European governments need to provide investment on a ‘wartime footing’ to stimulate a post-coronavirus economic recovery, but also need to redefine economic success to incorporate climate and social goals, the European Research and Innovation Days conference has heard. Speaking about how Europe can best achieve a sustainable and inclusive recovery, Stephanie Kelton, a professor of … Read more
by Freya Kirk Leuven, Belgium, has been named the 2020 European Capital of Innovation for its use of innovation to improve residents’ lives. The €1 million cash prize, which every year recognises cities’ innovative solutions to social challenges that engage and empower its citizens, was awarded to Leuven in a ceremony with EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel during the EU … Read more
by Fintan Burke Five ‘mission reports’ outlining ambitious 10-year plans to tackle some of the major challenges faced by Europe were officially handed over to EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel on 22 September at the opening session of this year’s European Research and Innovation Days. The five so-called missions, which have been a year in the drafting … Read more
The pandemic has caused disruption around the world, but it could also be an opportunity to make some much needed social and environmental changes as countries try to adapt and recover from the crisis. In the space of just a few months the world has seen drastic change. People who commuted to work and had … Read more
by Jonathan O’Callaghan Today, aviation is responsible for 3.6% of EU greenhouse gas emissions. Modern planes use kerosene as fuel, releasing harmful carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But what if there was another way? One possible solution is to use a new type of fuel in planes that doesn’t produce harmful emissions – hydrogen. Long-touted as a sustainable … Read more
When fish stocks crashed in the Baltic in the late 1990s, the islanders of Bornholm, Denmark, realised they had to reinvent themselves. Their rocky outcrop, some 200km east of Copenhagen, had been in decline for years. Its 40,000-plus inhabitants needed a new path, and they chose to pursue sustainability. Now they are more prosperous – … Read more