Cordis Focus Newsletter. Issue number 285, December 2007.
Date: 2008-12-08
Institutions: CORDIS, Publications Office of the European Union
Subjects: research, research and development, research project, serial publication

Issue number 285 — December 2007

CORDIS
CORDIS

http://cordis.europa.eu

ISSN 1022-6559

Newsletter
Newsletter

● Highlights 3  ● General policy 11
  ● Projects and programmes 14  ● Innovation 20
  ● Calls and tenders 22  ● Around Europe 23  ● Events 26
  ● Other news 27  ● Also online 31  ● New on CORDIS 32

In this issue

Farewell CORDIS focus

● Dr Rajendra Pachauri: ‘We need 
  a new ethic’, page 7

● Europe shines in latest broadband 

league tables, page 10

● R & D investments key to productivity, 

report shows, page 13  

● Saving water — it’s a game, page 18  

● Stakeholders call for more ﬂ exibility 

in the ERA, page 21  

When the first issues of CORDIS focus rolled off the printers 
in 1994, no-one could have foreseen that, in the year 2007, 
it would be available in full colour and in six languages, landing 
on the doormats of over 33 500 subscribers every month. The time 
has come to bid farewell to CORDIS focus, but we could not do 
so without taking a look back over its lifetime: how the publication 
matured with age and the stories that it covered. 

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From 1993 until 1994, news 
of  EU-funded  research  had 
been brought to readers in the 
guise of RTD Results-Update. 
This compact newsletter pre-
dated  CORDIS  online,  and 
first  came  about  when  some 
European Commission officials 
did not have access to telnet to 
find out what was on CORDIS. 
An issue from November 1993 
An issue from November 1993 
reports that differences in spend-
reports that differences in spend-
ing  on  research  and  develop-
ing  on  research  and  develop-
ment (R & D) were significantly 
ment (R & D) were significantly 
greater than differences in stand-
greater than differences in stand-
ards of living between the then 
ards of living between the then 
12 EU Member States. Spending 
12 EU Member States. Spending 
in Greece, Spain and Portugal was 
in Greece, Spain and Portugal was 
particularly low. The first calls for 
particularly low. The first calls for 
proposals under the Fourth Frame-
proposals under the Fourth Frame-
work Programme (FP4) were pub-
work Programme (FP4) were pub-
lished here as advance notices when 
lished here as advance notices when 
the adoption of FP4 was delayed on 
the adoption of FP4 was delayed on 
a technicality.

In 1994 it was time for a revamp, and CORDIS focus was born. At first, CORDIS focus 
continued to be little more than a list of the most recent calls for proposals, along with 
brief coverage of Commission announcements on the framework programmes.

continued on page 2

EN EN

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continued from page 1   ‘Farewell CORDIS focus’

The growth of CORDIS focus is due in part to 
the rise of research up the EU policy agenda. 
While early news was limited to information 
on the EU research programme, new bodies, 
institutions and decision-makers began talk-
ing about research. Suddenly the magazine 
was never short of news. Of course, as the 
policy area gained in importance, research 
also attracted more funding, meaning that 
the range of EU-funded projects, and our 
coverage thereof, expanded dramatically.

Added  to  this  was  the  increasing  aware-
ness of the importance of communicating 
the results of research, and from the Sixth 
Framework  Programme  (FP6),  the  obli-
gation to do so when receiving EU funds. 
Following the launch of FP6 in 2002, the 
number  of  researchers  approaching  the 
CORDIS News team with requests for cov-
erage of their work spiralled.

In  terms  of  appearance,  CORDIS  focus 
began to blossom in 2000 with the arrival 
of pictures to illustrate the news — first just 
on the front page, and then later throughout 
the publication.

In  2005,  the  first  genuine  redesign  took 
place, taking CORDIS focus from a single-
colour newsletter to a full-colour magazine. 
The first issue with this new look led with 
an interview with EU Science and Research 
Commissioner  Janez  Potočnik,  who  had 
only been in his new job for a few months.

2000  by  the  then  EU  Research  Commis-
sioner Philippe Busquin. He could not have 
guessed then that seven years later, the EU 
would  have  its  own  European  Research 
Council (ERC), funding curiosity-driven 
research,  as  well  as  a  seven-year  frame-
work  programme  with  a  budget  of  over 
EUR 50 billion.

Front  page  articles  over  the  years  have 
brought interviews with EU Commissioners 
and national ministers, as well as renowned 
scientists from around Europe. Professor 
Colin Pillinger, the lead scientist on the ulti-
mately unsuccessful Beagle 2 mission to look 
for life on the surface of Mars, appeared in 
CORDIS focus talking about what he had 
learned from the failure. Polish astronomer 
Professor Aleksander Wolszczan explained 
that his country produces more than its fair 
share of space scientists because they have 
‘Copernicus in their genes’. And renowned 
scientist Baroness Susan Greenfield spoke 
about  the  ‘tragedy’  of  girls  and  women 
turning their backs on science. The pages of 
CORDIS focus have also featured their fair 
share of Nobel prize laureates.

We hope that you have enjoyed reading us 
over the years. We have certainly enjoyed 
putting the magazine together for you. But 
for now, it’s adiós, auf Wiedersehen, farewell, 
au revoir, arrivederci and do wiolzenia...

The  current  design  was 
introduced in January 2006. 
The  most  regular  topic 
since then has been the dis-
cussions  over  the  Seventh 
Framework  Programme 
(FP7) as the budget was ham-
mered  out  and  new  instru-
ments  established.  FP7  was 
launched in January 2007.

Readership increased as cov-
erage expanded and CORDIS 
focus became available in addi-
tional languages. From the early 
tional languages. From the early 
years of publication in English 
years of publication in English 
only,  to  German  and  French 
only,  to  German  and  French 
in 1996, Spanish and Italian in 
in 1996, Spanish and Italian in 
1997  and  Polish  in  2005,  our 
1997  and  Polish  in  2005,  our 
audience got larger and larger.

 has reported on a 
CORDIS focus has reported on a 
number of major changes, policy 
number of major changes, policy 
decisions and events over the last 
decisions and events over the last 
14 years. 

We have covered the emergence of 
We have covered the emergence of 
the European research area (ERA) 
the European research area (ERA) 
since the idea was first mooted in 
since the idea was first mooted in 

Published by:
Oﬃ  ce for Oﬃ  cial Publications
of the European Communities
2, rue Mercier
L-2985 Luxembourg
Fax (352) 29 29-44090
E-mail: 
cordis-focus@publications.europa.eu

CORDIS: Community Research
and Development Information Service

CORDIS focus is also available at:
http://cordis.europa.eu/news/focus

Based on information from CORDIS
News available on the Web at:
http://cordis.europa.eu/news

CORDIS focus is published by the Oﬃ  ce 
for Oﬃ  cial Publications of the European 
Communities as part of the EU-funded 
research programmes. It presents the 
most important developments in European 
research and covers news, calls for proposals, 
events, projects and their results.

Orders
CORDIS focus
OPOCE
B.P. 2201
L-1022 Luxembourg
E-mail: 
cordis-focus@publications.europa.eu

Submitting information to CORDIS
CORDIS is interested in receiving 
news or events linked to the 
R & D activities of the EU via its 
programmes and initiatives.
Please submit your information to:
cordis-news@publications.europa.eu
Th  ank you.

50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome
http://europa.eu/50

The	contents	of	this	bulletin	have	been	extracted	from
the	CORDIS	News	database	which	is	updated	every	day	on
http://cordis.europa.eu

©	European	Communities,	2007	—	Reproduction
is	authorised,	provided	the	source	is	acknowledged.

Legal	notice:	Neither	the	Oﬃ		ce	for	Oﬃ		cial	Publications	nor	any
person	acting	on	its	behalf	may	be	held	responsible	for	the
use	which	might	be	made	of	the	information	contained	in	this
publication,	nor	for	any	errors	which	may	appear.

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EU approves extra public funds for Galileo and EIT

EU ministers have agreed to the full public financing of the Galileo satellite 
system and the brand new European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), 
as part of a deal on the EU’s EUR 120 billion budget for 2008.

HIGHlIGHTS

‘According to the 
Commission, Galileo 
could generate billions 
of euros in revenue […].’

Following the collapse of talks between the companies involved 
in the public-private partnership (PPP) responsible for the deploy-
ment phase of Galileo, EU Member States agreed on 23 Novem-
ber  2007  to  fund  the  project  from  the 
European Community (EC) budget.

Galileo,  the  30-satellite  navigation 
system  designed  to  rival  the  American 
Global  positioning  system  (GPS),  will 
receive  an  additional  EUR  2.4  billion 
to  what  was  originally  planned.  Some 
EUR 1.6 billion  will  come  from  unspent  farm  subsidies  and 
EUR 400 million from the budget foreseen for transport and space 
research activities under the FP7. The rest will come from the 
redeployment of funds within the budget.

‘The Portuguese [EU Council] Presidency is very pleased with the 
agreement that was established last Friday among the Member 
States of the European Union to unblock the financing of two fun-
damental initiatives for Europe, the Galileo project — the European 
system of satellite radio-navigation — and the European Institute 
of Technology,’ said Manuel Lobo Antunes, Portuguese Deputy 
Secretary of State and Secretary for European Affairs.
Secretary of State and Secretary for European Affairs.

According to Mr Lobo Antunes, the agreement between the 27 EU 
Member States was one of the most complicated issues on the 
agenda of the Portuguese Presidency, and one of its priorities.

As  the  biggest  contributor  to  the  EU 
budget Germany had strongly opposed 
funding from unspent farm subsidies, fear-
ing it would set a precedent for not giving 
unspent farm money back to national cap-
itals. This was in spite of a declaration that 
it will be an ‘exceptional measure’.

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The plan to kick-start the satellite system with an extra financial 
injection from public monies was proposed by the European 
Commission in June 2007. The European Parliament (EP) voted 
in October 2007 in favour of funding Galileo solely through the 
EC budget.

According to the Commission, Galileo could generate billions of 
euros in revenue, create thousands of jobs and keep European 
companies at the technological cutting edge.

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The  EIT,  another  flagship  project  that  has  been 
The  EIT,  another  flagship  project  that  has  been 
championed  by  European  Commission  President 
championed  by  European  Commission  President 
José  Manuel  Barroso,  is  also  in  need  of  EC  fund-
José  Manuel  Barroso,  is  also  in  need  of  EC  fund-
ing if it is to get off the ground. Finance ministers 
ing if it is to get off the ground. Finance ministers 
gave the green light to an extra EUR 309 million 
gave the green light to an extra EUR 309 million 
from various existing budgetary chapters so that 
from various existing budgetary chapters so that 
the new body can start work during 2008.
the new body can start work during 2008.

Mr Barroso welcomed the budgetary deal, saying 
that the two projects ‘will foster innovation, tech-
nological  progress  and  competitiveness  across 
the whole EU’. He added that ‘this is a budget for a 
Europe of results.’

Altogether, the EU plans to spend EUR 120.3 bil-
lion in 2008, which represents 0.96 % of its gross 
national income.

Based	on	information	from	the	EP.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy_transport/galileo/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/eit/index_en.html
RCN:	28756

Frequent acronyms

CIP 

competitiveness and innovation 
framework programme

CORDIS  Community Research and Development 

EP 
ERA 
ERC 
ESA 

Information Service
European Parliament
European research area
 European Research Council
European Space Agency

FP5/6/7  Fifth/Sixth/Seventh Framework Programme 

of the European Community for research, technological 
 development and demonstration activities
information and communication technology
integrated project
Member of the European Parliament
research and development
small and medium-sized enterprise

ICT 
IP 
MEP 
R & D 
SME 

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

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its own development fund, the EU and indi-
vidual nations could donate to these funds. 
The recipients could choose how the money 
is spent, in line with their priorities and cir-
cumstances, and the donors could audit the 
fund.  This  would  ensure  that  the  donors 
have faith in the initiative and continue to 
contribute.

There were calls at the hearing for Europe 
and  Africa  to  move  away  from  a  donor-
recipient relationship. But is an equal part-
nership possible today? Most in attendance 
were optimistic, but there was one dissent-
ing voice. Patrice Cayre from the Institut 
de recherche pour le développement (IRD, 
the French development research institute) 
offered the following opinion: ‘African econ-
omies are fragile. They cannot invest a lot 
in science. It’s not a priority and cannot be. 
Research capacities are too weak to under-
take a real partnership. In a real partnership 
you have to be at least two.’

Speaking from her own experience in the 
Vienna School of Clinical Research (VSCR), 
Austria, Christa Janko, Head of Operations, 
was more encouraging: ‘Partnership does 
work when you have a good reason for it 
and motivation on both sides,’ she said.

Mr Janneh  told  CORDIS  News  that  such 
partnerships would not risk recreating Afri-
can  dependence  on  Europe.  The  African 
partners would be defined by African sci-
entists, he said. For now, Africa is stepping 
up its science diplomacy, in the words of 
Mr Janneh. For the continent ‘needs noth-
ing less than a science revolution’.

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	at	a	
‘Science	with	Africa’	hearing	and	briefing.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.sciencewithafrica.com
RCN:	28781

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Africa: chasing a science revolution 
with a little help from Europe

‘The world has witnessed how science and technology [S & T] 
have driven economic development and growth,’ said Abdoulie Janneh, 
United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary 
of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), when in Brussels, Belgium, 
on 29 November 2007. Now Africa wants the same for itself, and is ready 
to embrace science in partnership with Europe.

some time ago. As highlighted by Professor 
Jorma Routti, Executive Chairman of Fin-
land’s Creative Industries Management Ltd, 
Europe is moving away from a fishing and 
farming economy.

If  Africa  is  to  follow  the  same  route,  the 
continent must take responsibility for cre-
ating the right environment and introduc-
ing the right policies. Indeed this is already 
being done, as explained by Aida Opoku-
Mensah, Director of the Information and 
Communication Technologies and Science 
and Technology Division at the UN’s ECA. 
Regional cooperation is strongest in agricul-
tural research, and further collaboration and 
networking is being encouraged.

‘There are pockets of expertise. But this is 
not optimal. If we have four countries lead-
ing in a field, we want them to cooperate with 
their neighbours. They are ready to do that,’ 
said Ms Opoku-Mensah. Scientists are, after 
all, very rational people, added Mr Janneh. 
‘We  are  at  a  point  where  we  are  inspired 
and looking at what has happened in other 
countries before. But we don’t need to follow 
their linear path,’ he said. ‘We are leapfrog-
ging. The knowledge is there, it’s a question 
of adaptation.’

Professor Routti had an additional sugges-
tion  as  to  how  Africa  can  take  charge  of 
creating the right environment for a know-
ledge economy. If each African country had 

This was the message delivered by Mr Janneh 
to a hearing on ‘Science with Africa’ at the 
EP. The hearing came at a time when this 
topic is gathering pace: a resolution from 
the EP is in the offing, and a large inter-
national conference is planned for March 
2008 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The March conference will be a ‘make or break 
issue for Africa’, according to Mr Janneh. 
He told CORDIS News that no part of the 
world has developed without science, and 
that now Africa must find the resources to 
invest. The top African research investors 
are South Africa and Egypt, which invest 
0.4 and 0.3 % of GDP in research respec-
tively. Some of the additional funding must 
come from development funds, and some 
from the private sector. The optimum bal-
ance  will  be  debated  in  Addis  Ababa  in 
March, said Mr Janneh.

The EP hearing was intended to contrib-
ute to discussions on the mechanisms that 
could be used to improve the access of Afri-
can-based institutions to international, col-
laborative R & D projects. 

Mr Janneh  welcomed  the  event  and  the 
goodwill that he felt was in evidence. But 
now is the time to operationalise the com-
mitment  that  is  evident  in  Europe  and 
Africa, and to move beyond talking, he said. 
Member of the European Parliament (MEP) 
Pilar del Castillo Vera, chairing the hearing, 
agreed. The design of a practical model that 
can bring African and European scientists 
together must follow, she said. ‘The next 
step really has to be action.’

At  institutional  level,  two  new  steps  are 
already planned. The European Commis-
sion is to have a second delegation in Addis 
Ababa, focusing on the work of the African 
Union. A Science with Africa office will also 
open  in  order  to  facilitate  links  between 
European and African scientists.

Polish  MEP  Jerzy  Buzek  referred  to  the 
forthcoming  Addis  Ababa  conference 
as  ‘starting  Lisbon  for  Africa’.  In  the  EU, 
the goal of the Lisbon strategy is to make 
Europe’s  economy  the  most  competitive 
in the world by 2010. Embracing research 
as a means to develop a knowledge econ-
omy is a path that Europe opted to follow 

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present a communication on financing low-
carbon technologies at the end of 2008. This 
will investigate resource needs and set out 
possible ways to leverage more investment 
from a range of sources. Progress on the ini-
tiatives set out in the new action plan will be 
reviewed at a European energy technology 
summit which will be held in 2009.

