Interview | Research and Innovation

Professor Maria Chiara Carrozza is a robotics expert who leads Italy’s National Research Council. © Cnr

ICT | Industry | Science in society | Interview

From knee surgery to home drudgery, the robot revolution beckons

Automation will play a growing role in people’s lives and Europe has the know-how to lead the way, according to a top Italian researcher.

Professor Manuel Heitor chairs an expert group evaluating the EU research programme. © Manuel Heitor

Frontier research | Policy | Interview

Society’s challenges demand youth interest and funding in Europe, ex-research minister says

EU research, which has improved society and the economy for decades, now needs to engage more young people and attract extra public and private ...

As climate change accelerates, so too should the definition of prosperity. Image credit: CC0 via Unsplash

Environment | Social Sciences | Interview

Once unthinkable, the prospect of society driven by wellbeing gains traction

As Europe embraces clean energy to fight climate change, a leading ecological economist argues for going beyond “green growth”.

Dutch is available via eTranslation, the European Commission's machine translation service.

Translate to Dutch | Important information about machine translation

Michael Gera's firm is investing in innovative African companies like Off:Grid:Electric, which is bypassing the traditional power grid system and creating eco-friendly solutions. Image courtesy of Michael Gera

Energy | Interview | Open to the World

Conditions are right for off-grid electrification of Africa – Michael Gera, EAV

Mini-grids, mobile payments and smart meters are all helping to create an off-grid model of electricity provision in Africa, helped by bottom-up funding and low-cost solar power, according to Michael Gera, managing partner and co-founder of specialist venture capitalist firm Energy Access Ventures (EAV).

There are nearly 100 hydrogen buses on European roads, yet many people do not know hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are already on the market, according to Bart Biebuyck. Image courtesy of Bart Biebuyck

Energy | Interview | Public–Private Partnerships

We have to let people know that hydrogen technology is ready – Bart Biebuyck

People don’t know that hydrogen-fuelled vehicles and home heating systems are already on the market, and that is the biggest obstacle to their uptake, according to Bart Biebuyck, the recently appointed executive director of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, a public-private partnership between the EU and the fuel cell and hydrogen industries.

Citizens should be more involved in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s discussions, according to Dr Debra Roberts. Image credit: Visuele Notulen/ Michèle Giebing

Environment | Interview | Open to the World

Communities should provide critical input into next global climate report – Dr Debra Roberts

Research that includes input from communities and people working in areas affected by climate change should provide critical input into the sixth assessment due to be undertaken by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), climate expert Dr Debra Roberts explained on the sidelines of the Adaptation Futures 2016 conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 11 May.

Researchers in Europe have very good observation technologies, but bringing the observations and data together is still an issue, according to Professor Karin Lochte. Image credit: Mar Fernandez, Alfred Wegener Institute

Environment | Interview | Open to the World

EU Arctic strategy helps us listen to the ‘canary in the coal mine’ – Prof. Karin Lochte

What happens in the Arctic will affect the whole of Europe, and the EU’s integrated Arctic strategy published on 27 April helps us understand the direction in which the global climate is moving, according to Professor Karin Lochte, director of the Alfred Wegener Institute for polar research in Germany.

Danny Dankner has developed brain-training software for ice hockey players to improve their performance. Image courtesy of Danny Dankner

Health | Industry | Interview | Open Innovation

Brain training to become as prevalent as physical training – IntelliGym developer Danny Dankner

Software that can enhance your cognitive abilities will become as prevalent as physical gyms are today, according to Danny Dankner, the chief executive of Applied Cognitive Engineering, developers of the IntelliGym sports brain-training software.

Steve Phillips is the secretary general of the Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR), which helped organise a truck platoon challenge that ended in Rotterdam on 6 April. Photo courtesy of Steve Phillips

Transport | Interview

Success of truck platooning challenge clears way for real-life convoys – Steve Phillips, CEDR

The successful arrival in Rotterdam of six convoys of connected smart trucks from different points across Europe shows that cross-border truck platooning is feasible and operational challenges can be overcome, according to Steve Phillips, Secretary General of the Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR), which helped to organise the challenge.

Dr Henrik C. Wegener is the chair of the EU's Scientific Advice Mechanism, which for its first task will provide advice on how to measure CO2 emissions with greater real-world accuracy. Image courtesy of Dr Wegener

Policy | Transport | Interview | Open Science

Advice on CO2 vehicle emissions testing in six months – EU science panel’s Dr Henrik C. Wegener

The EU’s new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) panel will deliver its first official advice to the European Commission – on how to close the gap between vehicle CO2 emission levels in the real world and those detected under test conditions – within six months, according to Dr Henrik C. Wegener, Chief Academic Officer at the Technical University of Denmark, and chair of the SAM High Level Group.

The ExoMars Project will help scientists analyse both the soil and atmosphere of Mars to investigate if there is any evidence of organic material on the planet, says ESA Director General, Prof. Jan Woerner. Image courtesy of Prof. Jan Woerner

Space | Interview | Open to the World

Life could have existed under Martian surface – ESA chief Woerner

There could have been life under the surface of Mars, according to Prof. Jan Woerner, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), which in March is launching its ExoMars mission to find out.

Once launched, the European Cancer Information System (ECIS) will allow members of each European country to compare cancer data with the rest of the European Union, says Professor Alexander Katalinic. Image credit: Pixabay/Unsplash

Health | Interview

Europeans will be able to compare cancer care – cancer registries chairman

EU citizens will be able to compare cancer incidence and survival rates across Member States once a continent-wide cancer information system is operational next year, according to Professor Alexander Katalinic, from the University of Lübeck in Germany, Chairman of the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR).

Biomass is the best way to transform, reuse and recycle carbon dioxide according to Dr Philippe Mengal. Image courtesy of Philippe Mengal

Agriculture | Interview | Public–Private Partnerships

All products based on fossil fuels could be made from biomass – Dr Philippe Mengal

Non-edible biomass could replace petrochemicals in providing energy to heat and light our homes, as well as in producing a vast array of plastics, lubricants, paints and a host of industrial chemicals, according to Dr Philippe Mengal, the recently appointed executive director of the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), a public-private partnership between the EU and bio-based industries.