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 «Brussels in Brief - Interface Europe’s Newsletter» - January 2009

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  General EU Information

  • European Commission

    2009-01-30 - Do you want to know what is coming up on the EU's agenda?

    The European Commission has launched the EU Calendar, a new Internet tool that allows people anywhere in the world to find out what will be on the agenda of the European institutions in the near future. The EU Calendar is a web tool that aims to help journalists and information professionals to find their way through the continuous flow of information available on EU matters. It is a unique entry point for advance information (texts, links and images) on upcoming legislation, actions and events prepared or organised by the EU institutions.

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  • European Parliament

    2009-01-19 - Strasbourg Plenary session

    Last week's first Parliamentary session of the year opened with Members dealing with key international issues such as the crisis in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute. The week also saw MEPs vote to ban certain pesticides to protect safety.

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

  • Research Policy

    • General points

      2009-01-06 - Czech Presidency R&D information service now online on CORDIS

      As the Czech Republic has now taken its place at the helm of the European Union for the first half of 2009, CORDIS, the Community Research and Development Information Service, has published a new internet portal to provide information on research and development (R&D) activities under the Czech Presidency.

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      2009-01-08 - "We are more intelligent together": EU citizens value science and call for more cooperation at European level

      According to a new qualitative study published today regarding the image of science and the perceptions and attitudes on the European research policy of the EU citizens, science is highly valued and intimately linked to the idea of progress. However, science also gives rise to some fears and reservations – mostly of possible misuse by mankind. The study also reveals support for a more coordinated European research policy and the need to pool human and financial resources to do research on issues of common interest such health, environment or energy. These comments come from group discussions that were carried out in the 27 European Union member states during summer 2008 and which included men and women aged 17 to 60 years, drawn from a mix of social groups.

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      2009-01-22 - A more attractive European Research Area but stagnating EU R&D intensity: no time to take a break!

      The 2008 Science, Technology and Competitiveness (ST&C) key figures report published today provides for the first time an overview of progress from 2000 to 2006 in both EU R&D investment and in implementing the European Research Area (ERA). It shows that Europe's pool of researchers is growing and the EU is becoming more attractive for foreign researchers and for private R&D investments from the US. However, the stagnation of the EU-27's R&D intensity (R&D expenditure as % of GDP) at 1.84% is denting the EU's ambition to become a globally competitive knowledge-based society. Despite increased investment in research by many Member States and an improved efficiency of their research systems, the EU is still far from reaching its Lisbon target of investing 3% of GDP in R&D. A continued low level of business R&D investment, linked to an EU industrial structure with a smaller high tech sector than in the US, hampers the EU's performance. The 2008 Innovation Scoreboard published in parallel provides detailed results of EU innovation performance. Both reports prove that the EU must change its industrial structure, gear up on innovation and ensure more and better use of R&D.

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      2009-01-23 - Reports show EU on right track, but R&D investment stagnating

      The results of the recently published 'European Innovation Scoreboard 2008' and 'Science, Technology and Competitiveness key figures report 2008/2009' indicate substantial improvements in certain areas but show that R&D (research and development) intensity in the EU27 is stagnating. Both reports were presented in Brussels this week by European Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen and Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik.

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    • European Research & Innovation projects

      • ICT

        2009-01-15 - Open access broadband picks up speed

        NYnet, public-private partnership based in Yorkshire, UK, hopes to overcome the challenge posed by rural and coastal areas in the area of broadband and connectivity. The project represents Europe's largest public-sector led, open-access, broadband infrastructure initiative. Now, a Wetherby telecommunications company has been selected as a partner as part of a major initiative to deliver super-fast broadband services to businesses in North Yorkshire. This will offer a major boost to regional SMEs.

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        2009-01-23 - TV subtitles for hearing-impaired viewers are inefficient, study finds

        A team of researchers in Spain have discovered that both the speed at which subtitles appear on television and the actual translation of the dialogues impact the level of understanding of subtitled programmes by teens and children suffering from deafness. The research is published in the journal American Annals of the Deaf.

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        2009-01-28 - VisMaster: Mastering human and computer interactions

        There is no doubt that the advent of computer technology has made peoples' lives easier and computer applications have expanded to impact on almost every aspect of our lives. These applications require huge amounts of storage space for the information and data that they gather and use. The services of specialised computer analysts to help interpret this stored information are crucial. Enter the EU-funded VisMaster project, which aims to tackle this problem through the use of visual analytics.

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      • Health

        2009-01-06 - Study sheds new light on aggressive childhood cancer

        EU-funded researchers have uncovered some of the complex molecular mechanisms that drive the growth of neuroblastoma, a type of cancer found in very young children. The scientists hope that their findings, published in the journal Cancer Cell, will lead to the development of new therapies to treat this often aggressive and unpredictable disease. EU support for the study came from the IMPACT ('Identification of novel targets for cancer therapy') project, which is financed through the 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).

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        2009-01-07 - High-fat diet makes 'good' gene variant turn bad

        A version of a gene that protects lean people against obesity and diabetes has the opposite effect in people with high-fat diets, according to EU-funded research published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The findings could lead to the development of diagnostic tools that would enable doctors to offer therapies and lifestyle advice tailored to an individual's genotype.

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        2009-01-07 - Eliminating measles in Europe by 2010 may be difficult, study suggests

        A large-scale study of measles in 32 European countries, conducted by the EU-funded vaccination surveillance network EUVAC.NET, has brought to light more than 12,000 cases of the disease between 2006 and 2007, mostly in unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated children. The countries most affected were the UK, Germany, Italy, Romania and Switzerland. Increased measles transmissions were seen in the beginning of 2008, notably in the UK, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.

