Europe’s eyes in the sky are helping to solve energy, land-use problems in Africa

Complex Earth observation data is being turned into real-time tools to help solve problems on the ground in Africa.

Scientists have created a solar atlas of Egypt, revealing where the sun’s rays shine most brilliantly and where dust storms obstruct its light. And in Niger, forecasters are guiding pastoralists towards grazing areas and water sources – and away from conflict with sedentary farmers. These are just a couple of many applications coming out of … Read more

Carlos Moedas: The EU will fund more social innovation because it’s the future of innovation

Image credit - European Commission

Socially focused innovators across Europe have called on the European Union to put innovation at the heart of its strategy to achieve a ‘social triple A rating’– an ambition set out by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in 2014 to give greater prominence to the bloc’s social priorities. Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner for Research, … Read more

Digital age ‘desperately’ needs ethical and legal guidelines

One of the pressing questions that arise with artificial intelligence is how to account for the actions of machines that make decisions by themselves.

Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics, ‘desperately’ need an institutional framework and system of values to help regulate the industry, an ethics expert has told leading scientists and policymakers. Jeroen van den Hoven, professor of ethics and technology at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, was speaking at a session on ethics … Read more

Horizon Europe will connect the public to European science – Carlos Moedas

Commissioner Moedas launched proposals for the next European science and research funding programme, Horizon Europe, on 7 June.

The next European science and research funding programme, known as Horizon Europe, is designed to connect people with the achievements financed by their tax money, and to fix problems with innovation funding, according to Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. He spoke to Horizon magazine to coincide with the launch of … Read more

EU launches venture capital mega-fund to attract heavy-hitting investors

Six venture capital funds will share the task of raising €2.1 billion of private investment for European companies.

Heavy-hitting institutional investors will soon have their chance to back European technology innovation, according to fund managers involved in Europe’s new €410 million venture capital fund of funds. VentureEU is the pan-European venture capital (VC) fund of funds programme which debuted on 10 April. Six VC funds are set to share in EU seed funding … Read more

Open access to scientific publications must become a reality by 2020 – Robert-Jan Smits

Imagine if all the billions we are now putting into these expensive subscription journals could be put into research, says Robert-Jan Smits.

A lot of lip service is being paid to making scientific papers free to access but when it comes to action there is a lot of hypocrisy, according to Robert-Jan Smits, the EU’s outgoing director-general for research, science and innovation. He has recently been appointed the EU’s special envoy on open access, tasked with helping … Read more