Research*eu results magazine. No 14, July/August 2012.
Date: 2012-07-13
Institutions: CORDIS, Publications Office of the European Union
Subjects: research, research and development, research project, serial publication

ISSN 1831-9947

ISSN 1830-8864

research eu

R E S U L T S   M A G A Z I N E

No 14  July/August 2012

In this issue:

Special feature: 

Creative and talented: nurturing Europe’s next generation of 
scientists and building an inclusive, innovative society for the future
Interview: Dr Davide Iannuzzi on 
‘Diving into the world of the very small’
Other highlights: 
Study investigates aquatic parasites on fish, page 6
New motor can cut space exploration costs, page 13
Innovative pellets to benefit organic farmers, page 18
Open access: EU project results go public, page 26
Invisibility field cloak a reality, page 33

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

research eu

R E S U LT S   M AG A Z I N E

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ISSN 1831-9947

ISSN 1831-9947 

ISSN 1830-8864

ISSN 1831-9947

ISSN 1830-8864

research eu

R E S U L T S   M A G A Z I N E

No 13  June 2012

research eu

R E S U L T S   M A G A Z I N E

No 12  May 2012

research eu

R E S U L T S   M A G A Z I N E

No 11  April 2012

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In this issue:

Special feature: 

Growth through innovation: ‘Green cars’, ‘Energy-efficient 
buildings’ and ‘Factories of the future’
Interviews: Juliusz Żach, Juan Ramón de las Cuevas Jiménez 
and Richard Scaife on projects funded by the EU’s public-private 
partnerships for research (PPPs)

Other highlights: 

There is something healthy in the state of Denmark, page 6
New hope for hydrogen-powered cars, page 13
Going underground for optimal crops and yields, page 19
Future Internet … a thing of beauty and promise, page 25
New method to clean and treat polluted water for extraction of 
chemicals, page 34

In this issue:

Special feature: 

Ecosystems and food security
Interview: Professor Augusto de Guimaraes Medina  
on food and health research

Other highlights: 

Nutrition labelling: not as effective as you might think, page 8
Exploring your transport options, the EU way, page 13
Europeans develop innovative,  
sustainable food packaging product, page 19
A cheap and fully optical solution for ultra-fast internet, page 26
Infant eye movement and cognition, page 33

In this issue:

Special features: 

Interview: The Balkans — a new approach to an entangled history
Through the looking glass: 
search engines, data and the semantic adventure

Other highlights: 

Dr Robot, brain surgeon, page 6
Clean energy? Mother Nature still knows best, page 14
Strengthen education to build social cohesion, page 20
Gigabit wireless data coming to your home, car… or flight, page 27
A noiseless, emission-free car? 
Europeans are on the right track, page 37

ISSN 1830-8864
ISSN 1830-8864

ISSN 1830-8864

European Commission

European Commission

No 9  February 2012

ISSN 1831-9947

No 8  December 2011

ISSN 1831-9947

research eu

R E S U L T S   M A G A Z I N E

No 10  March 2012

R E S U L T S   M A G A Z I N E

(cid:79)(cid:3)Biology and medicine 5

(cid:79) Energy and transport 12

(cid:79) Environment and society 18

(cid:79)(cid:3)IT and telecommunications 30

(cid:79) Industrial technologies 37

(cid:79) Events 46

R E S U L T S   M A G A Z I N E

(cid:79)(cid:3)Biology and medicine 5

(cid:79) Energy and transport 13

(cid:79) Environment and society 20

(cid:79)(cid:3)IT and telecommunications 28

(cid:79) Industrial technologies 35

(cid:79) Events 42

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Special feature: 
  Knowledge beyond frontiers: cross-border science and innovation

In this issue:

Other highlights: 

Eat fish, build up brainpower, page 6
Loco on logistics, page 14
Trees boost sustainable agriculture, page 21
Broadband, a gig per second for all! page 28
Marrying innovation with old traditions 
for European bread, page 36

Special feature
Archaeology, history and heritage: a civilisation discovered  
in Libya’s desert

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Other highlights
(cid:79) Study shows link between ancestor’s brain and evolution, page 5
(cid:79) Maximum aircraft design, page 12
(cid:79) Slavery: the European context, page 18
(cid:79) Wireless healthcare, page 30
(cid:79) Nanotech fights trypanosomiasis south of the Sahara, page 37

Do you know research* eu focus magazine?
You can order them at the EUBookshop: 
http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/home/

Special feature

Components, systems and engineering

Other highlights

(cid:79) Promising gene therapy for brain disease, page 5

(cid:79) Driving the future of laser fusion energy, page 13

(cid:79)  How does your garden grow?, page 20

(cid:79) Rating crisis communication, page 28

(cid:79) Creativity with coatings, page 35

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ISSN 1831-1903

ISSN 1831-1903

European Commission

No 11  October 2011

ISSN 1831-1903

research eu

F O C U S   M A G A Z I N E

No 13  May 2012

research eu

F O C U S   M A G A Z I N E

No 12  February 2012

F O C U S

● A strategy for the Danube 4
● The Innovation Union ﬂ agship initiative 6
● Innovation on the Danube 7
● River transport 10
● Environment matters 12 
● Energy links 17 
● Socio-economic research 20 
● RTDI on the Danube 22

Green innovation
solutions

for sustainable

build 
connect
grow

The Danube 
A river of innovation

European Commission

European Commission

European Commission

No 9  December 2010

ISSN 1831-1903

No 9  May 2011

ISSN 1831-1903

No 8  September 2010

ISSN 1831-1903

F O C U S

● Introduction to RSFF 4
● How does RSFF work? 8
● RSFF progress & fi nance needs 18
● RSFF stories 24
● Other RDI instruments 32
● Key challenges & conclusions 38

F O C U S

● FET overview 5
● Projects in focus 11
● FET community 37
● Publications and info 39

Pilot Flagship 
Initiatives 
pull-out 

F O C U S

● Mobile communications 7
● Micro- and nanoelectronics 10
● Safety critical systems 13
● Digital media 16
● Photonics 19
● Broadband communications 22
● ICT and healthcare 25
● ICT on the roads 28
● Robotics 31
● Information management 34

Risk-Sharing 
Finance Facility 
Innovative loans for 
innovative ideas

Future and Emerging 
Technologies

‘Specials’ icon: ©iStockphoto.com/Tom Nulens
Cover photo: 
© Shutterstock

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

Creative and talented: nurturing Europe’s 
next generation of scientists

3

EDITORIAL

ISSN 1830-8864

ISSN 1830-8864

research eu

R E S U L T S   M A G A Z I N E

No 14  July 2012

In these days of ‘geek chic’, when being a nerd is no longer seen as the insult it once was, it might seem 
that studying science is more popular than ever. But Europe cannot afford to sit back and hope young 
people choose to enter the sciences — our future prosperity depends on the competitiveness that only 
research and innovation can deliver.

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It is therefore more vital than ever that young scientists continue to be supported, so that Europe 
does not lose its best research minds of the future. That is why the special feature in this issue of 
research*eu results magazine is entitled ‘Creative and talented: nurturing Europe’s next generation of 
scientists and building an inclusive, innovative society for the future’.

The feature articles cover several projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the 
‘Ideas’ programme of FP7, which supports fundamental research by some of Europe’s most outstanding 
scientists and includes a budget line specifically for younger researchers — the ERC Starting Grant. 
In particular, in our interview in this issue we talk to Dr Davide Iannuzzi who has been ‘Diving into 
the world of the very small’ with the help of an ERC Starting Grant.

In this issue:

Special feature: 

Creative and talented: nurturing Europe’s next generation of 
scientists and building an inclusive, innovative society for the future
Interview: Dr Davide Iannuzzi on 
‘Diving into the world of the very small’
Other highlights: 
Study investigates aquatic parasites on fish, page 6
New motor can cut space exploration costs, page 13
Innovative pellets to benefit organic farmers, page 18
Open access: EU project results go public, page 26
Invisibility field cloak a reality, page 33

The Marie Curie Actions, funded under FP7’s ‘People’ programme, also support young researchers as part of their effort to break down barriers 
to free movement of knowledge in Europe and to help build a true European Research Area. Feature articles throughout this issue highlight some 
of the results from such actions, especially those which have sought to encourage young people to take up scientific careers.

As for the rest of the issue, our regular ‘biology and medicine’ section’s top story, on page 6, entitled ‘Study investigates aquatic parasites on fish’, 
looks at how European researchers have increased our knowledge of some of the pathogens that can cause significant losses on fish farms.

The regular ‘energy and transport’ section lifts off with the article ‘New motor can cut space exploration costs’ on page 13. This ‘Micro electro 
mechanical system’ (MEMS), developed by an FP7-funded project, will help smaller satellites adjust their orbits cost effectively.

The ‘environment and society’ section starts on page 18 with ‘Innovative pellets to benefit organic farmers’, the story of the development of new 
fertilisers based on the by-products of bio-gas facilities.

The opening article of the ‘IT and telecommunications’ section is ‘Open access: EU project results go public’ on page 26. This explains how the 
OpenAIRE project is making sure that the results from all EU-funded research are made accessible, and not lost to other scientists or the wider 
public.

The ‘industrial technologies’ section starts with ‘Invisibility field cloak a reality’ on page 33 — the story of Slovak and Spanish electrical 
engineers’ success in developing a prototype ‘invisibility cloak’ that uses superconductors and ferromagnetic materials to hide objects from the 
prying eyes of electromagnetic fields.

The issue ends, as usual, with a list of events and upcoming conferences.

We look forward to receiving your feedback on this issue and on the research*eu publications in general. Send questions or suggestions to: 
cordis-helpdesk@publications.europa.eu

The editorial team

Want more information on the contents of this issue? 
For online versions or information about the contributors in this issue 

of research*eu results magazine:

- Technology Marketplace: http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace

- Research Information Centre: http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre

- European Research Council: http://erc.europa.eu

Watch this space!

Coming up in issue 15 of research*eu results magazine — a special dossier on 
‘Opening the doors towards Africa: international cooperation, research for 
development and the digital divide’.

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TA BLE  OF  CONTE NT S

BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — June/August 2012

6

Study investigates aquatic parasites on ﬁ sh..................................................................................................6

Improving detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis ...................................................................................7

Lombardy becomes a bastion of biomedicine ..............................................................................................7

Europe awakens to life sciences............................................................................................................................8

Better nutrition for better eyesight ......................................................................................................................9

What can zebraﬁ sh larvae tell us about the function of the brain ................................................. 10

Investigating signalling molecules in breast cancer ............................................................................... 11

Diamond implants are forever ............................................................................................................................ 12

Stem cells repair stroke damage ....................................................................................................................... 12

ENERGY AND TRANSPORT 

13

New motor can cut space exploration costs ................................................................................................ 13

Getting a better sense of Europe’s traﬃ  c ..................................................................................................... 14

The dream for the vehicle of the future ........................................................................................................ 14

Staying ahead of the waves ................................................................................................................................. 15

More eﬃ  cient use of solar energy ..................................................................................................................... 16

Nanotechnology for solar energy conversion systems .......................................................................... 16

Next-generation lithium batteries ..................................................................................................................... 17

ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY 

18

 Innovative pellets to beneﬁ t organic farmers ............................................................................................. 18

A new reality for Europe’s youth, by Europe’s youth ............................................................................... 19

Biodiversity to minimise the eﬀ ects of climate change in global drylands ............................... 19

Marie Curie fellowships to boost research in Ireland..............................................................................20

 Training scientists, advancing agriculture ..................................................................................................... 21

Voters’ behaviour under scrutiny in French elections ............................................................................. 21

More strong, hip women in TV science dramas ......................................................................................... 23

Welcome to the wonders of science ................................................................................................................ 23

Science TV inspires young people ...................................................................................................................... 24

More female applicants for science faculty positions ............................................................................ 24

Young scientists get some air time ................................................................................................................... 25

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — June/August 2012

5

TA BLE OF CONTENTS

IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS 

26

Open access: EU project results go public .................................................................................................... 26

Intelligent monitoring of the heart ................................................................................................................... 27

Europe on the cutting edge: ‘organic’, the new electronics revolution .......................................... 28

Advancing quantum computing .......................................................................................................................... 29

Every cloud has a green lining ............................................................................................................................ 30

Investigating quantum entanglement ............................................................................................................. 31

Bringing open, user-centric cloud infrastructure to research communities ............................... 31

Self-organisation on a chip ................................................................................................................................... 32

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES 

33

 Invisibility ﬁ eld cloak a reality ............................................................................................................................. 33

Enhanced technologies for plastics production .......................................................................................... 34

Interview: ‘diving into the world of the very small’  ................................................................................ 34

Innovation and training in ultrafast quantum dynamics ...................................................................... 36

The new generation of microscopic robots .................................................................................................. 37

Photonic light for nano applications ................................................................................................................. 37

New technology for ﬂ exible printed circuit boards ................................................................................... 38

Toward next-generation magnetic data-storage devices .................................................................... 39

Increased applicability of glass coatings ....................................................................................................... 39

Novel super-hard protective coatings ............................................................................................................. 40

Novel thin-ﬁ lm fabrication and evaluation technology ......................................................................... 40

Nano-powder ceramics as an alternative to metals ............................................................................... 41

EVENTS 

42

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BIOLOGY  A ND  ME DI C IN E

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

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Study investigates aquatic 
parasites on fish

Researchers in the Czech Republic, Spain and the United Kingdom have successfully identified the cellular components and mech-
anisms that play a role in the proliferation of myxozoa, tiny aquatic parasites responsible for diseases in commercially valuable 
fish. Presented in the journal PLoS ONE, the study’s findings shed light on the motility of myxozoa's proliferative states and their 
reproductive process.

Produced through spores and without insem-
ination,  myxozoa  are  related  to  cnidarians 
—  primitive  marine  species  of  great  diver-
sity. Examples of myxozoa include anemones, 
corals and jellyﬁ sh. Fish quickly fall victim to 
these  parasites  because  of  the  latter's  fast 
proliferation. 

Led by the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity 
and  Evolutionary  Biology  at  the  University 
of  Valencia  in  Spain,  the  researchers  used 
‘Confocal  laser-scanning  microscopy’  (CLSM) 
to  probe  the  anatomy  and  reproductive 
biology of the pathogens.

For their part of the study, the Spanish team 
investigated  the  morphology,  structure  and 
composition  of  the  myxozoa  Ceratomyxa 
puntazzi,  found  in  the  bile  of  the  bream 
Diplodus  puntazzo.  This  bream  is  one  of  the 
species  experts  are  using  in  their  attempt  to 
diversify ﬁ sh farming in the Mediterranean.

Speciﬁ cally,  the  team  identiﬁ ed  two  diﬀ er-
ent  developmental  cycles  of  the  parasite: 
‘Pre-sporogonic  proliferative  development’ 
and ‘sporogony’. According to the researchers, 
both developmental cycles occurred in paral-
lel, but the ﬁ sh were observed to have stages 
either  lacking  mature  spores,  or  stages  with 
mature spores, predominating.

‘The  application  of  in  vivo  techniques  has 
enabled  the  analysis  of  the  proliferation 
mechanisms  and  the  movement  of  this  kind 
of  pathogen,  which  aﬀ ects  the  ﬁ sh’s  diges-
tive system and might cause important losses 
to ﬁ sh farms,’ says lead author Gema Alama-
Bermejo  from  the  Cavanilles  Institute,  who 
is currently carrying out postdoctoral research 
at the Institute of Parasitology of the Academy 
of Science of the Czech Republic.

In  the  paper,  the  authors  write:  ‘As  the  pre-
sent  study  shows,  the  combination  of  light 

microscopy, 
transmission 
scanning  and 
electron  microscopy  and  three-dimensional 
confocal  laser  microscopy,  successfully  con-
tributed  novel  information  on  the  structure 
and  morphology  of  ceratomyxid  parasite 
stages in the bile, and provided unique insights 
into  parasite  composition,  cell  motility  and 
cytokinesis in myxozoans, which had not pre-
viously been studied.’

The  researchers  point  out  that  although 
confocal CLSM may be a poorly used tool, it is 
extremely  useful  for  investigating  the  three-
dimensional  morphology  of  the  parasites, 
as  well  as  for  determining  the  presence  and 
location of certain cellular components.

Promoted through the Research Information Centre.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre > search > 24653

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

BIOLO GY AND MEDICINE

7

Improving detection of drug-resistant 
tuberculosis

European  researchers  are  developing  new  assays  to  detect 
drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 

Early  detection  of  drug  resistance 
is  one  of  the  priorities  of  tuber-
culosis  (TB)  control  programmes. 
It  allows  initiation  of  the  appropri-
ate  treatment  in  patients  and  also 
surveillance  of  drug  resistance. 
Associated with this problem is the 
emergence of ‘Multi-drug-resistant’ 
(MDR) and ‘Extensive drug-resistant’ 
(XDR) strains of M. tuberculosis.

