In recent years, competition from Asia has cut into the European chemical industry's global market share. An EU-funded project is developing a new production process using ultrasound and microwaves that will produce better chemicals while sharpening Europe's competitive edge in this industry.
Recent outbreaks of a plant bacterium have led to losses in olive and almond orchards in southern Europe. Known as Xylella fastidiosa (XF), there is no known cure. An EU-funded project is making major strides in improving prevention, early detection and control of the disease, aiming to avoid further economic damage and to save jobs.
An EU-funded project has equipped agricultural economists with advanced tools and techniques to support Romania's important farming and agro-food industries while raising the international scientific and academic profile of the country's leading agricultural university.
The luminosity of an astronomical object, if known, can be used to measure vast distances in space. A particular type of gamma ray burst could be applied in this way, according to an EU-funded project. It would be the brightest such 'standard candle' yet, opening up new opportunities to advance our understanding of the cosmos.
An EU-funded project has developed nine innovative products to help integrate homes and businesses into a smart European electricity grid. The aim is to make green energy smarter, easier and cheaper to use at home and work - good for the pocket, the planet and Europe's energy security.
EU-funded researchers and industrial partners are developing a system that allows a person to control the movement of a prosthetic hand simply by thinking of commands. A patient recently underwent surgery to implant some of the project's ground-breaking technologies.
Infectious animal diseases represent a serious threat to farm animals as well as to humans' public health. An EU-funded project is building a transnational network of bio-containment research facilities, industry partners and international organisations that allows for safe research on high-risk pathogens causing highly contagious animal diseases.
Automated vehicles will soon be a reality on our roads but their safe integration into a 'mixed ability' transport system will require careful attention. EU-funded research is addressing the challenges posed by specific traffic conditions and testing possible solutions.
Climate change has big and long-term impacts on cities. EU-funded research aims to increase resilience, improving cities' capacity to anticipate, prepare for, respond to and recover from related events such as droughts and heavy rain - protecting key infrastructure and lives.
The future of driverless cars depends on whether the industry can create reliable systems that make drivers feel safe. That is why an EU-funded project has been applying a human-centric approach to develop software that will reassure people using automated vehicles.