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        2009-01-08 - Scientists in the Netherlands reveal 3-D structure of coronavirus

         A study by EU-funded researchers in the Netherlands has uncovered the three-dimensional structure of the coronavirus, a pathogen implicated in severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the common cold. Their findings, which were made possible by an imaging technique called cryo-electron tomography, provide valuable new insights into the nature of the virus previously unattainable using conventional, two-dimensional imaging methods.

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        2009-01-08 - Study shows disparities in good health and growing old in EU

         European researchers have conducted a study which showed that while life expectancy is increasing in the EU Member States, living longer is not always synonymous with ageing well. Another mystery they unveiled is the age a person will live to in good health. The findings, recently published in The Lancet journal, show that men live on average without health problems up to 67 years of age and women up to 69 years. Past studies showed that the mean life expectancy in the EU was 78 years for men and 83 years for women in 2005.

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        2009-01-12 - Scientists speed up body's repair systems

        EU-funded researchers have succeeded in tricking the bone marrow into releasing extra adult stem cells into the bloodstream. The scientists hope that their findings, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, will eventually lead to the development of new therapies to speed up the treatment of heart disease and broken bones.

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        2009-01-13 - Study uncovers potential new drug target for arthritis treatments

        EU-funded researchers in the UK have found that the joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis may be partly due to antibodies produced within joints themselves. Their findings shed light on why drugs that clear antibody-producing B cells from the bloodstream do not always lead to improvements in rheumatoid arthritis, and point to an enzyme called 'activation-induced cytidine deaminase' (AID) as a potential target for the development of drugs to treat this debilitating disease.

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        2009-01-13 - New guidelines open up the potential of molecular diagnostics

        A new EU-funded research project is set to lead the way in creating top-quality healthcare standards for in vitro diagnostics, an area of medicine that could be of vital importance to personalised medicine. SPIDIA ('Standardisation and improvement of generic pre-analytical tools and procedures for in vitro diagnostics') has recently got off the ground with EUR 9 million from the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under the Health research Theme. The 4-year molecular biology project brings together 16 partners, including 4 small- and medium-sized enterprises, from 11 countries. Clinical chemists and pre-analytical diagnostic tool developers will work to develop new in vitro analysis techniques and standards.

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        2009-01-20 - Researchers discover new genetic factors in severe obesity

        An international team of researchers has identified three genetic variants which increase an individual's risk of becoming obese and may be responsible for up to half of all existing cases of severe obesity. The study, which was funded in part by the EU's Fifth Framework Programme (FP5), is published in the journal Nature Genetics.

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        2009-01-21 - Scientists identify mutation linked to common form of epilepsy

        A team of EU-funded scientists has discovered that a mutation on chromosome 15 is linked to a common form of epilepsy. The findings, which are published in the journal Nature Genetics, add to our understanding of the underlying causes of epilepsy and could eventually lead to the development of new drugs to treat the condition.

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        2009-01-21 - European scientists tackle the C. difficile genome

        Scientists in Germany, France, Italy, Slovenia and the UK are working together to unravel the genetic code of Clostridium difficile, a potentially lethal type of bacteria commonly acquired in hospitals. The HYPERDIFF ('The physiological basis of hypervirulence in clostridium difficile: a prerequisite for effective infection control') project, which is part of an effort to control the spread of highly virulent, multi-drug-resistant bacteria, has been funded with approximately EUR 3 million by the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

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        2009-01-21 - Are laser printers a health hazard?

        Could the humble laser printer be responsible for poor health among office workers? These printers, it has been said, could be to blame for the release of tiny particles of toner-like material into the air. These particles would then be inhaled by consumers deep into their lungs, triggering health-related problems. Now scientists investigating this preconception have come up with surprising results.

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        2009-01-22 - EU-funded researchers tackle cervical cancer

        Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide; each year some 60,000 women in Europe alone are diagnosed with the disease, and around half of these cases will prove fatal. Nipping the problem in the bud is made difficult when the disease is not detected and treated early enough. Supported by the EU with EUR 2.63 million in funding, the ASSIST ('Association studies assisted by inference and semantic technologies') project aimed to fix this problem by creating technological links between medical centres specialising in cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as fuelling data exchange and building a larger data repository.

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        2009-01-23 - Stomach bug gives clues to Pacific migrations

        EU-funded researchers have analysed the genetic sequence of bacteria found in the stomachs of native people in the Pacific in order to shed new light on how and when humans colonised this vast, diverse region. Their findings, published in the journal Science, confirm previous studies from the fields of archaeology, linguistics and human genetics.

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        2009-01-26 - Med-ePHV project keeping an eye on medicine

        Medicines impact the lives of millions of people and strengthen their well-being, but there are risks involved in their use. Scientists agree that risk assessment during drug development should be carried out rigorously, but identifying safety concerns during clinical trials is complex. Pharmacovigilance is a field of science dedicated to the understanding and prevention of the adverse effects of medicines. The Med-ePHV ('Learning and practicing pharmacovigilance in the Mediterranean countries') project, funded under the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) with EUR 804,420, has proposed an innovative approach to EU pharmacovigilance practice.

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        2009-01-28 - Baby's got rhythm: research shows that beat perception is innate

        Newborn babies are capable of detecting the beat of rhythmic sound sequences, researchers in Hungary and the Netherlands have shown. Their findings, published in the journal PNAS (the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), are an outcome of the EU-funded EMCAP ('Emergent cognition through active perception') project, which is funded with EUR 1.95 million under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).

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      • Environment

        2009-01-07 - Scientists discover artwork can tell environmental story

        The impact of climate change on Earth can be measured through works of art like paintings and watercolours, British researchers say. According to researchers at the University of Portsmouth, engineers and coastline managers could use artwork to better understand the threat of rising sea levels.

