Scientists are focusing on technologies for storing heat as a means of increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix. As part of this push, an EU-funded project is testing new materials that perform well at very high temperatures.
A special capsule that shields transplanted insulin-producing cells from a recipient's immune system represents a cost-effective improvement in treatment for diabetes patients. The biomaterials developed and put through preclinical trials by an EU-funded project could also have other applications, such as repairing organs.
The ability to control key forces that drive biological functioning would be a boon for a number of medical fields. With a focus on breast cancer, an EU-funded project is bringing together different research communities to work towards understanding and controlling cellular mechanics.
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.
An EU-funded project is developing a new industrial shop floor concept comprising mobile robots that can perceive their surroundings and collaborate with people. The expected efficiency boost could benefit the EU economy and society in general.
The launch of hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars is being held back by several barriers. An EU and industry-funded project removed one such hurdle by developing a prototype fuel cell that meets all industrial specifications.
Without access to modern technology like refrigeration, people in developing countries often have to throw away a significant proportion of the fish they catch. EU-funded researchers have delivered innovative, low-cost solutions to help such communities around the world make their fish stocks go further.
Finnish firm Mobidiag has received a EUR 25-million European Investment Bank (EIB) loan to accelerate development and commercialisation of its fast, life-saving tests for small laboratories. The support, provided under the European Fund for Strategic Investments, adds to a previous EUR 15 million EIB loan extended under the InnovFin Infectious Diseases Finance Facility under the EU's Horizon 2020 programme.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed in principle to provide EUR 350 million in financing to support Northvolt's development of Europe's first lithium-ion battery cell gigafactory. The factory in Sweden will help reduce the EU's dependence on oil and imported batteries.
The sedentary nature of modern life has had a noticeably detrimental effect on both physical and mental health. An EU-funded project has highlighted how to boost the wellbeing of Europeans by linking transport and health policies.