Commenting  on  the  plan,  the  European 
Renewable  Energy  Council  (EREC)  wel-

‘The ideas that the 
Commission is putting 
forward today will allow 
Europe to develop a 
world-class portfolio of 
affordable, clean, efficient 
and low-emission energy 
technologies.’

comed the idea of the European industrial 
initiatives, but expressed its regret that these 
will focus largely on electricity and trans-
port. ‘The sector of heating and cooling is 
not addressed accordingly while it repre-
sents approximately half of the EU’s final 
energy  consumption,’  said  EREC  Policy 
Director Oliver Schäfer.

Based	on	a	press	release	from	the	European	Commission,	
IP/07/1750,	and	MEMO/07/493	and	MEMO/07/494.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/res/setplan/communication_2007_en.htm
RCN:	28738

European Commission proposes 
strategic energy technology plan

The European Commission has proposed a strategic energy technology (SET) 
plan with the goal of boosting research into the new low-carbon technologies, 
which Europe will need if it is to meet its climate change targets.

The Commission also proposes the estab-
lishment of a European energy research alli-
ance, which will boost cooperation between 
the many scientific disciplines engaged in 
research that impacts upon energy technol-
ogies, such as physics, chemistry, materials 
science and engineering.

In order to ensure all  policy-makers and 
stakeholders in the energy sector are aware 
of  the  latest  technologies  and  ideas,  the 
Commission will set up and run a Euro-
pean energy technology system. This will 
provide the latest information on new tech-
nologies and barriers to uptake and further 
development.

Switching  Europe’s  energy  infrastructure 
and networks to a low-carbon system will 
require massive changes entailing signifi-
cant investments in a wide range of sectors. 
Planning how to carry out these changes as 
efficiently as possible is therefore a major 
priority, and the Commission will develop 
its ideas in this area in 2008.

Finally, a European Community (EC) steering 
group on SETs will enable EU Member States 
and the Commission to plan joint actions 
and coordinate policies and programmes.

The lack of funding for energy research is 
a major problem, and the Commission will 

The EU has set itself targets of reducing by 
20 % its greenhouse gas emissions by the 
year 2020, and by 2050 it hopes to reduce 
emissions  by  60  to  80 %.  Meeting  these 
ambitious goals will require new technol-
ogies, and if Europe does not take the lead 
in  their  development,  other  areas  of  the 
world will.

‘Decisions taken over the next 10 to 15 years 
will have profound consequences for energy 
security, for climate change and for growth 
and jobs in Europe. If we fall behind in the 
intensifying global race to win low-carbon 
technology markets, we risk meeting our 
targets with imported technologies,’ warned 
EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.

Unfortunately, energy research in Europe 
is currently under-funded, dispersed and 
badly  coordinated.  There  are  structural 
weaknesses in the energy innovation pro-
cess, and public budgets for energy research 
have fallen substantially since the 1980s.

‘We  have  the  chance  to  be  world  leaders 
in low-carbon technologies, but if Europe 
doesn’t  act  together  more  effectively,  we 
will squander that opportunity and the eco-
nomic benefits of the transition to a low-
carbon economy will go elsewhere,’ said EU 
Science and Research Commissioner Janez 
Potočnik. ‘The ideas that the Commission is 
putting forward today will allow Europe to 

‘Switching Europe’s energy 
infrastructure and networks 
to a low-carbon system will 
require massive changes 
entailing significant 
investments in a wide 
range of sectors.’

develop a world-class portfolio of afforda-
ble, clean, efficient and low-emission energy 
technologies.’

The new plan sets out a number of actions 
to tackle the fragmented nature of European 
energy research. These include the creation 
of European industrial initiatives, which will 
bring together the relevant resources and 
actors in a particular sector such as wind, 
solar, bio-energy and nuclear fission. How 
these initiatives work will vary from sector 
to sector, but it is likely that some could be 
set up as joint technology initiatives (JTIs).

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CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

Andris	Piebalgs

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Competitiveness EU Council 
further strengthens research

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The Competitiveness EU Council on 23 November 2007 paved the way 
for establishing four joint technology initiatives (JTIs), agreeing to provide 
EUR 7.6 billion in funding for the public-private partnerships (PPPs). 
In addition, the Council made further headway regarding the realisation 
of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

The four JTIs, scheduled to last for 10 years, 
include the initiatives ‘Advanced research 
and technology for embedded intelligence 
and systems’ (Artemis), European Nano-
electronics  Initiative  Advisory  Council 
(ENIAC), ‘Innovative medicines initiative’ 
(IMI) and ‘Clean sky’. They will be the first 
schemes  to  use  the  instrument  of  PPPs 
provided for in FP7.

Ministers  also  welcomed  the  progress 
made in the codecision process by the EP 
and the EU Council in the examination of 
the European Commission proposal for the 
setting up of the EIT. The EU research min-
isters agreed that the institute should have 
a governing body, a director and an execu-
tive committee. However, it should not be 
established as a new institute as such, but 

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rather network and pool resources from 
existing universities and research institutes 
across Europe. The research shall initially 
be focused on energy, climate change and 
IT.  The  agreement  forms  the  basis  for  a 
second reading in the EP, after which the 
EIT should be up and running sometime 
in 2008. This also opens up the way for the 
first ‘Knowledge and innovation commu-
nities’ (KICs).

Furthermore, the EU Council settled on a 
joint  programme  which  aims  to  improve 
quality of life for the elderly. Between 2007 
and 2013, the Commission and EU Member 
States will invest EUR 300 million in the 
‘Ambient assisted living’ scheme — provided 
that the EP gives its consent. The programme 
is  intended  to  fund  projects  developing 
intelligent products and services that allow 
elderly people to live independently for as 
long as possible.

Further  subjects  highlighted  by  the  EU 
Council  include  the  need  to  facilitate 
researcher mobility and establish a  more 
extensive exchange of researchers between 
Europe and the United States; optimising 
the use of public resources for R & D and 
international  cooperation  as  well  as  pro-
viding easier access to scientific research 
in  order  to  help  spread  innovation  more 
quickly across the 27 EU Member States.

Based	on	information	from	the	EU	Council,	the	German	
Ministry	of	Education	and	Science	and	press	sources.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.eu2007.pt/UE/vEN
RCN:	28747

‘European qualifications framework 
for lifelong learning’ launched in Portugal

Ján Figel’, EU Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, 
has officially launched the ‘European qualifications framework for lifelong 
learning’ (EQF) at an education conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

The new system will enable employers and 
education establishments across Europe to 
compare and understand the qualifications 
presented  by  individuals.  The  European 
Commission hopes that the EQF will boost 
worker mobility and facilitate lifelong learn-
ing, both of which are vital if Europe is to 
create more and better jobs and growth and 
become a truly knowledge-based economy.

At the heart of the system are eight reference 
levels. They cover all stages of education, 
from the most basic to the most advanced 
qualifications. These levels describe what a 
learner knows, understands and is able to do, 
and shift the focus away from learning inputs 
(such as the length of the course or the type of 
institution) and towards learning outcomes. 
The levels can be applied to all kinds of edu-

cation, including adult education, vocational 
training and higher education.

Levels five to eight of the EQF are aligned 
with the qualifications framework for higher 
education set out by the Bologna process. 
Level five of the EQF corresponds to the 
descriptor for the higher education short 
cycle; level six to the Bachelors’ level; level 
seven to the Masters’ and level eight to the 
PhD cycle.

‘The EQF will make different qualifications 
more easily readable between different Euro-
pean countries, and so promote increased 

continued on page 7

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Dr Rajendra Pachauri: ‘We need a new ethic’

‘What we really need is a new ethic, by which every human being realises the 
importance of the challenge we are facing and starts taking action to meet it effectively 
through changes in lifestyle, through changes in attitude and behaviour,’ said 
Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 
(IPCC), at the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth 
Assessment Report — Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report in Valencia, Spain.

The new report highlights the fact that global 
warming could lead to some impacts which 
are abrupt or irreversible. These include the 
loss of ice sheets and the resulting rise in sea 
levels;  species  extinction;  and  changes  in 
ocean currents which will have knock-on 
effects for fisheries, oceanic carbon dioxide 
(CO2) uptake and terrestrial vegetation.

The  situation  also  looks  bleak  in  Asia, 
where freshwater availability is projected 
to  decrease,  while  heavily  populated 
coastal areas are likely to find themselves at 
increased risk of flooding. Meanwhile small 
island states around the world are threat-
ened by flooding, storm surges, erosion and 
other coastal hazards.

Even without the melting of the ice sheets, 
sea level rise due to the thermal expansion 
of the oceans alone is now inevitable, the 
report  warns.  ‘This  is  an  extremely  seri-
ous finding, which clearly establishes that 
with our actions [...], we have already com-
mitted the world to experiencing sea level 
rise due to thermal expansion alone,’ said 
Dr Pachauri, adding that if the melting of 
ice bodies is included, ‘that clearly gives you 
a picture of the kinds of problems we are 
likely to face.’

Extreme  events,  such  as  droughts  and 
storms, are also addressed by the report, 
which states that the frequency of ‘heavy 
precipitation events’ has increased over most 
areas, while the area affected by drought has 
also increased.

Dr Pachauri  also  emphasised  that  ‘the 
impacts  of  climate  change  are  not  going 
to  be  felt  uniformly’.  In  Africa,  between 
75 and 250 million people are projected to 
be exposed to increased water stress, and 
yields from rain-fed agriculture could be 
reduced by 50 % in some areas.

However,  the  report  is  not  all  doom  and 
gloom. ‘Fortunately, humanity has within 
its reach a number of solutions,’ commented 
Dr Pachauri.  These  include  policies  and 
instruments which governments can put in 
place to create incentives for mitigation, and 
new technologies which are either currently 
available or likely to be commercialised in 
the coming decades.

Of particular importance is the setting of 
an effective carbon-price signal. ‘This is an 
important finding,’ declared Dr Pachauri. ‘If 
we want action, then clearly there has to be a 
price attached to carbon which will move us 
towards a low-carbon economy.’

United  Nations  (UN)  Secretary-General 
Ban Ki-moon recently visited the Amazon 
and Antarctica to see the effects of climate 
change for himself. He praised the work of 
the IPCC, and described the latest report as 
‘succinct and user-friendly’.

‘The message it contains could not be sim-
pler,’ he commented. ‘The threat of climate 
change is real and there are concrete and 

affordable ways to deal with it.’ The Secretary-
General exhorted the world’s governments 
to start work towards a new, comprehensive 
climate change deal at their meeting in Bali, 
Indonesia, in December 2007. ‘The scien-
tists have now done their work and I call on 
political leaders to do theirs and agree not 
only to launch negotiations, but also to con-
clude them by 2009,’ he said. ‘There is no 
time to waste.’

This latest report is a synthesis of the three 
reports issued earlier in 2007 which look 
at the scientific basis of climate change, its 
impact and ways to mitigate and adapt to it. 
Putting it together involved over 2 500 expert 
reviewers,  800  contributing  authors  and 
450 lead authors from over 130 countries. 
Dr Pachauri underlined the report’s unique 
nature,  pointing  out  that  it  had  to  be 
accepted and approved by all the govern-
ments who are members of the IPCC.

Based	on	information	from	the	IPCC.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.ipcc.ch
RCN:	28702

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Dr	Rajendra	Pachauri

continued from page 6   ‘“European qualiﬁ cations framework for lifelong learning” launched in Portugal’

mobility  for  learning  or  working,’  said 
Mr Figel’. ‘Over the next few years, the EQF 
will promote lifelong learning, for example 
by making it easier to gain credit for the 
learning people have already achieved.’

According to Mr Figel’, many people cur-
rently face difficulties when moving from 
one country to another to study or work, 
or when moving from vocational education 
and training to higher education.

The EQF is a voluntary framework, so there 
is no official date by which countries must 
have implemented the system. Some coun-

tries,  such  as  Ireland,  France,  Malta  and 
the  United  Kingdom  have  already  set  up 
national qualification frameworks (NQFs) 

‘The EQF will make different 
qualifications more easily 
readable between various 
European countries, and so 
promote increased mobility 
for learning or working.’

to implement the EQF, and many more are 
in the process of developing them. However, 

it is hoped that countries will relate their 
NQFs to the EQF by 2010, and that the first 
qualification  certificates  bearing  an  EQF 
reference will be issued in 2012.

The EP officially approved the Commission’s 
proposal on the EQF in October 2007, and 
the EU Council reached a political agreement 
on 15 November 2007. The EQF is expected 
to be formally adopted in early 2008.

Based	on	a	press	release	from	the	
European	Commission,	IP/07/1760.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/eqf/index_en.html
RCN:	28759

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

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MEPs call for more research 
funding for car industry

MEPs have called on EU Member States to increase R & D funding 
for the car industry to help it meet legally binding carbon dioxide (CO2 ) 
targets. The call came in a report on the ‘Competitive automotive 
regulation system for the 21st century’ (CARS 21) initiative, which 
was adopted by the EP’s Industry Committee on 21 November 2007. 
‘All important aspects of the report are clearly adopted,’ commented 
German Liberal MEP Dr Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, who drafted the report.

Among other things, the report calls for CO2 
limits to be fixed at 125 g/km by 2015. ‘Car 
manufacturers need years to develop a car; a 

‘The European car industry 
produces 19 million vehicles 
a year, and provides 
2.3 million direct jobs and 
10 million jobs indirectly.’

binding legislation has to consider that,’ said 
Dr Chatzimarkakis. ‘Our CO2 targets have 
to be of course ambitious but also realistic.’ 
The European Commission has called for 
CO2 emissions to be reduced to 120 g/km 
by 2012.

The report also calls on the Commission 
to permit higher CO2 emissions if they are 
the result of fitting safety measures to the 
car. ‘Additional security systems will fur-
ther increase the weight of passenger cars 
leading to more CO2 emissions,’ reads the 
report.  By  making  allowance  for  extra 
weight caused by safety features, heavier 
cars  with  a  poor  safety  record  would  be 
penalised for carrying ‘useless weight’, the 
report explains.

It underlines the importance of R & D activ-
ities in helping the automotive sector achieve 
its CO2 targets. ‘Frequent new adaptations of 
the legislation (such as on CO2) require adap-
tation measures on the part of the industry,’ 
Dr Chatzimarkakis  noted.  ‘In  order  to 
strengthen and maintain the European manu-
facturing base, [EU] Member States have to 
raise considerably their investments in research 
on car technology, e.g. for alternative drives.’

The report welcomes the funding already fore-
seen for transport research under the FP7, the 
‘Competitiveness and innovation framework 
programme’ (CIP) and the i2010 initiative. The 
MEPs then go on to request the Commission 
to adopt a strategy to increase R & D funding 
for the automotive sector by 300 % by 2012. 
‘Furthermore, there should be a clear link 
between the raise in public R & D funding in 
the automotive sector and the binding character  
of CO2 targets,’ the report adds.

As part of the drive to boost research fund-
ing in the sector, the report recommends 
that one of the first ‘Knowledge and innov-
ation  communities’  (KICs)  of  the  forth-
coming European Institute of Innovation 
and Technology (EIT) be dedicated to CO2 
reduction in vehicle technology.

Other topics addressed by the report include 
completing  the  internal  market  for  cars, 
internationalising the regulatory environ-
ment, and the effective protection of intel-
lectual property rights (IPR). The report will 
be voted on in the plenary in January 2008.

The European car industry produces 19 mil-
lion vehicles a year, and provides 2.3 mil-
lion direct jobs and 10 million jobs indi-
rectly. The Industry Committee hopes that 
its report will ensure that the industry will 
meet its environmental and other obliga-
tions while safeguarding jobs.

At  the  beginning  of  November  2007,  the 
European Council for Automotive R & D 
(EUCAR) also called for increased funding 
for research in the sector. ‘New challenges 
for the future have been identified. We see a 
need to increase research activity and contri-
butions,’ said Lars-Göran Rosengren, Volvo 
Vice-President for Innovation and Strategy 
and EUCAR Chairman during 2007.

Based	on	information	from	the	EP.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu
http://www.chatzi.de
RCN:	28748

Europe should do more to protect children

EU Member States should do more to protect the 6 700 children 
who die every year from preventable accidents, a report from 
the European Child Safety Alliance recommends. 

To mark the ‘International day of the child 
2007’, the alliance held a press conference 
in  the  EP  to  publicise  the  findings  of  its 
research and spur EU and national stake-
holders into action.

The report created child safety report cards 
which scored the performance of 18 Euro-
pean  countries  on  their  policy  efforts  to 
protect children from road traffic accidents, 
drowning, falls, poisoning, burns and chok-
ing. The countries which scored best were 
Sweden,  the  Netherlands  and  Northern 

Ireland, whilst Spain, Greece and Portugal 
did the least well.

At the European level, the report found that 
6  700  child  and  adolescent  deaths  could 
be avoided each year if every EU Member 
State adopted, implemented and enforced 
evidence-based policies and measures, such 
as child seats in cars and fencing for private 
swimming pools for example.

‘Our  research  has  found  that  there  are  a 
number of policies and measures that already 

exist and are proven to be effective, but not 
all [EU] Member States have adopted them, 
implemented  them  and  enforced  them.  I 
think the infrastructure is there for that, the 
measures have been proven to work in many 
countries, so [EU] Member States just need 
to go ahead and implement them,’ Joanne 
Vincenten, Director of the European Child 
Safety Alliance, told CORDIS News.