Detection  of  drug  resistance  has 
been performed in the past by so-
called conventional methods based 
on  the  detection  of  growth  of 
M.  tuberculosis  in  the  presence 
of  antibiotics.  Such  methods  are, 
however, 
time  consuming  and 
thus  necessitate  the  development 
of  easier,  more  reliable  and  rapid 
assays.  The  main  objective  of  the 
EU-funded  FAST-XDR-Detect1  pro-
ject was to develop an assay for the 

rapid detection of drug-resistant M. 
tuberculosis. Project partners used 
a  method  known  as  ‘rifoligotyp-
ing’  which  involves  ampliﬁ cation 
of  the  genomic  sequence  of  the 
bacteria  found  in  TB  patients,  fol-
lowed by hybridisation against the 
wild-type sequence. This molecular 
assay was optimised for detection 
of resistance to rifampicin and iso-
niazid,  two  of  the  most  common 
anti-tuberculosis antibiotics.

At  the  same  time,  eﬀ orts  were 
made to optimise an assay that can 
detect  antibiotic-resistant  strains 
directly from patient sputum for the 
simultaneous  detection  of  MDR- 
and  XDR-resistant  strains.  This 
assay  is  expected  to  reduce  pro-
cessing  time  and  enable  the  iden-
tiﬁ cation  of  drug-resistant  strains 
based on phenotypic criteria.

In  addition,  new  mutations  re-
sponsible for drug resistance were 
sequenced  and  entered  into  an 
existing  database  with  all  gene 
mutations  associated  with  drug 
resistance  in  TB.  Researchers  also 
sought  to  explore  the  possibility 
that  other  candidate  genes  could 
be  contributing  to  the  emergence 
of new forms of drug resistance.

FAST-XDR-Detect 

project 
The 
developed assays for the rapid and 
sensitive  detection  of  MDR  and 
XDR  M.  tuberculosis.  More  eﬀ ec-
tive screening methods for TB will 
improve  the  surveillance  of  drug 
resistance, prompting health auth-
orities  to  initiate  appropriate  cor-
rection measures.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the  Prins  Leopold  Instituut  voor 
Tropische Geneeskunde in Belgium.

Lombardy becomes a bastion of biomedicine

A  vigorous  mobility  scheme  and  fellowship  programme  is 
attracting an elite class of young men and women researchers. 
This initiative supports the EU in its efforts to become a leader 
in biomedicine. 

scientists, 
expert  postdoctoral 
oﬀ ering  equal  opportunities  for 
both genders and a higher educa-
tion  training  programme  involv-
ing  tech  transfer,  management, 
team leading and applications for 
grants.  Such  a  mobility  scheme 
will ultimately help develop these 
researchers as independent group 
leaders.

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The  Lombardy  region 
Italy 
has  undertaken  valiant  eﬀ orts  to 
strengthen  itself  as  a  centre  of 
excellence in biomedicine, seeking 
to attract experts in the ﬁ eld from 
around the globe. One major eﬀ ort 
in  this  direction  is  the  EU-funded 
SIPOD1 project.

research 

Grouping  together  three  major 
biomedicine 
centres 
in  Lombardy,  the  initiative  has 
launched  a  sophisticated  post-
doctoral  programme  in  conjunc-
tion  with  the  Scuola  Europea  di 
Medicina  Molecolare  (SEMM).  The 
programme  has  already  attracted 

A(cid:4) er a series of calls for participa-
tion in the scheme and a rigorous 
selection  process,  SIPOD  received 
82 applications and ﬁ nally enrolled 
15 women and men of 10 diﬀ erent 
nationalities.  Demonstrating  the 
truly  global  nature  of  the  project, 
the  ﬁ nalists  hailed  from  France, 
Germany, 
Japan, 
Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, 
Serbia,  Spain  and  Turkey.  Prior  to 
joining, all the applicants had pre-
viously  published  on  average  two 
publications  as  ﬁ rst-time  authors, 
a prerequisite that helped sustain 
the calibre of applications.

India, 

Italy, 

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1 

 ‘Development of a two-approach 
plate system for the fast and 
simultaneous detection of MDR and 
XDR M. tuberculosis’

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
Cooperation under the theme ‘Health’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8449

The project’s launch of other calls, 
to recruit more fellowships, should 
help  to  promote  Lombardy  as  a 
powerhouse  in  biomedicine  on  a 
global scale. This mobility scheme 
also  contributes  to  positioning 
Europe as a continent whose econ-
omy  is  diﬀ erentiated  based  on 
research and knowledge.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the  Scuola  Superiore  Europea  di 
Medicina Moleculare, Italy.

1 

 ‘A coordinated and structured 
international post-doctoral program 
to foster trans-national mobility and 
independent career of scientists in 
biomedicine’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
People (Marie-Curie actions).
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8475

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BIOLOGY  A ND  ME DI C IN E

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

Europe awakens to life sciences

A  vigorous  initiative  to  attract  young  researchers  from 
different  corners  of  the  globe  to  Europe  is  giving  an 
unprecedented boost to disciplines related to life sciences. 

topic 

prompting 

Molecular biology has become 
in  European 
a  hot 
research, 
the 
European  Molecular  Biology 
Organization (EMBO) to launch 
another  of 
its  successful 
mobility  initiatives  for  young 
scientists.  Awarding 
funds 
scientists, 
postdoctoral 
to 
EMBO  organised  its  resources 
through the EmbocoFUNDFP71 
project 
research  and 
training.

for 

With  the  demand  for  EMBO 
fellowships 
rising  dramat-
ically  in  the  last  decade,  the 
project  has  attracted  more 
talented  young  scientists  to 
beneﬁ t  from  European  infra-
structure and contribute to the 
European Research Area (ERA). 
It  has  so  far  conducted  two 
calls through a vigorous online 
media  and  marketing  cam-
paign  to  draw  quality  long-
term  fellowships  from  around 

the  world.  The  drive  has 
attracted  over  1 000  applica-
tions  which  were  screened 
by  a  panel  of  global  experts 
in  life  sciences,  resulting  in 
215 fellowships being awarded 
to ideal candidates.

The project is scheduled to end 
in  late  2012,  and  all  involved 
fellows  are  expected  to  have 
completed  their  fellowship  by 
then.  The  full  positive  impli-
cations  of  such  expertise  on 
the  health  of  the  knowledge 
economy within Europe and on 
the ERA should be felt over the 
next few years.

The  project  was  coordinated 
by  the  European  Molecular 
Biology  Organization  (EMBO), 
based in Switzerland.

1 

 ‘Fostering trans-national mobility 
in the life sciences - co-funding of 
the EMBO long-term Fellowship 
Programme’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
People (Marie-Curie actions).
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8478

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

BIOLO GY AND MEDICINE

9

Better nutrition for better eyesight

Parents have long tried to persuade children to eat their greens by promising it will give 
them better eyesight. Dr John Nolan is using his Starting Grant from the ERC to develop a 
targeted approach that could optimise the nutrition of the eye.

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We  all  know  that  our  vision 
deter iorates as we get older. This 
research  will  lead  to  improve-
ments in eyesight for many suf-
ferers  of  impaired  vision,  and 
potentially  be  beneﬁ cial  even 
for those who are considered to 
have ‘normal’ vision. 

‘Age-related  macular  degenera-
tion’  (AMD)  causes  more  than 
half  of  the  cases  of  blindness 
in the developed world. This con-
dition  does  not  only  have  phys-
ical consequences but it also has 
profound  social  and  psycholo-
gical consequences for suﬀ erers, 
such  as  loneliness  and  depres-
sion.  Today,  around  15  million 
Europeans  have  AMD,  and  this 
number  is  projected  to  double 
over the next decade as Europe’s 
population ages.

The problem largely stems from 
deterioration  in  the  central  part 
of  the  retina,  called  the  mac-
ula.  As  we  age,  our  eyes’  cells 
accumulate  damage  from  the 

eﬀ ects  of  oxidising  chemicals, 
such  as  free  radicals,  and  from 
blue  light.  There  is  now  growing 
evidence  that  a  lack  of  macular 
pigment  (MP)  in  this  part  of  the 
eye is associated with more reti-
nal damage from these sources, 
and a correspondingly increased 
risk of AMD.

‘The  question  we  are  asking 
is  how  to  optimise  this  pigment 
at the back of the eye,’ explained 
Dr  Nolan,  Principal  Investigator 
at  the  Waterford  Institute  of 
Technology’s  Macular  Pigment 
Research  Group  in  Ireland,  who 
is  leading  the  CREST1  project. 
‘Our  approach  is  to  optimise 
nutrition  for  the  eyes,  which 
we  hope  will  protect  the  retina 
through  the  ageing  process  — 
and  even  produce 
improved 
“super-vision” for those with nor-
mal eyesight.’

Sunscreen for the eye
Chemicals  called  carotenoids 
are  key,  60  of  which  are  found 

in the typical Western diet. Only 
three  of  them,  however,  occur 
in MP in the retina — lutein (L), 
zeaxanthin  (Z)  and  meso-zeax-
anthin (meso-Z) — and the con-
centrations  of  these  pigments 
vary from individual to individual.

As well as contributing to retinal 
damage,  blue  light  is  also  the 
part  of  the  spectrum  most  sub-
ject to scattering – which causes 
glare.  To  combat  this,  the  yel-
low pigments, which absorb blue 
light,  act  ‘like  sunscreen  for  the 
eye’, according to Dr Nolan.

‘Our study will enrich MP through 
diet  and  supplements,  and  then 
measure  the  impact  on  improv-
ing  vision.  These  pigments  are 
also  antioxidants  —  so  increas-
ing  them  could  potentially  have 
a double protective eﬀ ect.’

Part of the challenge is to meas-
ure  any  improvements  in  eye-
sight:  ‘We  know  the  way  vision 
is  measured  today  is  limited.’ 

ERC  funding  has  already  helped 
Dr  Nolan  to  assemble  a  spe-
cialist  team  and  the  advanced 
equipment needed for new tests. 
‘These  will  go  beyond  famil-
iar  opticians’ 
tests  designed 
to  assess  the  need  for  correc-
tive  lenses.’  Dr  Nolan  explained 
that the standard tests use white 
backgrounds  and  black  letters, 
which  are  not  sensitive  enough 
to  measure 
in 
young  people's  eyesight  and  for 
those with normal vision ‘but we 
will look into eﬀ ects from colour 
and contrasts.’

improvements 

There  could  be  signiﬁ cant  eco-
nomic  beneﬁ ts:  not  only  from 
a  reduction  in  the  incidence  of 
impaired  vision  in  older  people, 
but also from improvements for 
all  those  who  depend  on  good 
eyesight for their work, and bet-
ter  testing  techniques  for  other 
vision problems. 

ERC  support  has  also  attracted 
the funds needed for a new Vision 
Research Centre at the Waterford 
Institute  of  Technology,  which 
was  opened  earlier  this  year  by 
Ireland’s Prime Minister, Mr Enda 
Kenny.

Dr Nolan expects to have estab-
lished  the  initial  baseline  com-
parisons  by  the  end  of  summer 
2012,  with  the  project’s  ﬁ rst 
publications 
soon 
a(cid:4) erwards.  Full  results  should 
start  to  become  available  in 
around three years’ time.

following 

This  Starting  Grant  project  was 
hosted by the Waterford Institute 
of Technology, Ireland.

1 

 ‘Enrichment of macular pigment and 
its impact on vision and blindness'.

Funded by the European Research Council 
(ERC) under the FP7 specific programme 
Ideas.
http://erc.europa.eu/success-stories > 
search > ‘eyesight’

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BIOLOGY  A ND  ME DI C IN E

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

What can zebrafish larvae tell us about the 
function of the brain

With their transparent skin and a known genome, the zebrafish larvae are emerging as a model for neuroscientists. They enable 
researchers  to  monitor  large  portions  of  the  brain  in  an  intact  behaving  vertebrate.  Dr  German  Sumbre,  an  ERC  grantee  from 
Argentina, uses zebrafish to achieve a better understanding of the neural mechanisms of sensory perception, and as a means of 
providing new insights into neurological disorders. 

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around 

Perception  is  the  process  by 
which organisms sense, organ-
ise  and  interpret  the  sensory 
information 
them. 
With  his  ERC  Starting  Grant, 
Dr German Sumbre is trying to 
uncover  the  neural  processes 
underlying  sensory  perception. 
He  is  focusing  in  particular 
on  the  ‘ongoing  spontaneous 
activity’  of  the  brain  and  its 
role in visual perception.

‘Sensory  brain  regions  remain 
in  a  complete 
active  even 
absence  of  sensory  stimula-
tion,  such  as  visual  stimuli. 
These  ongoing  spontaneous 
internal  activities  are  not  ran-
dom:  they  have  a  structure,’ 
explains  Dr  Sumbre.  ‘We  are 
looking at the biological mean-
ing  of  these  ongoing  activities 
— i.e. what they represent (for 
example,  past  sensory  experi-
ence) — and how it may modu-
late sensory perception.’

in  Paris,  France, 

At  the  Institut  de  Biologie  de 
l'École  Normale  Supérieure 
(ENS) 
the 
Zebrafish  Perception1  project 
team  is  using  two-photon  cal-
cium  imaging  to  monitor  the 
activity  of  neural  networks  in 
genetically  modified  zebrafish. 
This 
innovative  method  en-
ables them to monitor virtually 
all  neurons  in  the  brain  in  an 
intact,  non-anaesthetised  and 
hence moving vertebrate.

vertebrates 
are 
‘Zebrafish 
whose  small  size,  transparent 
skin  and  suitability  for  trans-
genic  manipulations  allow  us 
to  measure  their  neural  activ-
ity. We can trace this activity in 
thousands  of  cells  which  rep-
resent  a  large  portion  of  the 
nervous system.’

Dr Sumbre does not expect direct 
applications  from  his  research 
at  this  point  of  time.  Although 
his  main  focus  is  on  the  basic 

neurosciences,  he  is  convinced 
that  his  results  will  one  day 
open  the  door  to  new  research 
lines:  in  the  study  of  mental 
syndromes  such  as  Parkinson's, 
Alzheimer's,  or  autism.  Some 
zebrafish  models  already  exist 
for  several  of  these  neuro-
developmental  or  neurodegen-
erative  syndromes.  By  studying 
the differences in ongoing spon-
taneous activities in healthy and 
pathological brains, the research 
team may shed light on the neu-
ral basis of these diseases.

Speaking  about  his  ERC  grant, 
Dr  Sumbre,  who  previously 
was  based  in  the  US,  empha-
sised that: ‘One of the reasons 
I  moved  to  Europe  was  that 
the  situation  was  getting  very 
complex in terms of funding in 
the  US.  Despite  the  economic 
crisis,  the  ERC  remains  one  of 
the  research  agencies  which 
offer 
funding 
opportunities, which are crucial 

competitive 

for researchers.’ He added that 
‘The  ERC  grant  has  had  a 
great  impact  on  my  research 
career  and  it  was  key  to  the 
setting  up  of  my  laboratory.’ 
Dr  Sumbre  has  nine  PhD  stu-
dents  and  postdocs  working 
under  his  supervision.  He  is 
convinced  that  ‘an  ERC  grant 
will always provide a forum for 
better  ideas  and  for  collabora-
tions between researchers from 
different continents.’

This  Starting  Grant  project 
was  hosted  by  the  Institut  de 
Biologie  de 
l'Ecole  Normale 
Supérieure, France.

1 

 ‘Sensory Perception: neural 
representation and modulation’

Funded by the European Research Council 
(ERC) under the FP7 specific programme 
Ideas.
http://erc.europa.eu/success-stories > 
search > ‘zebrafish’

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BIOLO GY AND MEDICINE

11

Investigating signalling molecules in breast cancer

Significant  progress  has  been  made  in  understanding  breast  tumour  biology.  However, 
statistics  indicate  that  the  number  of  breast  cancer  patients  and  victims  will  continue  to 
increase. 

Institute 

Dr  Bentires-Alj,  ERC  Starting 
the  Friedrich 
Grantee  at 
Miescher 
for 
Biomedical  Research  in  Basel, 
and  his  team  are  studying 
the  roles  of  the  still  under-
explored  family  of  protein-
tyrosine  phosphatases  (PTPs) 
in  both  normal  breast  devel-
In  a 
opment  and  cancers. 
recent  study,  published 
in 
in  March 
Nature  Medicine 
2012,  Dr  Bentires-Alj’s  team 
have  revealed  the  fundamen-
tal  role  of  the  protein  phos-
phatase SHP2 in breast cancer 
proliferation, 
invasion  and 
metastasis.

The  team’s  goal  is  to  better 
understand  cancer  so  as  to 
better  treat  it.  An  estimated 
1.1  million  new  cases  of 
breast cancer are diagnosed in 
women  worldwide  each  year. 
There are as many as 400 000 
deaths  from  breast  cancer 
each year.

The  results  of  the  research 
could lead to the deﬁ nition of 
the  role  of  protein-tyrosine 

phosphatases  (PTP)  in  normal 
breast  development  and  dif-
ferentiation,  and  in  the  main-
tenance  and  progression  of 
breast  cancer.  The  acquired 
knowledge  from  this  basic 
research  could  contribute  to 
the  design  of  targeted  thera-
improve 
pies  which  would 
clinical  treatment  of  patients 
aﬀ ected by breast cancer.

innovative 

These  studies  use  state-of-
the-art  ex  vivo  and  in  vivo 
models  for  studying  breast 
pathophysiology. This research 
is 
in  the  sense 
that  it  crosses  the  bounda-
ries  between  developmental 
and cancer research ﬁ elds and 
between  basic  science  and 
clinical applications.