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        2009-01-12 - Fossils reveal pre-Cambrian microbes, helping to solve Darwin's 150-year-old dilemma

        One hundred and fifty years after the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, scientists in the UK have used new techniques to uncover pre-Cambrian fossils on rocks examined by Darwin's contemporary, John W. Salter, in the 1850s. The findings, which are published in the Journal of the Geological Society, represent further evidence for life before the 'Cambrian explosion', a period of sudden and rapid species diversity.

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        2009-01-14 - Shedding light on a changing Europe

        While membership to the EU is growing, what many may not know is that Europe is in a constant state of flux. As you read this, the Mediterranean basin is shrinking, the Alps are rising and pushing northwards, and Scandinavia is still rebounding after having been crushed by the weight of a thick and huge ice sheet in the ice ages. And the European project TOPO-EUROPE is there to bear witness.

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        2009-01-16 - Carbon sinks: the fish factor

        Research by EU-funded scientists has shed light on how the guts of marine bony fish contribute to the marine carbon cycle, which is undergoing rapid change as a result of increasing CO2 in the atmosphere. The findings, which are published in the journal Science, have helped to resolve a long-standing scientific puzzle and open up new avenues for carbon-cycle research.

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        2009-01-16 - Climate change puts vegetarian cave bear to sleep for good

        A group of Austrian and British researchers estimate the extinction date of the huge cave bear Ursus spelaeus that once inhabited Europe to be 27,800 years ago, coinciding with the Last Glacial Maximum, a key period of climate change. During this time the temperature dropped dramatically, triggering the decline or loss of vegetation consumed by the giant creatures.

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        2009-01-21 - Eco-recycling goes Gozo

        The treatment of biologically degradable waste materials is improving thanks to the European funded Blended Learning Environmental Science (BLES) project. Good results are reported from the Maltese island of Gozo. BLES aims at supporting innovation transfer across the European waste sector.

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        2009-01-22 - Scientists discover underground cosmic rays can detect major weather events

        A team of British and American scientists has discovered a new method to detect major weather events occurring 32 km up in the Earth's stratosphere. Cosmic rays, detected 0.8 km beneath the planet's surface in an obsolete iron mine, have the potential to identify weather events that happen during the Northern Hemisphere winter.

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        2009-01-28 - Geoengineering could complement, but not replace, CO2 emissions cuts

        Geoengineering could help to tackle climate change, but only when coupled with efforts to drastically reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a new study by UK scientists. Their analysis of several geoengineering techniques reveals that many previous studies overestimated their potential effectiveness. Furthermore, the most effective geoengineering solutions also carry the greatest risks.

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      • Agriculture

        2009-01-15 - Higher mortality seen in free-range hens during changeover from battery cages

        Researchers in Sweden have demonstrated that chickens raised in 'litter-based' coop systems, including free-range chickens, are more susceptible to disease than their caged counterparts, especially immediately after the switch-over from a battery system.

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        2009-01-19 - Crop selection could help cool Europe and North America in summertime

        Scientists in the UK have proposed an 'albedo bio-geoengineering' approach to slowing down the warming of the Earth's surface, whereby agricultural crop varieties would be specifically chosen to maximise their solar reflectivity. The study, published in the journal Current Biology, demonstrates how such low-cost measures could cool much of Europe and North America by up to 1°C during the summer growing season.

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      • Transport

        2009-01-13 - Czech scientists target safe transport with substance detector

        A Czech design company and producer of earth science and environmental instrumentation has announced it is developing a new detector that may help relax security regulations at airports, in particular those targeting the transportation of liquids, Ceská hlava's Science and Media Newsletter reported. The new detector's capacity to identify dangerous substances within one second is bound to make travellers breathe a huge sigh of relief.

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        2009-01-20 - Next-generation, fuel-efficient stop-start system to make European cars greener

        The i-StARS (Starter-alternator reversible system) project, which is funded through the European intergovernmental initiative Eureka, is driving ahead with cutting-edge technological advances that will bring European automobile manufacturers in line with new emissions legislation and establish their leadership in the 'green machine' market. Eureka, a pan-European network for market-orientated industrial R&D, has granted i-StARS EUR 9.85 million.

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      • Nanosciences

        2009-01-05 - Swedish scientists make breakthrough in nanowire growth control

        Scientists in Sweden have discovered new ways to control the growth and structure of nanowires at the single-atom level. Their findings, which provide major insights into materials physics, have come out of the NODE (' Nanowire-based one-dimensional electronics') project, funded with approximately EUR 9.5 million under the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The study is published in the January issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

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      • Space

        2009-01-08 - New theory predicts strength of heavenly bodies' magnetic fields

        German scientists have developed a theory that can predict the magnetic field of planets and stars alike. Their computer simulations reveal that the strength of a heavenly body's magnetic field is determined by the amount of energy (in the form of heat or light, for example) that it emits. The theory is backed up by observational data and could help astronomers predict which planets and stars should have detectable magnetic fields.

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        2009-01-12 - Atlantic partnership emerges as black hole tears matter

        Astronomers from Europe and the US have teamed together to study violent flares that are emanating from the super-massive black hole in the centre of the Milky Way. This is the first time that astronomers have simultaneously caught such a flare with their various specialised telescopes. In order to conduct concurrent observations, careful planning and coordination is required between the two teams and their devices. The observations will hopefully reveal a lot more about this intriguing sector in space.

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        2009-01-14 - Searching for new planets: the EU-funded ROPACS project gets underway

        European scientists are searching for Earth-like planets orbiting cooler stars in the EU-funded ROPACS ('Rocky planets around cool stars') project, a Marie Curie training network financed with EUR 3.2 million from the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The international team of researchers hopes to discover planets around other stars that might be hospitable to life, and to better understand the origins of life in the universe.

