Horizon 2020

The economic crisis in Europe has forced many countries to scale back financing for blue-sky research, making European Research Council (ERC) funding increasingly important, according to the ERC’s 4 000th grantee, Dr Manuel Arruebo, professor of chemical engineering at Zaragoza University in Spain.

The EU, European Member States and private companies have teamed up to boost economic competitiveness, create jobs and stimulate growth through seven public-private partnerships. They have announced EUR 1.13 billion of public funding to researchers who can help find solutions to some of the most pressing issues.

An explosion in research data combined with an increasing number of people who can use it is transforming science, and Europe should be at the forefront of the change, said Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science.

Manoeuvring a satellite into its housing inside an Ariane space launcher is almost as difficult as rearranging the order of the planets that orbit around the sun.

The first pan-European online network to help security organisations innovate could enable police forces to hunt down social media stalkers more effectively, and also allow customs officials to verify passports faster.

Dr Marc von Hobe, from the German Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH research centre, is coordinator of the EU-funded RECONCILE project. The project contributed to the first detection in 2011 of a hole in the ozone layer over the Arctic. Dr von Hobe believes more work needs to be done to control greenhouse gas emissions.

French mathematician Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon has taken over as president of the European Research Council (ERC), the first pan-European funding organisation for frontier research.

The EU has teamed up with companies to help keep Europe’s position in sectors such as construction, robotics, photonics, high-performance computing and telecoms, create jobs, and tackle some of society’s big challenges.

The EU has invited researchers to apply for the first part of its biggest-ever research funding programme, Horizon 2020, marking a major milestone for Europe as it seeks to create the jobs it needs to grow its way out of the financial crisis.

Professor Bruno Siciliano specialises in control and robotics at the University of Naples Federico II and is a past president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Robotics and Automation Society. He believes that robots can make Europe more competitive, creating jobs.