Although  progress  has  been 
made in understanding breast 
tumour  biology,  most  of  the 
relevant  molecules  and  path-
ways  remain  undeﬁ ned.  Their 
delineation  is  however  critical 
to a rational approach to breast 
cancer  therapy.  Bentires-Alj’s 
PTPSBDC1 
focuses 

project 

on  the  role  of  the  under-
explored  family  of  ‘Protein-
tyrosine  phosphatases’  (PTPs) 
in  the  normal  and  neoplastic 
breast.

and 

Virtually  all 
cell-signalling 
pathways  are  modulated  by 
tyrosine 
reversible  protein 
phosphorylation,  which  has 
an  important  role  in  breast 
development 
cancer. 
It  is  regulated  by  two  classes 
of  enzymes:  ‘Protein-tyrosine 
kinases’ 
(PTKs)  and  PTPs. 
Whereas  the  role  of  speciﬁ c 
PTKs  in  breast  cancer  is  well 
(e.g.  the  oncogene 
studied 
ErbB2/HER2),  little  is  known 
about  the  function  of  speciﬁ c 
PTPs in this disease.

the 
chief  goals  of 
The 
Bentires-Alj  lab  are:  to  delin-
eate  the  roles  of  PTP1B  and 
other  PTPs  in  normal  breast 
development  and  diﬀ erenti-
ation; and to address the roles 
of PTPs in the maintenance of 
breast  cancer  and  metastasis 
and  to  assess  their  merits  as 
drug targets.

Leading  journal  publishes 
research results 
In March 2012, Dr Mohammed 
Bentires-Alj  and  his 
team 
revealed  in  Nature  Medicine 
the  fundamental  role  of  the 
protein  phosphatase  SHP2  in 
breast  cancer  proliferation, 
invasion and metastasis.

SHP2 
is  necessary  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  tumour-
initiating  cells,  called  TICs,  in 
a  breast  tumour.  TICs  seem 
to be the reason why patients 
aﬀ ected with some cancers do 
not react to therapy or relapse 
quickly  a(cid:4) er  remission.  They 
seem  to  be  more  abundant  in 
aggressive and refractory can-
cers.  The  scientists  depleted 
SHP2 from breast cancer cells 
with a small hairpin RNA; pro-
liferation  and  invasiveness  in 
3D  cultures  thus  decreased 
while  blocking 
tumour 
growth  and  reducing  metas-
tasis. In some cases, their ex-
periments  even  showed  that 
SHP2  depletion  could  eradi-
cate tumour-initiating cells.

the 

Knowledge  about  the  signal-
ling  pathways  controlling  the 
functions  of  TICs  is  improv-
ing  and  could  translate  into 
eﬀ ective  therapies.  ‘It  is  thus 
important  that  basic  scien-
tists,  industry  and  clinicians 
work  together  to  help  these 
to bear fruit,’ said Mohammed 
Bentires-Alj.

This  Starting  Grant  project 
was  hosted  by  the  Friedrich 
for 
Institute 
Miescher 
Biomedical  Research 
(FMI), 
Switzerland.

1 

 ‘The role of protein-tyrosine 
phosphatases in breast development 
and cancer’.

Funded by the European Research Council 
(ERC) under the FP7 specific programme 
Ideas.
http://erc.europa.eu/success-stories > 
search > ‘cancer’

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12

BIOLOGY  A ND  ME DI C IN E

Diamond implants are forever

An EU-funded project has developed artificial retina implants 
for treating neurodegenerative diseases and blindness.

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

Therefore,  a  new  approach  was 
needed  for  creating 
implants 
that could activate the neurones 
and not degrade over time.

on 

based 

The  Dreams1  project 
investi-
gated  new  types  of  nanotrans-
ducers 
artiﬁ cial 
‘Nanocrystalline diamond’ (NCD), 
which  does  not  break  down  in 
the body, and took advantage of 
NCD  semiconducting  properties. 
The  consortium’s  aim  was  to 
create  biocompatible  implants 
that  were  capable  of  restor-
ing patients’ vision to a useable 
level.

implants to successfully activate 
neurones was also examined.

Results  showed  good  biocom-
patibility for diamond in contact 
with retinal tissue and supported 
the  potential  use  of  diamond  in 
neural  and  retinal  prostheses. 
The  project’s  success  therefore 
provides a ray of hope for suﬀ er-
ers of degenerative disease and 
blindness.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
CEA/DEN/DANS/I-TÉSÉ,  based  in 
France.

Electrical stimulation of the spe-
cialised cells that conduct nerve 
impulses, known as neurones, is 
a  well-known  therapy  for  treat-
ing  Parkinson’s  disease  and 
other  degenerative  disorders 
of  the  ‘Central  nervous  system’ 
(CNS).  This  approach  could  also 

have a signiﬁ cant impact on the 
treatment of blindness.

However,  available 
commer-
cial  devices  based  on  metal-
impregnated  electrodes  break 
down  in  the  body,  causing  cells 
to  react  by  forming  a  glial  scar. 

Project  partners  used  NCD  ﬁ lms 
to create new structures on which 
neural  cells  could  be  grown  to 
create  implants  that  were  com-
patible  with  the  human  body. 
The  scientists  then  assessed 
the survival rate and stability of 
the cells, which were taken from 
the lining of the inner eye of la-
boratory  rats.  The  ability  of  the 

1 

  ‘Diamond to retina artificial micro-
interface structures’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional 
materials and new production processes 
and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8451

Stem cells repair stroke damage

Stem-cell therapy has the potential to change the face of 
human disease. Recent EU-funded research has applied the 
technology to the treatment of stroke patients by replacing 
damaged brain tissue.

Stroke  caused  by  blockage  of  a 
brain  artery  is  the  second  most 
common  cause  of  death  world-
wide.  The  resulting  brain  dam-
age  due  to  oxygen  shortage  in 
brain  tissue  is  also  a  source  of 
disability in patients, particularly 
the elderly.

The  Strokemap1  project  aimed 
to develop new multidisciplinary 
strategies  to  restore  blood  ﬂ ow 
to  the  region  of  the  brain  that 
has  been  deprived  of  oxygen. 
This would involve repair of neu-
rons  and  vascular  tissue  that 
died due to ‘cerebral ischaemia’, 
or lack of oxygen.

2002.  As  a  novel  population  of 
marrow  stem  cells,  MAPCs  can 
generate  the  necessary  tissue 
for vascular repair. Furthermore, 
in  rodents,  MAPCs  have  been 
shown to cause the regeneration 
of  neuro-progenitor  cells  that 
can  develop  into  neurons  and 
other nervous-system cells.

To achieve this ambitious objec-
tive,  Strokemap  devised  a  work 
programme 
incorporated 
that 
stem-cell  transplantation  in  the 
ischaemic  brain  and  non-inva-
sive  imaging  of  stem-cell  gra(cid:4) s 
and their eﬀ ects in the damaged 
brain.

Project researchers aimed to use 
‘Multi-potent  adult  progenitor 
cells’ (MAPCs), ﬁ rst discovered in 

Strokemap  gained  an  in-depth 
understanding  of  human  MAPCs 
and  their  eﬀ ect  on  the  immune 

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system.  Using  ischaemic  limb 
and 
‘Middle  cerebral  artery 
occlusion’  (MCAO)  models,  the 
researchers  demonstrated  and 
investigated  superior  vascular 
and tissue repair. The team also 
successfully  produced  clinical 
grade  MultiStem®,  a  stem-cell 
platform,  for  stem-cell  gra(cid:4) s 
and vascular stroke.

The  Strokemap  study  has  laid 
the foundations for clinical trials 
involving MAPCs for research into 
therapies  for  strokes.  Research 
in  stem-cell  technology  can  be 
applied to regenerative medicine 

in  general  and  is  applicable  in 
many areas of biomedicine.

The  project  was  coordinated 
by  the  Katholieke  Universiteit 
Leuven, Belgium.

1 

 ‘Multi-potent adult progenitor cells to 
treat stroke’.

Funded under the FP6 specific programme 
‘Life sciences and health’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8456

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ENER GY A ND TRANSPORT

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New motor can cut space 
exploration costs

A European team of researchers led by the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland has developed 
a prototype of a new, ultra-compact motor that will enable small satellites to journey beyond Earth’s orbit. The objective of 
this new motor is to make space exploration less expensive.

The result is an outcome of the Microthrust1 
project, which is supported under the ‘Space’ 
theme  of  the  EU’s  Seventh  Framework 
Programme (FP7), to the tune of EUR 1.9 mil-
lion.  The  compact  motor  weighs  only  a  few 
hundred  grams  and  is  speciﬁ cally  designed 
to propel small satellites, weighing from 1 to 
100 kilograms. 

Conventional  thrusters  can  change  orbit 
around  our  planet  and  travel  to  more  dis-
tant  destinations,  but  they  are  usually  used 
for  large  and  expensive  spacecra(cid:4) .  The  new 
prototype  only  weighs  around  200  grams, 
with the fuel and control electronics included. 
It is also very eﬃ  cient.

The  researchers  say  their  prototype  motor 
will  probably  be  used  on  CleanSpace  One, 
a satellite currently being developed at EPFL 
that  will  clean  up  space  debris,  as  well  as 
on OLFAR, a swarm of Dutch nano-satellites 
able  to  record  ultra-low  radio-frequency 
signals on the far side of the Moon.

‘At the moment, nano-satellites are stuck in 
their orbits. Our goal is to set them free,’ said 
Herbert Shea, the head of EPFL’s Microsystems 
for  Space  Technologies  Laboratory  and  the 
coordinator of the Microthrust project.

Research into the development of small sat-
ellites has intensiﬁ ed in recent times, mainly 
due to the low cost of production and launch. 
The  price  tag  for  small  satellites  is  around 
USD  500  million,  while  the  price  for  larger 
ones runs into the hundreds of millions. The 
problem with nano-satellites was the lack of 
an eﬃ  cient propulsion system ... until now.

The  new  mini-motor  does  not  run  on  com-
bustible fuel but rather on an ‘ionic’ liquid — 
a  liquid  chemical  compound,  EMI-BF4,  used 
as  both  a  solvent  and  an  electrolyte.  Ions, 
electrically charged molecules, are extracted 
from  the  liquid  and  then  ejected  to  produce 
thrust. The fuel is expelled, not burnt.

‘We  calculated  that  in  order  to  reach  lunar 
orbit,  a  1-kilogram  nano-satellite  with  our 
motor would travel for about six months and 
consume  100  millilitres  of  fuel,’  said  Muriel 
Richard,  a  scientist  in  EPFL’s  Swiss  Space 
Centre.  ‘Our  prototype  still  has  a  few  ﬂ ow 
problems  at  the  nozzle  extremities,  which 
could cause short circuits,’ Dr Shea concluded.

The  project  was  coordinated  by  the  Ecole 
Lausanne 
Fédérale 
Polytechnique 
(EPFL) 
in  Switzerland.  Researchers  from 
the  Netherlands,  Sweden  and  the  United 
Kingdom,  members  of 
the  Microthrust 
consortium, also contributed to this study.

de 

1 

 ‘Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based 
electric micro-propulsion for small spacecraft to enable 
robotic space exploration and space science’.

Promoted through the Research Information Centre.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre > search > 24634

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14

ENERGY AND  TRAN S PO RT

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

Getting a better sense of Europe’s traffic

An  EU-funded  project  has  made  headway  in  developing 
a  communications,  analysis  and  user-interface  system  to 
enhance traffic-infrastructure efficiency and road-user safety. 

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The  REACT1  project  has  made  its 
own contribution towards Europe’s 
long-term  vision  of 
improved 
transport-infrastructure  eﬃ  ciency 
and signiﬁ cant reductions in traﬃ  c 
deaths.

a ﬁ rst version of a friction monitor. 
Other 
included 
developments 
a decision model for generating in-
car recommendations to the driver, 
and  prediction  and  decision-mak-
ing models for the central server.

Work  focused  on  developing  and 
integrating  state-of-the-art  tech-
nologies  to  introduce  mobile  ve-
hicles’  sensors  to  sense  natural 
and  infrastructure  conditions,  and 
transmit  real-time  data  to  a  cen-
tral  server  for  analysis  and  com-
munication  to  aﬀ ected  areas.  The 
primary  aim  was  to  be  able  to 
generate  safety  alerts,  speed  and 
route  recommendations,  and  rele-
vant information for road and law 
enforcement authorities.

A system architecture and commu-
nication  system  were  developed, 
with the latter involving the design 
of  a  communication  system  with 
vehicles  and  traﬃ  c-management 
centres.  A  prototype  and  pilot  in-
vehicle telematics system was also 
designed  for  communicating  with 
sensors and collecting information 
sent from distributed sensors.

Project  partners  developed  real-
time mobile sensors for measuring 
natural  and  infrastructure  condi-
tions.  These  included  a  visibility 
sensor  for  installation  on  board 
a test vehicle, a traﬃ  c sensor and 

With regard to the decision-making 
simulations,  the  REACT  team  was 
able to realise an accident-risk pre-
diction  model,  develop  traﬃ  c  and 
route-quality  prediction  models, 
and carry out so(cid:4) ware design of a 
graphical  user  interface  for  moni-
toring  traﬃ  c  states,  traﬃ  c  predic-
tions and travel times.

Outcomes  of  the  REACT  project 
have  the  potential  to  favourably 
impact  road  transport  eﬃ  ciency 
and safety. Contributing to greater 
standardisation and harmonisation 
throughout  Europe,  results  stand 
to  greatly  reduce  traﬃ  c  fatalities, 
especially  outside  urban  areas 
where most traﬃ  c deaths occur.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
Motorola Israel Ltd., based in Israel.

1 

 ‘Realizing enhanced safety and 
efficiency in European road transport’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Sustainable development, global 
change and ecosystems’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8546

The dream for the vehicle of the future

A documentary film is presenting science in a novel way to 
inspire our young scientists. The theme is the vehicle of the 
future and successfully combines the hopes, aspirations and 
scientific ability of three eminent scientists.

produced a ﬁ ctionalised documen-
tary  on  transport  of  the  future, 
the  target  audience  being  mainly 
young people.

The  issue  of  transport  in  society 
has  many  facets.  First  and  fore-
most  there  are  the  matters  of 
demographic  growth  and  sustain-
able urban development. There are 
also  concerns  around  city  trans-
port, including safety, pollution and 
health,  and  town  planning.  A  third 
issue  concerns  the  future  of  city 
transport, incorporating the dreams 
and  ambitions  of  stakeholders 

and  the  possibilities  of  scientiﬁ c 
technology.

To  ensure  sustainable  progress 
in  the  technological  development 
of  urban  transport,  the  pursuit  of 
science  has  to  be  encouraged  in 
society,  but  because  technology 
has  an  impact  on  society,  science 
must  also  be  reconciled  with  the 
social needs of its citizens. To this 
end,  the  EU-funded  VIA1  project 

The  production  titled  Move  along, 
there is everything to see presents 
a  vision  of  the  future  for  urban 
transport  and  involves  European 
scientists  actually  working  on  the 
development  of  new  sustainable 
forms  of  transport  for  our  cities. 
The  documentary  features  three 
forward 
thinkers  who  explore 
visions  of  urban  transport  for  the 
future  —  a  scientist  inspired  by 
science  ﬁ ction,  an  urban  planner 
who likes playing with toy cars and 

an  artist  inventing  new  utopias. 
The  documentary  also  represents 
the  hopes  and  fears  of  scientists 
and citizens alike, and questions the 
part a utopian dream plays in the 
development of such technologies.

The  ﬁ lm  was  broadcast  on  a  ter-
restrial  channel  and  is  also  avail-
able  to  view  on  the  Internet  in 
three  versions.  (For  French,  see 
http://www.si-nos-villes-avaient-
des-ailes.com, and for English, see 
http://if-cities-could-ﬂ y.com/.)

VIA  managed  to  show  another 
side  to  scientiﬁ c  research,  replac-
ing  the  traditional  image  of  the 

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

ENER GY A ND TRANSPORT

15

scientist conﬁ ned to the laboratory. 
The human aspect of science was 
merged  with  a  very  real  scientiﬁ c 
and social problem — urban trans-
port.  This  novel  approach  helps  to 
fuel the dreams of young scientists 
and promote the image of science 
as a technical subject that includes 
the element of adventure.

The project was coordinated by the 
Université Nancy 2 in France.

1 

 ‘Véhicule Innovants d’Avenir’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Science and society’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 7608

Staying ahead of the waves

The dangers of the sea for maritime vessels are being tackled 
by innovative high-tech systems that can warn of impending 
disasters and alert crews so that they can successfully pre-
empt them. 

operation  in  high-risk  situations. 
To achieve this, the system inter-
faced with several diﬀ erent data 
sources,  and  hardware  and  so(cid:4) -
ware platforms.

Ships  out  at  sea  can  o(cid:4) en  run 
into  emergency  situations  such 
as  rough  seas,  but  new  safety 
systems can help avoid mishaps. 
The  EU-funded  ADOPT1  project 
aimed 
to  minimise  accidents 
through  a  new  real-time,  risk-
based  ‘Decision-support  system’ 
(DSS).

The  novel  system 
integrated 
and  functioned  in  three  modes 
—  design  or  oﬃ  ce  mode,  train-
ing  mode  and  operation  mode. 
In other words, it was developed 
to  assist  ships  during  the  design 
phase, train staﬀ  to respond more 
appropriately  and  ensure  opti-
mal  decisions  are  taken  during 

The  system  exploited  high-tech 
information 
to  produce 
input 
valid  warnings  that  assist  the 
crew  in  responding.  It  calculated 
parameters such as wave height, 
ship speed, encounter angle, roll-
ing motion and others to produce 
recommendations based on high-
tech responses.