According  to  the  Socialist  MEP  Arlene 
McCarthy, the meeting’s host, the lack of 
action  to  protect  children  is  due  to  fail-
ings on the part of both governments and 
industry to put children first and honour 
pledges to the UN Convention on the Rights 
of the Child.

continued on page 9

8

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New details of ERC’s ‘Advanced Grant’ 
scheme announced

The ERC has released new details of its ‘Advanced Grant’ scheme, 
which will provide research funding to Europe’s very best researchers. 
As explained by Professor Fotis Kafatos, ERC President, the application 
process and evaluation methodology have been refined since the 2007 
launch of the ‘Starting Grant’ scheme.

‘In designing the programme, the Scientific 
Council has taken account of the experience 
of the first ERC call for Starting Grant pro-
posals, particularly as regards the very high 
level  of  demand  for  ERC  funding  in  the 
first call for proposals [9 000 applications 
were received]. We have refined the appli-
cation process and the evaluation method-
ology, and incorporated features to encour-
age proposals at the right level of ambition 
and promise, including those that cross the 
boundaries between disciplines and which 
explore new fields,’ said Professor Kafatos.

The elements of modification are: a 10-year 
track  record  (indicators  are  specified);  a 
specified leadership profile; new rules on 
reapplications  and  multiple  applications; 
and the requirement to submit a complete 
proposal  rather  than  a  project  outline. 

Together,  these  elements  are  intended  to 
Together,  these  elements  are  intended  to 
ensure the highest quality of both the prin-
ensure the highest quality of both the prin-
cipal investigator and the project.

A  highly  successful  call  for  proposals  for 
A  highly  successful  call  for  proposals  for 
the Starting Grant was launched earlier this 
the Starting Grant was launched earlier this 
year, and now it is the turn of the Advanced 
Grant. The scheme will fund Europe’s very 
best research projects and researchers with 
around  EUR  4  billion  over  the  next  six 
years. Each grant will have an upper limit of 
EUR 3.5 million for a period of five years. The 
first call will release around EUR 517 million, 
and was opened on 30 November 2007.

‘This high-profile Europe-wide programme 
is designed to bring forward the most ambi-
tious, far-reaching research projects without 
restriction on the field of study, and to sup-
port the most talented established investi-
gators,  regardless  of 
gators,  regardless  of 
nationality, for projects 
nationality, for projects 
conducted  in  Europe,’ 
conducted  in  Europe,’ 
said Professor Kafatos.
said Professor Kafatos.

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investigators may include Europeans living 
abroad  or  non-EU  nationals  who  wish  to 
establish themselves in Europe. Proposals 
will be assessed solely on the basis of scien-
tific excellence. 

The ERC was created under FP7. It is the first 
pan-European funding body set up to sup-
port investigator-driven frontier research. 

‘The [Advanced Grant] 
scheme will fund Europe’s 
very best research projects 
and researchers with 
around EUR 4 billion 
over the next six years.’

Applicants  for  the 
Advanced Grant must 
be  active  researchers 
with a track record of 
significant  achieve-
ments  over  the  last 
10 years (for example 
10 publications as sen-
ior author, 5 patents if 
applicable, 10 invited 
presentations, etc.). 
Potential  principal 

Its main aim is to stimulate scientific excel-
lence by supporting and encouraging the 
very best creative scientists, engineers and 
academics to be adventurous and take risks 
in their research. The scientists should go 
beyond established frontiers of knowledge 
and the boundaries of disciplines.

Based	on	information	from	the	ERC.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://erc.europa.eu
RCN:	28728

continued from page 8   ‘Europe should do more to protect children’

‘National governments need to make the 
investments in children and families with 
the safety measures that have been proven 
to reduce child deaths,’ she said. ‘Industry 
needs to be responsible and show leadership 
to ensure products and services offered are 
safe and not put profits before safety.’

Ms Vincenten agreed, saying: ‘It took years 
to reach agreement on the adoption of child 
resistant cigarette lighters for example, and 

we are still waiting for the car industry to 
adopt safer designs.’ 

The  performance  assessment  also  scores 
countries on their leadership, infrastructure 
and capacity in child safety. It found that 
countries where governments had given a 
clear mandate to one national department to 
be responsible for coordinating child safety 
activities across sectors were more likely to 
be effective in reducing child injury.

The 30-month project, funded by the Euro-
pean Commission, will begin phase two in 
January 2008, extending its target research 
group to 12 more countries in central and 
eastern Europe.

Based	on	an	interview	with	members	
of	the	European	Child	Safety	Alliance.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.childsafetyeurope.org
RCN:	28722

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

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Europe shines in latest broadband league tables

Denmark and the Netherlands now have the highest broadband penetration 
rates, while Ireland, Germany and Sweden had the highest growth in 
broadband subscribers over the past year, according to new figures from 
the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Over the past year, the number of broad-
band subscribers in the 30 countries of the 
OECD has increased by 24 % to 221 mil-
lion (June 2007). This means that 18.8 % of 
the OECD population now have a broad-
band subscription, up from 15.1 % in June 
2006.

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Denmark  leads  the  way,  with  34.3 %  of 
broadband subscribers. Close behind are 
the  Netherlands  with  33.5 %.  Next  come 
Switzerland,  South  Korea,  Norway  and 
Iceland, with Finland, the next EU Member 
State, in seventh position (28.8 %).

Many EU Member States did well in terms 
of  increasing  their  subscriber  rates.  The 

strongest per capita subscriber growth rates 
were  seen  in  Ireland,  Germany,  Sweden, 
Australia, Norway, Denmark and Luxem-
bourg.  Each  of  these  countries  increased 
the number of subscribers by more than 5 % 
over the course of the year.

The technology continues to change in some 
countries, with several upgrading their sub-
scriber lines to fibre optics. Fibre-to-the-
home  (FTTH)  and  fibre-to-the-building 
(FTTB) subscriptions together now com-
prise  8 %  of  all  broadband  connections 
in the OECD, up from 7 % in 2006. Fibre 
connections are most popular in Japan and 
South Korea, where they account for 36 and 
31 % of all subscriptions respectively.

The average price of a broadband subscrip-
tion  is  USD  49  (EUR  33.73)  per  month, 
with FTTH/FTTB being the most expensive 
(USD 51) and wireless the cheapest (USD 33).

The average advertised download speed in the 
OECD is 13.7 megabits per second (Mbit/s). 

‘Over the past year, the 
number of broadband 
subscribers in the 30 countries 
of the OECD has increased 
by 24 % […].’

The fastest download speeds are available in 
Japan (93 Mbit/s), France (44 Mbit/s), South 
Korea (43 Mbit/s) and Sweden (21 Mbit/s).

Based	on	the	‘OECD	Broadband	Statistics	to	June	2007’.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband
RCN:	28639

The ministers agreed to increase the annual 
budget of the EDA by almost one third, from 
EUR 22 million in 2007 to EUR 32 million 
in  2008.  In  2006,  EDA  members  spent  a 
total of EUR 200 billion on defence, with 
EUR 38.7 billion spent on equipment devel-
opment  and  procurement,  according  to 
official figures. By comparison, the United 
States  spent  just  under  USD 500  billion 
(EUR 338 billion) on defence in 2006, with 
USD 86 billion (EUR 58 billion) spent on 
equipment.

The EDA is controlled by the defence min-
isters of all EU Member States except Den-
mark. It was founded in 2004 to promote 
weapons research, production and cooper-
ation in Europe.

Based	on	information	from	the	EDA.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.eda.europa.eu
RCN:	28713

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EU ministers call for more research 
and technology in defence

EU defence ministers have called for more joint spending on weapons research 
in order to boost the EU’s military coherence. ‘Investing in the right technology 
is critical for the future of European defence, and the strategy is exactly in line 
with the absolute requirement for us to spend more, spend better and spend 
more together,’ said Javier Solana, Head of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

tive benchmarks are voluntary, they will be 
monitored annually by the EDA, Mr Solana 
said.

EU  Member  States  should  also  work 
more closely together to identify the most 
important weapons technologies that should 
be developed at EU level, ministers agreed. 
This call could prove controversial, as some 
EU Member States are fiercely protective 
of  their  national  arms  development  pro-
grammes — an issue they see as a matter of 
national security.
national security.

The ministers agreed that they should boost 
their spending on equipment procurement 
by half a percentage point to 20 % of total 
defence outlay, and make at least 35 % of all 
procurement expenditure in collaboration 
with other EU Member States.

‘Today’s decisions have put in place build-
ing blocks for our common work of making 

‘The ministers agreed to 
increase the annual budget 
of the EDA by almost one 
third, from EUR 22 million 
in 2007 to EUR 32 million 
in 2008.’

Europe’s armed forces and military budgets 
fit for the challenges of the 21st century,’ said 
Alexander Weis, Chief Executive of the EDA.

The ministers settled on raising their spend-
ing on weapons research and technology 
from 1.2 to 2 % of their total defence budgets, 
with one fifth of that amount being spent on 
collaborative European projects — double 
the  current  rate.  Although  these  collec-

10

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GENERAl POlICY

Potočnik calls for more dialogue to facilitate 
regulatory approval of alternatives to animal testing 

EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik has urged both industry 
and academia to do more to facilitate the regulatory acceptance of alternatives 
to animal testing, while promising ongoing European Commission support.

From a total of 30 methods validated by the European Centre 
for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), part of the 
Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), only eight have so far 
gained regulatory acceptance. He suggested that at least some 
of this bottleneck is due to a lack of communication between 
researchers and regulators.

‘If the needs of regulators for information are an obstacle, then 
we must engage more fully with them to identify and meet those 
needs. Closer rela-
tionships,  clearer 
channels  of  com-
munications  and 
an  ongoing  dia-
logue are required,’ 
said  the  Commis-
sioner, speaking at 
the annual conference of the ‘European partnership for alterna-
tive approaches to animal testing’ (EPAA).

‘Research projects looking 
into non-animal testing 
methods will receive support 
under FP7.’

He went on to suggest that the best results will be obtained 
if this dialogue is applied to the entire research, development 
and validation process, rather than just the results. What Europe 
needs is ‘a means by which regulators, the research commu-
nity and industry can engage in a systematic and sustained 
exchange’, said Mr Potočnik. More engagement between regu-
lators and the research community will also have the added 
benefit of encouraging applied as well as basic studies on the 
specific needs of the ‘3Rs’ approach (‘replacement, reduction, 
refinement’), he added.

The  Commissioner  had  a ‘to  do’  list  for  both  academia  and 
industry, but also promised action on the part of the Commission. 
He noted the existence of only four professorships in alternative 
testing in the whole of the EU, and said that greater recognition 
of the domain as an academic discipline within the research com-
munity would help.

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For its part, industry should make its requirements better known 
to scientists in universities and research institutions. It can do this 
by supporting external research and linking with their in-house 
projects, Mr Potočnik suggested.

He went on to say that another step, which could be taken imme-
diately, is to ‘be bolder in sharing information from industrial 
research and testing’, explaining that the same or similar tests are 
often replicated by industrial competitors across sectors.

Mr Potočnik affirmed that taking this one, small step would bring 
additional benefits for companies: ‘The sharing of animal and 
substance data and methods will bring gains in safety through 
validated methods, as well as efficiency. The likely reductions in 
cost and creation of new alternative products will be commer-
cially rewarding.’

The Commission, meanwhile, will continue to provide political 
momentum  while  ensuring  coordination  across  the  relevant 
policy areas (industry, health, consumer protection, environment, 
research), pledged Mr Potočnik. It will also draw up proposals 
and legislation that are ‘ambitious, but also fair and realistic’, and 
encourage dialogue across industry sectors.

Research  projects  looking  into  non-animal  testing  methods 
will receive support under FP7. Two large projects,  expected 
to share EUR 24 million, will investigate novel, alternative test-
ing strategies in pharmaceutical research. In addition, 12 small 
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will work with major phar-
maceutical companies and public research institutes in studies 
intended to significantly cut the number of animals used in labo-
ratory experiments.

The Commissioner closed by underlining the urgency of devel-
oping  alternative  methods  to  animal  testing,  and  to  getting 
them  onto  the 
m a r k e t .   S o m e 
2 000  cosmetics 
i n 
c o m p a n i e s  
Europe are count-
ing  upon  alter-
native  methods 
to enable them to 
meet legal obliga-
tions  from  2009. 
An additional 27 000 companies will also need to comply with the 
requirements of the Directive concerning the Registration, Evalu-
ation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

‘The sharing of animal 
and substance data and 
methods will bring gains 
in safety through validated 
methods, as well as 
efficiency.’

‘Can we do better?’, Mr Potočnik asked. ‘I hope I speak for all here 
when I say that we can, and we will.’

Janez	Potočnik

Based	on	information	from	the	European	
Commission	and	a	speech	by	Janez	Potočnik.
RCN:	28652

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

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20-12-2007   11:04:09

	
	
	
 
MEPs call for more research into earthquakes

MEPs have adopted a report calling on the European Commission to 
draw up a strategic research agenda on earthquakes and on turning Europe’s 
seismic areas into ‘open-air laboratories’ for research purposes.

The report, drafted by Greek MEP Nikos 
Vakalis (EPP-ED), also recommends that 
EU Member States step up their research 
into ways of preventing damage, managing 
crises  and  reducing  the  impact  of  earth-
quake disasters, in tandem with FP7.

It adds that both the Commission and EU 
Member States should encourage setting up 
centres of excellence in scientific, techno-

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logical and architectural innovation, as well 
as university courses in such disciplines as 
earthquake-related engineering.

According  to  Mr Vakalis,  contrary  to 
common belief Europe is very vulnerable 
and at a high risk of earthquakes. Although 
the EU’s most seismically active areas are 
Bulgaria,  Greece,  Italy,  Cyprus,  Romania 
and Slovenia, the report claims the Czech 
Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Malta, 
Austria and Portugal also face a significant 
risk. In addition, large areas of the EU are 
also subject to mining-related rock-mass 
tremors, which cause similar damage.

However,  despite  a  high  level  of  techni-
cal expertise in the field, the EU makes far 
fewer investments in R & D into new tech-
nologies than other seismic regions such 
as China, Japan and the United States. ‘It 
is very important to maintain and increase 
the EU’s seismic expertise. This expertise 
may be turned into a successful and export-
able commodity, and seismic regions may 
be  converted  into  open-air  laboratories, 
thereby making capital out of this handi-
cap,’ he writes.

The  rapporteur  goes  further,  suggesting 
coordination should not only take place at 
the European level, but also with third coun-
tries  neighbouring  the  EU.  ‘Cooperation 
should take place at various levels: initially 

‘It is very important to 
maintain and increase the 
EU’s seismic expertise.’

there should be a technology transfer and 
an  exchange  of  best  practices  with  coun-
tries developing the relevant expertise. In the 
second place, there should also be technical 
cooperation, with the objective of responding 
to earthquakes more effectively,’ he said.

In addition, the report calls on the Commis-
sion to draw up a communication on earth-
quake hazards, damage prevention, manage-
ment and repair, and a technical protocol for 
joint action by the EU in the event of earth-
quake disasters. The document would focus on 
critical transport, energy, telecommunications 
and health infrastructures, and on the roles of 
national, regional and local authorities.

Based	on	the	EP	report	A6-0388/2007	by	Nikos	Vakalis.
To	read	the	report	in	full,	please	visit:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_
page/059-12909-316-11-46-910-20071109IPR12790-
12-11-2007-2007-false/default_en.htm
RCN:	28688

New figures suggest upward trend 
in animal experiments

The first report bringing together figures on animal testing from 25 EU 
Member States entitled Fifth Report on the Statistics on the Number 
of Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes in the 
Member States of the European Union reveals that 12.1 million animals 
were used for experimental or other scientific purposes during 2005. 

Looking  at  figures  from  the  first  15  EU 
Member States reveals a 3.1 % increase in the 
number of animals used between 2002 and 

joined the EU in 2004 represent 8.6 % of the 
animals used in the 25 EU Member States 
studied.

‘The number of animals 
used in cosmetics testing 
increased by 50 % to 
5 571, despite an EU directive 
banning the use of animals 
for cosmetics testing.’

2005 (France was the only country not to 
provide statistics for 2005; figures from 2004 
are included in their place). The number of 
animals used in the 10 Member States that 

As in previous reports, rodents and rabbits 
represented the majority of laboratory ani-
mals (78 %). Mice are by far the most com-
monly used species, accounting for 53 % of 
total use, followed by rats at 19 %.

The second most used group of animals was, 
as in previous years, cold-blooded animals, 
which represent 15 % of the animals used. 
The third largest group was birds, used in 
a little over 5 % of experiments. As in 2002, 
no great apes were used for experimental 
purposes in the EU in 2005. But just over 

10 000 primates were used — slightly more 
than in 2002.

The major change in terms of species used 
has been an increase of around 579 000 mice 
(10.6 %). However, alongside the increase in 
mice was a decrease in the numbers of rats, 
hamsters and other rodents used (36 %).