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      • Energy

        2009-01-19 - From fish waste to fuel tank

        In collaboration with the European Commission, a Finnish research centre is developing a project to produce biodiesel made from the waste generated by a fish-processing plant in Vietnam. With EU funding of more than EUR 2.5 million, the three-year ENERFISH project aims to boost the production of green and renewable energy sources and increase business in developing countries at the same time.

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        2009-01-26 - Europe's fusion researchers to tap into top supercomputing resources

        Europe's nuclear fusion researchers have been granted access to the network of Europe's most powerful supercomputers, the European Commission has announced. The hope is that access to the immense processing power of DEISA ('Distributed European infrastructure for supercomputing applications') will enable scientists to carry out complex simulations of the processes taking place inside a fusion reactor.

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      • Maritime Affairs

        2009-01-26 - Oceans will become oxygen depleted if fossil-fuel use remains unchecked

        Researchers in Denmark have shown that unless human-induced greenhouse-gas emissions are substantially reduced, large areas of the world's oceans will become oxygen depleted and hostile to fish and shellfish. The study is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

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    • 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.

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        2009-01-19 - Glowing report prompts new, more strategic focus in JRC

        A new, independent review of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) describes the organisation as 'an indispensable source of knowledge and expertise in support of the political agenda of the EU' that also plays an instrumental role in 'responding to crisis situations threatening the security of European citizens'.
        
        The evaluation of the JRC's work during the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) was carried out by 14 independent experts led by Sir David King, who until recently was Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government. '[The JRC] successfully achieved the main goals set for its work under the Sixth Framework Programme through a clear customer orientation, robust policy support and underpinning research,' the report reads.

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      • European Technology Plateformes

        Advanced Engineering Materials and Technologies (EuMaT)

        No events planned

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        Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE)

        No events planned

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        European Technology Platform for Wind Energy (TPWind)

        No events planned

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        European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration (EPoSS)

        9 September 2010, Berlin - EPoSS Proposers' Day 2010 "New ICT Work Programme 2011-2012"
        10 September 2010, Berlin - Joint Strategy and Networking Event 2010 "Thinking Ahead the PPP European Green Cars Initiative"
        13-16 September 2010, Berlin - 3rd Electronic System Integration Technology Conference
        26-28 September 2010, Enschede - Micromechanics and Micro systems Europe Workshop
        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - Info ICT 2010: Digitally Driven
        28 September 2010, Besançon - MICRONORA
        29 September 2010, Brussels - InfoDay about Cooperation Opportunities with Latin America and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) in the 2011 work programmes of FP7
        7-8 October 2010, Lisbon - EPoSS General Assembly & Annual Forum
        18-20 October 2010, Wisla - International Multiconference on Computer Science and Information Technology
        19-20 October 2010, Coventry - MM Live 2010
        19-21 October 2010, Dresden - SEMICON Europa 2010
        20-21 October 2010, Brussels - 2nd European Conference SmartGrids and E-Mobility
        23 November 2010, Brussels - SciTech Europe 2010
        30-31 March 2011, Nancy - World Materials Perspectives Summit
        11-14 April 2011, Bilbao - ImagineNano

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        European Technology Platform Food for Life (Food)

        No events planned.

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        Forest Based Sector Technology Platform (Forestry)

        7-9 September 2010, Brussels - Industrial Technologies 2010 Conference
        22 September 2010, Brussels - FTP Advisory Committee
        6-8 October 2010, Salzburg - International Conference on Processing Technologies for the Forest and Bio-based Products Industries
        16-18 November 2010, Brussels - European Paper Week - at the core of green growth

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        Embedded Computing Systems (ARTEMIS)

        7-9 September 2010, Brussels - European Industrial Technologies Conference
        23-25 September 2010, Novosibirsk - Siberian International Innovative Business Congress
        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICT 2010
        19-21 October 2010, London - Embedded Live
        26-27 October 2010, Ghent - Co-summit 2010
        16-17 November 2010, Madrid - CATRENE Forum

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        Nanoelectronics Technologies 2020 (ENIAC)

        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICTO 2010
        7 October 2010, Lisbon - EPoSS General Assembly
        8 October 2010, Lisbon - EPoSS Annual Forum
        19-21 October 2010, Dresden - Semicon Europa
        26-27 October 2010, Ghent - ARTEMIS & ITEA 2 Co-Summit 2010
        16-17 November 2010, Madrid - European Nanoelectronics Forum 2010 (by invitation only)

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        European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC)

        19 September 2010, Brussels - UITP 125 Years
        21-24 September 2010, Berlin - INNOTRANS
        3-9 October 2010, Hong-Kong - International Rail Safety Conference (IRSC)
        5-7 October 2010, St Petersburg - TRANSTEC 2010
        18-22 October 2010, Nagahama - 10th International Workshop on Railway Noise
        25-29 October 2010, Busan - 17th ITS World Congress
        26-29 October 2010, Tokyo - 11th Global Level Crossing Symposium
        2 November 2010, Brussels - CREAM Final Conference
        14-16 November 2010, Fort Lauderdale - IANA Intermodal Expo & NITL TransComp Exhibition
        15 November 2010, Beijing - 7th UIC High Speed 2010
        25 November 2010, Brussels - Rail Energy Final Conference
        30 November-2 December 2010, Amsterdam - Intermodal Europe 2010
        29-31 March 2011, Utrecht - 8th International Conference & Exhibition on Rail Technology
        6-8 April 2011, Brussels - World Congress on Railway Training
        10-14 April 2011, Dubaï - 59th UITP World Congress & Mobility & City Transport Exhibition
        22-26 May 2011, Lille - 9th World Congress WCRR
        6-9 September 2011, Bern - Suisse Traffic

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        European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC)

        29 September 2010, Brussels - ERTRAC Steering Group
        4 October 2010, Aachen - ERTRAC-EAGAR workshop at Aachen Colloquium
        13 October 2010, Brussels - Member States Representatives meeting
        14 October 2010, Brussels - ERTRAC Plenary

