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.
Wind, wave, tidal - there is plenty of energy to harvest at sea, and plenty of room for innovation to tap this potential for greater sustainability contributing to a key sector in the European Commission's Green Deal. Test sites from several countries have joined forces to strengthen Europe's position at the forefront of this area of R&D. An EU-funded project has taken their cooperation a step further.
An advanced biofuel plant under construction in Romania is at the centre of an EU-funded project to prove the environmental and economic benefits of producing cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues.
The ocean plays a vital role in our lives, both environmentally and economically. In order to protect this precious resource, EU-funded research is helping to deepen our understanding of the interlinking factors impacting Europe's coastal waters.
Renovating energy-inefficient buildings is crucial if Europe is to reduce its carbon footprint. That is why an EU-funded project is making renovations faster and easier, helping homes to save energy - for the benefit of the general public and the planet.
EU and industry researchers are developing an innovative biorefinery which will convert by-products from the dairy industry into valuable materials that can be used to produce bio-based products, including biodegradable plastic, feeding into the EU's expanding bio-based sector.
Plug-and-play smart cities? An open source platform jointly developed by Japanese and EU-funded researchers is facilitating the deployment of smart city technologies in urban centres worldwide to tackle urban challenges ranging from air quality and energy use to traffic congestion and infrastructure upkeep.
Amid an urgent need to cut carbon emissions to combat climate change, EU-funded researchers have developed a new generation of highly efficient power plants for generating heat and electricity from biomass.
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.
Air pollution is a major risk factor for health in Europe. EU-funded research is helping to find innovative, inexpensive and green solutions for improving air quality, particularly in urban environments.