France reported using the highest number of 
animals (2 325 398), followed by the United 
Kingdom (1 874 207) and Germany (1 822 424). 
At around the 900 000 mark came Greece, 
followed by Italy.

Testing in France and the United Kingdom 
rose by 5 and 3 % respectively, while Germany 
cut its testing by 12 %.

The number of animals used in cosmetics 
testing increased by 50 % to 5 571, despite 
an EU directive banning the use of animals 
for cosmetics testing. All EU Member States 
must  comply  by  2009.  Almost  all  of  the 
cosmetics testing occurred in France.

continued on page 13

12

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20-12-2007   11:04:15

	
	
 
 
R & D investments key 
to productivity, report shows

Investments in R & D contribute significantly to 
increases in productivity, according to the European 
Commission’s latest competitiveness report.

The European Competitiveness Report 2007 
reveals  that  in  2006,  the  EU’s  GDP  grew 
by  3 %,  its  highest  increase  since  2000. 
This improvement was due to an increase 
in productivity (the increase of GDP per 
employee) and employment growth. Fur-
thermore, most new EU Member States, as 
well as countries with a relatively low GDP 
per capita, are catching up with their higher-
performing neighbours.

From  a  sectoral  standpoint,  the  strong-
est growth was found in industries with a 

‘European industries have 
managed to maintain 
their positions on global 
markets, contrary to 
American and Japanese 
producers.’

strong  information  and  communication 
technologies  (ICT)  component,  such  as 
communication equipment, office machin-
ery and computers.

‘These are very encouraging results, which 
tell us that the reforms under the revised 
Lisbon  strategy  for  growth  and  jobs  are 
starting to bear fruit,’ said European Com-
mission Vice-President Günter Verheugen. 
‘European industries have managed to main-
tain their positions on global markets, con-
trary to American and Japanese producers. 

Now the challenge 
is to push forward 
is to push forward 
our reform agenda.’
our reform agenda.’

The  report  identi-
The  report  identi-
fies the key drivers 
fies the key drivers 
which  contribute 
which  contribute 
most  to  productiv-
most  to  productiv-
ity.  ‘Increased  investment  in  R & D  can 
significantly increase productivity growth, 
especially if the elements of the knowledge 
triangle, R & D, innovation, and education 
and training, are well integrated, including 
as concerns the provision of scientific per-
sonnel,’ the report reads.

According  to  the  Commission,  reaching 
the target of investing 3 % of GDP in R & D 
would lead to increases in both productiv-
ity and income. So far just two EU Member 
States (Finland and Sweden) have met this 
target, and an additional eight are due to 
meet it by 2010. ‘I’m still concerned about 
the spending on research and development, 
particularly  in  the  private  sector.  There 
is  a  clear  need  to  step  it  up,’  commented 
Mr Verheugen.

The report also highlights the importance 
of  ICT  investments,  which  bring  ‘high 
returns in terms of productivity gains when 
accompanied by appropriate organisational 
changes and investments in skills’.

Other  important  drivers  of  productivity 
identified  by  the  Commission  include 

continued from page 12   ‘New ﬁ gures suggest upward trend in animal experiments’

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stimulating  entrepreneurship  by  making 
it  easier  to  set  up  companies,  improving 
conditions  for  SMEs,  reinforcing  better 
regulation practices and cutting red tape.

Looking to the future, the report considers 
the  role  that  new  and  emerging  technol-
ogies could play in boosting the economy. 
‘It is not clear to which extent the emerging 
technologies (electromechanical microsys-
tems, advanced materials, bio and nanotech-
nologies) will realise their perceived poten-
tial, although it must be understood that 
their potential is very significant and could 
make a major contribution to productivity 
growth and innovation over the next dec-
ades,’ the report states. ‘It is, however, likely 
that managing knowledge will become more 
important, and the successful business mod-
els of the future will be those that perform 
better in this respect.’

Based	on	a	press	release	from	the	European	
Commission,	IP/07/1645,	and	MEMO/07/445.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/enterprise_
policy/competitiveness/index_en.htm
RCN:	28637

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The  majority  of  animal 
The  majority  of  animal 
experiments  fell  within 
experiments  fell  within 
the category of fundamen-
the category of fundamen-
tal biology studies (33 %), 
followed  by  research  for 
human  and  veterinary 
medicine  and  dentistry 
(31 %), and then the pro-
duction and quality con-
trol  of  human  medicine 
and  dentistry  (11.8 %). 
The  most  significant 
change  since  the  2002 
report is the drop in ani-
mals  used  for  ‘toxico-
logical and other safety 

evaluation’ studies, from around 9.9 to 8%. 
As the new report also includes figures for 
the  10  EU  Member  States  that  joined  in 
2004, a significant overall downward trend 
can be identified.

The  report  will  be  presented  to  the  EU 
Council and to the EP.

Based	on	the	‘Fifth	Report	on	the	Statistics	on	the	Number	of	
Animals	used	for	Experimental	and	other	Scientific	Purposes	
in	the	Member	States	of	the	European	Union’,	
SEC(2007)	1455,	from	the	European	Commission.
To	read	the	report	in	full,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_
animals/pdf/staff_work_doc_sec1455.pdf
RCN:	28673

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

13

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PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES
Eurohead: confirming Europe’s excellence in migraine research

Eurohead, an EU-funded project on migraines, has not only taken researchers a step closer to understanding 
the causes of these incapacitating attacks, but has created a critical mass, reinforcing Europe’s reputation 
of excellence in this field, and reassuring migraine sufferers that their condition is being taken seriously.

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Over 12 % of the world’s population suffer from migraines, with 
women making up two thirds of sufferers. The attacks are not only 
highly unpleasant for sufferers, but are also costly for employers 
and health services. Annual costs are estimated at EUR 10 billion for 
the EU alone.

Although the problem is widespread, the available treatments 
are  unsuccessful  in  more  than  half  of  patients. The  migraine 
community is therefore desperate for possible treatments, and 
has demonstrated 
this  by  participat-
ing  in  Eurohead’s 
research.

‘Europe is already the 
centre of excellence 
for migraine research.’

Coordinators of the 
recently concluded 
Eurohead project spoke to CORDIS News about the discoveries 
made in the project, and the impact it has had on the migraine 
research community worldwide. 

A cure for migraines is still some way off, but the Eurohead team 
does now have a much better understanding of how genes are 
involved in the triggering of a migraine, and how the trigger 
threshold can be reduced. 

There is compelling evidence that cortical spreading depression 
(CSD) is responsible for the ‘aura’, the visual disturbances that 
often accompany migraines. The Eurohead team now believes 
that  it  could  also  be  responsible  for  the  onset  of  migraines 
themselves.

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Several thousand migraine patients participated in the research, 
including twins and families in which migraines are common. Cru-
cial to the success of the project was the involvement of people 
who suffer from a monogenic subtype of migraine, in which one 
sole gene is responsible for the condition. Five or six years ago 
there was just one pool of patients with the monogenic migraine 
subtype. The Eurohead team has now identified far more families in 
which the condition runs, and has also identified new syndromes.

Much of the research was done using cellular models, but animal 
models and human volunteers were also involved. Cellular mod-
els enabled the team to see what effects the genes had on cells at 
microscopic level. When investigating how the cells interact, the 
animal models were needed. ‘We could never have done this if we 
had stuck to single cells. The two models were complimentary,’ 
explains Dr Arn van den Maagdenberg of the Leiden University 
Medical Centre, the Netherlands. 

Brave volunteers in Denmark had an attack triggered by a team 
at Glostrup University Hospital using nitric oxide. The method 
developed in Glostrup is successful in triggering migraines in 
60  to  70 %  of  suf-
ferers. Asked about 
the  volunteers’ 
readiness  to  have 
a  migraine  trig-
gered in the name 
of  science,  prin-
cipal  investigator 
Dr Michel  Ferrari 
was very positive: ‘The migraine population as a whole is very 
happy with initiatives like this. They feel they are being taken ser-
iously. It has been established that this is a real disease,’ he says.

‘Over 12 % of the world’s 
population suffer from 
migraines, with women 
making up two thirds 
of sufferers.’

While Eurohead has shown migraine sufferers that they are being 
taken seriously, it has also indicated to the world that Europe 
should be taken seriously as a centre of excellence for migraine 
research. ‘Europe is already the centre of excellence for migraine 
research. It is striking that, in other medical areas, the US is lead-
ing, but not in this area,’ says Dr Ferrari. Moreover, most of the 
important research groups in this field were members of the 
Eurohead consortium.

The team has been contacted by researchers in every continent 
interested in collaborating on future research. Many have even 
sent genetic material from new families of migraine sufferers. 
The Eurohead team is following up on the invitations that it has 
received, and many joint publications are in the pipeline.

Eurohead is currently experiencing what Dr van den Maagdenberg 
refers to as the ‘magnet effect’. ‘Everybody’s looking at Eurohead 
as the experts on migraines,’ he said. Dr van den Maagdenberg 
welcomes the critical mass, the integration of research teams 
and the momentum created by Eurohead. When the right call is 
published under FP7, the team will apply for further funding with 
the ultimate aim of finding a cure for migraine.

Based	on	a	CORDIS	News	interview	with	the	Eurohead	project	coordinators.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.eurohead.org
RCN:	28629

14

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

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20-12-2007   11:04:34

	
	
 
 
 
The BioSapiens project: unravelling 
the secrets of the human genome

When the human genome was sequenced in 2003, it was rightly hailed 
as a major breakthrough. However, for many scientists, obtaining 
the 3-billion-letter sequence of our DNA was just the first step of a much 
greater challenge, namely understanding how our genome works.

This task is known as ‘genome annotation’, 
and it involves determining the function of 
every stretch of DNA. This is detailed work. 
For example, it is not enough to simply say 
that  a  sequence  codes  for  a  protein;  the 
structure and function of the protein also 
need to be investigated in depth. 

All of this work leads to the generation of 
vast  amounts  of  different  kinds  of  data 
which needs to be managed and analysed 
in  a  systematic,  coherent  fashion  —  and 
this is where bioinformatics comes in. Bio-
informatics  researchers  specialise  in  the 

‘[…] the BioSapiens project 
is not restricted to research 
activities; it also has an 
educational component.’

development  of  methods  for  the  storage, 
retrieval and analysis of data ranging from 
protein structures and experimental results 
to patient statistics. To do this, they draw 
on techniques and concepts from a variety 
of disciplines, including mathematics, bio-
chemistry, genetics, physics and linguistics.

In Europe, the top people in the field are 
gathered together in a network of excellence 
(NoE) called BioSapiens, which is funded 

under the FP6 ‘Life sciences, genomics and 
biotechnology for health’ thematic area.

One  of  the  primary  achievements  of  the 
project so far has been the development of 
new bioinformatics tools and their integra-
tion into existing biological data manage-
ment systems.

These  tools  were  tested  and  validated  by 
scientists around the world in the frame-
work of the international ‘Encyclopedia of 
DNA elements’ (Encode) project, which was 
launched in 2003 by the National Institutes 
of Health (NIH) in the United States. The 
initial goal of Encode was to determine the 
function of 1 % of the genome.

The results of this pilot phase were pub-
lished earlier in 2007, and they challenged 
the established idea that the genome con-
sists of a small number of genes surrounded 
by  large  regions  of  inactive,  ‘junk’  DNA. 
Instead, the study revealed that most of the 
DNA in our cells is active in some way, with 
many of the regions of our genome which 
were formerly dismissed as junk turning out 
to have regulatory functions. These regula-
tory sequences are responsible for telling 
our  genes  when  and  where  to  be  active. 
This has important implications for health 
researchers, as many diseases are caused by 
mutations in regulatory sequences.

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‘Our  results  reveal  important  principles 
about  the  organisation  of  functional  ele-
ments in the human genome, providing new 
perspectives on everything from DNA tran-
scription to mammalian evolution,’ com-
mented BioSapiens project partner Dr Ewan 
Birney of the European Molecular Biology 
Laboratory (EMBL), who led the data analysis 
work. ‘In particular, we gained significant 
insight  into  DNA  sequences  that  do  not 
encode proteins, which we knew very little 
about before.’

The BioSapiens project still has another year 
to run, and during that time the research-
ers plan to fine-tune their tools for the next 
stage of the Encode project, which involves 
annotating  the  remaining  99 %  of  the 
human genome. 

However,  the  BioSapiens  project  is  not 
restricted to research activities; it also has an 
educational component. ‘There is a real need 
for  training  in  bioinformatics,’  explained 
Professor Alfonso Valencia of the Centro 
Nacional  de  Investigaciones  Oncológicas 
(CNIO, Spanish National Cancer Research 
Centre)  and  Outreach  Coordinator  of 
BioSapiens. There is already a waiting list for 
the courses, which introduce participants 
to the basic concepts of bioinformatics and 
train them on how to use the tools available 
in their own research.

The  European  Commission  speaks  very 
highly of the BioSapiens project. The Project 
Officer at the Commission, Dr Frederick 
Marcus, told  CORDIS News it is ‘one of 
my best projects’ and described its leaders 
as  ‘superstars’.  According  to  Dr Marcus, 
the project’s success can be put down to 
the fact that the partners work extremely 
well together. Professor Valencia confirms 
this analysis, noting that the project has 
involved far more truly collaborative work 
than any of the other projects he has been 
involved in. 

Meanwhile, Dr Marcus is clear about the 
ongoing  importance  of  bioinformatics 
research, which will remain a hot topic for 
the Commission under FP7. ‘Bioinformat-
ics is an absolutely essential part of health 
research,’ he told CORDIS News.

Based	on	CORDIS	News	interviews	with	the	
BioSapiens	Project	Officer	and	project	participants.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.biosapiens.info
RCN:	28645

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

15

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Robot arm showcased at medical trade fair

A team of researchers have developed a robot control system based on 
electroencephalograph (EEG) signals, which could help paralysed people 
regain some independence. The EU-funded Brain2Robot project, developed 
at the Fraunhofer-Institut für Rechnerarchitektur und Softwaretechnik 
(FIRST, Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Architecture and Software 
Technology), involves a prosthetic robot arm that can be controlled through 
a brain-computer interface (BCI), which is combined with an ‘eyetracker’. 
The robot arm was presented at ‘Medica 2007’ in Düsseldorf, Germany, 
from 14 to 17 November 2007.

To  establish  the  direction  for  the  arm  to 
move, the patient’s eyes are monitored by 
two cameras mounted on a special pair of 

glasses. The actual movement of the robot 
arm, however, is initiated by a signal from 
the brain which is interpreted by the BCI.

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Electrodes attached to the patient’s 
Electrodes attached to the patient’s 
scalp are used to measure electrical 
scalp are used to measure electrical 
signals from the brain. These are, 
signals from the brain. These are, 
in  turn,  amplified  and  analysed 
in  turn,  amplified  and  analysed 
by the computer which can detect 
changes  in  brain  activity.  The 
machine can then carry out the 
will of the patient as dictated by 
their mental idea. 

The  leader  of  the  project, 
Dr Florin  Popescu,  said:  ‘The 
project  is  designed  to  help 
severely  handicapped  people 
cope  with  everyday  life.  The 
advantage  of  our  technology 

is  that  it  can  directly  convert  intended 
movements into control commands for the 
computer.’

Although initial research has focused exclu-
sively on medical applications, there could 
be a whole range of further possible applica-
tions including automotive safety (in terms 
of  driver  monitoring)  and  in  computer 
games control.

The  project  received  EUR  1.3  million  in 
funding  from  FP6  by  means  of  a  ‘Marie 
Curie excellence grant’ (EXT). These grants 
are designed to help identify and promote 
scientific excellence, making it possible for 
researchers to establish teams and conduct 
ambitious top-class research in all scientific 
disciplines of relevance to the EU.

Commenting on the money received from 
the EU, Dr Popescu said: ‘The grant ena-
bled  me  to  assemble  a  team  of  excellent 
young  scientists  at  FIRST  within  a  very 
short period. Without the EU funding, it 
would not have been possible to develop the 
Brain2Robot system in three years.’

Based	on	information	from	Brain2Robot.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.first.fraunhofer.de/en/home
RCN:	28681

Insect-like micro-robots shed light 
on insect decision-making behaviour

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An EU-funded study has put theories of collective behaviour among 
insects into practice using a group of cockroaches as a model. As part 
of the Leurre project, scientists introduced small, autonomous 
robots into the group of insects and analysed their interaction.

According to a Science magazine report, the 
experiment showed that self-organisation 
patterns of cockroaches and thus their deci-
sion-making could be influenced and con-
trolled by the robots, as soon as the insect-like 
micro-robots (‘insbots’) had been socially 

‘The scientists draw 
the conclusion that the 
behaviour of group-living 
animals can be studied and 
controlled using intelligent, 
autonomous devices.’

integrated. The researchers achieved this 
by wrapping the insbots in paper sprinkled 
with a blend of chemical compounds — a 
kind of pheromone — which the insects use 

to  identify  each  other.  There 
was  no  physical  resemblance 
between  the  ‘roach-bots’  and 
their natural counterparts.