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        European Space Technology Platform (ESTP)

        No events planned

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        European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP)

        No events planned

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

        6-10 December 2010, Albuquerque - 4th Internacional Conference on Integration of Renewable and Distributed Energy Resources

        Plus d'information
        Future Manufacturing Technologies (MANUFUTURE)

        No events planned

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

        24 September 2010, Brussels - FP7 project brokerage event
        1-2 February 2011, Brussels - PPE Lead Market Conference

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        Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH)

        15-16 September 2010, Berlin - CLEAN MOBILITY INSIGHTS Conference
        9-10 November 2010, Brussels - FCH JU Stakeholders General Assembly
        15-16 November 2010, Brussels - Strategic Energy Technology Plan conference 2010

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        Industrial Safety ETP (IndustrialSafety)

        5-9 September 2010, Rhodes - ESREL 2010
        7 September 2010, Brussels - ‘Industrial Technologies’ conference
        14-15 September 2010, Warsaw - E-MRS Fall Meeting 2010
        29-30 September 2010, Gothenburg - The first FIVE (Fires In VEhicles) Conference
        16-18 November 2010, Grenoble - Nanosafe 2010 Conference
        14-16 December 2010, Mumbai - The International Conference on Reliability, Safety and Hazards 2010
        11-15 September 2011, Istanbul - 19th World Congress on Occupational Health and Safety at Work

        Plus d'information
        Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)

        No events planned

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        Integral Satcom Initiative (ISI)

        3-8 September 2010, Berlin - IFA
        9-14 September 2010, Amsterdam - IBC 2010
        13-15 September 2010, Cagliari - 5th Advanced Satellite Multimedia Systems Conferences
        13-15 September 2010, Cagliari - 11th Signal Processing for Space Communications Workshop
        22-24 September 2010, Ostend - 5th EU Security Research Conference
        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICT 2010
        28-30 October 2010, Cartagena de Indias - Cooperation EU-LatAm on Future Internet (Andicom 2010)
        30 November-1 December 2010, Amsterdam - PSCE Europe

        Plus d'information
        Mobile and Wireless Communications (eMobility)

        16 September 2010, Venice - eMobility GA6
        17 September 2010, Venice - Joint EX-FI - eMobility meeting to help interested organisations develop proposals for Call 1 of the FI-PPP
        22 September 2010, Brussels - Growing GALILEO 2010 - Information Day
        26 September 2010, Istanbul - Full-Day Workshop on W-GREEN (in conjunction with PIMRC 2010)
        26-30 September 2010, Istanbul - PIMRC 2010 21st Annual IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications
        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICT 2010
        16-18 November 2010, Newbury - WWRF Meeting 25
        29 November-1 December 2010, Tokyo - Internet of Things
        13-15 December 2010, Pune - Beyond the Internet? Innovations for future networks and services
        16-17 December 2010, Ghent - Future Internet Assembly 2010
        6-9 June 2011, Kyoto - IEEE ICC 2011

        Plus d'information
        Nanotechnologies for Medical Applications (NanoMedicine)

        7-9 September 2010, Brussels - Industrial Technologies 2010 Conference
        9-10 September 2010, Twente - IGS conference: Governing Responsible Nanomedical Innovation
        15-17 September 2010, Oslo - The oncology partnering event for biotechs, pharma, investors and academia
        3-6 October 2010, Antalya - International Academy on Nanomedicine
        14-15 October 2010, Milan - ETP Nanomedicine General Assembly & Annual Forum 2010
        18-19 October 2010, Cleveland - 2010 Cleveland NanoMedicine Summit
        23-28 October 2010, Sant Feliu de Guixols - ESF-UB Conference in Biomedicine Nanomedicine: Reality Now and Soon
        2-3 December 2010, Berlin - 7th International Conference on Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology
        20-25 February 2011, Muenster - Winter school on Concept and application of the Precautionary principle in Nanobiotechnology
        11-14 April 2011, Bilbao - ImagineNano
        19-24 June 2011, Lutherstadt Wittenberg - 3rd European Science Foundation Summer School in Nanomedicine 2011

        Plus d'information
        Networked and Electronic Media (NEM)

        3-8 September 2010, Berlin - IFA 2010
        9-14 September 2010, Amsterdam - IBC 2010
        20-23 September 2010, Brisbane - IFIP - International Conference Network of the Future
        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICT event 2010
        13-14 October 2010, Barcelona - 10th NEM General Assembly
        13-15 October 2010, Barcelona - NEM Summit 2010: 3rd NEM Summit
        13-16 October 2010, Seoul - The 9th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality
        16-17 December 2010, Ghent - Future Internet Assembly

        Plus d'information
        Networked European Software and Services Initiative (NESSI)

        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICT Conference
        22-23 October 2010, Warsaw - e-Challenges
        16-17 December 2010, Brussels - EU Collaboration days
        16-17 December 2010, Ghent - FIA

        Plus d'information
        Photonics21 (Photonics)

