Fittex

Efforts to curb carbon emissions are falling short ‒ and geoengineering is again in the spotlight. Will governments end up tinkering with Earth’s thermostat?

The European Union (EU)'s Research and Innovation Framework Programmes are the largest programmes for international research collaboration worldwide. Repeated reports point to the issue of underperformance in the Framework Programmes by the EU13 Member States - countries that joined the EU in and after 2004 - in comparison with the EU15 Member States - which entered the EU before 2004. This in-depth analysis explores the background of various challenges in research and development of EU13 vs EU15 ...

The 3D-printing sector has proven its commercial viability in recent years, reaching the high street and, indeed, many homes. The technology is already used in some medical domains, such as dentistry and prosthetics, and many scientists are now exploring methods of printing biological materials – even if reports about lifesaving 3D-printed hearts are certainly premature.

This report summarises the presentations and discussions of a workshop on “Autoimmune Diseases – Modern Diseases”, held at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday 25 September 2017. The aim of the workshop was to provide background and technical information and advice to the members of the ENVI Committee on the latest findings and trends in the field of autoimmune diseases, specifically concerning treatment and prevention of such diseases. The current state of play of autoimmune diseases in ...

This report summarises the presentations and discussions of a workshop on “Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Patients Today and Tomorrow”, held at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday 16 October 2017. The aim of the workshop was to provide background and technical information and advice to the members of the ENVI Committee on the latest findings and trends in the field of complementary and alternative therapies. The current state of play of complementary and alternative therapies ...

Are electric cars on the verge of becoming the norm, should we encourage this transition, and what would be the consequences for the environment, the automobile industry and our electricity grid? Over the past century, cars have become an integral part of our society. They generally offer greater flexibility than alternative modes of transport, and they are affordable to a large proportion of people. Ever since cars were first mass-produced, they have almost exclusively been powered by ICEs (internal ...

Through developments in the field of metamaterials, we may be able to create products with surprising capabilities, from making DNA visible to making buildings invisible, but have we considered the risks, as well as the benefits?

The study shows that while Europe has a strong science and research base the European research sector does not currently represent an attractive enough proposition for top researchers. To effectively address this problem, policies must be developed that specifically focus on the quality of the research environment while also creating the conditions that can best promote and reward scientific excellence. Opportunities exist at the EU level to positively address these issues, primarily in the context ...

Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) are highly integrated excellence driven partnerships consisting of business, academic and public sector partners. The KICs are an independent but operational part of the EIT with the aim to deliver economic growth through innovation. The combination of substantial autonomy and high quality partners provide KICs with good potential to become world class centres of excellence.

Parliamentary Technology Assessment (PTA) in Europe has been initiated and developed first in countries in northern and western parts of Europe and later also in Southern Europe. The main objective of this study is to trace the evolution of PTA from the Office of Technology Assessment in the US to a future pan-European participatory PTA and to deliver images of PTA future. Overall, the main type of effect of PTA on parliaments is raising their knowledge on specific technology or societal problems ...