Policy

The growing number of female doctoral graduates in the European Union is not reflected in the number of women taking up senior science research positions. The GENDERA project looked into the matter.

Europe’s new fleet of observation satellites will monitor the earth in real time, giving vital data on things like sea ice, pollution and crop maturity as part of the EU's earth monitoring programme that also includes sensors on the ground, at sea and in the air.

Ministers representing many of the world's main economic powers met on 6 September 2013 to show their support for one of the world’s most ambitious scientific experiments – a nuclear fusion reactor that will operate at temperatures ten times hotter than the core of the sun.

Scientists are developing algorithms that can connect researchers across the world who have similar interests by scanning the content of academic papers.

Solving major challenges like finding alternatives to fossil fuels and new antibiotics, boosting the competitiveness of EU industry in sectors that provide good jobs, and bringing research to market – these are the main aims of the EUR 22 billion research partnerships between the EU, industry and Member States that the European Commission announced on 10 July.

Dr Conor O’Carroll, Research Director at the Irish Universities Association, argues that the Scientific Visa pioneered by France and implemented as a European Directive in 2005 is in itself a really effective method for attracting researchers to Europe.

If the type of patents being filed by Europe’s companies is anything to go by, the economy that will emerge from the financial crisis in Europe may be decidedly green.

For scientists, packing up their lab coats and microscopes and heading to foreign laboratories can really pay dividends. Thanks to initiatives like Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships, women are benefiting more and more from making a move abroad.