In  order  to  determine  whether 
insects and insbots would in fact 
insects and insbots would in fact 
interact with each other, the researchers had 
set up an arena with two shelters for the group 
to choose between. ‘In the first set of experi-
ments, the shelters are perfectly equivalent,’ 
explained theoretical biologist Dr José Halloy 
of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 
Belgium, in an interview with Science mag-
azine. ‘If they would choose randomly, we 
would end up with 50 % of individuals on 
one side and 50 % on the other side. But in 
this case we observed that we get 90 % of indi-
viduals below the same shelter, which means 
they have selected that shelter as a group.’

In the second set of experiments, Dr Halloy 
and his research group gave the mixed group 
of  insects  and  robots  a  choice  between  a 
dark shelter and a lighter one. ‘Cockroaches 
naturally prefer to go to dark places,’ said 
Dr Halloy. In modulating the behaviour of 
the robots and making them prefer lighter 
shelters, the researchers tried to influence 
the collective decision-making of the system 
and succeeded in some instances, while in 

continued on page 17

16

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The initiative aims at establishing a strategy 
that  can  plan  the  joint  use  of  Structural 
Funds  (SF)  in  four  regions  of  the  EU: 
Saxony-Anhalt (Germany), Central Region 
(France), Northern Great Plain (Hungary) 
and Valencia Region (Spain).

The results of the ECO TV project were pre-
sented on 13 November 2007 in Valencia at 
a seminar entitled ‘New challenges in elec-
trical and electronic waste management’.

Based	on	information	from	the	Valencia	Region.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/index_en.htm
http://cordis.europa.eu/valencia
http://www.uegva.info
RCN:	28690

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ECO TV recycles television and computer 
screens into building materials

The European ‘ECO TV’ project has developed an innovative way of 
recycling the highly polluting components found in television and computer 
screens, turning them into such materials as ceramic floor tiles.

Over  the  last  few  years,  flat  screens  and 
plasma displays have increased in popular-
ity and gradually replaced cathode ray tube 
televisions and computer monitors in mil-
lions of households and businesses.

This  technological  shift  has  led  to  major 
environmental  concerns.  As  one  United 
Nations  University  (UNU)  study  found 
recently, electronic waste is set to rise from 
10.3 to 12.3 million t per year from 2005 to 
2020 within the EU. With this in mind, the 
researchers behind ECO TV embarked on 
a project to recycle highly polluting elec-
tronic waste materials such as lead, barium 
and strontium, giving them a new lease of 
life  and  helping  to  prevent  the  spread  of 
landfills. 

The project addresses the guidelines set out 
by several EU directives, including Directive 
2002/96/EC of the EP and of the Council on 
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment 
(WEEE). This Directive places the respon-
sibility for the disposal of WEEE with the 
equipment manufacturers. It also compels 
these  companies  to  use  the  waste  in  an 
ecologically-friendly  manner,  either  by 
ecological disposal or reuse.

The project, led by the Provincial Council 
of Valencia, Spain, in collaboration with the 

Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias 
de la Construcción (Aidico, the Construc-
tion Technology Institute), Valencia, and 
the E-misszió Environmental Association, 
Hungary, is currently half way through its 
two-year duration. 

The  first  project  results  include  ceramic 
tiles and resin-based materials, which could 
be applied to cement as an insulating com-
ponent and a construction material. 

Although at this stage the project is focus-
ing exclusively on the ‘Ecoparks’ found in 
ing exclusively on the ‘Ecoparks’ found in 
the Province of Valen-
cia, the project partners 
hope that in the future it 
could evolve into a larger 
scale project employed in 
many  European  centres 
specialising  in  collect-
ing, sorting and recycling 
urban waste. 

ECO  TV  is  a  subproject 
ECO  TV  is  a  subproject 
of the ‘Perspective 2007–
of the ‘Perspective 2007–
2013’ regional framework 
2013’ regional framework 
operation (RFO) and is co-
operation (RFO) and is co-
financed by the EU through 
financed by the EU through 
the  interregional  cooper-
the  interregional  cooper-
ation programme ‘Interreg 
ation programme ‘Interreg 
IIIC south’.

continued from page 16   ‘Insect-like micro-robots shed light on insect decision-making behaviour’

others the robots followed the cockroaches 
into the darker shelter. 

‘The robots were driven somehow to the 
dark shelter by the system because of social 
interaction,’ Dr Halloy pointed out. ‘And it’s 
the same for the cockroaches: although they 
prefer to be in the dark place because they 
take into account the presence of others, 
including that of robots, they end up in the 
light  place  because  of  social  interactions 
and not because they are driven by indi-
vidual preference only.’ However, the statis-
tics showed that about 60 % of the time, the 
insbots tipped the balance in favour of the 
lighter shelter.

The scientists draw the conclusion that the 
behaviour of group-living animals can be 

studied  and  controlled  using  intelligent, 
autonomous  devices.  ‘Engineers  are  very 
interested in building autonomous systems, 
groups of robots that are able to solve prob-
lems,’ said Dr Halloy. ‘The next step will be 
to build groups of artificial systems and ani-
mals that will be able to cooperate to solve 
problems. So, the machine is listening to and 
perceiving what the animals are doing and 
the animals are perceiving and understand-
ing what the machines are telling them.’ 

Practically, robots such as those used in the 
Leurre experiment could aid pest control by 
luring insects into traps, or bigger versions 
could one day even help to herd livestock, 
suggested Dr Daniela Rus of the Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology (MIT), United 
States. In addition, the Leurre study could 

provide  new  insights  into  the  exploita-
tion of the concept of self-organisation for 
coordinating autonomous multi-robot sys-
tems such as swarm-robotic systems, which 
employ  self-organisation  as  their  main 
coordination mechanism. 

The EUR 2 million Leurre project received 
EUR 1.5 million in funding from the EU 
under  the  Fifth  Framework  Programme 
(FP5).

Based	on	the	article	‘Social	integration	of	robots	into	
groups	of	cockroaches	to	control	self-organised	choice’,	by	
Halloy,	J.	et	al.	(2007),	in	‘Science’,	318:	pp.	1155-1158;	
and	information	from	the	Leurre	project.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.sciencemag.org
http://leurre.ulb.ac.be
RCN:	28694

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

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EU project develops omega-3 rich crop 

Genetically engineered plants which produce essential omega-3 fish oils 
could offer a new way of improving people’s diets, scientists working 
on the EU-funded project ‘Diet, genomics and the metabolic syndrome: 
an integrated nutrition, agro-food, social and economic analysis’ (Lipgene) 
said at a conference on ‘Incorporating Omega 3 in the food chain — why? 
where? & how?’ in London, United Kingdom.

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The Lipgene project researchers believe the 
plants, which would be used as feed for farm 
animals, could bring many benefits, including 
increasing omega-3 in human diets and eas-
ing pressure on dwindling fish stocks.

Long-chain fatty acids called eicosapentaenoic 
acid  (EPA),  and  docosahexaenoic  acid 
(DHA), found mainly in oily fish such as 
salmon, mackerel and herring, provide pro-
tection against cardiovascular diseases, slow 
down mental decline in the elderly and are 
essential for the healthy development of a 
baby’s brain in the womb.

Whilst experts recommend a daily intake of 
450 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, most adults 
barely  manage  half  that  amount.  Among 
teenagers, the figure drops to just 100 mg 
a day, and intake in low-income families 
is around 50 mg per day less than in other 
families. 
families. 

In order to address the health problems that 
could result from a lack of these essential fatty 
acids, the Lipgene project has brought together 
scientists and economists to look for ways to 
increase the levels of the oils in people’s diets. 
A study within the project found that the costs 
of increasing omega-3 consumption across 
Europe would be paid back many times over 
in reduced healthcare costs.

One  of  the  Lipgene  scientists,  Dr Ian 
Givens of the University of Reading, United 
Kingdom, believes the answer could lie in 
increasing  omega-3  fish  oils  in  popular 
foods. Whilst only 30 % of Britons regularly 
eat  oily  fish,  80 %  eat  poultry.  Dr Givens 
increased the omega-3 levels in his chick-
ens by adding the oils, taken from fish, to 
their feed. However, this method may not be 
sustainable given the depletion of fish stocks 
around the world.

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Another  partner  in 
Another  partner  in 
the project, Professor 
Johnathan  Napier 
o f   R o t h a m s t e d 
Research  Institute, 
United  Kingdom, 
believes  the  only 
sustainable way to 
increase  omega-3 
in people’s diets is 
to turn to geneti-
cally  modified 
(GM) technology, 
as  there  are  no 
naturally  occur-

ring plant species that have the capacity to 
synthesise these long-chain omega-3 fatty 
acids. 

EPA and DHA are normally made by micro-
scopic marine algae which are then eaten by 
small fish, passing the fatty acids into the 
food chain. Professor Napier isolated key 
genes from algae and inserted them into lin-

‘Whilst experts recommend 
a daily intake of 450 mg 
of omega-3 fatty acids, 
most adults barely manage 
half that amount.’

seed and oilseed rape. He found that plants 
were able to synthesise omega-3 fatty acids 
in their seed oils. 

The  eventual  aim  would  be  to  feed  the 
GM-enhanced  plants  to  animals  such  as 
chicken and cattle, so as to produce omega-
3 enriched meat, milks and eggs. Accord-
ing to Professor Napier, fields of GM crops 
for animal feed could be grown within five 
years.

Although the scientists admit the public’s 
concerns about GM crops would have to be 
addressed, they are confident that once the 
benefits were made clear, mindsets would 
change.

The Lipgene project brings together over 
200 scientists and involves 25 research cen-
tres from across Europe. It will run until 
2009.

Based	on	information	from	Lipgene	and	press	sources	(BBC).
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.ucd.ie/lipgene
RCN:	28703

Saving water — it’s a game

With the help of a computer game, Spanish, Dutch and Swedish researchers want 
to further understand sustainable water use. The game is part of the EU-funded 
‘Methods and tools for integrated sustainability assessment’ (Matisse) project.

The players act in a world with a river run-
ning  through  a  landscape.  The  scenario, 
which is based on geographic information 
from  the  region  along  the  Ebro  river  in 
northern Spain, incorporates different water 
users,  cities,  villages,  farms,  vegetation, 
rain  and  frogs  —  representing  ‘voiceless 
water users’. Spain is suffering from severe 
water shortage. When the water in the Ebro 

wanes, it not only affects power companies 
that  have  built  power  turbines  along  the 
river and local villagers, but also people and 
natural and cultural treasures.

Before  the  game  begins,  players  have  to 
answer a questionnaire, giving themselves 
an  identity  —  including  who  they  are, 
where they live along the river, and so on. 

They will then pop up as a dot in the playing 
field, where they can start to dig a field or 
irrigate it. Players can see what other play-
ers are doing as well as the results of their 
own and others’ actions with regard to the 
water cycle.

In this way, stakeholders along the Ebro can 
better assess the impact of what they do, eco-
toxicologist and water expert Göran Ewald 
of the Centre for Sustainability Studies at 
Lund  University,  Sweden,  told  CORDIS 
News. At the same time, problem stakeholders 

continued on page 19

18

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20-12-2007   11:05:15

	
	
 
 
 
Reaching out to female immigrants

Understanding the experiences and needs of female immigrants and the factors 
influencing their integration into the host population is the goal of the ‘Needs 
for female immigrants and their integration in ageing societies’ (Femage) 
project, which is currently drawing to a close. The project is funded through 
the ‘Research for policy support’ activity of FP6.

‘We were aware that, as European popula-
tions are ageing, there is a need for more 
domestic service, and we were also aware 
that many female immigrants are not eco-
nomically active,’ said project coordinator 
Professor Charlotte Höhn of the Bundes-
institut  für  Bevölkerungsforschung  (BIB, 
Federal Institute for Population Research), 
Germany, explaining the rationale behind 
the  project.  An  additional  consideration 
was the fact that many female immigrants 
are not aware of what their own fate will be 
as they enter old age.

The  project  partners  interviewed  female 
immigrants from outside the EU about their 

experiences, interests, involvement in paid 
work and their thoughts on the future. They 
also looked at surveys on the attitude of the 
local population towards immigrants, and 
held focus group discussions with NGOs.

According to Professor Höhn, the experi-
ences of male and female immigrants are 
quite different, starting with the migration 
process  itself.  ‘Most  women  don’t  come 
here on their own wishes,’ she told CORDIS 
News. ‘They usually come as children or 
as the wife of an immigrant.’ Women who 
migrate  on  their  own  are  more  likely  to 
integrate and enter the labour market than 
women who come with their husband.

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Most  immigrant  women 
Most  immigrant  women 
do  not  speak  the  local 
do  not  speak  the  local 
language,  making  inte-
language,  making  inte-
gration  into  the  local 
population  more  dif-
ficult.  Furthermore, 
they  may  spend  most 
of  their  time  living 
within  their  own  eth-
nic community. Skilled 
women interviewed by 
the  project  reported 
that their talents and 
experience were rarely 
appreciated  by  the 
host country, leaving 
them trapped in low-

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skilled jobs. Women are also less likely to 
have made provisions for old age.

So how can EU Member States ensure that 
women arriving from elsewhere are able to 

‘Women who migrate on 
their own are more likely 
to integrate and enter 
the labour market than 
women who come with 
their husband.’

play a full role in their adopted country? At 
the top of Professor Höhn’s list is helping 
immigrants improve their language skills. 
In addition to this, she suggests sensitively 
raising their interest in emancipation and 
boosting their self-esteem, to give them the 
courage  to  take  part  in  activities  beyond 
their own ethnic community.

Local populations can also help by making 
sure  immigrants  feel  welcomed,  and  not 
rejected. ‘There is sometimes a misunder-
standing, so immigrants feel more rejected 
than they actually are,’ she explains.

Looking to the future, Professor Höhn notes 
that there is a need for more research into 
the barriers to integration faced by female 
immigrants to the EU. ‘They are a neglected 
part of the population,’ she commented.

Based	on	a	CORDIS	News	interview	
with	the	Femage	project	coordinator.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.bib-demographie.de/femage
RCN:	28689

continued from page 18   ‘Saving water — it’s a game’

may be identified. ‘We often lack methods 
for  reaching  agreement  about  a  solution 

‘If we put both [water 
and democracy] in the 
context of sustainable 
development, water is the 
basis for everything and 
democracy is the basis for 
what people will accept.’

that everyone can accept,’ Mr Ewald pointed 
out. ‘And this is where the game comes in,’ 
promoting  mutual  understanding  and 
knowledge.

However, the game is not a mere simulation 
of the water cycle, it can also be considered 
as a democratic tool: ‘If we put both [water 
and democracy] in the context of sustainable 
development, water is the basis for everything 
and democracy is the basis for what people 
will accept’ with a view to authorities’ deci-
sions, Mr Ewald explained. As a result, the 
game might help people from the Ebro region 
to trust the authorities and institutions.

A first test showed that subjects responded 
very well to the game. A second test round 
is  scheduled  for  February  2008.  Eventu-
ally,  the  researchers  intend  to  make  the 
game publicly available on the internet, said 
Mr Ewald.

The Matisse project as a whole is supported 
by FP6 as part of the ‘Global change and eco-
systems’ priority area. With sustainable devel-
opment being one of the EU’s most important 
policy objectives, the 26 project partners from 
10 countries and various fields of research 
hope to make some headway in the science 
and application of integrated sustainability 
assessment (ISA) policies. This includes the 
development of a common conceptual ISA 
framework, a portfolio of future tools, which 
will undergo testing in a number of case stud-
ies, and a set of guidelines for ISA.

Based	on	information	from	Lund	University.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.matisse-project.net
RCN:	28757

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

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N
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INNOVATION
EU Council calls for integrated 
policies to boost competitiveness

In a meeting focused on enhancing Europe’s 
competitiveness, the Competitiveness EU Council 
emphasised the importance of research, technology, 
innovation and knowledge to economic growth.

Ministers agreed that ‘the goal of making the EU a dynamic and 
competitive, knowledge-based economy remains essential to 
achieving a sustainable growth with more and better jobs and 
greater social cohesion.’

They talked of a need for more integrated policies, in particular 
in relation to the functioning of the single market; a stronger 
knowledge triangle (research, innovation, education); improving 
conditions for enterprises and entrepreneurship; and fighting cli-
mate change.

The EU Council also acknowledged the need to put more empha-
sis on SMEs, and to do more to promote the role of R & D and 
innovation. Indeed, the Council invited the EU Member States and 
the European Commission to encourage long-term public-private 
partnerships (PPPs) in R & D and innovation, notably by setting 
up joint technology initiatives (JTIs) under FP7 and ‘Knowledge 
and innovation communities’ (KICs) in the context of the European 
Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

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The EU Member States and the Commission were also invited 
to develop a comprehensive strategy for intellectual property 
rights (IPR) in Europe, and to begin a discussion on the progress 
of the EU’s ‘broad-
based  innovation 
strategy’.

‘The EU Council also 
acknowledged the need 
to put more emphasis on 
SMEs, and to do more to 
promote the role of R & D 
and innovation.’

