply crises

      The European Commission today has adopted a new regulation to improve security of gas supplies in the framework of the internal gas market. The proposed Regulation would strengthen the existing EU system for gas supply security by ensuring that all Member States and their gas market players take effective action well in advance to prevent and mitigate the consequences of potential disruptions to gas supplies. It also would create mechanisms for Member States to work together to deal effectively with any major gas disruptions which might arise.

      Further information
      2009-07-17 - Commission welcomes the recommendations presented in the first activity report of the EU Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG)

      European Commissioner for Energy, Mr Piebalgs welcomed the first activity report of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG), presented today by the group's chairman, Mr Stritar. The broader objective of the Group's work is to contribute to maintaining and further improving the safety of nuclear installations and the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. The report presents Group's discussions and recommendations covering nuclear safety, waste management and transparency aspects. It acknowledges the positive and important contribution of the ENSREG's framework over the last two years to improving the communication and information-sharing between European nuclear safety regulators.

      Further information
      2009-07-22 - Commission adopts four ecodesign regulations that will save the equivalent power consumption of Austria and Sweden

      The European Commission adopted today four ecodesign regulations to improve the energy efficiency of industrial motors, circulators, televisions, refrigerators and freezers. The regulations lay down energy efficiency requirements which will save about 190 TWh per year by 2020, which is comparable to the combined annual electricity consumption of Sweden and Austria.

      Further information

    • External relations – Enlargement

      2009-07-09 - EU-Russia research cooperation good but could be better, says report

      EU-Russia cooperation works well and Russian partners' contribution to EU-funded projects is highly appreciated by EU partners. Nevertheless, much needs to be done to boost Russian participation in the EU framework programmes and to integrate them fully into the European Research Area (ERA).

      Further information
      2009-07-30 - EU-African Union Scientific Partnership: €63 million to support research for Africa

      Today, the European Commission launched a call for proposals entirely dedicated to research for Africa. Africa continues to face serious challenges to sustain its development and research can develop solutions. This special initiative for Africa will address some of the science and technology objectives included in the EU-Africa Strategic Partnership agreed on by the European Commission and the African Union Commission in December 2007. Up to €63 million will be allocated to research projects in 2010 aiming to improve health conditions, and water and food security in Africa. Supported research activities will involve African partners, with the aim to strengthen Africa's research base.

      Further information

    • Maritime Affairs

      2009-07-03 - Tuna governance advances, but capacity is still 'the' issue

      The European Commission welcomes the strong endorsement given by the international community to the 'Kobe process' to improve and streamline international management of high-seas tuna fisheries at a meeting in San Sebastian, Spain, which closed earlier today. Positive results include steps to accelerate the alignment of the regulation of these fisheries throughout the world on those standards which constitute current best practice. However, the Commission regrets the fact that the representatives of contracting parties to the five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) concerned proved unable to reach consensus on immediate action to freeze the capacity of the global tuna fleet.

      Further information
      2009-07-08 - Commission looking for joint actions to tackle economic crisis

      The European Commission held a two-day discussion with representatives from Member States, captains of maritime transport and the European Investment Bank in order to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on maritime transport industries. Together they reviewed the contribution of European actions aimed at helping the sector cope with and overcome difficulties resulting from the economic crisis. The discussions took place in the framework of the annual meeting of stakeholders and experts on Short Sea Shipping and Motorways of the Sea, gathering also accession and EFTA countries and Shortsea promotion centres.

      Further information
      2009-07-29 - Commission adopts innovative plan to protect anchovy stock in Bay of Biscay

      The European Commission today adopted a proposal for a long-term plan to manage the anchovy stock in the Bay of Biscay. The aim of the plan is to maintain the stock at a level that allows it to be exploited sustainably, while at the same time delivering stability and profitability for the fishing sector. Since anchovy is a short-lived species, the plan is based on a simple rule for setting annual fishing possibilities on the basis of scientific advice received just before the fishing season should open on 1 July each year. This approach has been promoted by stakeholders, and should considerably facilitate the management of the fishery and reduce uncertainty for fishermen.

      Further information
      2009-07-30 - "The ocean of tomorrow": €34 million dedicated to multidisciplinary research projects to reconcile maritime activities with the preservation of seas and oceans

      Today, the European Commission launched "The ocean of tomorrow " call for research proposals. Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface, but human activity is increasing environmental pressure on them. This is threatening both marine ecosystems and sustainable maritime activities. The objective of this call for proposals is to help us understand how arctic and marine ecosystems respond to a combination of natural and human-induced factors. This should provide a scientific basis for sustainable management measures, supporting policies and possible related technologies. Up to €34 million will be allocated to large multidisciplinary research projects involving partners from different countries and research fields. It is a concrete example of the cross-thematic approach recommended by the European Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research, adopted in September 2008.

      Further information
  • Research, Innovation, Training and Competitiveness related EU events

    Research, Innovation, Training and Competitiveness related EU events

Special chapter on training opportunities

Next Sessions in English in Brussels

Prochaines sessions en français à Paris et Bruxelles

Le montage des projets européens du 7ème PCRD

Date : mardi 04 juin 2013

Comment rédiger une proposition réellement compétitive? Conseils stratégiques et méthodologiques.

Formations dispensées par d’anciens "Project Officers" de la Commission européenne ayant une expérience pratique des projets européens de R&D.

Lieu : Paris - Langue de formation : Français

Prix : 590€ HTVA

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Les contrats européens de recherche : module financier

Date : mercredi 05 juin 2013

Session d'approfondissement - Comprendre les règles financières sous le 7ème Programme-Cadre de Recherche et Développement. Comment préparer votre budget? Comment gérer votre budget?

Formations dispensées par d’anciens "Project Officers" de la Commission européenne ayant une expérience pratique des projets européens de R&D.

Lieu : Paris - Langue de formation : Français

Prix : 590€ HTVA

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Plus d'information

Audits et contrôles de votre contrat européen de recherche

Date : mardi 25 juin 2013

Les audits et contrôles de votre contrat européen de recherche.
Comment s’y préparer et comment y réagir?

Formations dispensées par d’anciens "Project Officers" de la Commission européenne ayant une expérience pratique des projets européens de R&D.

Lieu : Paris - Langue de formation : Français

Prix : 590€ HTVA

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Plus d'information

Horizon 2020: Comment comprendre le nouveau programme Européen de recherche et d'innovation

Date : mercredi 26 juin 2013

Formations dispensées par d’anciens "Project Officers" de la Commission européenne ayant une expérience pratique des projets européens de R&D

Lieu : Paris - Langue de formation : Français

Prix : 590€ HTVA

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Plus d'information

Próximas sesiones en español a Madrid