Humanity is realising that the state of our oceans has a direct impact on our wellbeing. To identify key priorities in the field of oceans and human health, the EU-funded SOPHIE project created a network of diverse experts. By changing harmful behaviours and encouraging sustainable practices, they hope to contribute to better health for both the oceans and citizens across Europe and beyond.
Too much waste ends up in landfill, removing potentially reusable resources from the economy. To address this, the EU-funded VOLATILE project has developed a process for transforming biological waste which can then be used in a range of industries. This could deliver products with real added value for EU citizens, such as biofuel and bioplastics, as well as soap and Omega-3 oils.
Crowded cities aren't exactly optimal environments for plants to thrive. However, a team of EU-funded researchers is using robotics to help plants automatically grow into the unnatural shapes, sizes, and configurations that urban environments demand. As a result, cities could soon benefit from a robust green infrastructure used for everything from food production to climate control.
Algae grown, harvested and processed using new techniques developed by EU-funded researchers could supply greener alternatives to common ingredients - putting more eco-friendly cosmetics on the shelf and adding more sustainable foods to the menu.
The global bioeconomy is growing, but it must overcome hurdles including avoiding competition with land used for food production. An EU- and industry-funded project is exploring using contaminated and waste land for biocrops.
Climate change, pollution, mass tourism, and invasive species are wreaking havoc on large lagoon areas like Venice. To help monitor - and mitigate - the impact these factors have underwater, one EU-funded project is using a swarm of autonomous aquatic robots. As a result, researchers can now take multiple measurements at the same time and from different places, which will be hugely beneficial in the fight against climate change.
EU-funded researchers have delivered new knowledge on the artificial mass-rearing of certain species of flies. The findings are particularly timely since European legislation recently opened the door for some farmed fly species to be used as feed in the aquaculture sector.
By adapting the Andean lupin to grow as a biomass crop in Europe's poorest soils, the goal of the EU-and industry-funded LIBBIO project is to supply a range of products to the food, animal feed and cosmetics industries.
For years, researchers have struggled to understand how bees navigate so effectively with such small brains. Now, an EU-funded project has developed new technology to enhance our understanding and to potentially advance efforts in bee conservation. This new knowledge could also be transferred to other sectors, such as engineering.
What do you do with unwanted catch - avoid it, discard it or land it? Discarding it is now banned under the EU's common fisheries policy. Two EU-funded projects explored options and strategies in a bid to support industry with this move towards greater sustainability – such as technology enabling vessels to fish more selectively.