Precedence  was 
also  given  to  the 
importance  of  e-
skills. The EU Mem-
ber  States  were 
invited  to  further 
develop their long-term e-skills strategies, include these strate-
gies in their national reform programmes, and bear in mind the 
specific needs of SMEs when designing them.

Based	on	the	conclusions	of	the	2832nd	EU	Council	meeting.
To	see	the	Council	conclusions	in	full,	please	visit:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/intm/97213.pdf
RCN:	28740

Slovenia approves tax incentives for R & D

Slovenia’s Government has approved a decree allowing regional tax incentives 
for R & D. The initiative is intended to encourage investment in R & D, increase 
the competitiveness of Slovenia’s economy and attract foreign investors.

The corporate income tax act states that a 
taxable legal person can deduct from the tax 
base a general investment incentive amount-
ing to 20% of the amount invested in inter-
nal R & D activities or spent on the purchase 
of R & D services. The decree makes possi-
ble additional regional deductions of 10 or 

20 %.  The  exact  amount  depends  on  per 
capita GDP in individual regions in com-
parison with the national average.

The  cabinet  also  approved  a  cluster  that 
will  bring  together  ministries,  regional 
development agencies and innovation cen-

tres from 11 regions in central and eastern 
Europe. The ‘CEE-ClusterNetwork’ project 
will receive funding under the EU’s ‘PRO 
INNO’ programme to establish innovation 
potential in the region. It will involve Aus-
tria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, 
Italy,  Poland,  Slovakia  and  Slovenia.  The 
agreement was signed in Brussels, Belgium, 
on 28 November 2007.

Based	on	information	from	the	Slovene	Government.
RCN:	28761

20

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20-12-2007   11:05:35

	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
 
Stakeholders call for more flexibility in the ERA

European industry has asked for a change of emphasis for the ERA. 
The European Commission’s Green Paper entitled The European Research 
Area: New Perspectives, on which stakeholder consultation has just been 
closed, has too narrow a focus in that it concentrates on public research 
systems, said industry representatives at a public hearing in the EP on
 20 November 2007. The hearing was organised by Austrian MEP Dr Paul 
Rübig, the Vereinigung der Österreichischen Industrie — Industriellen 
Vereinigung (IV, the Federation of Austrian Industry) and Dansk Industri 
(DI, the Confederation of Danish Industries). 

‘The  emphasis  of  the  ERA  should  be 
extended to support flexibility of approach 
to knowledge-intensive activities,’ explained 
Leif Kjaergaard, Chairman of the Research 
and Technology Working Group of Business 
Europe, the European industry organisation. 
‘Also a more effective translation of research 
findings  is  necessary  in  order  to  address 
large-scale market and social objectives.’

Currently, ERA policies concentrate strongly 
on ‘the push side of the equation’ — more 
research activity, facilitating researcher move-
ment, creating infrastructure — whereas it is 
equally important to consider the pull side. 
‘Therefore, it is necessary to create markets, 
intelligent customers and higher demand for 
research and innovation that can help Euro-
pean high-tech start-ups reach world class,’ 
said Mr Kjaergaard.

More precisely, European industry stakehold-
ers say that the ERA should not encourage 
centralisation, but rather decentralisation, 
benefiting  from  the  diversity  of  interests 
and  experiences  in  Europe  and  creating 
research infrastructures unrestricted, as far 
as possible, by national and other boundaries, 
Mr Kjaergaard stated. He also suggested that 
the ERA should be open to the rest of the 
world in order to make Europe more attrac-
tive and to deal with challenges beyond the 
ability of individual regions.

Preliminary  results  of  the  Commission’s 
stakeholder  consultation  draw  a  similar 

picture with regard to centralisation: ‘So far, 
we can see that there is strong support for 
action in the areas identified in the Green 
Paper. There is also an expressed wish for 
the EU not to get involved in binding legis-
lative actions at European level, and they 
rather advocate for the Commission to be a 
facilitator,’ summarised Dr James Gavigan, 
Head of Unit at the Commission’s Research 
DG. He promised a more detailed analysis 
of the input for January 2008.

Simultaneously, the Commission is plan-
ning to launch five specific initiatives over 
the next few months. This is, Dr Gavigan 
announced, ‘to help [EU] Member States 
identify joint public research programmes. 
We also want to launch an initiative for a 
general  partnership  for  virtual  European 

‘The emphasis of the 
ERA should be extended 
to support flexibility of 
approach to knowledge-
intensive activities.’

research passports, for mobility and career 
development; a legal framework to facili-
tate pan-European research infrastructures; 
a  Commission  recommendation  for  the 
management of IPR [intellectual property 
rights] in public research institutions; and a 
common strategy for international science 
and technology cooperation.’

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Speaking on behalf of the EP, Umberto Guidoni, 
Italian  MEP  and  rapporteur  on  the  ERA 
Green Paper, said that instead of too much 
European involvement, there was a lack of 
‘a true European dimension’ to the concept. 
‘Europe is not able to attract new investment 
in research,’ he argued. Instead, investors 
are moving their money to China and other 
emerging countries. In addition, Europe’s 
research investments are too scattered all 
around  Europe.  To  counter  this,  the  EU 
needs ‘to make sure that funds are spent as 
effectively as possible.’ 

In order  to achieve this, the ERA,  which 
from Mr Guidoni’s point of view ‘used to 
be a rather static concept’, needs to become 
more flexible: ‘I think we have to be will-
ing now to take a different approach to take 
action at the level where it is most effective.’

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	at	the	EP	public	hearing	
‘The	European	research	area	—	a	vision	for	all?’.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/progress-on-debate/
stakeholder-consultation_en.html
RCN:	28720

China and the United Kingdom join forces 
to secure commercial investment

China and the United Kingdom have launched a common initiative 
to help joint research teams commercialise their research results.

Innovation  China  UK  (ICUK)  will  fund 
‘proof of concept’ R & D projects with strong 
commercial potential. The funding will help 
joint  British-Chinese  teams  develop  and 
analyse options for commercialising their 
findings, thereby bolstering their chances of 
securing commercial investment.

‘Such exciting research partnerships mark a 
potentially significant step in the capability 
of both our countries to boost knowledge 
transfer. With greater knowledge transfer 
comes  a  greater  ability  to  innovate,’  said 
British Science and Innovation Minister Ian 
Pearson.

ICUK  brings  together  5  British  and  over 
10 Chinese higher education institutions. The 
relevant ministry from each country will put 
around EUR 7 million into the funding pot.

The funding will go to projects in the areas 
of energy, climate change, sustainable devel-
opment, infectious diseases, biomedicine, 
drug discovery (including traditional Chi-
nese medicine), nanotechnology, materials 
science and space technology.

Based	on	information	from	the	British	Government.
RCN:	28734

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

21

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CAllS AND TENDERS
CAllS AND TENDERS

Before contacting the European Commission, all tenderers are strongly advised 
to consult the original call text in the Offi  cial Journal of the European Union.

Call for proposals: Galileo

Call for proposals: 
‘Marie Curie’ programme

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The European GNSS [Global navigation 
satellite system] Supervisory Authority 
(GSA) has issued a call for proposals under 
the ‘Transport (including aeronautics)’ 
area of FP7.

The European GNSS encompasses Galileo 
and the ‘European geostationary naviga-
tion  overlay  service’  (EGNOS)  and  pro-
vides a worldwide positioning and tim-
ing infrastructure. Topics covered by this 
call include: innovative GNSS-based road 
applications;  innovative  GNSS-based 
mobile location-based services (LBS) appli-
cations; GSA support; accelerating EGNOS 
adoption in aviation; mass-market GNSS 
applications and mass-market receivers.

The budget for the call is EUR 25 million. 
The deadline for submitting proposals is 
29 February 2008.

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?
fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationDetails
CallPage&call_id=110
OJ C 272, 15.11.2007

RCN:	28693

The European Commission has issued a call 
for proposals under the ‘People’ programme 
of FP7. The call refers to the ‘Marie Curie’ 
action ‘Co-funding of regional, national and 
international programmes’ (Cofund).

The action targets programmes that sup-
port  the  transnational  mobility  of  expe-
rienced researchers at different stages of 
their careers by broadening or deepening 
their individual competence, in particular in 
terms of: acquisition of multi- or interdisci-
plinary skills or having intersectoral experi-
ences; supporting researchers in attaining 
and/or strengthening a leading independ-
ent  position,  e.g.  principal  investigator; 
(re)integrating researchers into a research 
career  in  EU  Member  States  and  associ-
ated countries, including in their country of 
origin, after a mobility experience. A more 
detailed explanation of this action will be 
available in the forthcoming 2008 work pro-
gramme, which should be adopted soon.

The deadline for submitting proposals is 
13 March 2008.

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?
fuseac tion=UserSite.PeopleDetails
CallPage&call_id=77
OJ C 275, 16.11.2007

RCN:	28701

Prior information notice: 
examining various aspects 
of REACH implementation

The European Commission has published 
a prior information notice on a framework 
contract for services on technical, scientific, 
health, environmental and socio-economic 
questions concerning the implementation 
of the Regulation concerning the 
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation 
and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

The call relates to one or several frame-
work  contracts  for  four  to  five  years, 
involving a multidisciplinary company or 
consortia knowledgeable to provide ser-
vices in technical, scientific, health, envir-
onmental  and  socio-economic  issues 
related to chemicals.

The estimated budget is EUR 5 to 10 million. 
The scheduled date for the start of tender 
procedures is 2 June 2008.

To see the full details of the notice, please visit:
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:
261831-2007:TEXT:EN:HTML
OJ S 216-261831, 9.11.2007

RCN:	28664

This is an indicative list of FP7 calls for proposals which will be closing soon. 
To obtain the full list of calls, please visit: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7

Call identifier

Call

FP7 Specific 
Programme

Theme/Activity

Closing date

FP7-ENERGY-2008-1

Energy call part 1

Cooperation

ERC-2008-AdG_
20080228

Call for ERC ‘Advanced 
Grant’ (physical sciences 
& engineering)

Ideas

FP7-INFRASTRUCTURES-
2008-1

Call 3: FP7-
INFRASTRUCTURES-
2008-1

Capacities

Renewable electricity generation, 
renewable fuel production, smart energy 
networks, energy efficiency and savings, 
horizontal programme actions

Encourage and support excellent, 
innovative investigator-initiated 
research projects by leading advanced 
investigators across EU Member States 
and associated countries

Support to existing research 
infrastructures, integrating activities, 
support to policy development and 
programme implementation

26 February 2008

28 February 2008

29 February 2008

FP7-PEOPLE-IAPP-2008

FP7-PEOPLE-IAPP-2008

People

Support for training and career 
development of researchers

25 March 2008

While every eﬀ  ort is made to ensure that the information in the CORDIS focus Newsletter is accurate, 
readers who wish to follow up on any of the opportunities cited in the Newsletter should conﬁ rm 
the validity of information with the contacts and/or references cited in the entries.

22

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New service to improve ice monitoring in Europe

The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), the Finnish Institute of Marine Research (FIMR) and the Meteorologisk 
institutt (met.no, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute) are to join forces in order to improve operational ice 
monitoring and forecasting in the Arctic Ocean and the Baltic Sea. Their new European Ice Service (EIS) is intended 
to complement the traditional national ice services that are already in place in the three countries involved.

AROUND EUROPE
AROUND EUROPE

 The project partners want to increase public awareness of the 
ice-infested seas of Europe and their significance in understand-
ing climate change processes at high latitudes, as well as their 
impact on climate change. They also hope to create a European 
service equivalent to the joint North American Ice Service, mak-
ing a substantial contribution to international programmes in the 
European polar areas and providing high-resolution data sets for 
the climate change community.

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‘The  EIS  services  will  be  implemented  both  on  a  global  and 
regional scale, and will be tailored to meet specific user require-
ments both for land and sea operations,’ Erik Buch, Head of the 
Centre for Sea and Ice at the DMI, commented.

Alongside other data, the EIS will attempt to gradually increase 
the use of satellite data in order to improve the quality of its prod-
ucts and services. The three institutes involved are sure that the 
EIS ‘will be a strong and unified voice when needs and require-
ments for future satellite missions are discussed’.

A
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P
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‘The EIS benefits to European citizens will be revealed through 
improved  policy  and  decision-making,  particularly  by  better 
m a n a g e m e n t 
of  environment, 
prevention  and 
control  of  marine 
pollution and con-
servation  of  the 
Arctic  and  Baltic 
ecosystems,’  they 
conclude, ‘but also by safer marine transportation and offshore 
operations, for instance by improved design criteria for vessels 
and marine constructions.’

‘The EIS services […] will 
be tailored to meet specific 
user requirements both for 
land and sea operations.’

Germany and India intensify science ties

Germany and India have agreed to strengthen scientific 
collaboration and networking, with a focus on tackling climate 
change and developing clean energy technologies.

Each  of  the  countries  will  allocate 
EUR 10 million to the establishment of a 
joint science and technology (S & T) centre, 
which will be located in Delhi, India. The 
Indo-German Science and Technology Cen-
tre will encourage collaboration with Indian 
industry and scientific institutes. Public-
private partnerships (PPPs) are expected to 
meet most of the project costs.

Memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on 
research collaboration were also signed for 
the scientific domains of advanced materials, 
energy and biomedical technologies, and for 
promoting scientist exchange programmes.

lighter and stronger in order to 
lower  costs  for  industry  while 
increasing efficiency.

An Indian version of Germany’s 
An Indian version of Germany’s 
Max Planck institutes will also be 
Max Planck institutes will also be 
set up under the agreement. One 
set up under the agreement. One 
of the goals behind this initiative is 
of the goals behind this initiative is 
to allow Indian scientists who have 
to allow Indian scientists who have 
benefited from Max Planck fellow-
benefited from Max Planck fellow-
ships to keep up links with their host 
institutes in Germany. Indian researchers 
make up the largest group of foreign scholars 
in  international  Max  Planck  research 
institutes.

Based	on	information	from	the	FIMR.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.fimr.fi
RCN:	28647

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tions to address climate change, including 
mitigations and adaptation strategies to sup-
port the economic and social development 
of developing countries.

One of the centre’s first projects will address 
‘lean manufacturing’: making components 

Germany  and  India  also  released  a  joint 
statement calling for effective, practical solu-

Based	on	information	from	press	sources	(‘SciDev.Net’).
RCN:	28641

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

23

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20-12-2007   11:05:56

This is an indicative list of FP7 calls for proposals which will be closing soon. 

To obtain the full list of calls, please visit: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7

Call identifier

Call

Theme/Activity

Closing date

FP7 Specific 

Programme

FP7-ENERGY-2008-1

Energy call part 1

Cooperation

26 February 2008

Renewable electricity generation, 

renewable fuel production, smart energy 

networks, energy efficiency and savings, 

horizontal programme actions

Encourage and support excellent, 

innovative investigator-initiated 

investigators across EU Member States 

and associated countries

Support to existing research 

infrastructures, integrating activities, 

support to policy development and 

programme implementation

Grant’ (physical sciences 

Ideas

research projects by leading advanced 

28 February 2008

ERC-2008-AdG_

20080228

Call for ERC ‘Advanced 

& engineering)

FP7-INFRASTRUCTURES-

2008-1

Call 3: FP7-

2008-1

INFRASTRUCTURES-

Capacities

29 February 2008

FP7-PEOPLE-IAPP-2008

FP7-PEOPLE-IAPP-2008

People

Support for training and career 

development of researchers

25 March 2008

While every eﬀ  ort is made to ensure that the information in the CORDIS focus Newsletter is accurate, 

readers who wish to follow up on any of the opportunities cited in the Newsletter should conﬁ rm 

the validity of information with the contacts and/or references cited in the entries.

  
	
	
	
	
 
ious activities bringing in complementary 
strengths and technical expertise.’

Luxembourg has expertise in a range of life 
science-related fields, including genetics, 
molecular  biology,  bio-medicine,  cancer 
research  and  the  development  of  health 
technologies.

‘We are very pleased to welcome Luxem-
bourg as our new member state,’ said EMBL 
Director General Iain Mattaj. ‘Luxembourg 
has substantially contributed to the progress 
of research in the life sciences in the past 
years. Its overlapping research interests and 
its complementary expertise make it a very 

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valuable addition to EMBL.’

Luxembourg  will  be  represented 
on  the  EMBL’s  council  by  Josiane 
Entringer  of  the  Department  for 
Research  and  Innovation  of  the 
Ministry for Culture, Higher Edu-
cation and Research.

Based	on	information	from	the	EMBL.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.embl.org
RCN:	28676

land’s future economic development, with 
CSETs and SRCs playing a key role.’

The  research  funding  is  part  of  Ireland’s 
‘Strategy for science technology and innovation 
2006 to 2013’, under which the Irish Govern-
ment plans to invest EUR 2.7 billion in research 
before the end of 2008, in order to strengthen 
science and innovation in the country.

Based	on	information	from	the	SFI.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.sfi.ie
RCN:	28683

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luxembourg joins EMBl

Luxembourg has become the 20th country to join the European Molecular 
Biology Laboratory (EMBL), after its membership was endorsed by the EMBL’s 
Council and ratified by the Luxembourg Parliament.