        6-9 September 2010, Rosario - Speckle 2010
        7-9 September 2010, Brussels - European Industrial Technologies conference
        8-10 September 2010, Porto - European Workshop on Optical Fibre Sensors
        11-16 September 2010, Egmond aan Zee - 18th International Conference on Advanced Laser Technologies
        13-16 September 2010, Karlsruhe - Metamaterials 2010, Fourth International Congress on Advanced Electromagnertic Materials
        15-17 September 2010, Odense - Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Forum Active Ageing: Smart Solutions, New Markets
        19-23 September 2010, Torino - ECOC, 36th European Conference and Exhibiton on Optical Communication
        20-23 September 2010, Toulouse - SPIE Remote Sensing 2010
        26-30 September 2010, Granada - PECs-IX 2010 Ninth International Conference on Photonic and Eletromagnetic Crystal Structures
        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICT 2010 Conference
        28 Septembe 2010, Brussels - Brokerage Event Find your ICT partners face2face
        28-29 September 2010, Frankfurt - Strategies in light Europe
        11-13 October 2010, Como - APMS 2010 International Conference, Competitive and Sustainable Manufacturing, Products and Services
        19-20 October 2010, Aachen - Optics Colloquium
        19-21 October 2010, Dresden - Plastic Electronics Conference 2010
        3-4 November 2010, Telford - Photonics21 supports the Photonex exhibition and conference
        5 November 2010, Brussels - Concertation meeting on biophotonics
        7 November 2010, Denver - Photonics21 Executive Board member Roberta Ramponi as speaker at the Annual Meeting of the IEEE Photonics Society
        24 February 2011, Brussels - Join Photonics21 at the Annual Meeting 2011 in Brussels

        Plus d'information
        Photovoltaics (PV Platform)

        No events planned

        Plus d'information
        Plants for the Future (Plants)

        No events planned.

        Plus d'information
        Robotics (EUROP)

        2 September 2010, Plymouth - Outlook on Personal and Service Robotics
        3-4 September 2010, Clermont-Ferrand - Robotics2010
        6-7 September 2010, Canterbury - ROBOSEC 2010
        6-8 September 2010, Lecce - FAC 7th Symposium on Intelligent Autonomous Vehicles IAV 2010
        7-9 September 2010, Brussels - European Industrial Technologies Conference
        8-10 September 2010, Coimbra - Controlo’2010
        8-10 September 2010, Newcastel - The International Conference on Ageing, Disability and Independence (ICADI)
        9 September 2010, Copenhagen - International Conference on Playware and Robotics
        12-15 September 2010, Viareggio - RO-MAN2010
        15-17 September 2010, Odense - AAL Forum - Active Ageing: Smart Solutions, New Markets
        16-17 September 2010, Bratislava - Robotics in Education (RiE) 2010
        19 September 2010, Madeira Island - IEEE ITSC2010
        21-24 September 2010, Karlsruhe - KI 2010
        23-25 September 2010, Cluj-Napoca - ROBOTICS'10
        26-29 September 2010, Tokyo - IEEE BioRob 2010
        27-28 September 2010, Brussels - ICT Finance Market Place
        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICT 2010
        4-6 October 2010, Osaka - ICAM 2010
        5-7 October 2010, Montréal - CARPI 2010
        15-16 October 2010, Phoenix - ROSE 2010
        18-22 October 2010, Taipei - IROS 2010
        25-29 October 2010, Malaga - BRICS Research Camp on Best Practice in Mobile Manipulation
        1-3 Novembre 2010, Lausanne - DARS 2010
        3-4 November 2010, Winterthur - International Mechatronics Forum 2010
        10-11 November 2010, Herzelia - The 3nd Israeli Conference on Robotics
        10-12 November 2010, Shanghai - ICIRA 2010
        15-18 November 2010, Darmstadt - SIMPAR 2010
        17-19 November 2010, Milan - ROBOTICA 2010
        24-25 November 2010, Singapore - ICSR 2010

        Plus d'information
        European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem)

        20 September 2010, Brussels - SusChem brokerage event
        17-18 February 2011, Barcelona - Sustainable chemistry, innovative and competitive companies

        Plus d'information
        Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNE-TP)

        7 September 2010, Brussels - 9th meeting of the ESNII Task Force
        13 September 2010, Brussels - 1st meeting of the ESNII Team
        14-15 September 2010, location TBD - 2nd SNETP General Assembly and 6th meeting of the SNETP Governing Board
        20-21 September 2010, Genoa - 9th meeting of the SNETP Executive Committee
        7 October 2010, Petten - 2nd meeting of the Working Group on Gen II / III reactor R&D  
        15-16 November 2010, Brussels - High-level conference on the SET Plan organised by the Belgian EU Presidency

        Plus d'information
        Water Supply and Sanitation Platform (WSSTP)

        8-9 September 2010, Braunschweig - International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulic 2010
        12-16 September 2010, Krakow - IAH Congress on Gorundwater Quality Sustainability
        13-16 Sepember 2010, Munich - EWA Symposium on Sustainable wastewaer management New strategies, technologies and Innovative solutions
        13-16 Sepember 2010, Munich - IFAT 2010
        19-23 September 2010, Montreal - IWA 2010
        20-23 September 2010, Timisoara - IAHR Symposium on Hydraulic Machinery and Systems
        29 September 2010, Brussels - Intergroup Water
        9-13 October 2010, Abu Dhabi - ISMAR7 - Seventh International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge
        26 October 2010, Aachen - Nanotechnology meets water treatment Workshop
        27 October 2010, Brussels - Intergroup Water
        1 December 2010, Brussels - Intergroup Water
        6-8 December 2010, Paris - Transboundary Aquifers - Challenges and New Directions

        Plus d'information
        Waterborne ETP (Waterborne)

        15 September 2010, Brussels - Support Group Meeting SG 35 + Mirror Group
        17 November 2010, Brussels - Support Group Meeting SG 36 + Mirror Group

        Plus d'information
        Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants Technology Platform (ETP ZEP)

        7 September 2010, Nowy Sacz - Economic Forum of Young Leaders
        8 September 2010, Rome - ZEROEMISSION 2010
        12 September 2010, Montreal - World Energy Congress
        19-23 September 2010, Amsterdam - 10th International conference on Greenhouse gas control technologies
        21 September 2010, Falkirk - Clean Coal & Carbon Capture and Storage Conference
        13 October 2010, Brussels - ZEP 2010 General Assembly

        Plus d'information

      • Joint Technology Initiatives

        Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)

        No events planned

        Plus d'information
        Embedded Computing Systems (ARTEMISA)