The  diﬀ erent  components  of  the 
project  included  numerical  simu-
lation, ship data-gathering, man-
machine 
interface,  component 
integration  and  validation  of  the 
system.  The  ultimate  goal  was 
to provide expert decision-support 
capabilities  that  oﬀ er  the  crew 
crucial  information  they  would 
not  normally  have  access  to. 
The  emerging  prototype  system 
goes far beyond a pure so(cid:4) ware-
hardware  package  for  onboard 
use  to  implement  a  procedural 
process  for  the  three  modes 
of  use 
(design,  training  and 
operation).

ADOPT’s  feasibility  was  success-
fully demonstrated by testing its 

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prototype  in  a  simulated  envir-
onment, although more improve-
ments  are  needed  with  respect 
to response time before onboard 
integration can happen. Upcoming 
computer  advances  and  ongoing 
research  are  expected  to  bring 
the concept closer to fruition, sig-
nifying a completely diﬀ erent and 
more eﬃ  cient way of dealing with 
maritime  hazards.  Such  promis-
ing  technology  is  important  not 
only for securing vessels and eco-
nomic goods in transport, but also 
for saving lives.

The  project  was  coordinated 
by 
Schiﬀ bau-
Gesellscha(cid:4) , based in Germany.

Flensburger 

1 

 ‘Advanced decision support system for 
ship design, operation and training’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Sustainable development, global change 
and ecosystems’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8605

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ENERGY AND  TRAN S PO RT

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

More efficient use of solar energy

EU-funded researchers have developed technology to increase 
the efficiency of solar cells connected to mains utility grids. 

Minimising  dependence  on  fos-
sil  fuels  by  exploiting  clean  and 
renewable  forms  of  energy  has 
become  a  key  EU  priority  for 
reducing  greenhouse  gas  (GHG) 
emissions while ensuring a stable 
and  reliable  supply  of  energy  at 
a reasonable cost.

Solar  energy  is  one  of  the  main 
players  in  the  renewable  energy 
ﬁ eld and photovoltaic (PV) power 
systems  are  becoming  increas-
In  particular, 
ingly  common. 

grid-connected  PV  systems  that 
are connected to the mains utility 
grid  supply  it  with  excess  power 
when  a  surplus  exists  and  draw 
electricity when demand exceeds 
supply.

researchers 

European 
sought 
to  enhance  current  PV  technol-
ogy  through  the  Optisun1  pro-
ject.  Speciﬁ cally,  they  set  out  to 
develop technology for producing 
subdivided solar cells, a solar-cell 
integrated  micro-inverter,  and 

a backlight reﬂ ector to maximise 
eﬃ  ciency  of  energy  capture  and 
usage.

Solar  cells  subdivided  into  eight 
parts  with  equal  current  output 
were  achieved  by  laser  dicing, 
with 
inkjet-printed  conductive 
paste  used  for  the  interconnec-
tions.  To  achieve  compatibility 
with  the  mains  grid,  researchers 
bonded  a  micro-inverter  to  the 
subdivided  solar  cells  to  con-
vert  the  DC  current  to  AC  and 
‘step  up’  the  small  voltage  of 
the  solar  cells  (3  V)  to  the  high 
voltage  of  the  electricity  grid 
(220 V).

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The 
backlight  module  was 
designed  to  utilise  empty  space 
between  solar  cells  by  transfer-
ring  light  to  the  rear  side  of  the 
solar panel, generating additional 
solar  power.  Extensive  research 
was  required  to  select  optimal 
materials  for  transmission  of 
those  wavelengths  of  light  most 
critical  for  power  production  and 
for  coating  material  to  reﬂ ect 
light 
transmissive 
the 
material on to the PV cell.

from 

Researchers created a fully func-
tioning prototype PV module that 
demonstrated 
increased  eﬃ  -
ciency  of  the  solar  cell  by  using 
the backlight module.

Optisun  technologies  have  the 
potential  to  increase  the  com-
petitiveness  of  the  European  PV 
industry which is currently lagging 
behind American and Asian coun-
terparts.  With  increased  energy 
eﬃ  ciency  and  cost-eﬀ ectiveness, 
commercialisation  could  provide 
important  beneﬁ ts  to  consumers 
as well.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
Allsun A/S, based in Denmark.

1 

 ‘The development of a new more 
efficient grid connected PV module’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘SME activities’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8580

Nanotechnology for solar energy conversion systems

EU-funded researchers have extensively characterised the self-
organisation of nanotubes and developed novel compositions 
particularly appropriate to solar energy conversion applications.

Self-organised  one-dimensional 
(1D)  oxide  nanotube  systems 
are  a  hot  research  topic  of  late, 
given  that  their  inherently  high 
surface-area-to-volume 
ratio 
produces  interesting  and  useful 
properties.

the 

In  particular,  over 
last 
20  years,  ordered  arrays  of 
porous  titanium  oxide  (TiO2),  or 
TiO2  nanotubes,  achieved  via 
electrochemical anodisation have 
been studied extensively. To date, 
TiO2 is the only material suitable 

for  use  as  a  photocatalyst  (sub-
stance  using 
light  energy  to 
enhance  chemical  reactions)  due 
to its high eﬃ  ciency and stability, 
low cost and safety proﬁ le toward 
humans and the environment.

European  researchers  set  out  to 
prepare  and  characterise  self-
organised TiO2 nanotubes with an 
ordered  structure  similar  to  that 
of porous aluminium oxide (Al2O3) 

and silicon (Si) nanotubes via the 
TI-Nanotubes1 project.

In particular, investigators sought 
to  understand  key  parameters 
governing  self-organisation  of 
TiO2 nanotubes, speciﬁ cally those 
aﬀ ecting tube dimensions, orien-
tation  and  morphology.  The  ul-
timate goal was to develop novel 
functional  and  structural  mater-
ials  with  superior  performance 

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

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l

Next-generation lithium 
batteries

While  tremendously  promising,  the  development  of  lithium 
batteries  with  thin-film  solid  electrolytes  such  as  glass  has 
been  technologically  problematic.  EU-funded  researchers 
have  developed  powerful  computational  tools  leading  to  the 
production of an electrolyte for micro-batteries.

Lithium-based  batteries  have 
become  extremely  common  and 
attractive  due  to  their  high  cap-
acity,  low  weight  and  long  shelf 
life.  In  an  eﬀ ort  to  enhance  per-
formance  while  ensuring  safety, 
lithium-based  solid-state  elec-
trolytes 
charge-carrying 
medium)  made  of  various  ma-
terials,  in  particular  glass,  have 
However, 
interest. 
attracted 
preparation of thin ﬁ lms with the 
desired characteristics via a tech-
nique  called  sputtering  has  been 
problematic.

(the 

European  researchers  supported 
by EU funding of the HI-Condelec1 
project  set  out  to  develop  solid 
electrolytes (glass and crystalline 
materials)  together  with  the  ne-
cessary  thin-ﬁ lm  technology  en-
abling very high conductivity with 
enhanced chemical and mechan-
ical stability.

Powerful computational tools were 
developed to fully investigate and 

characterise  materials  behaviour 
from  the  atomic  to  the  glass-
structure  scale,  as  properties 
of  bulk  materials  have  been 
shown to be quite diﬀ erent from 
those  of  thin  ﬁ lms  of  the  same 
compounds.

In addition, researchers developed 
similar tools for investigating sta-
bility of thin-ﬁ lm electrolytes pro-
duced by sputtering as well as the 
stack integration process itself.

Experimental studies enabled de-
termination of sputtering process 
parameters  and  investigation  of 
ionic  conductances  in  prepared 
materials.

The HI-Condelec project team was 
therefore  able  to  identify  basic 
structure-property  relationships, 
process  parameters  and  condi-
tions  leading  to  development  of 
novel  optimal  compositions  and 
an  exploitable  electrolyte  for 
micro-batteries.

ENER GY A ND TRANSPORT

17

characteristics to be used in solar 
energy  conversion  systems  such 
as dye-sensitised solar cells.

Self-ordering  mechanisms  of 
TiO2  nanotubes  were 
investi-
gated  via  a  plethora  of  surface 
analysis 
includ-
technologies, 
‘Rutherford  backscattering 
ing 
spectrometry’ (RBS) and ‘Nuclear 
reaction analysis’ (NRA) for depth 
proﬁ ling.

The  TI-Nanotubes  consortium 
successfully produced TiO2 nano-
tube  arrays  doped  with  silver 
(Ag)  or  iron  (Fe)  that  exhibited 
enhanced  photocatalytic  activity 
important  for  solar  energy  con-
version applications.

Commercial 
of 
TI-Nanotubes  project  results  has 

exploitation 

the  potential  to  enhance  solar 
energy  eﬃ  ciency  and  use  — 
with  important  beneﬁ ts  for  the 
EU economy, EU citizens and the 
planet.

the 

The  project  was  coordinated 
by 
Friedrich-Alexander 
Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg in 
Germany.

1 

 ‘Preparation, characterisation and 
application of self-organised 
titanium-oxide nanotubes’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional 
materials and new production processes 
and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8641

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HI-Condelec  has 
signiﬁ cantly 
advanced understanding of prop-
erties and process parameters for 
thin-ﬁ lm 
producing  solid-state 
electrolytes  via  sputtering,  and 
produced a micro-battery electro-
lyte ready for upscaling.

Solid  thin-ﬁ lm  electrolytes  hold 
promise  for  miniature  energy-
storage devices, as well as smart 
windows or displays, among other 
things. Exploitation of the results 
could  have  an  important  impact 
on  electronics  and  other  indus-
tries,  with  beneﬁ ts  for  manufac-
turers and consumers alike.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
Hef R&D, based in France.

1 

 ‘Design of highly conductive solid 
thin-film electrolyte for stack 
integration within optical and energy 
storage applications’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional 
materials and new production processes 
and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8582

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18

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

ENVIRONME NT AN D  SO CI E TY

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 Innovative pellets to benefit 
organic farmers

Researchers  in  Germany  and  Hungary  have  engineered  novel  pellets  that  are  able  to  repel  pests  in  a  way  that  does 
not  harm  the  environment  but  could  fertilise  the  plants.  These  pellets  are  made  of  cyanobacteria  and  fermentation 
residues from biogas facilities.

The  purchase  and  consumption  of  organic 
vegetables  continues  to  grow,  with  many  peo-
ple  acknowledging  that  they  prefer  to  buy  and 
eat products that are neither treated with pes-
ticides  nor  laden  with  chemicals.  But  organic 
farmers must deal with the challenge of keep-
ing  their  plants  safe  from  pests,  a  task  that 
is next to impossible. So when cabbage root ﬂ ies, 
for instance, lay their eggs in spring and autumn 
on  freshly  planted  greens,  an  entire  harvest 
can be lost. Farmers claim they can help protect 
their plants by planting seeds a(cid:4) er the ﬂ y’s ﬂ ying 
time is over.

Now there is some good news for these farmers, 
thanks to scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute 
for  Interfacial  Engineering  and  Biotechnology 
(IGB),  working  in  collaboration  with  research-
ers  from  the  University  of  West  Hungary 
in  Mosonmagyaróvár  and  on  behalf  of  several 
organic agriculture associations.

The  organic  farming  industry  should  beneﬁ t 
from this novel development since organic farm-
ers stand to lose entire crops when pests, such 
as cabbage root ﬂ ies, lay their eggs on freshly 
planted vegetables.

‘The  pellets  primarily  consist  of  fermentation 
residues from biogas production, but they also 
contain  0.1 %  cyanobacteria,’  says  Dr  Ulrike 
Schmid-Staiger,  group  manager  at  IGB.  Soil 
ﬂ ora  degrade  the  cyanobacteria,  which  release 
a  scent  that  repels  cabbage  root  ﬂ ies,  a(cid:4) er 
the  pellets  are  placed  around  the  vegetable 
plants.  The  fermentation  residues,  which  are 
rich in nutrients, also fertilise the plants.

The  team  employed  a  ﬂ at-panel  airli(cid:4)   reactor, 
originally  developed  for  microalgae,  to  culti-
vate cyanobacteria. They used only light, carbon 
dioxide (CO2) and mineral nutrients to cultivate 
the  bacteria.  The  task  was  not  easy,  especially 
because  the  bacteria  had  to  be  mixed  thor-
oughly and allowed to rise to the surface. Both 
air and CO2 had to ﬂ ow into the reactor. It should 
be  noted  that  the  cyanobacteria  are  very  sen-
sitive.  Their  structure  looks  like  a  long  string 
of  pearls,  which  can  be  damaged  if  too  much 
pressure  is  placed  on  it.  The  researchers  regu-
lated the air inﬂ ow to allow the mass to be thor-
oughly mixed without damaging the bacteria.

They  later  used  super-heated  steam  to  dry 
the  cyanobacteria,  which  was  then  mixed  with 

the  fermentation  residues  and  pressed  into 
pellets.  The  team  acquired  the  fertilising  fer-
mentation residues from eco-certiﬁ ed farms in 
which liquid manure is decomposed into biogas. 
Within two weeks, they generated 300 litres of 
biogas  per  kilogram  of  organic  dry  mass.  Any 
remnants  that  cannot  be  further  fermented 
are dried.

The  pellets  were  tested  in  open-ﬁ eld  studies 
in  Spain  and  Hungary,  where  the  researchers 
found that the cabbage root ﬂ ies did not attack 
any of the growing cabbage or kohlrabi.

The  study  was  coordinated  by  the  Fraunhofer 
Interfacial  Engineering  and 
Institute 
for 
Biotechnology 
in  collaboration  with 
(IGB) 
researchers  from  the  University  of  West 
Hungary.

Promoted through the Research Information Centre.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre > search > 24493

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19

ENVIRONM ENT AND SOCIETY

A new reality for Europe’s youth, by Europe’s youth

An  EU-funded  initiative  delved  into  the  changing  reality  of 
how youth affect social change. It also studied how changes 
in  forms  of  expression  should  be  reflected  in  policies  for 
integration.

The  Up2Youth1  project  sought  to 
gain a better understanding of the 
factors  at  play  in  young  people’s 
role in social change. A network of 
project  partners  in  various  coun-
tries  worked  to  integrate  existing 
research  and  document  young 
people’s choices for actions or non-
actions  in  the  social  realm.  The 
intention  was  to  arrive  at  a  new 
understanding  of  youth  as  social 
actors and, based on this, to oﬀ er 
relevant policy recommendations.

Up2Youth developed their approach 
based  on  two  objectives.  The  ﬁ rst 
was to improve on the theoretical 
understanding  of  young  people’s 
agency, and the second to explore 
policies aimed at empowering their 
actions in the social context. Critical 
questions included ‘How do young 
people's  decisions  and  coping 
strategies relate to changing social 
structures?’ and ‘What policies en-
able young people to actively inﬂ u-
ence social change?’

Such  questions  were  examined 
across three thematic areas chosen 
as crucial and representative of the 
status of youth in European socie-
ties. These were young parenthood, 
transitions  to  work,  and  civic  par-
ticipation. Working groups collected 
studies and empirical ﬁ ndings from 
countries  across  Europe,  dra(cid:4) ed 
a  thematic  report  and,  based  on 
that,  chose  a  series  of  key  issues 
for more in-depth analysis.

The  project  analysis  uncovered 
plenty  of  evidence  for  the  contri-
butions  of  young  people’s  agency 
to  social  change.  Coping  strat-
egies change the meanings of key 
assets  of  social  integration  — 
family,  work,  citizenship  —  as 
youth  strive  to  overcome  the 
growing  distance  from  societal 
institutions.  The  project  found 
that in interpreting young people’s 
choices, it is necessary to recognise 
the  changing  meaning  of  citi-
zenship  and  participation  with 

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respect  to  content  and  manner  of 
expression.

Another  point  of  focus  was  how 
work  as  a  central  mode  of  social 
integration  has  changed  consid-
erably.  There  is  the  new  reality 
against  which  protracted  transi-
tions to adulthood and ethnic social 
integration need to be viewed and 
approached in terms of policy.

Up2Youth  highlighted  the  mis-
match  between  how  institutions 
expect young people to participate, 
and  young  people’s  actual  priori-
ties  and  activities.  This  indicates 
a  need  to  design  relevant  policies 
that recognise a new set of subjec-
tive interests, needs and priorities. 

Project ﬁ ndings thus oﬀ ered a new 
approach  for  old  institutions:  to 
be  ﬂ exible  and  responsive  to  new 
forms of social action and the pro-
cesses of integration.

The project was coordinated by the 
Institut  für  Regionale  Innovation 
und  Sozialforschung 
in 
Germany.

(IRIS) 

1 

 ‘Youth — actor of social change’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Citizens and governance in a 
knowledge-based society’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8330

Biodiversity to minimise the effects of climate change 
in global drylands

Both tropical forests and areas with extensive forest coverage 
are fundamental in tackling the effects of climate change on 
Earth. However, the environmental importance of arid, semi-
arid and dry-sub-humid ecosystems — called drylands — is 
less well known.

