Frontier research

Europe has the science. Now it needs the scale. An EU-backed start-up summit is trying to close that gap.

Aviation has an emissions problem. Researchers in four EU-funded projects are betting that hybrid-electric engines could solve it, and aim to demonstrate it by 2030.

More than 30 years ago, Europe made a decision: back researchers, trust their curiosity, and see where it leads. The results have been remarkable.

From predicting climate change to developing new medicines, supercomputers underpin modern science. Europe and Japan are now working together to make them even more powerful and reliable.

Once considered impossible, restoring movement after paralysis is becoming a reality thanks to EU-funded researchers who have developed a device that reconnects the brain to the body.

Living with a brain disorder often means relying on medication that does not work for everyone and, in some cases, surgery. EU-funded researchers are now investigating whether nanotechnology could one day offer a safer, less invasive alternative.

Bees navigate their surroundings with astonishing precision. Their brains are now inspiring the design of tiny, low-power chips that could one day guide miniature robots and sensors.

EU-funded researchers are developing a new generation of ocean sensors able to monitor previously hard-to-reach areas, promising clearer insight into how marine ecosystems are responding to climate change.

Researchers are developing robotic “fingertips” that could give surgeons back their sense of touch during minimally invasive and robotic operations.

EU-funded researchers are exploring how undersea communication cables can double-up as environmental and seismic sensors – a potential game-changer for early warning systems.