Gender equality and inclusion are key metrics by which performance is measured in industry today. Research is no exception. While there is no quick fix to eliminating gender disparities, the EU has identified the structural changes needed in policies and programmes to increase the participation of women in research and innovation and improve their career prospects.

The publication of the latest EU Transitions Performance Index (TPI) provides an important opportunity to assess how countries are progressing towards fair and prosperous sustainability beyond headline growth figures.

The biggest challenges confronting humanity necessitate countries work together. At the Marseille Conference on 8 March, Europe explored the path forward for international collaboration in research and innovation.

We have come a long way to achieving gender parity at the doctoral and graduate level, but the gender gap persists in pretty much all the following stages of a researcher’s career. Identifying the root causes and how to solve them, all boil down to one thing: getting the right data, getting enough data, and recognising that this is an issue that needs to be addressed at the level of every single research project.

Often there’s a spark of inspiration or a flash of insight. Whatever it is, these ‘Aha!’ or ‘Eureka’ moments have led to some of the world’s greatest discoveries and technological innovations. And it is good to know that these breakthroughs can now reach the European and global markets more readily than ever before.

Don’t underestimate the lifesaving ability of cancer screening. For lung cancer and prostate cancer, screening is recommended across the EU, based on the most up-to-date evidence. Also, existing cervical, breast and colorectal cancer screening programmes can be improved, according to an expert report to the European Commission.

Several decades ago, women scientists and engineers were a novelty – an exception. In 2022 the science and tech industries are still asking the same question: where are the women?

At present, around 50 new therapies are approved around the world each year. At this rate, it would take more than 100 years to develop a single treatment for every rare disease estimated to exist worldwide. Although such diseases are rare, this situation, outlined in a recent study by members of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC), is no minor problem.

All aboard! Europe’s ferry industry has set sail for an emissions-free future. It’s leading the eco-friendly revolution with electric and hydrogen-powered boats that are destined to make urban transport more sustainable.

Rare diseases constitute a major health issue in Europe: an estimated 30 million people live with one, and of these, 50% have not received a diagnosis. The suffering caused by these disorders, both to patients and the doctors attempting to treat them, is immense – particularly when the disease’s origin remains an unsolved mystery.

Each year, nearly three-quarters of a million people die from mosquito-borne diseases, and with climate change the problem is getting worse. EU researchers are giving public health officials the tools they need to take targeted action fast.

Engineers might disagree. However, not all bridges are built with steel, concrete and asphalt. Some are made entirely of cooperation and coordination. This is the type of bridge connecting Europe’s closest neighbour, the African continent.

Hydroelectricity plays an important role in keeping the grid humming throughout Europe. While wind and solar generate energy under some conditions, hydropower can start generating power whenever the grid needs it, so-called baseload energy. The big issue now is how to design hydropower technology with fish in mind.

The implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Mission on Cancer will go far beyond research and innovation to develop new solutions and improve the lives of Europeans, says Joanna Drake, Deputy Director-General, DG Research and Innovation.

Young people often have little say in decisions and policies designed to improve their health. But there’s no one better placed to tell policymakers what needs to change and how, than this generation of young Europeans. What if they were empowered to help write those policies and become their own agents of change?

Before the term "digital twin" was first used twenty years ago, engineers at NASA were already developing ground-based replicas of spacecraft infrastructure. Today’s manufacturers are also seeing double, taking advantage of digital duplicates to better understand and predict product performance. Now EU scientists are looking to apply the same principles to the natural world – building more and more digital twins of the ocean.

Often quickly disposed of but lasting in the environment for tens to hundreds of years, plastic litter pollutes our seas worldwide, creating a serious threat to wildlife and contributing to climate change as they break down.

Shortening the diagnostic journey and providing effective treatments are key to a longer and healthier life for patients. These are just a few of the major milestones in rare disease research spearheaded by the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC), a joint initiative by the European Commission and the US National Institutes of Health launched in 2011. As the largest consortium in rare diseases research in the world today, with close to 60 organisations, IRDiRC has taken international rare disease collaboration to new heights.

A new computer tool is testing drugs against cancers to achieve a better understanding of cancer mutations, ushering in more targeted tumour therapies with fewer side effects.

Researchers have made significant progress in diagnosing and treating rare diseases. However, as most rare diseases still have no treatment, there is still much to be done. This month, we explore the current landscape of EU-funded research and innovation as regards new treatments and diagnostic pathways.