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in  Madrid 

Drylands  cover  about  40 %  of  the 
Earth’s  land  surface  and  support 
38 % of the human population. With 
his BIOCOM1 project, Dr Fernando T. 
Maestre,  an  ERC  Starting  Grantee 
2009  from  the  Universidad  Rey 
Juan  Carlos 
(Spain), 
is  investigating  the  role  of  bio-
diversity  in  enhancing  the  ability 
of  drylands  to  maintain  essential 
functions. These processes have the 
capacity  to  combat  the  conse-
quences  of  climate  change  and 
desertiﬁ cation  in  drylands  world-
wide.  Some  signiﬁ cant  research 
results were published in the journal 
Science on 13 January 2012. 

Experiments  suggest 
that  bio-
diversity  is  essential  in  enhanc-
ing  the  ability  of  ecosystems  to 

maintain  multiple  functions  sim-
ultaneously  —  such  as  carbon 
storage,  productivity,  litter  decom-
position,  water  inﬁ ltration  and  the 
build-up  of  nutrient  pools.  This  is 
known as ‘multi-functionality’. These 
functions  can  help,  for  instance, 
in  controlling  soil  erosion  or  regu-
lating  CO2  exchanges  between  the 
soil and the atmosphere.

Until now, most of the work on the 
relationship  between  the  diversity 
of  plants  and  multi-functionality 
has  been  carried  out  in  highly 
controlled 
laboratory  conditions 
or  small-scale  ﬁ eld  experiments. 
By conducting their study in 224 dry-
land ecosystems from 17 countries 
across  all  continents  (except 
Antarctica),  Dr  Maestre  and 

>

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

ENVIRONME NT AN D  SO CI E TY

his team assessed this relationship 
at the global level for the ﬁ rst time. 
He  emphasised  that:  ‘The  ﬁ nancial 
support  provided  by  my  ERC  grant 
has  been  essential  in  allowing  me 
to  successfully  carry  out  the  ﬁ eld 
surveys and conduct the laboratory 
analysis  of  more  than  2 600  soil 
samples gathered during the global 
survey.  Without  funding  of  this 
magnitude, it would have been very 
diﬃ  cult, if not impossible, to conduct 
this large-scale research.’

Some  past  research  had  revealed 
that  the  loss  of  biodiversity  may 
impair  the  functioning  of  natural 
ecosystems,  and  thus  diminish 
both  the  number  and  the  quality 
of services they provide to the en-
vironment.  This  new  study  reveals 

that  drylands,  which  host  many 
endemic plants and animal species 
and include about 20 % of the major 
centres of global plant diversity and 
over  30 %  of  the  birds  native  to 
dryland areas, are not an exception 
to the rule. The research also indi-
cates  that  in  drylands  worldwide, 
multi-functionality  is  enhanced  by 
an increased number of plant spe-
cies and is reduced by a rise in the 
average annual temperature.

Dr  Maestre  explained  that  ‘The 
results  of  this  extensive  ﬁ eldwork 
provide  empirical  evidence  of  the 
importance of biodiversity in main-
taining  and  improving  ecosystem 
multifunctionality  in  drylands.  Our 
ﬁ ndings  also  suggest  that  plant 
species’ richness may be particularly 

important  for  maintaining  ecosys-
tem functions linked to carbon and 
nitrogen cycling, which sustain car-
bon sequestration and soil fertility.’

An important result of this research 
is  that  the  increase  in  average 
annual 
temperatures  predicted 
by  climate  change  models  will 
reduce  the  ability  of  dryland  eco-
systems  to  perform  multiple  func-
tions  related  to  carbon,  nitrogen 
and phosphorous cycling, which are 
crucial  to  supporting  life  on  Earth. 
Commenting  on  these  ﬁ ndings, 
Dr  Maestre  said:  ‘Although  it  is 
sometimes diﬃ  cult to agree on lim-
iting  the  emission  of  greenhouse 
gases responsible for global warm-
ing, we can contribute to minimising 
their  negative  consequences  if  we 

take clear actions to both preserve 
and  restore  plant  biodiversity.’  This 
would not only preserve the wealth 
of species but, as land degradation 
is o(cid:4) en accompanied by the loss of 
soil fertility, also limit the number of 
areas aﬀ ected by desertiﬁ cation.

This  Starting  Grant  project  was 
hosted by the Universidad Rey Juan 
Carlos, Spain.

1 

 ‘Biotic community attributes and 
ecosystem functioning: Implications 
for predicting and mitigating global 
change impacts’.

Funded by the European Research 
Council (ERC) under the FP7 specific 
programme Ideas.
http://erc.europa.eu/success-stories > 
search > ‘biodiversity’

Marie Curie fellowships to boost research in Ireland

In  collaboration  with  the  Irish  Health  Research  Board  (HRB),  the  EU  is  recruiting  Irish  scientists 
in a three-year research scheme. The EU-funded HRBCOFUND20081 project is expected to improve 
the competitiveness of the Irish scientific community and research potential on a global scale.

to  early-career  support  grants 
tailored  for  scientists  wishing  to 
become independent researchers.

the 

under 

Falling 
Seventh 
Framework  Programme  (FP7),  the 
Irish  HRB  and  the  EU  are  oﬀ ering 
a  Marie-Curie  postdoctoral  mobil-
ity  fellowship  scheme  of  three 
year-long  fellowships.  They  are 

applicable for postdoctoral research 
training in a leading research insti-
tute abroad for two years followed 
by  a  one-year  reintegration  phase 
in Ireland.

Fellowships  are  open 
through 
international  peer  review,  on  the 
basis of the scientiﬁ c merit of the 
research  proposal.  In  addition,  an 

The ‘Marie-Curie actions’ have long 
been  among  the  most  popular 
funding schemes for research and 
technological  development  (RTD), 
meeting  the  needs  of  Europe’s 
scientiﬁ c  community 
terms 
of  training,  mobility  and  career 
development.  They  were  originally 
designed  as  pure  mobility  fellow-
ships  but  have  now  progressed 

in 

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applicant’s  research  background, 
commitment 
research  and 
to 
potential  to  develop  as  an  inde-
pendent  researcher  are  also  being 
considered.  Furthermore,  priority 
will be given to scientists who will 
beneﬁ t  from  such  a  transnational 
mobility fellowship.

Upon  completion  of  the  fellow-
ship,  the  fellow  will  be  expected 
to  have  successfully  completed 
the research project and to be able 
to present evidence of independent 
research,  publications, 
improved 
research  and  management  skills, 
for  establishing 
and  potential 
collaborations.

So  far,  eight  researchers  have 
been  recruited  as  Marie-Curie  fel-
lows  and  their  progress  will  be 
monitored by annual reports.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the  Health  Research  Board  of 
Ireland.

1 

 ‘HRB/Marie Curie post-doctoral 
mobility fellowship scheme’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
People (Marie-Curie actions).
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8480

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21

ENVIRONM ENT AND SOCIETY

 Training scientists,
advancing agriculture

A network of experts is implementing a plant-growth-focused 
training programme for young scientists. Efforts aim to cover 
educational  and  research  needs  for  advancing  competitive 
European scientific output in the field of plant signalling.

A  major  challenge  for  European 
agriculture is ﬁ nding a way to sat-
isfy increasing demands for food in 
a sustainable way. A better under-
standing  of  the  basic  mechanics 
of  plant  growth  can  help  in  these 
eﬀ orts,  and  promises  to  increase 
crop yields while reducing the need 
for pesticides and fertilisers.

Developmental  programmes  that
can  be  modiﬁ ed  by  environmental 
cues  act 
through  plant  hor-
mones  to  regulate  plant  growth. 
(BRs)  are  one 
Brassinosteroids 
class  of  steroid  hormones  that 
promote  plant  growth  and  there-
fore  play  an  instrumental  role  in 
biomass,  crop  yield,  and  adap-
tation  to  stress  and  pathogens. 
Despite 
progress 
signiﬁ cant 
in  understanding  the  BR  biosyn-
thetic  pathway  and 
identifying 
multiple BR signalling components, 

there  are  still  key  questions  that 
need to be answered. These involve 
better understanding of the role of 
BRs in controlling growth and how 
their 
levels  change  throughout 
development  and  in  response  to 
the environment.

The Bravissimo1 project is a train-
ing  network  employing  a  variety 
of  approaches,  imaging  technol-
ogy and other techniques to study 
BRs  in  Arabidopsis  thaliana.  The 
EU-funded  consortium  aims  to 
translate  knowledge  generated 
into  model  crop  plants  as  well  as 
provide full training of young scien-
tists.  The  latter  will  help  ensure 
scientists  develop  an 
informed 
appreciation  of  how  various  tech-
niques can be eﬀ ectively utilised in 
an integrated research programme.

this  end,  Bravissimo  has 
To 
recruited  early-stage  researchers 

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(ESRs) and, with industry participa-
tion,  is  employing  novel  technol-
ogies for research on BR signalling. 
This approach will enhance under-
standing  of,  among  others,  hor-
monal plant growth control, innate 
immunity  and  hormonal  crosstalk 
in  plants.  Project  partners  have 
already  provided  scientiﬁ c  and 
technological platforms for work to 
advance in these areas.

All  ESRs  have  been  introduced  to 
concepts of personal career devel-
opment and action plans,  and have 
taken part in various network activ-
ities:  training  courses,  workshops, 

network  meetings,  external  con-
ferences  and  training  outside  the 
is 
network.  Research  progress 
being achieved in line with the ori-
ginal plan and has already realised 
various successes.

The project was coordinated by VIB, 
Belgium.

1 

 ‘Brassinosteroid venture increasing 
students’ international mobility’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
People (Marie-Curie actions).
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 7320

Voters’ behaviour under scrutiny in French elections

Over 44 million French citizens had the right to vote in the second round of France’s recent 
presidential elections. One ERC grantee showed a particular interest in these voters: Dr Michael 
Bruter, a political scientist working at the London School of Economics (UK).

His  research  focuses  on  the 
deep  mystery  that  surrounds 
the  act  of  voting,  and  espe-
cially  what  happens  in  voters’ 
minds as they stand in the poll-
ing  booth,  ready  to  place  their 
ballot  paper  in  the  box.  In  the 
ﬁ rst  round  of  the  French  elec-
tion on 22 April, 30 % of voters 
claimed  to  have  either  made 
up  or  changed  their  mind  on 
the  actual  election  day,  many 
in  the  polling  booth  itself.  The 
logic  of  these  voters’  choices 
remains  very  mysterious.  Dr 
Michael Bruter’s INMIVO1 project 
aims to ﬁ ll this gap in the litera-
ture. More broadly, his research 

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examines the emotions, memo-
ries and images associated with 
the  moment  of  voting  —  an 
‘exceptional  minute’  which  has 
been  neglected  by  academia. 
Dr Bruter’s research places vot-
ers’  psychology  under  a  virtual 
microscope  in  15  countries  — 
including Australia, Sweden and 
the UK in 2010, and France and 
the US in 2012.

A  particularly  innovative  aspect 
of  this  project  is  its  meth-
approach,  which 
odological 
combines  surveys, 
interviews 
(including  spot  interviews),  ex-
periments,  and  direct  obser-
vation.  Dr  Bruter’s  surveys  of 
2 000  nationally  representative 
respondents  are  designed  as 
panel  studies, 

re-interviewing  the  same  >

involving 

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ENVIRONME NT AN D  SO CI E TY

people multiple times over sev-
eral  months  or  years  to  track 
the  evolution  of  citizens’  elec-
toral psychology over time.

For the French presidential elec-
tions,  Dr  Bruter  and  Dr  Sarah 
Harrison  introduced  two  new 
and  unconventional  ﬁ eldwork 
elements  to  complement  the 
project’s  methodology:  ‘election 
diaries’  and  ‘polling  station  ob-
servers’. The ambition is to gain 
unprecedented  insight  into  the 
coherence  of  voters’  behaviour. 
Around  100  French  families 
were  selected  to  keep  an  ‘elec-
tion  diary’:  each  day  they  write 
down any thoughts and feelings 
connected with the election, and 
record  any  discussions  about 
the campaign. ‘In surveys, many 
people  rationalise  or  feel  con-
strained  about  their  answers, 
whilst  direct  observation 
in 
people’s  homes  would  be  too 
intrusive. So we had the idea of 
using personal diaries to act like 
‘ﬂ ies’  in  people’s  houses.  This 
will  allow  us  to  ﬁ gure  out  what 
their  state  of  mind  is  through-
out  the  election  period.  We  ask 
them  questions  like  ‘have  you 

thought  or  talked  about  the 
elections  today?’  or  ‘what  were 
your 
reactions  and  discus-
sions  during  election  night?’  In 
addition,  Dr  Bruter  works  with 
50  oﬃ  cial  polling  station  ob-
servers who collect impressions 
and  anecdotes  for  the  project, 
recording  whether  voters  come 
to  the  station  alone,  in  couples 
or  with  children  or  neighbours; 
what  they  say  or  ask;  and 
whether  they  seem  happy,  sad 
or nervous.

superimposing 

‘By 
various 
methodologies,  we  get  truly 
results  about  vot-
exciting 
ers’  experiences.  Some  of  our 
work  has  already  shown  that 
memories  of  ﬁ rst  elections 
matter  a  great  deal  to  voters: 
nearly  70 %  remember  going 
to  the  polling  stations  as  chil-
dren  with  their  parents,  over 
80 %  recollect  their  ﬁ rst  elec-
tion,  and  30 %  of  French  vot-
ers  claim  to  have  cried  during 
or  because  of  an  election.’  One 
of  his  latest  results  is  a  conﬁ r-
mation  of  the  legendary  ‘cyni-
cism  of  French  voters’:  70 %  of 
French  respondents  said  that 

they  regularly  had  to  settle 
for  the  ‘least  bad’  candidate  in 
recent years.

The  research  team  have  added 
a  number  of  ‘funky’  questions 
to  their  work  —  asking  people 
what  animal,  colour  or  drink 
they  prefer  or  how  they  would 
rank  the  seven  ‘deadly  sins’  — 
in  an  attempt  to  understand 
more  about  the  role  of  person-
ality  and  emotions  in  electoral 
choice.  The  expectation  is  that 
the project will have a signiﬁ cant 
impact on our understanding of 
electoral  decisions.  Moreover, 
Dr  Bruter  and  Dr  Harrison  are 
conducting 
research 
special 
modules  on  the  psychology  of 
extremism,  voters’  identity,  and 
young  people’s  participation  — 
all of which have proved uncan-
nily topical in the context of the 
2012 French election.

that: 
Dr  Bruter  emphasised 
‘The  ERC  grant  is  fabulous  and 
opens  new  doors  for  scientists, 
but  central  to  its  merit  is  the 
fact  that  it  supports  innovative 
research  with  the  potential  to 
results.’ 
produce  unexpected 

The EUR 1.2 million ERC funding 
should  help  the  team  to  estab-
lish a research structure, based 
in  the  UK  and  dedicated  to 
electoral  psychology.  The  focus 
will  be  on  these  crucial  elec-
toral moments, which Dr Bruter 
described as the ‘civic commun-
ion’ of citizens with their politi-
cal system.

This  Starting  Grant  project  was 
hosted  by  the  London  School 
in  the  United 
of  Economics 
Kingdom.

1 

 ‘Inside the Mind of a Voter — Memory, 
Identity and Electoral Psychology’.

Funded by the European Research Council 
(ERC) under the FP7 specific programme 
Ideas.
http://erc.europa.eu/success-stories > 
search > ‘voters’

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

23

ENVIRONM ENT AND SOCIETY

More strong, hip women in TV science dramas

An  EU-funded  initiative  delved  into  the  changing  reality  of 
how youth effect social change. It also studied how changes 
in  forms  of  expression  should  be  reflected  in  policies  for 
integration.

Television  plays  a  major  role  in 
inﬂ uencing  public  opinion,  particu-
larly the opinions of young people. 
To  date,  programming  demon-
strates a lack of strong, hip female 
scientists and engineers.

The  Eurowistdom1  project  set  out 
to  use  popular  entertainment  for-
mats  on  television  to  address  the 
issue  of  under-representation  of 
women in science, engineering and 
technology (SET).

scientiﬁ c  advice  to  writers.  Team 
members  also  worked  to  support 
marketing  activities  carried  out 
by  the  production  companies  and 
broadcasters.

The  results  were  quite  encourag-
ing.  The  investigators  facilitated 
productive  information  exchange 
among  authors,  producers  and 
television  executives,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  scientists,  researchers 
and  engineers  on  the  other.  The 
support provided by the investiga-
tors through the EU grant fostered 
conﬁ dence in the writers related to 
factual content and inspired enthu-
siasm on the part of all team play-
ers for this genre in TV drama.

and increasing EU competitiveness 
in the ﬁ elds of science, technology 
and engineering.

The  Eurowistdom  project  paved 
the  way  for  fruitful  collabora-
tions among technical experts and 
TV drama producers. The investiga-
tors  thus  made  a  major  contribu-
tion to positively changing the face 
of  women  in  science  and  engin-
eering  and  to  making  this  change 
highly visible.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
Femtec Hochschul Karrierezentrum 
für Frauen, Germany.

1 

 ‘European women in science TV 
Drama on Message’.