        7-9 September 2010, Brussels - European Industrial Technologies Conference
        23-25 September 2010, Novosibirsk - Siberian International Innovative Business Congress
        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICT 2010
        19-21 October 2010, London - Embedded Live
        26-27 October 2010, Ghent - Co-summit 2010
        16-17 November 2010, Madrid - CATRENE Forum

        Plus d'information
        Nanoelectronics Technologies 2020 (ENIAC)

        27-29 September 2010, Brussels - ICTO 2010
        7 October 2010, Lisbon - EPoSS General Assembly
        8 October 2010, Lisbon - EPoSS Annual Forum
        19-21 October 2010, Dresden - Semicon Europa
        26-27 October 2010, Ghent - ARTEMIS & ITEA 2 Co-Summit 2010
        16-17 November 2010, Madrid - European Nanoelectronics Forum 2010 (by invitation only)

        Plus d'information
        Aeronautics and Air Transport (Clean Sky)

        No events planned

        Plus d'information
        Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH)

        15-16 September 2010, Berlin - CLEAN MOBILITY INSIGHTS Conference
        9-10 November 2010, Brussels - FCH JU Stakeholders General Assembly
        15-16 November 2010, Brussels - Strategic Energy Technology Plan conference 2010

        Plus d'information

  • Innovation policy

    2009-01-22 - Substantial progress on innovation in Europe

    The 2008 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) published today shows the EU making substantial progress in its innovation performance preceding the financial crisis. The relative innovation gap with the US and Japan was reduced, in particular amid strong progress by many new Member States such as Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria. Across the EU, particular progress was made in human resources and availability of finance for innovation. However, innovative investments by businesses are still relatively weak especially if compared to the US and Japan. In parallel to this report, the 2008Science, Technology and Competitiveness report provides a more in-depth analysis of trends in public and business R&D,, technological performance and progress in implementing the European Research Area

    Plus d'information

  • Information society

    2009-01-09 - Cinema: EU film support goes global

    Today, the European Commission adopted a new MEDIA MUNDUS programme, a broad international cooperation programme for the audiovisual industry to strengthen cultural and commercial relations between Europe's film industry and film-makers of third countries. The EU will provide €15 million of funding from 2011-2013 for projects submitted by audiovisual professionals from the EU and third countries. Cooperation with the European film industry is in strong demand around the globe as shown by the initial success of the MEDIA International Preparatory Action under which the EU provided € 2 million of funding for 18 projects involving international partners. The new MEDIA MUNDUS programme will run from 2011-2013 and will capitalise on this growing interest and the opportunities offered by global cooperation of the audiovisual industry. It will increase consumer choice by bringing more culturally diverse products to European and international markets and will create new business opportunities for audiovisual professionals from Europe and around the globe.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-14 - .eu domain passes the 3 million mark

    The third million .eu domain name was registered on 11 January by a German citizen. Two and a half years after its launch, this confirms the success of the .eu top-level internet domain. It is the fourth most popular internet domain among European country domains and the ninth worldwide. By promoting a distinctly European online identity .eu helps citizens and businesses to reap the full benefits of the single market. Multinational companies and SMEs, NGOs and think tanks as well as individual Europeans have all adopted .eu to mark their web presence.

    Plus d'information
• 

  Other EU Policies and funding programmes supporting the Lisbon Strategy

  • Employment and social affairs

    2009-01-20 - President Barroso discusses how to boost "social innovation"

    Today President Barroso met social innovation experts and stakeholders in Brussels, following a workshop organised by the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) on social innovation. The objective of the meeting was to explore ways to boost the social innovation dimension of the Renewed Social Agenda with which the Barroso Commission has put Social Europe back at the heart of its policies. Commissioners Špidla and Hübner also participated in the workshop.

    Plus d'information

  • Environment

    2009-01-28 - Climate change: Commission sets out proposals for global pact on climate change at Copenhagen

    The European Commission today set out its proposals for a comprehensive and ambitious new global agreement to tackle climate change and how it could be financed. The new pact is due to be concluded at the Copenhagen UN climate conference in December. In order to keep temperature increase below 2°C, developing countries will require substantially higher funding from the developed world and multilateral institutions to help them shoulder their contribution to addressing climate change. The Commission’s proposals include the creation of an OECD-wide carbon market by 2015 and of innovative international funding sources based on countries' emissions and ability to pay.

    Plus d'information

  • Health

    2009-01-22 - Europe needs to intensify and double cancer screening, concludes Commission report

    Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the European Union. Breast, cervical and colorectal cancer accounts for 32% of cancer deaths in women and 11% in men. With an ageing population, the figures are due to increase, unless preventive measures are taken to reduce cancer deaths. The European Union shares a common commitment to ensuring proper screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, as set out in Council Recommendation of 2 December 2003 on cancer screening (2003/878/EC). In the first implementation report, the Commission highlights that although much progress has been made in the field of cancer screening, Member States have not fully put this screening in place. Less than half of the minimum recommended numbers of screenings take place in the EU each year. By providing a clear description of the situation and the gaps, this report helps to renew the commitment to put in place breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening as a crucial and cost-effective measure to reduce the burden of cancer in the European Union.