EMBL  membership  means  that  Luxem-
bourg will now be able to benefit from the 
EMBL’s services and training programmes. 
Its  scientists  will  also  have  access  to  the 
research facilities at the five EMBL stations. 
In return, Luxembourg will contribute to 
the EMBL’s activities, namely carrying out 
basic research, providing training and ser-
vices,  developing  new  instruments  and 
methods, and promoting technology trans-
fer activities.

E
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A

‘EMBL  is  a  key  player  in  European 
molecular biology,’ said François Biltgen, 
Luxembourg’s Minister for Culture, Higher 
Education and Research. ‘Being part of its 
international network will provide a boost 
for Luxembourg’s research in the growing 
field  of  molecular  biology,  and  will  inte-
grate  its  researchers  even  better  into  the 
European scientific community. In return, 
Luxembourg will contribute to EMBL’s var-

Irish biotechnology and ICT research 
awarded EUR 87 million

In its largest funding effort under the ‘Centres for science, engineering 
and technology’ (CSETs) and new ‘Strategic research clusters’ (SRCs) 
programmes, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) has awarded 
EUR 87 million to a number of industry-academic research projects.

The projects involve 11 academic institu-
tions  and  48  companies  —  both  indige-
nous and multinational — and will address 
questions of biotechnology and ICT. One 
CSET project dedicated to next-generation 
localisation  will  receive  support,  as  will 
12 SRCs attempting to establish, for instance, 
an immunology research centre, a network 
of excellence (NoE) for functional bioma-
terials, and an Irish drug delivery research 
network.

‘SFI has established some of the most sig-
nificant and innovative awards offered any-
where in the world for research that brings 
together academic and industrial partners,’ 
said the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade 
and Employment, Micheál Martin. ‘Meas-
ures such as the SFI CSETs and SRCs pro-
vide  the  mechanisms  for  new  innovative 
research  and  entrepreneurial  leadership, 

and  real  opportunities  for  reshaping  Ire-
land’s  economy  through  science.  These 
collaborations therefore are central to the 
Government’s long-term economic strategy 
in building Ireland’s new knowledge-driven 
in building Ireland’s new knowledge-driven 
economy.’

‘Today’s  research 
award  recipients 
and the teams they 
have  assembled  are 
of  world-class  cali-
bre,’ Professor Frank 
Gannon,  Director-
General  of  the  SFI, 
added. ‘I believe that 
added. ‘I believe that 
the  initiatives  to  be 
the  initiatives  to  be 
undertaken  by  SFI 
undertaken  by  SFI 
over the coming seven 
over the coming seven 
years  will  provide  a 
years  will  provide  a 
cornerstone  for  Ire-
cornerstone  for  Ire-

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The study, which was funded by the United 
Kingdom’s Economic and Social Research 
Council (ESRC), is based on findings from 
the Office for National Statistics Longitudi-
nal Study on England and Wales, the English 
Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and the Euro-
pean Social Survey with data from 19 Euro-
pean countries.

Based	on	information	from	the	ESRC.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.esrc.ac.uk
http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org
RCN:	28692

Over-60s happiest in Scandinavia, 
British study suggests

If you want to be happy and satisfied with life when you are over 
the age of 60, you should be living in Scandinavia. This is one 
of the results of a British study analysing the impact of living alone, 
with a spouse or with others, on the health and happiness of older 
people and how this impact varies within Europe.

Professor Emily Grundy from the Centre for 
Population Studies at the London School of 
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), 
United Kingdom, who led the study together 
with  Harriet  Young,  also  of  the  LSHTM, 
attributes this finding to the generous wel-
fare system in Scandinavia in comparison 
with that of other countries.

rather than with a husband. This might be 
due to the fact that they are free of having to 
provide round-the-clock care for their hus-
bands, who are more likely to be in poorer 
health  than  they  are,  the  study  suggests. 
However, both elderly women and men liv-
ing alone have a higher mortality risk than 
those living with a spouse.

More generally speaking, ‘older people liv-
ing alone were less happy and had lower 
life satisfaction than those who lived with 
others’, Professor Grundy explains. In many 
cases, the grade of happiness was higher for 
those  living  with  a  spouse.  ‘Those  living 
with a relative or friend were more likely to 
be lonely,’ the study states. This is particu-
larly true of men, who were happier living 
with a wife than with other people.

Women, on the other hand, were usually 
more content living a single life or living 
with family or friends than their male coun-
terparts. Contrary to the Nordic countries, 
older women in England and Wales even 
rated their health better if they lived alone 

‘These  findings  have  important  policy 
implications for whether long-term care ser-
vices for older people living alone should be 
prioritised, or if services should be directed 
at  unpaid  family  carers,’  says  Professor 
Grundy.

Demographic change and ageing popula-
tions  are  an  increasing  challenge  for  the 
western world. While today there are about 
70 million people in the EU that are aged 
over 60 (i.e. 20 % of the population), it is 
estimated that by 2050, the number will have 
doubled to 40 % of the total population. In 
addition, there has been a rise in older men 
and women living alone, and a decline in 
those living with children or relatives.

German Government to fund appointment 
German Government to fund appointment 
of 200 women professors

The German Government is to create 200 additional 
positions for women university professors over the 
next five years with EUR 75 million. The German 
Länder will also provide funding for the programme.

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‘Highly-qualified and talented women scien-
tists belong in the top scientific and research 
positions. With this programme for women 
professors  we  are  able  to  significantly 
increase the number of women professors 
and to provide young women scientists with 
models for their own careers,’ said Germa-
ny’s Minister for Education and Research, 
Annette Schavan.

The programme will work as follows: once 
universities  receive  a  positive  appraisal 
of their approach to equality, they will be 
able  to  create  up  to  three  five-year  posi-
tions for women professors at a specific sal-
ary level. The university will receive up to 

EUR 150 000 for each 
position  created.  The 
appraisals will be con-
appraisals will be con-
ducted  by  a  group  of 
ducted  by  a  group  of 
external  experts  from 
external  experts  from 
science,  research  and 
science,  research  and 
university management. 
university management. 
The  new  positions  will 
The  new  positions  will 
be created where a cur-
be created where a cur-
rent  professor,  either 
male or female, is approaching retirement. 
The overall number of professors will there-
fore increase.

the very best women scientists, and that it 
will strengthen universities’ equal opportu-
nities activities.

The Minister said that the programme will 
be a long-lasting instrument for supporting 

Based	on	information	from	the	German	Government.
RCN:	28716

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S
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EVENTS
EVENTS

In the coming weeks

European career fair  
at the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology

The ‘12th European career fair’ will be 
held at the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, 
United States, from 1 to 4 February 2008.

In  2008,  the  European  Commission  is 
partnering with the MIT European Club 
to organise a dedicated science and tech-
nology  (S & T)  space  at  the  career  fair. 
The space will promote Europe as a great 
place to pursue a career in S & T, be it in 
industry, research organisations, academia 
or science policy. It will present the best 
that Europe has to offer, in all its diver-
sity:  public,  private,  national  and  inter-
national. EU Member States will promote 
participation  by  their  national  research 
organisations and companies engaged in 
research. 

This  initiative  is  part  of  the  outreach 
activities  towards  the  network  of  Euro-
pean  researchers  in  the  United  States 
(ERA-Link).

For further information, please visit:
https://www.euro-career.com

RCN:	28752

Conference on interoperability

A conference on interoperability 
will take place in Warsaw, Poland, 
on 6 and 7 February 2008.

Key conference themes will include:
•
•
•

home and building electronic systems;
e-business interoperability;
radio  frequency  identification  (RFID) 
devices;
entertainment applications;
case studies on interoperability — e-health, 
e-learning, e-skills, e-government.

•
•

For further information, please visit:
http://www.interoperabilityconference.org
RCN:	28746

The events at which CORDIS will be represented are marked with the CORDIS logo. 
Meet CORDIS!
We look forward to welcoming you at our stand. If you would like to contact us in the 
meantime, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Help Desk: 

CORDIS Help Desk
B.P. 2373
L-1023 Luxembourg
Tel. (352) 266 48 01
Fax (352) 26 64 93 80
E-mail: cordis-helpdesk@publications.europa.eu

New communication 
technologies for older and 
disabled people

The ‘European cooperation in the field of 
scientific and technical research’ (COST) 
instrument will hold a conference on the 
potential of new communication technologies 
for older and disabled people and how research 
can help the industry deliver this potential 
on 7 February 2008 in Brussels, Belgium.

The conference will try to shed some light 
on the issue through live enactments of 
current and future scenarios. It will also 
explore  potential  benefits  in  order  to 
engage directly in the debate.

Trust in IT: ‘Trust2008’

‘Trust2008’, a conference creating a 
scientific and networking platform covering 
trust in IT systems will take place in Villach, 
Austria, on 11 and 12 March 2008.

The event is intended to bridge the gap 
between  international  research  groups 
and  projects.  It  will  address:  scientific 
challenges; application scenarios; testing 
evaluation and verification and hardware/
software solutions. Topics to be discussed 
include: cryptographic approaches; integ-
rity  management  infrastructures;  prop-
erty-based and semantic attestation; and 
system and platform architectures.

For further information, please contact:
jstamm@cost.esf.org

For further information, please visit:
http://www.trust2008.eu

RCN:	28763

RCN:	28718

In the coming months

Renewable energy:  
trade fair and conference

The ‘International trade fair for renewable 
energies and energy efficient building 
and renovation’ and the ‘5th innovation 
conference’ will take place from 
7 to 9 March 2008 in Stuttgart, Germany.

The event will address current technology as 
well as future topics. A forum will allow aspir-
ing international companies to present their 
products, services and innovations. The trade 
fair and conference will cover the complete 
range  of  renewable  energy  and  energy- 
efficient building and renovation sectors, 
from  biogeneous  process  heat  to  solar 
energy  and  geothermal  energy,  building  
sector heat pumps and passive house topics.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.cep-expo.com

RCN:	28700

‘European wind energy 
conference’

The yearly ‘European wind energy 
conference’ (EWEC) will take place 
in Brussels, Belgium, from 31 March 
to 3 April 2008.

The event is intended to attract business 
leaders,  scientists  and  policy-makers, 
offering them an opportunity to interact, 
exchange information and influence the 
legislative  process. The  conference  will 
be chaired by EU Energy Commissioner 
Andris Piebalgs, while the programme will 
focus on the goal of building a secure, sus-
tainable and competitive energy supply.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.ewec2008.info

RCN:	28707

The events listed in this section are based on event announcements and 
were selected from the CORDIS events calendar, which is updated on a 
daily basis. For further information on forthcoming events, please visit: 
http://cordis.europa.eu/news

26

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Green light given for construction 
of new EUR 1.2 billion accelerator facility

On 7 November 2007, representatives of 15 countries signed a joint 
communiqué in Darmstadt, Germany, giving the go-ahead for the 
construction of the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR). 
With the help of the EUR 1.2 billion facility, researchers will try to 
answer some fundamental questions of physics.

OTHER NEWS

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‘FAIR is an important element of the ongoing implementation of 
the European research area [ERA] and will offer scientists from 
Europe and all over the world an extraordinary opportunity to 
do research on the structure of matter and the Universe,’ the joint 
communiqué states, welcoming the European Commission’s sup-
port of new research infrastructures under FP6 and FP7.

‘FAIR will bring the physics of the Universe into the laboratory. 
This new international accelerator facility will offer researchers 
from around the world the possibility to explore new dimensions 
of matter, including antimatter and hot stellar matter,’ says Horst 
Stöcker, Scientific Director of the Gesellschaft für Schwerionen-
forschung (GSI, the German society for heavy ion research) in 
Darmstadt, where FAIR will be constructed.

According to the GSI, the facility will consist of an accelerator 
capable of generating antiproton and ion beams of an unparal-

leled intensity and quality. An underground double-ring accelera-
tor of 1 100 m in circumference will be at the heart of FAIR with 
existing accelerators serving as pre-accelerators. 

This structure, with a complex system of storage rings and experi-
mental stations, will enable scientists to address the mystery of why 
the Universe is almost completely devoid of antimatter, while there 
is  matter  every-
where. Researchers 
also  hope  to  dis-
cover  new  forms 
of matter and take 
a  closer  look  at 
dark matter, which 
makes up more than 90 % of the matter of the Universe. The exper-
iments will enable physicists to understand how atoms and heavy 
elements formed to create matter following the ‘Big Bang’.

‘FAIR will bring the 
physics of the Universe 
into the laboratory.’

If everything goes according to plan, construction work will start 
in winter 2008/09 and be completed by 2015 at the earliest. Ger-
many, together with the Land of Hesse, where the facility will be 
located, will bear the main share (75 %) of the costs. The current 
partner countries, namely Austria, China, Finland, France, Georgia, 
India, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and 
the United Kingdom, will jointly contribute the remaining 25 %.

The GSI initially submitted the proposal for FAIR in 2001. The 
German Ministry of Education and Research finally agreed to 
provide funding in 2003 under the condition that at least 25 % 
of the costs should be covered by international partners. Since 
then, more than 2 500 scientists all over the world have already 
been working on the development and the planning of the new 
accelerator and experimental facilities.

Based	on	information	from	the	GSI.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.gsi.de/fair/overview/info
RCN:	28653

China climbs to second place 
in scientific publications’ league

China overtook Japan and the United Kingdom to become the 
world’s second most prolific producer of scientific research papers 
after the United States in 2006, according to new figures from the 
Institute of Science and Technology Information of China (ISTIC).

Chinese scientists published 172 000 papers 
in major international journals and meet-
ings in 2006 — 8.4 % of all papers published. 

China also climbed the citation rankings, 
increasing the number of cited papers first-
authored by Chinese scientists by 25.3 %. 

Here the country has only managed to climb 
to 13th position however.

The number of Chinese papers published in 
international academic meetings increased 
by 15.8 % in spite of a worldwide decrease 
of 9 %. This suggests that Chinese scientists 
are increasingly working with counterparts 
from abroad.

Based	on	information	from	press	sources.
RCN:	28715

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EU and Russia strengthen research ties

Russian scientists have been collaborating with their colleagues 
from the EU for decades. In 2005, EU-Russia scientific cooperation 
was given a boost when EU Science and Research Commissioner 
Janez Potočnik and his Russian counterpart, Andrei Fursenko, 
agreed to work towards a common EU-Russian vision for research.

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One of the areas singled out for cooperation 
is  agro-bio-food.  On  a  trip  to  Brussels, 
Belgium, to discuss future cooperation in 
this field with the European Commission, 
Inna  Bilenkina,  Deputy  Head  of  Russia’s 
Federal Agency for Science and Innovation 
(FASI), outlined her organisation’s role in 
supporting Russian research activities.

‘From 2008, scientific research will be sup-
ported by two large-scale programmes,’ she 
told CORDIS News. The first will support 
R & D activities in five priority areas. Around 
40 % of the funds have been allocated to the 
field of new materials and nanotechnologies, 
while 25 % will go to the life sciences and bio-
technology. The remaining funds are set to 
be split between the thematic areas of energy 
and energy efficiency, rational nature use and 
ICT. The second programme is dedicated to 

the industrial development of nanotechnolo-
gies and new materials.

According  to  Ms Bilenkina,  these  priori-
ties reflect the areas where the Russian sci-
entific  community  has  great  potential  in 
terms of both infrastructure and peoples’ 
qualifications.

International cooperation is a major priority 
for the FASI. There is a high level of interest 
in the EU’s framework programmes in Russia, 
and the FASI publishes information on them 
on its website. In addition to the EU, Russian 
scientists work extensively with researchers 
from the countries of the former Soviet Union 
as well as China, India and the United States.

‘We make available significant amounts of 
money for the implementation of joint pro-

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grammes,’  explained  Ms Bilenkina.  ‘This 
year alone, our agency has supported 80 joint 
projects  with  Poland,  Sweden,  Denmark 
and Italy.’ Support is made available on a 
competitive basis and on the condition that 
the foreign partner is supported by its own 
authorities  with  an  amount  equal  to  the 
funding granted to the project by the FASI.

Progress  towards  deeper  cooperation  in 
the field of agro-bio-food research is going 
well, Ms Bilenkina noted. The two parties 
have worked to identify areas of common 
interest, as well as topics where cooperation 
could take place. At a recent meeting in Rus-
sia, they agreed to further intensify their 
cooperation.

According to Ms Bilenkina, the success of 
the EU-Russia cooperation in agro-bio-food 
is due in no small part to the commitment 
and  enthusiasm  of  Christian  Patermann, 
who until recently was Programme Director 
‘Biotechnology, Agriculture and Food’ at the 
European Commission’s Research DG, and 
the Russian national contact point (NCP).

‘Another important factor in this context is 
the fact that biotechnology is one of the main 
priorities of our own programmes in Russia, 
and Russia is clearly in a globally very com-
petitive situation and has something to offer 
in this area,’ added Ms Bilenkina.

She is clear about the advantages to both 
sides of international scientific cooperation. 
‘We proceed from the fact that by combin-
ing our resources and combining our forces, 
we are able to achieve better results that are 
to the benefit of both parties as well as glo-
bal interest in general,’ she said.

