Despite being in work, millions of Europeans struggle to make ends meet. To better understand this complex issue, the comprehensive EU-funded study WorkYP examined seven European countries, each representing a different region and social model. Their findings hold important policy recommendations for addressing in-work poverty.
Many policies that aim to build up Europe’s resilience fail to consider the needs and challenges of families. The rEUsilience project saw this as a blind spot, as most people live within a family setting. That’s why the project is designing policies that ensure families have the resources and support they need to actively contribute to the European economy and society.
Metastasis is responsible for over 90 % of cancer-related deaths. Yet little focus has been placed on the elusive cells responsible for spreading the disease, which circulate through the bloodstream, making identification and analysis challenging. The EU-funded SCALPEL project set out to save lives by developing a microchip device to detect and sort metastatic cells from blood samples.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the EU. Researchers in the EU-funded Survive project examined how cells adapt to acidic conditions – a trait that can allow tumours to grow. Their findings highlight new ways to identify aggressive cancers, and point to potential new treatments to regulate acid resistance.
Millions of litres of water are consumed daily for industrial processes, forming a key impediment to the circular economy in Europe. To tackle this, the EU-funded ULTIMATE project developed a ‘water-smart industrial symbiosis’ concept. This effort led to new technologies and processes to extract clean water, energy and valuable materials from wastewater.
From robots to chatbots, emerging technology can make public administrations more efficient and responsive. It is critical, however, that these innovations are adopted in ethical and trustworthy ways. To address this, the EU-funded ETAPAS project developed a framework to help the public sector handle the ethical, social and legal challenges of emerging technologies.
European agri-food value chains are facing a series of challenges, from rising prices to climate change. The EU-funded CO-FRESH project developed new techniques, tools and insights to drive the fruit and vegetable industry towards greater sustainability. The results will ensure the food industry is better prepared for the future, benefiting producers and consumers.
Gender-based violence is widespread, affecting approximately 30 % of women in Europe, according to the EU Fundamental Rights Agency. It is particularly prevalent in research institutions, where hierarchical structures can foster abuses of power. The EU-funded UniSAFE project was launched to tackle this violence in academia, which affects individuals of all genders – women, men and non-binary people.
Analysing biological imagery such as microscope slides can be labour-intensive, especially as not all researchers know how best to automate this with AI. The EU-funded AI4LIFE project provides access to AI technologies, making models and AI-ready data sets open and accessible to everyone. This means researchers can spend more time interpreting data, accelerating scientific discovery.
The shipping industry produces more than 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, accounting for nearly 3 % of human-caused global emissions. By converting ships to run on renewable liquid fuels, the EU-funded FASTWATER project is showing how transport emissions can be cut, offering significant progress towards the EU’s climate goals.