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The  Eurowistdom  project  was 
designed  to  select  and  award 
grants for scripts with SET content 
and strong female role models, and 
to  provide  technical  support  via 

SET  television  shows  with  female 
role  models  have  the  potential 
to  positively  inﬂ uence  the  career 
decisions  of  numerous  young 
women, decreasing the gender gap 

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Science and society’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 7450

Welcome to the wonders of science

Maintaining  and  encouraging  young  people’s  interest  in 
science  is  crucial  for  the  future  of  research  in  Europe. 
An  EU-funded  project  has  organised  a  circle  of  festivals  to 
make  sure  all  Europe’s  students  can  take  the  opportunity 
to pursue a career in science.

To  keep  young  scientiﬁ c  minds 
ﬁ t  and  enquiring,  the  EU-funded 
Wonders071  project  organised 
science  festivals  in  cities  span-
ning the whole of Europe.

the 

EUN, 

Euscea, 

together 

by 
Science 

the 
Organised 
Events 
European 
Association, 
with 
EUSJA,  the  European  Union  of 
Science Journalists’ Associations, 
European 
and 
Schoolnet,  Wonders07 
pro-
moted  science  to  students  in 
universities  and  schools  across 
the  continent.  Overall,  almost 
100  festivals  took  place  in  cit-
ies  following  a  launch  in  Berlin. 
Moving  on 
the 
from 
University  of  Strasbourg  in  the 
west  of  France,  Tartu  in  Estonia, 
Ireland  and  Iceland  hosted  the 
festivals,  to  name  but  a  few 
venues.

there, 

In  line  with  their  motto  ‘look 
closer’,  which  steers  student 
minds to delve below the surface 
and think more about the task in 
question, Wonders07 devised two 
events to stimulate the minds of 
the  participants.  First,  a  carou-
sel  of  science  provided  a  plat-
form  through  which  interactive 
science  presentations  could  be 
exchanged.  A  discussion  game 
‘Decide’  was  the  second  novel 
way  of  encouraging  students  to 
actively participate.

‘Decide’  game 

The 
involved 
schools  in  the  cities  hosting  the 
festivals. A discussion game with 
rules  in  a  debate  format,  it  also 
gives  the  student  a  chance  to 
upload the results on the Internet.

The  carousel  of  science  lives  up 
to  its  name:  one  science  festi-
val  sends  its  presentations  to 
the next and so on until the last 
festival  communicates  with  the 
ﬁ rst,  thereby  closing  the  circle. 
Basically,  it  is  a  lively  way  of 
achieving 
interactive 
two-way 
communication.

Wonders07  science  communica-
tion  events  were  a  new  form  of 
cooperation  between  those  with 
a  deep  and  committed  interest 
in  science.  Inspiring  young  peo-
ple  to  follow  scientiﬁ c  thought, 
project  events  have  created 
inspired  dialogue  between 
an 
constitutes 
students,  which 

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a  ﬁ rm  foundation  for  European 
competitiveness  in  the  future  of 
science.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the  European  Science  Events 
Association, based in Austria.

1 

 ‘Welcome to observations, news and 
demonstrations of European research 
and science 2007’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Science and society’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8318

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

ENVIRONME NT AN D  SO CI E TY

Science TV inspires young people

An  innovative  television  series  has  created  TV  characters 
or ‘future detectives’ who address global scientific challenges 
to encourage careers in the field.

Experts in future studies and ﬁ lm 
producers have come together to 
produce  TV  programmes  aimed 
at  young  people  and  related  to 
science. The project team set out 
to  raise  young  people's  interest 
in  science  and  encourage  them 

to  embark  on  science-related 
careers.

The EU-funded Future Detectives1 
project  employed  young  charac-
ters  in  the  show  to  tackle  many 
science-related  questions.  These 

included  solutions  required  to 
make  tomorrow’s  world  better 
than today’s and how science can 
contribute  to  solving  future  soci-
etal  problems.  These  characters 
or ‘future detectives’ aimed to ﬁ nd 
out  if  the  world  was  prepared  to 
solve tomorrow's problems.

To  achieve  its  goals,  the  project 
aimed  to  trigger  young  people’s 
curiosity about science’s inﬂ uence 

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on  their  lives.  It  also  tried  to 
encourage  dialogue  among  soci-
ety,  scientists  and  politicians  by 
depicting  diﬀ erent  future  scen-
arios and the role of science and 
technology  in  solving  tomorrow’s 
problems.

The  project  succeeded  in  produc-
ing the series and airing it across 
Europe,  as  well  as  distributing  it 
to  numerous  educational  insti-
tutions.  This  opened  the  door  to 
dissemination to diﬀ erent parts of 
the  world  through  adequate  pro-
motion,  raising  the  possibility  of 
achieving  the  project’s  objectives 
on  a  global  scale.  By  presenting 
engaging  science  programming 
full  of  challenges  and  adven-
tures, the world's youth and young 
adults  may  be  inspired  to  follow 
scientiﬁ c  careers,  furthering  the 
EU objective of a knowledge-pow-
ered economy.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the company Bastard Film, based 
in Denmark.

1 

 ‘Co-production on European research 
and future studies targeted at young 
people’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Science and society’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 7842

More female applicants for science faculty positions

An  EU-funded  initiative  has  increased  applications  from 
women scientists in Europe for academic positions in their own 
and other EU countries. Increased representation of women 
among  university  faculty  staff  should  enhance  diversity  of 
thought, research and policy-making while providing positive 
role models for numerous young women in the Union.

The  Encouwomsci1  project  was 
designed  to  empower  women  in 
science  to  apply  for  academic 
professorships,  both  nationally 
and within the EU. Speciﬁ cally, the 
project targeted female postdocs 
and  encouraged  applications  in 

selected European countries in an 
eﬀ ort  to  enhance  mobility  in  the 
European Research Area (ERA).

The principal investigators organ-
ised training and seminars cover-
ing issues including the interview 

and application process, how and 
where to obtain research funding, 
and the EU’s science policy-mak-
ing process.

The 
investigators  asked  par-
ticipants  to  evaluate  the  project 
(with  a  structured  questionnaire) 
initially on completion of training 
then four months later. Simulation 
of  the  interview  process,  with 
committee, 
an 
and  consultation  with  a  per-
sonal  trainer  were  rated  highest 
among  speciﬁ c  components  of 

appointment 

training.  Participants  experienced 
enhanced  self-conﬁ dence  and 
empowerment as a result.

Almost  all  participants  (99 %) 
considered  the  project  worth-
while. In a follow-up phone inter-
view  of  10  applicants,  seven 
had  applied  for  professorships 
since  participating  in  the  project 
training.

In  conclusion,  the  Encouwomsci 
training  project  was  a  great 
success,  empowering  women  in 

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25

ENVIRONM ENT AND SOCIETY

the  advancement  of  women  in 
science.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the  Gesellscha(cid:4)   Sozial  Wissen-
scha(cid:4) licher 
Inrastrukture inrich-
tungen (GESIS) in Germany.

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science  with  the  knowledge  and 
conﬁ dence to apply for academic 
teaching  and  research  positions 

within  the  ERA.  Increased  rep-
resentation  of  women  in  sci-
ence  faculty  positions,  who  are 

also  knowledgeable  of  policy-
making  processes,  should  pro-
impetus  to 
vide  a  signiﬁ cant 

Young scientists get some air time

An EU-funded project produced a two-part television show focusing on the European Young 
Scientist Contest. The project should help stimulate interest in science and science careers 
among young people and the general public.

The EYSCTS1 project was designed 
to publicise the creativity, fun and 
achievement  elicited  by  competi-
tion  in  an  international  science 

contest  for  young  people.  In  par-
ticular,  the  two-part  show  high-
lighted  the  winners,  their  projects 
and their personal stories.

The grant recipients set out to iden-
tify four young winners represent-
ing four countries and including at 
least  one  girl.  The  winning  project 

1 

 ‘Encouragement to advance — 
training seminars for women 
scientists’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Science and society’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 7447

themes  were:  producing  energy 
from  straw  le(cid:4)   over  on  maize 
farms; developing a new motorcy-
cle slipper clutch for Ducati motor-
bikes; creating a rocket from water 
and pressurised air in a PET bottle; 
and  developing  a  new  method  to 
remove chromium ions from water.

The  documentary  highlighted  not 
only  the  involvement  of  young 
people  in  science  projects  and 
the  research  process  in  a  variety 
of  ﬁ elds,  but  also  the  personal 
stories  and  meetings  of  the  com-
petition  winners.  The  innovative 
EYSCTS  project  should  stimulate 
science  awareness  and  interest 
among youth and the general pub-
lic,  and  interest  in  the  production 
of  similar  programmes  among 
television  writers,  producers  and 
TV executives.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
Media  and  Education  Productions, 
based in the Netherlands.

1 

 ‘European young scientist contest 
television series’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Science and society’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 7513

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

IT AND TELECOMMUN I CATI ONS

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 Open access: EU project results 
go public

Publicly  funded  research  should  benefit  everyone,  not  bury  findings  in  obscure  or  expensive  journals.  The  European 
Commission wants results from Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and Horizon 2020 projects to produce fully ‘open 
access’  publications.  A  project  is  now  promoting  open  access  and  building  a  portal  for  all  FP7  project  publications  and 
datasets.  

The  stereotypical  scientist  has  unruly  Einstein 
hair, and locks himself away in his laboratory. The 
caricature is so strong that we tend to forget that 
landmark scientists like Galileo and Einstein were 
o(cid:4) en  excellent  communicators  —  exchanging 
knowledge with their peers and the wider public 
— as are today’s successful scientists. They speak 
at conferences, they write books and papers, they 
interact with people online and mingle at work-
shops and symposia. 

Communication is a fundamental part of the sci-
entiﬁ c  endeavour.  Without  it,  the  understanding 
and  knowledge  that  researchers  acquire  would 
remain locked in their brains and never ﬁ nd their 
way into new products, innovation and real-world 
applications. 

Read all about it 
The most traditional and still the most important 
vehicle  for  disseminating  scientiﬁ c  knowledge 
is  the  peer-reviewed  paper.  These  papers  are 
published  in  specialist  journals  —  from  the 
well-known,  high-impact  titles  like  ‘Nature’  and 
‘Science’  to  publications  which  focus  on  very 
narrow  topics  and  highly  specialised  ﬁ elds  of 
research. 

But herein lies an unfortunate irony: when scien-
tists publish in this way, their research sometimes 
becomes less accessible to the public, as it is hid-
den away from all but their own research com-
munity. Most scientiﬁ c publishers, running private 
businesses, charge subscriptions to their journals 
and fees for access to individual papers. Private 

individuals  and  businesses  cannot  read  papers 
unless  they  (or  a  library)  pay  a  subscription  or 
one-oﬀ  fee. 

For  a  long  time,  the  European  Commission  has 
argued  that  the  results  of  publicly  funded  EU 
research  should  remain  in  the  public  domain.  It 
supports a model of open access scientiﬁ c pub-
lishing  which  oﬀ ers  free  access  to  published 
papers. 

Out in the open 
To make it easier for EU-funded projects to make 
their  ﬁ ndings  public  and  more  readily  accessi-
ble, the Commission is funding, through FP7, the 
OpenAIRE1 project. This ambitious project will pro-
vide a single access point to all the open access 

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27

IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

publications produced by FP7 projects during the 
course of the Seventh Framework Programme. 

‘To  try  and  push  more  open  access  publish-
ing,  the  European  Commission  has  made 
open  access  publishing  mandatory  for  around 
20 % of FP7 projects,’ explains Natalia Manola, 
the  project’s  manager.  ‘This  is  written  into 
the contract, but it is still a so(cid:4)  target — hard 
to  enforce  and  monitor  or  really  measure 
the  impact.  The  idea  of  online  open  access 
is  still  quite  new  and  one  of  the  biggest  prob-
lems  is  that  projects  will  publish  some  results 
in traditional journals and some in open access 
publications.  Knowledge  is  fragmented  and 
it  is  diﬃ  cult  to  see  the  output  of  a  project 
because it is spread around so much. We want 
everything to be accessible to everyone.’

OpenAIRE is a repository network and is based 
on a technology developed in an earlier project 
called Driver. The Driver engine trawled through 
existing open access repositories of universities, 
research  institutions  and  a  growing  number 
of  open  access  publishers.  It  would  index  all 
these publications and provide a single point of 
entry for individuals, businesses or other scien-
tists  to  search  a  comprehensive  collection  of 
open access resources. Today, Driver boasts an 
impressive catalogue of almost 6 million taken 
from 327 open access repositories from across 
Europe and beyond. 

OpenAIRE  uses  the  same  underlying  technol-
ogy  to  index  FP7  publications  and  results.  FP7 
project  participants  are  encouraged  to  publish 
their  papers,  reports  and  conference  presenta-
tions  in  their  institutional  open  access  reposi-
tories.  The  OpenAIRE  engine  constantly  trawls 
these  repositories  to  identify  and  index  any 
publications  related  to  FP7-funded  projects. 
Working closely with the European Commission’s 
own databases, OpenAIRE matches publications 
to their respective FP7 grants and projects, pro-
viding a seamless link between these previously 
separate data sets. 

OpenAIRE  is  also  linked  to  CERN’s  open  access 
repository  for  ‘orphan’  publications.  Any  FP7 
participants who do not have access to an own 
institutional  repository  can  still  submit  open 
access publications by placing them in the CERN 
repository. 

Open to persuasion 
‘OpenAIRE1 is not just about developing new tech-
nologies,’ notes Ms Manola, ‘because a signiﬁ cant 
part  of  the  project  focuses  on  promoting  open 
access in the FP7 community. We are committed 
to promotional and policy-related activities, advo-
cating open access publishing so projects can fully 
contribute to Europe’s knowledge infrastructure.’

The  project  is  collecting  usage  statistics  of  the 
portal  and  the  volume  of  open  access  publica-
tions. It will give the Commission this information 
and use this data to inform European policy in this 
domain. 

OpenAIRE is working closely to integrate its infor-
mation  with  the  CORDA  database,  the  master 
database  of  all  EU-funded  research  projects. 
Soon it should be possible to click on a project in 
CORDIS (the EU’s portal for research funding), for 
example, and access all the open access papers 
published by that project. Project websites will be 
able to provide links to the project's peer-reviewed 
publications, too, making dissemination of papers 
virtually eﬀ ortless. 

The project participants are also working with EU 
Member States to develop a European-wide ‘open 
access  helpdesk’  which  will  answer  research-
ers’ questions about open access publishing and 
coordinate  the  open  access  initiatives  currently 
taking  place  in  diﬀ erent  countries.  The  helpdesk 
will build up relationships and identify additional 
open access repositories to add to the OpenAIRE 
network. 

Aiming  to  build  the  ‘knowledge  infrastructure’ 
of the European Research Area (ERA), an exten-
sion  project,  OpenAIREplus,  is  now  working  in 

parallel to OpenAIRE to add open access datasets 
to  the  mix  and  create  a  so-called  ‘information 
space’  where  publications,  data  sets  and  fund-
ing information (EC and national) are interlinked. 
Researchers can make their raw data, benchmark 
data,  or  data  objects  associated  to  publications 
available for others to analyse or use. 

‘The  current  publication  repository  networks 
will be expanded to attract data providers from 
domain-speciﬁ c scientiﬁ c areas. The participatory 
design of OpenAIREplus will seamlessly guide the 
researcher  to  open  access  research  data,’  says 
Professor Dr Norbert Lossau, Scientiﬁ c Coordinator 
of OpenAIREplus and Director of Göttingen State 
and University Library, Germany. ‘The experienced 
consortium  will  pave  the  way  to  support  the 
research work of European scientists and open up 
the road to multi-disciplinary science.’

‘I  think  more  open  access  publishing,  aided  by 
projects  like  OpenAIRE  and  OpenAIREplus,  could 
really  boost  Europe's  economy  and  help  boost 
innovation,’ concludes Ms Manola. ‘If you are an 
SME employee or a teacher, say, there is just no 
way you can read the latest research. With open 
access, anybody will be able to use it how they 
want. It is the best way to make the most of pub-
licly funded research.’

The  OpenAIRE  project  received  EUR  4.2  million 
(of  its  total  EUR  5  million  project  budget)  in 
research  funding  under  the  EU’s  Seventh 
Framework  Programme  (FP7),  ‘Research  infra-
structures’ programme. 

The  project  was  coordinated  by  the  University 
of Athens, Greece..

1 

 ‘Open access infrastructure for research in Europe’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme Capacities under 
the theme ‘Research infrastructures’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search > offers > 8519

Intelligent monitoring of the heart

Early  disease  diagnosis  is  critical  for  a  successful  outcome. 
A European project made this a reality for cardiovascular disease 
by providing an innovative solution for continuous monitoring of 
heart function and real-time prevention. 

Cardiovascular  disease  is  one  of  the 
leading  causes  of  death  in  Europe. 
Medical  practice  has  mainly  focused 
on treatment and therapy of the dis-
ease. However, prevention in patients 
at  risk  carries  equal 
importance, 
necessitating the development of eﬃ  -
cient monitoring systems.

To this end, the EU-funded Heartronic1 
project  aimed  to  develop  an  innova-
tive  system  for  prevention  and  early 
warning  by  a  continuous  monitoring 
of  heart  conditions.  The  system  was 
designed  as  a  light  wearable  device 
integrated  in  some  piece  of 
clothing, like a shirt, capable of 

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

IT AND TELECOMMUN I CATI ONS

recognising cardiovascular anomalies 
and alerting doctors and hospitals in 
real time.