Based	on	a	CORDIS	News	interview	
with	the	Deputy	Head	of	the	FASI.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.fasi.gov.ru	(only	available	in	Russian)
http://www.delrus.ec.europa.eu
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/kbbe
RCN:	28672

Important step forward 
for the tsunami early warning system 

Researchers working on the ‘German-Indonesian tsunami early 
warning system’ (GITEWS) have successfully tested a new method 
that is intended to ensure the reliable communication of data 
from detectors on the seafloor to the warning centre. 

In order to solve the problem of data transfer 
— one of the greatest challenges, according 
to the Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und 
Meeresforschung (AWI, the Alfred Wegner 

institute for polar and marine research) in 
charge of this part of the GITEWS project — 
scientists installed an acoustic modem in the 
bottom unit of the system. This modem uses 

a sequence of sounds to transmit information 
to a second modem connected to a buoy near 
the surface. This in turn sends the informa-
tion to the warning centre via satellite.

The units installed on the seafloor are bot-
tom pressure sensors that measure changes 
in sea level off the coast in the deep ocean 
in real time. As the tsunami — still hardly 
recognisable as such — rolls over the pres-
sure sensors, the additional water leads to a 

continued on page 29

28

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Study reveals factors holding back 
women scientists

Women scientists are being held back in their careers by a combination of 
traditional gender roles in the home and a negative bias in the workplace. This 
is the conclusion of a new report by researchers at the European Molecular 
Biology Organization (EMBO), published in the journal EMBO Reports.

The report analyses the factors influenc-
ing the success of women applicants to two 
EMBO grant schemes: the ‘Long-term fel-
lowship’  (LTF)  programme,  which  funds 

‘[…] many women reported 
that their supervisors 
became less supportive 
when they had children.’

post-doctoral  research,  and  the  ‘Young 
investigator’ programme, which targets sci-
entists who have recently set up their first 
independent laboratories.

Statistics  show  that  women  are  20 %  less 
successful than men in applying to these 
programmes. This is in spite of the fact that 
EMBO has a clearly stated commitment to 
gender equality, and that the organisation 
receives roughly equal numbers of applica-
tions from men and women.

To  test  whether  this  outcome  was  due  to 
unconscious  gender  bias,  EMBO  gender-
blinded  the  selection  committee  for  two 

rounds of applications in 2006, removing all 
references to gender from the applications, 
letters  of  recommendation  and  interview 
reports. However, the difference in success 
rate remained unaffected by these measures.

The researchers then carried out a detailed 
analysis  of  the  applicants’  publications, 
which  revealed  that  on  average,  women 
publish fewer scientific papers than men, 
and the gap between the sexes widens as 
careers progress. This could have been the 
source of the bias towards male applicants 
in the selection committee.

To find out why women are producing fewer 
publications, the scientists carried out surveys 
of applicants to the EMBO programmes. These 
revealed that women were more likely to move 
for their partner’s career than men, something 
which provides part of the answer to the ques-
tion of why women publish fewer papers. If a 
woman follows her partner, she is less likely 
to find a laboratory which suits her exper-
tise and expectations. ‘They publish fewer 
papers owing to working in a sub-optimal 
environment,’ the researchers write.

at work and have a greater burden to carry 
outside the laboratory,’ the authors write.

However, the paper notes that these tradi-
tional gender roles are not the whole story. 
The surveys also revealed that while 49 % of 
male ‘Young investigator’ applicants had a 
mentor, for women the figure was just 32 %. 
‘Therefore, more women at the group-leader 
level miss out on the valuable support and 
networking that a mentor has to offer,’ the 
article reads. Furthermore, many women 
reported that their supervisors became less 
supportive when they had children.

According to the researchers, these workplace 
factors combine with traditional gender roles 
in the home to create a ‘harmful mix which 
leads to women being less successful than 
men over the course of their careers’.

The authors call on employers, policy-makers, 
scientists and society to ‘consider whether 
we can afford to lose such a large number of 
trained specialists from the workforce’.

‘We need to ensure that men and women 
who want to have families are not prevented 

‘[…] women on average 
have less time available at 
work and have a greater 
burden to carry outside the 
laboratory.’

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Women’s career prospects are 
Women’s career prospects are 
dealt a further blow by the fact 
that they take on the majority 
of  childcare  responsibili-
ties, resulting in more career 
breaks for parental leave and 
fewer hours worked.

‘We  believe  that  our  data 
offer some explanation for 
why women publish less and 
why they might be slower 
to advance — quite simply, 
because  women  on  aver-
age have less time available 

from also having careers and contributing to 
society in every way that they can,’ the paper 
concludes. ‘This can only be achieved by a 
significant change in the way that society 
and individuals think about the roles of men 
and women, and by taking positive action to 
improve the working conditions and avail-
able support for both women and men at all 
stages of their careers.’

Based	on	the	article	‘A	persistent	problem.	Traditional	gender	roles	
hold	back	female	scientists’,	by	Ledin,	A.	et	al.	(2007),	in	‘EMBO	
Reports’,	8(11),	pp.	982-987;	and	information	from	the	EMBO.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.embo.org
RCN:	28711

continued from page 28   ‘Important step forward for the tsunami early warning system’

slight increase in pressure on the seafloor, 
an increase that the sensors record. ‘This 
is the only way to be clear about tsunamis 
and avoid nerve-wrecking and costly false 
alarms,’  says  Dr Olaf  Boebel  of  the  AWI, 
project leader of the team developing the 
so-called pressure-based acoustically cou-
pled tsunami detectors (PACT).

In the deep ocean with depths of thousands 
of metres, the change in sea level brought 

about by a tsunami will not exceed some 
tens of centimetres. It is not before it reaches 
shallower waters that the killer wave devel-
ops into a massive wall of water that will be 
several metres high.

After the successful completion of the tests, 
which were conducted in a trial set-up just 
north of the Canary Islands, the new trans-
mission  method  will  now  be  integrated 
in  GITEWS.  As  a  next  step,  further  tests 

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

ensuring the system’s reliability under more 
extreme weather conditions are scheduled 
for early next year in the Mediterranean. 
‘Surely,  the  upcoming  winter  storms  will 
give us the opportunity to discover the limits 
of the system,’ Dr Boebel predicts.

Based	on	information	from	the	AWI.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.awi.de
RCN:	28724

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European organisations form alliance 
to preserve science assets of digital age 

Twelve European knowledge-based organisations have joined forces 
with the goal of establishing a European infrastructure to help preserve 
and provide permanent access to digital scientific information. 

The digital revolution has enabled the analy-
sis of research data, together with easy stor-
age and retrieval from rapidly growing data 
collections. However, the digitalisation of 
research data has also made collections vul-
nerable to loss, as storage devices physically 
deteriorate and quickly become obsolete as 
data formats change and new technologies 
emerge. 

For  these  reasons,  key  European  players 
in science and scientific information have 
teamed up to form the Alliance for Perma-
nent Access to the Digital Records of Sci-
ence. This critical mass of stakeholders aims 
to develop a coordinated European solution 
to these problems by creating a viable and 
sustainable  European  infrastructure  for 
access to the science records. It will seek to 
enable diverse scientific communities, such 

‘Like many other sectors in 
society, science has become 
completely dependent on 
digital information […].’

as  particle  physics,  astronomy  and  space 
science, life sciences, Earth and environ-
mental sciences, or social sciences, to create 

information  repositories  which  will 
form part of this physical and virtual 
form part of this physical and virtual 
infrastructure.

At  the  same  time,  the  Alliance  will 
At  the  same  time,  the  Alliance  will 
work with these communities to agree 
work with these communities to agree 
on a set of common standards, in order 
on a set of common standards, in order 
to make their repositories interopera-
to make their repositories interopera-
ble. The repositories should also benefit 
ble. The repositories should also benefit 
from a number of common resources, 
from a number of common resources, 
such as R & D activities and a framework 
such as R & D activities and a framework 
offering technical tools.

‘Like many other sectors in society, sci-
‘Like many other sectors in society, sci-
ence has become completely dependent 
ence has become completely dependent 
on digital information, but this depend-
on digital information, but this depend-
ence also comes with a number of major 
ence also comes with a number of major 
risks  because  of  the  many  unresolved 
risks  because  of  the  many  unresolved 
challenges in the long-term preservation 
challenges in the long-term preservation 
and access to this information. Therefore 
the effort of the Alliance is essential to the 
preservation of science knowledge,’ com-
mented Professor Ian Halliday from one of 
the founding members of the Alliance, the 
European Science Foundation (ESF).

The idea of an Alliance was first mooted in 
the follow-up to a European conference held 
during the Dutch EU Council Presidency in 
2004. At this conference a broad consensus 
was reached that the long-term storage of 

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data, the preservation of their integrity and 
their accessibility to future generations was 
a shared responsibility among various stake-
holders  involved  in  the  processes.  It  was 
agreed that many of the related challenges 
should be tackled at the European level.

Based	on	information	from	the	ESF.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.alliancepermanentaccess.eu
RCN:	28712

Study links brain lesions 
with depression in the elderly

French scientists have demonstrated a clear link between depression in 
the elderly and the presence of white matter lesions (WMLs) in the brain.

The researchers carried out cerebral mag-
netic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on over 
1 500 people aged between 65 and 80. At the 
same time, they assessed the study participants 
for depressive symptoms. Four years later, a 
follow-up MRI was carried out on a majority 
of the subjects. The researchers’ results are 
published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

The MRIs revealed that people with a his-
tory of depression had a higher volume of 
WMLs than those with no history of major 
depression.  Furthermore,  these  people’s 
lesions grew faster during the four years of 
the study than other people’s.

For people with no history of depression, the 
presence of widespread WMLs at the start of 
the study was associated with an increased 
risk of developing depression during the fol-
lowing four years.

WMLs  are  found  when  parts  of  the 
brain  suffer  from  poor  blood  flow.  Age 
and  high  blood  pressure  both  increase 
the risk of developing lesions. For some 
time, researchers have wondered whether 
depression in the over 65-year-olds could 
be  linked  to  vascular  problems  such  as 
high  blood  pressure,  diabetes  or  high 
cholesterol.

‘Our study, which brings to light a link between 
white matter lesions and depression in elderly 
subjects, strongly reinforces the plausibility of 
the existence of a vascular-related depression 
in older people,’ said Dr Carole Dufouil of the 
Institut national de la santé et de la recherche 
médicale (Inserm, the French national insti-
tute for health and medical research).

Depression among the elderly is a serious 
problem;  in  retirement  homes,  between 
15 and 45 % of the residents are thought to 
be affected. These latest results reinforce the 
importance of addressing vascular risk fac-
tors in older people, the researchers note.

Based	on	the	article	‘White	matter	lesions	as	a	predictor	
of	depression	in	the	elderly:	the	3C-Dijon	study’,	
by	Godin,	O.	et	al.,	in	‘Biological	Psychiatry’,	published	online	
on	30	October	2007;	and	information	from	the	Inserm.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.inserm.fr
RCN:	28661

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General policy

Projects and programmes

Other news

AlSO ONlINE

Growing Galileo: the 
technology is already in place, 
conference hears

As discussions continue on where to find 
the EUR 3.4 billion still needed to fill the 
gap  in  the  budget  of  Galileo,  the  EU’s 
proposed  satellite  navigation  system, 
stakeholders met in Brussels, Belgium, on  
14  and  15  November  2007  in  order  to 
demonstrate  their  ongoing  enthusiasm 
for the project. Conference participants 
also learnt about the wealth of potential 
Galileo applications, and heard that much 
of the technology is already in place.

RCN:	28687

European Commission 
welcomes latest IPCC report

The European Commission has welcomed 
the latest report of the Intergovernmental 
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), pledging 
to support further research in the field and 
work towards a new global climate agree-
ment. Speaking at a symposium on the 
IPCC and European climate research, EU 
Science and Research Commissioner Janez 
Potočnik  highlighted  the  EU’s  scientific  
commitment to the IPCC process. 

RCN:	28710

Potočnik outlines  
actions for nanotechnology 
research in Europe

EU Science and Research Commissioner 
Janez  Potočnik  has  called  on  the  pri-
vate sector to increase its investments in 
nanotechnology research so as to build 
on Europe’s world-leading position in the 
field. Speaking at a high-level conference 
on the future of nanotechnology research 
in  Europe,  Mr Potočnik  also  empha-
sised the need for a safe and responsible 
approach to nano research.

RCN:	28729

Europe should grow more grain 
legumes, finds EU project

Researchers capture exotic 
form of radioactivity on camera

European  farmers  should  grow  more 
grain legumes for their positive human, 
environmental and economic benefits, an 
EU-funded project is to say. At its dissemi-
nation conference, the members of the 
‘Grain legumes integrated project’ (GLIP) 
will detail the results of its research into 
legume  crops  and  how  these  could  be 
used in crop rotation to foster profitable, 
sustainable and environmentally-friendly 
agriculture in Europe.

RCN:	28666

Brown waters due to decrease 
in acid raid, study finds

A  fall  in  the  level  of  acid  raid  is  behind 
the increasingly brown colour of many of 
our lakes and streams, according to new 
research by a team of EU-funded scien-
tists. The  hypothesis  suggests  that  the 
colour change is the mark of a return to a 
more natural state.

RCN:	28731

EU project hopes to 
‘revolutionise telecoms’ 

A team of European scientists has pub-
lished the details of its research into three-
dimensional photonic crystals which they 
believe could revolutionise the world of 
telecommunications. As part of the EU-
funded NewTon project, the researchers 
expect to have developed the first func-
tional components of this new technology 
by the end of 2008.

RCN:	28749

A detector built by a Polish group of scien-
tists from the University of Warsaw has led 
to new insights into how nuclei spontane-
ously  eject  various  particles  in  radioac-
tive decay. It has enabled an international 
collaboration  of  European  and  Ameri-
can  researchers,  led  by  Polish  physicist  
Dr Marek Pfützner, to take a closer look 
at  the  radioactive  decay  of  a  rare  iron 
isotope.

RCN:	28668

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Europe needs more  
holistic approach to food 
system, ESF claims

Scientists  at  a  conference  organised  by 
the European Science Foundation (ESF) 
and  the ‘European  cooperation  in  the 
field of scientific and technical research’ 
(COST) have called for a new, more holis-
tic approach to the study of European eat-
ing habits. A better understanding of the 
European food system is required not only 
to prepare Europe for new food markets, 
but also to meet changes in its own mar-
ket, they say.

RCN:	28704

‘The fit die young’

Fisheries management has to start taking 
fisheries-induced  evolutionary  changes 
into account, states a study published in 
the renowned magazine Science. ‘An evo-
lutionarily enlightened approach’ could 
help to identify the impact of fishing on 
species and their utility more clearly, the 
researchers suggest. Industrial fishing is 
now the most common cause of death in 
many fish stocks: figures may exceed natu-
ral mortality by 400 %, estimates say. 

RCN:	28742

The articles selected for the CORDIS focus Newsletter were published online 
during the previous month. They can be accessed directly on the website by 
keying in the record control number (RCN) in the ‘Search articles’ facility or by  
visiting the online edition (in English only) at: http://cordis.europa.eu/news/focus  
For  a  complete  catalogue  of  all  CORDIS  News  articles,  please  visit:  
http://cordis.europa.eu/news 
European Commission speeches (SPEECH) and press releases (IP) quoted in the 
references can be accessed on: http://europa.eu/rapid

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 285 — December 2007

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NEW ON CORDIS
New look for national 
research activities on CORDIS

Not only does CORDIS, the Community Research 
and Development Information Service, provide 
information on European-level research activities 
and programmes, but it also hosts a range of services 
dedicated to national-level research. The National 
R & D Information Service, serving as a portal 
to these various services, has now been revamped 
to include information in six languages: Spanish, 
German, English, French, Italian and Polish.

The National R & D Information Service provides a window into the 
research infrastructure, policies and activities of various countries, 
whether EU Member States or otherwise, many of which contrib-
ute to the development of the European research area (ERA). At 
the same time, the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) includes 
funds designed to coordinate and find synergies among national 
programmes, such as ERA-Nets, support for ‘European cooper-
ation  in  the  field  of  scientific  and  technical  research’  (COST) 
actions and the establishment of Article 169 initiatives.

The  revamped  homepage  of  the  National  R & D  Information 
Service now includes headlines and highlights from countries 
outside the EU, reflecting their growing importance to European 
research. Different sections cover the activities of:
•
the country holding the EU Council Presidency; 
•
all EU Member States;
•
EU candidate countries;
•
the countries associated to the Framework Programme;
•
some of the non-EU countries that have signed science and 
technology (S & T) cooperation agreements.

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Some new features have also been added to ease web browsing, 
including the absence of ‘pop-ups’, since all information is now 
included in the web pages.

Based	on	information	from	CORDIS	News.
To	access	the	‘CORDIS	National	R	&	D	Information	Service’,	please	visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/national_service/home_en.html
RCN:	28806

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Online services offered by the Publications Office:
bookshop.europa.eu: EU publications 
cordis.europa.eu: Research and development
eur-lex.europa.eu: EU law
ted.europa.eu: Public procurement

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