    Plus d'information

  • Transport

    2009-01-05 - A single certificate for safer navigation on European inland waterways

    As of 2009, vessels carrying the new European safety certificate are allowed to navigate on all rivers in the Union, including the Rhine. According to the new Community rules this single certificate is delivered on technical requirements for inland waterway vessels. The implementation of these common rules is a great step forward for the safety of inland waterway transport in Europe.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-16 - A strategic milestone for the modernisation of air traffic management

    Today, the European Commission agreed on new rules for the use of data link in air traffic management (ATM) systems in Europe. Data link technology revolutionizes communications between air traffic controllers and pilots through supplementing voice communications with an air-ground data link. The set of common technical and procedural rules adopted today are essential to modernize air traffic management systems within the Single European Sky.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-21 - Vice President Tajani : EU action needed to promote sustainable urban mobility

    Vice President Antonio Tajani announced today the action plan at EU level to tackle the chronic problems created by transport in Europe's towns and cities. Speaking at the CIVITAS II Final Conference, held in Toulouse from 21-23 January 2009, he noted that for Europe to meet its commitments on climate change, energy security and environmental pollution, all actors at EU level, cities, Member States and the EU, need to work together to find solutions to the congestion and environmental problems that plague our cities.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-23 - Digital tachograph for road transport: new measures to prevent fraud and equip light vehicles

    Today, the European Commission adopted a package of measures aimed at detecting and preventing abuses of the tachograph system, used to record the driving time and rest periods of professional drivers. Furthermore, the new legislation permits the use of dedicated, type-approved adaptors for light vehicles that are required to comply with the Drivers' Hours and Tachograph rules.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-26 - Greening road transport: EU-funded research supports EU's environmental objectives

    On 26 January 2009, Commissioner Janez Potocnik will address the European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) conference. ERTRAC will unveil the scenarios for Europe's road transport system of the future, and set out what the sector needs to do to achieve a step-change in the sustainability of road transport. This MEMO provides with information of how EU research policy contributes to the overall EU's objective to fight climate change by supporting transport research.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-27 - Potocnik challenges car industry to come up with urban transport solutions 'within the next year'

    European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik has challenged Europe's automotive industry to come up with a clear vision for the next generation of road transport in Europe's cities by the middle of next year. The Commissioner was speaking at the ERTRAC (European Road Transport Research Advisory Council) conference in Brussels, Belgium on 26 January 2009.

    Plus d'information

  • Space

    2009-01-16 - International Year of Astronomy 2009 gets underway

    The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) has been officially launched at a ceremony in Paris, France. Over the next 12 months, people around the world will have the opportunity to gaze at the stars, learn about the universe and find out about some of the latest discoveries in astronomy.

    Plus d'information

  • Agriculture and fisheries

    2009-01-21 - European Group on Ethics (EGE) asks European Commission to embed ethical principles in agriculture policies

    The European Group on Ethics (EGE) today met with Mariann Fischer Boel, the Commissioner responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development to present the main recommendations of the Group's opinion on the ethical implications of modern developments in agriculture technologies.

    Plus d'information

  • Energy

    2009-01-19 - Gas Coordination Group: Solidarity works and the EU's gas market adapts to challenges of gas crisis

    The mitigation measures undertaken by EU companies and Member States have allowed most countries to successfully manage the situation in a way which is the least disruptive for their consumers. Bulgaria remains the worst affected country but some measures have been proposed to bring gas from Greece to Bulgaria.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-28 - European Commission: investing today for tomorrow's energy

    As a response to the financial crisis and as an attempt to reinforce the EU's energy supply, the Commission proposed in November 2008 a European Economic Recovery Plan that was endorsed by European Council in December. An important part of the plan is aimed at aiding economic recovery by granting Community financial assistance to projects in the field of energy. These projects will make a clear contribution to the objectives of security of energy supply and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A financial envelope of € 3.5 billion is foreseen in the following 3 areas: gas and electricity interconnection, the next generation of offshore wind technology and Carbon Capture and Storage.

    Plus d'information

  • External relations – Enlargement

    2009-01-26 - Member States reinforce European Commission efforts to fund infrastructure projects in the EU neighbourhood

    The signature of the "NIF Trust Fund Agreement" in the margins of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 26 January 2009, will allow EU Member States to provide additional funds to the Neighbourhood Investment Facility, a key lever of the European Neighbourhood Policy. This Trust Fund has been opened by the European Investment Bank in order to receive Member States bilateral contributions for the funding of infrastructure projects to the Union's East and South. In 2008, € 37 million of additional contributions have been pledged by 15 Member State and will complement the € 100 million already provided by the EC Budget.

    Plus d'information

  • Maritime Affairs

    2009-01-21 - The Commission presents the strategic goals for European maritime transport policy up to 2018

    The European Commission presented today a comprehensive ten year strategy plan to promote safe, secure, clean and efficient shipping. The long-term competitiveness of European shipping and related maritime industries in world markets, and the adaptation of the entire seaborne transport system to the challenges of the 21st century are at the heart of this strategy plan.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-21 - Towards a European maritime transport area without barriers

    Today the European Commission adopted an action plan aimed at creating a maritime transport area without borders in Europe. This plan includes several legislative measures, including a proposal aimed at simplifying administrative formalities based on Community regulations and recommendations to Member States for reducing the administrative burdens imposed on shipping companies.

    Plus d'information

  • Maritime Affairs

    2009-01-21 - The Commission presents the strategic goals for European maritime transport policy up to 2018

    The European Commission presented today a comprehensive ten year strategy plan to promote safe, secure, clean and efficient shipping. The long-term competitiveness of European shipping and related maritime industries in world markets, and the adaptation of the entire seaborne transport system to the challenges of the 21st century are at the heart of this strategy plan.

    Plus d'information

    2009-01-21 - Towards a European maritime transport area without barriers

    Today the European Commission adopted an action plan aimed at creating a maritime transport area without borders in Europe. This plan includes several legislative measures, including a proposal aimed at simplifying administrative formalities based on Community regulations and recommendations to Member States for reducing the administrative burdens imposed on shipping companies.

    Plus d'information
• 

  Research, Innovation, Training and Competitiveness related EU events

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

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

    Plus d'information

Special chapter on training opportunities

Next Sessions in English in Brussels

Prochaines sessions en français à Paris et Bruxelles

Próximas sesiones en español a Madrid