The system comprised a data-acqui-
sition unit that read signals from the 
chest  and  correctly  interpreted  the 
captured ‘electrocardiography’ (ECG) 
signals. These signals were collected 
on  a  palmtop  computer  and  were 
subsequently sent to the host server 
for accurate diagnosis. Finally, a host 
server was responsible for collecting 
all patient information and ECG sig-
nals which it could then redirect to 
doctors and hospitals.

Project partners worked on the fea-
sibility  of  developing  ECG  sensors 
that  could  be  embedded  into  tex-
tile ﬁ bres. So(cid:4) ware was developed 
with particular algorithms that en-
abled digital ﬁ ltering and statistical 
classiﬁ cation  of  ECG  patterns,  so 
that they could recognise an abnor-
mal ECG signal.

Reliable and eﬃ  cient communication 
between the Heartronic device and 
a cellular phone was established, as 
well  as  data  transfer  between  the 
cellular  phone  and  a  host  station. 
interface  was 
A  graphic  user 

designed  to  provide  the  cardiolo-
gists  with  an  easy  graphic  tool  for 
viewing ECG data on his or her cel-
lular phone.

Advantages  of  the  Heartronic  sys-
tem 
include  the  elimination  of 
a  mass  storage  device  since  data 
is sent over a wireless network via 
Bluetooth. In addition, the device is 
completely automatic and does not 
require  any  technical  competence, 
making  it  ideal  for  elderly  or  disa-
bled people. Implementation of the 
system is expected to improve diag-
nosis of cardiovascular disease and 

facilitate  prevention,  thus  increas-
ing the life expectancy of patients.

The project was coordinated by Acta 
Service, based in Italy.

1 

 ‘Heart rating for objective neural 
intelligent communication’.

Funded under the FP6 programme ‘SME 
activities’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8534

Europe on the cutting edge: ‘organic’, the new 
electronics revolution

An  ‘organic’  revolution  is  unfolding  in  the  electronics  industry.  From  flat-screen  TVs  and 
flexible  displays  to  windows,  lighting  and  solar  panels,  organic  electronic  components  are 
offering  unprecedented  features,  design  flexibility  and  versatility  at  relatively  low  financial 
and environmental cost. EU funding is helping Europe strengthen its R&D lead in this fast-
developing  field  by  encouraging  greater  cooperation  and  coordination  across  national  and 
commercial research efforts.

friendly 

environmentally 
than 
traditional  electronics,’  explains 
Herman  Schoo,  a  senior  research 
fellow  at  Dutch  research  organ-
isation TNO. 

Schoo 

coordinated 

Dr 
the 
Polymap1  project  to  help  ensure 
funding  for  OLAE  research  is  dis-
tributed  and  used  as  eﬀ ectively 
as  possible  within  the  European 
research community. Supported by 
EUR 600 000 in funding from the 
European  Commission,  the  pro-
ject  team  helped  to  establish  an 
‘ERA-Net  Plus’  network.  This  will 
build  cooperation  and  coordinate 
funding  streams  from  national 
governments  and  regional  organ-
isations. They also set up an online 
database  to  maintain  up-to-date 
information  on  OLAE  research, 
and provided support and training 
workshops for small and medium-
sized enterprises (SMEs) active in 
this technology. 

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‘Organic  and  large-area  electron-
ics’ (OLAE) is focused on materials 
and  devices  built  from  organic 
carbon-based  molecules  that  are 
able to conduct electricity. Because 
these are lighter, more ﬂ exible and 
less expensive than inorganic con-
ductors, such as copper or silicon, 
they  are  a  viable  alternative  for 
many electronics applications. 

More  signiﬁ cantly  perhaps,  their 
unique  properties  create  possi-
bilities for many new applications 
that  would  simply  be  impossible 
with  standard  inorganic  mater-
ials.  Organic  electronics  could 
intelligent  packaging, 
lead 
low-cost  ‘Radio-frequency  identi-
ﬁ cation’  (RFID)  transponders,  rol-
lable  displays,  ﬂ exible  solar  cells, 

to 

disposable diagnostic devices and 
printed batteries. 

‘The  range  of  applications  for 
OLAE is extremely diverse... we are 
probably  only  just  scratching  the 
surface of what organic electron-
ics can do and, to top it oﬀ , OLAE 
materials  are  more  cost-eﬀ ec-
tive  to  manufacture  and  more 

‘Organic 
light-emitting  diodes’ 
(OLEDs)  are  the  most  common 
commercial  application  of  the 
technology.  They  are  behind  the 
bright, ultra-high-contrast screens 
in  high-end  portable  devices,  and 
are  increasingly  replacing  inor-
ganic LED and standard lighting in 
homes and buildings. 

But  other  organic  electronic  ma-
terials  are  also  being  used  for 
ﬂ exible  displays  and  ‘electronic 
paper’,  for 
‘smart  glass’  that 
can  switch  from  transparent  to 
opaque  at  the  touch  of  a  button, 

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29

IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

for  new  types  of  semiconductors, 
for  ultra-thin  printed  batteries, 
for smart clothing, and for ﬂ exible 
photovoltaic panels that can cover 
entire buildings. 

Much  of  the  pioneering  work  on 
organic  electronics  has  been  led 
by  European  researchers  ever 
since Henry Letheby, a British ana-
lytical  chemist  created  a  partially 
conductive  organic  material  by 
anodic oxidation of aniline in sul-
phuric acid in 1862. Today, innova-
tive European companies such as 
Nanoident,  PolyIC,  Polymer  Vision 
and Philips are working on devices, 
while  leading  materials  suppli-
ers  like  Degussa  and  Merck  are 
actively involved in R&D. 

‘Europe  —  particularly  European 
academia  —  continues  to  lead 
R&D  in  organic  electronics.  We 
want  to  make  sure  we  maintain 
and  strengthen  our  competitive-
ness in that area,’ Dr Schoo says. 

Closer coordination
The  team’s  eﬀ orts  were  closely 
coordinated  with 
three  other 
EU-funded projects working in the 
OLAE  domain:  Opera,  Prodi  and 
Polynet.  Together,  the  four  are 
called the ‘Quadriga’ projects. 

coordination between the research 
programmes of diﬀ erent countries 
and organisations. O(cid:4) en, we found 
that money was being invested in 
the same sort of research in more 
than one country — that is simply 
not eﬃ  cient, in fact it’s wasteful,’ 
Dr Schoo says. 

The  Polymap  team  sought  to 
reduce this multiplicity of research 
through  better  coordination  and 
collaboration between researchers 
and funding programmes. 

‘Surely it is better to pool resources 
into  projects  that  lead  to  world-
class  results  than  having  many 
overlapping  projects  that  produce 
mediocre outcomes,’ the Polymap 
coordinator emphasises. 

The OLAE+ ERA-Net Plus network 
has  taken  an  important  step  in 
improving  the  use  of  resources. 
Launched  with  the  involvement 
of eight countries, it is continuing 
to  grow  and  has  received  around 
EUR  18  million  in  funding  from 
national  research  programmes, 
including  EUR  6  million  from  the 
European Commission. The money 
is  being  used  to  fund  pan-Euro-
pean OLAE research from leading 
research groups. 

‘We  began  by  analysing  funding 
across  Europe  for  OLAE  research 
and, unsurprisingly, found it to be 
very  fragmented  with  little  or  no 

Bringing research to 
business
Meanwhile, the Polynet team also 
focused  on  helping  technology 

SMEs  strengthen  their  position  in 
the OLAE sector, or break into the 
ﬁ eld  for  the  ﬁ rst  time,  organising 
a series of workshops and provid-
ing  technology  and  training  sup-
port, and guiding them on how to 
access  public-  and  private-sector 
funding. The Polymap online data-
base,  an  open  Wikipedia-style 
website  now  maintained  by  the 
Organic  and  Printed  Electronics 
Association  (OE-A),  was  set  up 
primarily  with  SMEs  in  mind  to 
allow  easy  access  to  up-to-date 
information  on  OLAE  research, 
which smaller companies may not 
have the resources to uncover for 
themselves. 

‘Though  much  of 
the  OLAE 
research  in  Europe  is  carried  out 
by  academia,  SMEs  have  an  im-
portant  role  to  play,’  Dr  Schoo 
notes.  ‘Crucially,  the  barriers  to 
entry into the OLAE industry aren’t 
as large as in traditional electron-
ics.  For  one  thing,  the  start-up 
costs are substantially lower than 
the  billions  needed  to  set  up  a 
factory  to  produce  silicon-based 
devices, for example.’

Organic  electronic  devices  are 
most  commonly  produced  via 
printing or coating processes that 
use  relatively  cheap  equipment 
and  comparatively  little  energy, 
making  OLAE  devices  not  only 
cost-eﬀ ective but also more envir-
onmentally friendly. 

In Dr Schoo’s view, eﬀ orts to coor-
dinate  research  funding,  such  as 
those  carried  out  in  the  Polymap 
project, should help Europe main-
tain its competitive edge in OLAE 
R&D,  although  the  biggest  chal-
lenge remains in putting European 
OLAE technology on the map com-
mercially.  Currently,  only  around 
25 %  of  the  major  companies 
worldwide that make printed tran-
sistors and memory, crucial for the 
future  of  organic  and  large-area 
electronics, operate in Europe. 

‘Go  to  a  conference  or  look  at  a 
scientiﬁ c  journal  and  you'll  see 
that the big advances in research 
in  the  ﬁ eld  are  taking  place  in 
Europe,’  Dr  Schoo  says.  ‘Industry, 
on the other hand, is still not doing 
enough... but there is still time for 
that to change.’

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
TNO, based in the Netherlands.

1 

 ‘Technology roadmap of processes 
and materials for organic electronics’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
Cooperation under the theme ‘Information 
and communication technologies’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8403

Advancing quantum computing

EU-funded  researchers  have  made  important  advances  in 
understanding  the  major  stumbling  block  to  realisation  of 
quantum computers, a phenomenon known as ‘decoherence’. 

The  quest  for  quantum  computers 
capable of performing tremendously 
complex 
extremely 
calculations 
quickly  based  on  the  exciting  prop-
erties  of  quantum  particles  has 
faced a major roadblock, in the form 
of ‘decoherence’.

Whereas  traditional  computers  rely 
on  traditional  ‘bits’  to  code  infor-
mation,  quantum  computers  rely 
on  quantum  bits,  or  ‘qubits’.  Unlike 
traditional bits that are either 0 or 1, 
qubits  can  be  both  simultaneously, 
theoretically 
via 

superposition, 

enabling  truly  parallel  processing 
and  increasing  computing  capability 
tremendously.

However,  decoherence,  or  random 
changes  in  quantum  states  as  a 
result of interactions with the envir-
onment, makes it diﬃ  cult to control 
and exploit qubits.

For magnetic molecules, theory pre-
dicts  three  main  contributions  to 
decoherence,  namely  from  nuclear 
spins,  from  intermolecular  dipolar 
interactions, and from phonons.

European  researchers  initiated  the 
DECMMQUBIT1  project  in  order  to 
study the above phenomena in ‘spin 
qubit’ systems of molecular magnets. 
The goal was to enhance understand-
ing and minimisation of decoherence 
to advance the frontiers of quantum 
computing.  As  a  ﬁ rst  step,  scientists 
chose  two  molecules  (polyoxometa-
lates)  capable  of  being  synthesised 
without 
‘spin’.  Theoretical  studies 
demonstrated  that  they  were  quite 
likely to show ‘Single-molecule mag-
net’ (SMM) behaviour and thus were 
excellent  candidates  for  spin  qubits. 
The SMMs were subsequently synthe-
sised and magnetically characterised.

The  next  stage  was  to  pre-
pare  pure,  and  magnetically 

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IT AND TELECOMMUN I CATI ONS

diluted samples, with which could be 
demonstrated  that  application  of  a 
transverse magnetic ﬁ eld signiﬁ cantly 
decreased the contribution of dipolar 
interactions to decoherence.

Finally,  coupling  constants  between 
(quanta  of  vibrational 
phonons 
types  of 
energy)  and  diﬀ erent 

potassium  bromide  (KBr),  cyanide 
(CN) two-level systems were studied, 
with  calculations  supporting  experi-
mentally measured values.

Overall, 
project 
DECMMQUBIT 
researchers  carried  out  experimental 
and  theoretical  studies  on  the  three 
main  contributors  to  decoherence 

of  qubits.  Continuation  of  the  pro-
ject  ﬁ ndings  should  further  facilitate 
understanding of magnetic molecules 
as  quantum  objects  and  help  break 
down  the  existing  barrier  to  future 
quantum computer development.

The  project  was  coordinated  by  the 
Universitat de Valencia, Spain.

1 

 ‘Decoherence in magnetic molecules 
as qubits’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
People (Marie-Curie actions).
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8663

Every cloud has a green lining

Everything  is  going  online,  or  into  ‘the  cloud’  as  we  call  it  today.  We  expect  access  to  our 
emails, photos and files from any device. With zettabytes of data to process and deliver, data 
centres are becoming major power consumers. An EU-funded project is using some clever 3D 
design to build an energy-efficient super-server chip.

Climate  change  dominates  the 
political agenda, but we all still use 
an awful lot of energy, especially 
with our growing number of elec-
tronic  devices.  We  have  laptops 
and  smart  phones  to  charge  and 
iPods to sync. We use the Internet 
for  shopping,  entertainment  and 
education  and  easily  forget  that 
even  a  simple  web  search  uses 
power. 

The market analyst ﬁ rm IDC esti-
mates  that  the  digital  universe 
had 1.8 zettabytes (one zettabyte 
is a billion terabytes; one terabyte 
is a thousand gigabytes) of infor-
mation  in  2011;  they  predict  this 
to grow to 35 zettabytes by 2020. 
Within 15 years, there will also be 
trillions of ‘things’ — devices, sen-
sors, objects — connecting to the 
Internet and ﬂ ooding data centres 
with massive amounts of raw data 
that  will  have  to  be  stored,  pro-
cessed and analysed. 

When  seen  in  these  terms  it  is 
perhaps less surprising to discover 
that  a  typical  data  centre  con-
sumes up to 20 megawatts (MW) 
of  energy  (a  typical  commercial 
wind turbine has an output of up 
to 1.5 MW). 

‘Server  energy  consumption  and 
hardware  costs  are  becoming  a 
great concern in the data centres 
in  which  the  servers  are  built,’ 
says Dr Emre Ozer, an R&D Staﬀ  
engineer at chip technology com-
pany  ARM.  ‘Cloud  servers  use 
high-end,  expensive  and  energy-
hungry  processors  and  the  chip 
manufacturers  are  now  at  the 

limit of what they can easily do to 
minimise energy wastage.’

is  coordinating 

Serve up some greens 
the 
Dr  Ozer 
EU-funded  FP7  project  known 
as  EuroCloud-“247779”1,  which 
is  looking  into  the  potential  for 
3D  server  chips  as  one  way  to 
less  energy  hun-
make  them 
gry.  EuroCloud-“247779”  is  one 
of  Europe’s  ﬂ agship  projects  in 
Computing Systems. 

The  idea  is  to  embed  processing 
cores  and  memory  in  close  prox-
imity  and  in  three  dimensions. 
Access  to  on-chip  memory  uses 
signiﬁ cantly  less  energy  because 
the  physical  distances  between 
components are shorter and there 
are fewer ‘junctions’ for electrons 
to  cross  on  their  journey  from 
memory to processor. 

‘3D  chip  technology  has  been 
around  for  a  while,  in  particular 
in  mobile  computing  where  mini-
aturisation  and  energy  eﬃ  ciency 
are  essential  for  devices.  The 
main barrier to 3D chip technology 
becoming  mainstream  has  been 
high  manufacturing  costs,’  Dr 
Ozer  continues,  ‘but  semiconduc-
tor  companies  are  now  investing 
in  signiﬁ cant  R&D  to  overcoming 
this hurdle.’ 

So  far,  the  EuroCloud  partners 
have  developed  their  design  con-
cept  for  the  new  server-on-chip 
architecture.  The  project  has  also 
developed a framework for moni-
toring  the  thermal  behaviour  of 
3D chips (their eﬃ  ciency is closely 

Having  developed  a  ‘proof  of 
concept’,  the  project  hopes  that 
the  server-on-chip  design  will 
provoke  the  industry  to  develop 
server  chips  containing  perhaps 
hundreds  of  embedded  cores. 
‘We expect that data centres with 
1  million  processors  will  one  day 
become a reality,’ predicts Dr Ozer. 
‘We know we need them to meet 
the  demand  for  cloud  services, 
but  we  want  to  do  it  without 
a  massive 
energy 
rise 
consumption.’

in 

EuroCloud-“247779” received EUR 
3.3 million (of a total EUR 5.4 mil-
lion  project  budget)  in  research 
funding  under  the  EU’s  Seventh 
Framework Programme (FP7), ICT 
‘Computing Systems’ programme. 

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
ARM  Ltd,  based  in  the  United 
Kingdom.

coupled  to  how  much  heat  they 
generate  and  how  easy  they  are 
to keep cool). 

Chips in 
‘We  have  already  shown  that 
multiple  servers  on  a  chip  design 
increases the server chip perform-
ance density by 15 % compared to 
existing  server  chip  architectures 
built  with  today’s  technology,’ 
explains Dr Ozer. 

