Europe is finding its hidden treasures to build its green, digital and climate-neutral economy

Researchers are finding ways to ensure we have a sufficient supply of the raw materials needed to make everything from laptops to satellites. We look at the high-tech geomodels that could lead Europe into a more secure and independent future.   Our lives would be dramatically different without secure access to raw materials. For example, … Read more

Q&A: ‘Our society desperately needs objective, truth-based knowledge’

Basic, or ‘frontier’, research that expands the boundaries of our knowledge can help address some of the most important challenges of our time – and it’s important that more people become aware of this, according to Prof. Maria Leptin who has today been appointed president of the EU’s frontier research funding body, the European Research Council (ERC). … Read more

Cities that connect people and nature are a post-pandemic priority, conference hears

Care homes that let people age with integrity, green kindergartens and community centres that bring together people of all ages were some of the visions for how to build a better Europe presented by citizens from Estonia, Bulgaria and Poland on 24 June at the European Commission’s annual flagship research conference. Speakers at a panel … Read more

How we prepare for an ‘age of pandemics’

The current pandemic caught the world off guard but there are more to come, and we need to work out how to better prepare for and respond to future crises before they occur, an audience at the European Commission’s annual Research and Innovation Days conference has heard. ‘It is likely that we are entering an age of … Read more

Q&A: ‘You are the generation which I hope will fix our society’

Young researchers are curious, energetic, imaginative and look at the world in new ways, but their lack of job security or clear career path is a ‘major, major problem’, says Jean-Eric Paquet, the EU’s director general for research and innovation, who experienced the issue first hand when one of his sons stopped working in science for … Read more

What is the bioeconomy and how could it help fight climate change?

A circular bioeconomy – which turns renewable biological resources and waste streams into new products – is at the heart of the EU’s efforts to slash its carbon emissions while also maintaining economic growth. But what does a bioeconomy look like and how do we get there? Horizon asked five young experts and activists what … Read more