These early results are taken from 
simulations  of  chips  containing 
multiple servers, but without inte-
grated 3D memory. ‘We are still in 
the process of measuring the chip 
performance  density  and  energy 

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to  cost  eﬃ  ciency  of  multiple  ser-
vers  on  a  chip  with  integrated 
3D  memory,’  he  continues.  ‘Our 
target  is  to  make  these  chips 
10  times  more  energy-eﬃ  cient.’ 
Scaling this increased energy-eﬃ  -
ciency to the data-centre level will 
result in huge energy savings. 

1 

 ‘The energy-conscious 3D server-on-
chip for green cloud services’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
Cooperation under the theme ‘Information 
and communication technologies’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8404

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31

IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Investigating quantum entanglement

investigation 

A  fundamental 
into  quantum  entanglement 
was  carried  out  by  European  researchers  aiming  to  improve 
the efficiency and reduce the error-making of existing quantum 
computers.

The  control  of  quantum  systems 
is  attracting  increasing  scientiﬁ c 
interest  and  promises  powerful 
technologies. 
applications  and 
Entangled  states  of  many  par-
ticles deepen our understanding of 
fundamental aspects of the quan-
tum world and its transition to the 
scale  of  classical  physics.  To  this 
end,  the  EU-funded  Entanglement 
40CAQIP1 project aimed to explore 
fundamental and practical aspects 
of  multi-particle  entanglement 
with strings of ions.

Scientists  developed 
large-scale 
multi-particle-entangled  quantum 
states and investigated the coher-
ence decay and transition to clas-
sical  state.  Beyond  the  coherence 
decay,  scientists  observed  that, 
when exposed to dissipative envir-
onments,  multi-particle  entangle-
ment  yielded  dynamical  features 
and  new  classes  of  states  and 
applications.

implemented  multiple-error-  cor-
rection  cycles  in  their  computing 
architecture  and  a  quantum-feed-
back  algorithm.  A  major  achieve-
ment  of  the  project  was  the 
development of a digital quantum 
simulator,  capable  of  reproducing 
with high accuracy the dynamics of 
interactions.

Results  from  the  Entanglement 
40CAQIP  study  shed  light  on  the 
territory  of  quantum  entangle-
ment  and  will  hopefully  prove 
beneﬁ cial to experimental systems 
using  quantum  computation  and 
metrology.

As  a  solution  to  computation-
generated errors, project members 

The project was coordinated by the 
Universität Innsbruck, Austria. 

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 ‘Entanglement for quantum 
information with ion strings’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
People (Marie-Curie actions).
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8680

Bringing open, user-centric cloud infrastructure to research 
communities

Thousands of scientists are toiling away in labs across Europe. 
Their work helps save lives or makes life easier, more productive 
or more comfortable. But few have access to powerful computing 
resources that could greatly speed up their progress.

computing 

An open, scalable and user-centred 
infrastructure 
cloud 
being  developed  with  EU-funding 
is  now  putting  all  the  computing 
power such scientists need at their 
ﬁ ngertips.  Being  rolled  out  by  the 
VENUS-C1  project,  the  infrastruc-
ture marks a pioneering attempt to 
implement a user-centric approach 
to  the  cloud,  putting  the  require-
ments  of  end-user  communities 
— such as researchers and SMEs — 
at the forefront of development, and 
providing scalable and interoperable 
cloud  resources  that  combine  both 
open  source  and  commercial  solu-
tions to oﬀ er the best of both worlds. 

‘Most  researchers  have  never  had 
to  supercomputer  net-
access 
works  and  have  relied  on  desktop 
resources.  They  are  the  “long  tail” 
of science: they number in the thou-
sands  for  each  traditional  super-
computer  user,’  explains  Andrea 
Manieri, the VENUS-C project direc-
tor  from  ICT  group  Engineering 
Italy. 
Informatica 
Ingegneria 

in 

‘Cloud  computing  empowers  them 
in  a  number  of  diﬀ erent  ways, 
enabling them not only to do better 
science  by  accelerating  discovery 
but also new science they could not 
have done before.’ 

By providing access via the Internet 
to distributed computation, so(cid:4) ware, 
storage  and  other  resources,  cloud 
computing  is  becoming  increas-
ingly  essential  to  many  disciplines 
of  modern  science.  It  is  especially 
crucial  for  data-intensive  research, 
with  shared  cloud  resources  able 
to crunch out calculations in minutes 
that  would  take  days  or  weeks  on 
a  desktop  PC,  or  otherwise  require 
extremely  expensive  supercomput-
ing or high-performance computing 
systems. 

Supported  by  EUR  4.5  million 
in  funding  from  the  European 
Commission,  the  VENUS-C  team 
sought  to  harness  these  beneﬁ ts 
in  a  more  scalable,  interoperable 
than 
easy-to-use  way 
and 

existing commercial and open source 
systems.  The  resulting  infrastruc-
ture  integrates  easily  with  users’ 
working  environments  and  pro-
vides  on-demand  access  to  cloud 
resources as and when needed. 

by 

Innovatively,  their  approach  was 
guided 
requirements 
the 
of end-users themselves: 27 teams 
of researchers from across Europe 
working in seven diﬀ erent scientiﬁ c 
ﬁ elds, from bioinformatics and drug 
discovery  to  civil  engineering  and 
civil protection; and 15 selected pilot 
projects  that  received  seed  money 
from  VENUS-C,  following  an  open 
call  that  attracted  60  proposals 
from 17 countries. The pilot teams’ 
cloud 
requirements 
steered the infrastructure design. 

computing 

‘Cloud  computing  is  a  fast-moving 
ﬁ eld. By and large, cloud standards 
are  still  immature  and  the  num-
ber  of  standards  organisations 
is 
working 
large,’ 
independently 
Mr  Manieri  explains. 
‘Providing 
a  common  layer  to  access  hetero-
geneous infrastructures has proved 
technically  challenging.  But  as  a 
result, our approach to the interop-
erability  layer  tackles  current  chal-
lenges with our users ﬁ rmly in mind.’

The  VENUS-C  team  deﬁ ned  com-
mon  ways  of  naming  resources 
and  properties  so  that  the  same 
information  is  interpreted  in  the 
same way, irrespective of the infra-
structure.  They  focused  on  three 
key  areas  of  standards  interoper-
job  submission 
ability, 
leveraging  established  protocols 
(BES/JSDL)  and  cloud  data  stor-
age  (the  so-called  ‘Cloud  Data 
Management Interface’). 

including 

Democratising science with 
real-world applications 
‘Our  approach  to  “openness”  has 
been  to  tie  together  user  require-
ments  so  as  to  deliver  them  with 
solutions  and  services  that  are 
more  eﬃ  cient  and  cost  eﬀ ective 
in  their  everyday  work,  the  shar-
ing  of  best  practices  through  seed 
fund  allocation,  and 
leveraging 
open 
standards  developments,’ 
explains Ignacio Blanquer from the 
Universidad Politecnica de Valencia 
in  Spain,  community  manager  at 
VENUS-C. ‘The cloud has the poten-
tial to democratise science by pro-
viding powerful computing and data 
analysis to any researcher.’

For example, members of the 
project  experimented  with

>

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

IT AND TELECOMMUN I CATI ONS

Researchers  at  the  University  of 
Newcastle  in  the  United  Kingdom 
are  using  VENUS-C  infrastructure 
to  provide  cloud  services  on  their 
‘e-Science  Central’  platform  which 
also combines so(cid:4) ware as a service 
accessible  through  a  simple  web 
browser and social networking func-
tionalities for user interaction. 

‘It  illustrates  two  important  char-
acteristics  of  cloud-based  scien-
tiﬁ c  systems:  spreading  tasks  over 
300  Windows  Azure  cores  with  a 
higher  than  90 %  eﬃ  ciency,  and 
user  input  through  a  web  service 
allowing  multiple  users  to  invoke 
the  same  instantiation  of  the  ser-
vice  at  the  same  time.  This  inter-
active  model  is  far  diﬀ erent  from 
the 
traditional  batch  approach 
used  in  supercomputing  facilities,’ 
Prof Blanquer notes. 

In  Greece,  researchers  at  Aristotle 
University  are  spearheading  an 
innovative  use  of  the  cloud  for 
assessing  and  tracking  trends  in 
social  media  to  help  businesses 
and  policy-makers  better  under-
stand the concerns and interests of 
citizens. Another team at the same 
university  is  using  VENUS-C  infra-
structure  for  earthquake  impact 
assessment. 

resources 

‘Our involvement in VENUS-C oﬀ ers 
a  prime  opportunity  to  access 
unprecedented 
only 
when  and  where  necessary  for 
earthquake  impact  estimation  and 
related  information  dissemination, 
without worrying about how to build 
and  maintain  the  corresponding 
infrastructure and operational tools,’ 
says  Costas  Papazachos,  a  geo-
physicist  who  is  heading  the  pilot 
project. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  University  of 
the  Aegean,  Kostas  Kalabokidis,  a 
senior  geography  researcher,  has 
adopted  a  pioneering  approach  to 
using cloud computing for predict-
ing wildﬁ res. The system uses wea-
ther,  topography,  vegetation  data 
and  digital  images  to  predict  the 
spread  of  forest  ﬁ res,  giving  ﬁ re-
ﬁ ghters  a  one-hour  head  start  on 
the blaze. It also provides forecasts 
of the risk of ﬁ res up to ﬁ ve days 
in  advance,  integrating  Microso(cid:4)  
Bing Maps, Silverlight and Windows 
Azure. 

‘While  there  are  many  ﬁ re-risk 
algorithms  around  the  world,  our 
tool is diﬀ erent because it provides 
a  quantitative  and  systematic 
approach,  based  on  geographic 
information systems. It can predict 

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BLAST,  a  data-intensive  tool  used 
by  biologists  to  ﬁ nd  regions  of 
local  similarity  in  amino-acid  se-
quences  of  diﬀ erent  proteins  or 
the  nucleotides  of  DNA  sequences. 
Using  the  VENUS-C  infrastructure 
on Microso(cid:4) ’s Windows Azure cloud 
platform,  the  experiment  cost  less 
than  EUR  600  and  took  just  one 
week  to  process  data  that  would 
have  taken  one  to  two  years  on 
a single PC. 

‘The  advantage  of  using  VENUS-C 
BLAST compared with renting cloud 
resources  and  deploying  high-
performance  computing  or  high-
throughput versions of BLAST is that 
deployment  eﬀ orts  are  minimised 
and  client  impact  is  also  minimal, 
since users don’t have to log-in on 
a diﬀ erent machine,’ Prof Blanquer 
explains. 

Self-organisation on a chip

An  EU-funded  project  has  devised  a  high-throughput  biochip 
that  can  agitate  fluids  and  organise  itself  into  a  nanowire  as 
well as a high-density array. 

assays 

High-throughput 
are 
undoubtedly  the  way  forward  for 
tailored  drug  design  and  therapy  at 
the  nano  level.  The  core  of  a  new 
system is a chip-based platform and 
its  subsequent  analysis  based  on 
the  strength  of  interaction  between 
a ligand and its receptor. Applications 
include biomarker assays as well as 
lead screening.

technologies 
Armed  with  novel 
for  biochip  design,  the  EU-funded 
NABIS1  project  combined  a  variety 
of  state-of-the-art  nano-techniques 
to develop an optimised biochip sys-
tem. Using various techniques made 
possible  by  the  nano-environment 
and  its  properties,  project  scientists 
aimed  to  increase  the  throughput 

of  ligands  and  enhance  kinetics  to 
improve not only sensitivity, but also 
speed.

Perhaps  the  crux  of  the  biochip 
design  came  from  self-organisation 
of  ﬂ uids  into  a  predictable  format. 
Both  microarray  (static)  and  micro-
ﬂ uidic  (dynamic)  systems  were  util-
ised  and  a  combination  of  the  two 
formats could be used to avoid hold-
ups  and  related  reduction  in  speed 
in  the  automatic  high-throughput 
assays.  Moreover,  eﬃ  cient  ﬂ uid 
agitation  of  nano-droplets  can  be 
achieved  using  acoustic  wave  ma-
nipulation on the surface of the chip.

For the development of high-density 
arrays,  NABIS  scientists  controlled 

the  surface  expansion 
in  nano-
domains, small sets of atoms within 
the  nano  deﬁ nition  of  size.  Self-
assembly polymers on the enlarged 
surface of nano-dots form high-den-
sity arrays.

Nano-dots also formed the basis of 
anchoring  points  where  nanopart-
icles, when subjected to a magnetic 
ﬁ eld,  convert 
into  bio-nanowires. 
A  nano-electrochemical  detection 
system would connect with the bio-
assays on the chip format.

An optimised biochip using the cream 
of nanotechnology techniques would 
mean  even  faster  diagnostics  for 
drug screening and discovery, envir-
onmental  monitoring  and  personal-
ised medicine.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the  Kungliga  Tekniska  Högskolan 
in Sweden. 

ﬁ res  at  an  hourly  rate,’  explains 
Prof Kalabokidis. 

in 

researchers 

Spain, 
Other 
Denmark, Italy and the UK are using 
VENUS-C infrastructure for complex 
data  analysis  in  the  bioinformatics 
and  biomedicine  domains,  for  civil 
engineering applications, for cosmo-
logical calculations, and for biology 
to study the dynamic movement of 
cells at the molecular level. Outside 
of  academia,  companies  and  SME 
partners are also reaping important 
beneﬁ ts from the technology. 

VENUS-C  received  research  fund-
ing  from  the  European  Union’s 
Seventh  Framework  Programme 
(FP7).  Project  partner  Microso(cid:4)   is 
providing  computing  and  human 
resources.    The  project  was  coord-
inated by Engineering — Ingegneria 
Informatica, based in Italy.

1 

 ‘Virtual multidisciplinary environments 
using cloud infrastructures’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
Cooperation under the theme ‘Information 
and communication technologies’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8520

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1 

 ‘Nanobiotechnology with self-
organising structures’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional 
materials and new production processes 
and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8607

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

33

INDUSTRIA L TECHNOLOGIES

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 Invisibility field cloak a reality

Science fiction fans are one step closer to having their dreams realised thanks to Slovak and Spanish electrical engineers who 
have developed a prototype invisibility field.

The researchers used simple materials, such as 
a  superconductor,  and  ferromagnetic  materials 
that are freely available on the market, to create 
an invisibility ﬁ eld that can eﬀ ectively hide con-
tents from the prying eyes of magnetic ﬁ elds. The 
results of the study were presented in the journal 
Science.

the 

Institute  of  Electrical 
Scientists  from 
Engineering of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in 
Slovakia and from the Universitat Autònoma de 
Barcelona (UAB) in Spain described the device as 
a cylinder they created using a high-temperature 
superconductor material, which was later refrig-
erated with liquid nitrogen and covered in a layer 
of  iron,  nickel  and  chrome.  When  the  cylinder 
was subsequently placed directly in the path of 
a  magnetic  ﬁ eld,  the  researchers  observed  that 
the device had no impact on the path of the mag-
netic ﬁ eld lines. Speciﬁ cally, magnetic ‘waves’ did 
not bounce oﬀ , create a shadow or generate any 
sort  of  reﬂ ection.  As  a  result,  anything  placed 
inside the device could not be detected.

This special feature has implications for security 
scanners  and  other  devices  that  use  magnetic 

ﬁ elds to detect hidden objects such as concealed 
weapons.  In  fact,  one  of  the  lead  research-
ers, UAB’s Àlvar Sánchez said he envisions their 
research can be used in a variety of ﬁ elds ranging 
from military to medical. ‘There are many appli-
cations — for some cars, ships or a submarine,’ 
Dr Sánchez is quoted as saying. ‘For the subma-
rine, you have to make a shell around the subma-
rine that will make it magnetically undetectable.’

At  the  moment,  ‘Magnetic  resonance  imaging’ 
(MRI)  faces  diﬃ  culties  when  used  with  patients 
who  have  received  pacemakers  or  reconstruc-
tive surgery. The new device could be employed 
to avoid the image created by the MRI being dis-
torted. ‘This could also be used to protect some 
(military and medical) equipment against electro-
magnetic disturbances,’ Dr Sánchez explained.

Researchers at UAB initially designed the math-
ematical formula for the device in what the uni-
versity calls ‘an extraordinarily simple equation’. 
In theory, this formula would allow a cylinder to be 
undetectable to magnetic ﬁ elds from the outside, 
while  maintaining  everything  inside  completely 
isolated from these ﬁ elds.

With  their  equation,  the  researchers  at  the  UAB 
needed the expertise of a laboratory specialising 
in  the  precise  measurement  of  magnetic  ﬁ elds. 
Enter the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the 
Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava. 

Working  together,  the  team  was  able  to  cre-
ate  positive  results  a(cid:4) er  just  a  few  months. 
The cylinder they created consists of two concen-
tric layers. The inner layer is made up of super-
conducting  material  that  repels  magnetic  ﬁ elds, 
while  the  outer  one  comprises  a  ferromagnetic 
material that attracts the same magnetic ﬁ elds. 
The  cylinder  was  made  invisible  to  magnetic 
ﬁ elds and, according to the UAB, represents a step 
towards making objects invisible to light — which 
is also an electromagnetic wave.

Promoted through the Research Information Centre.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre > search > 24693

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34

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

INDUSTRIAL  TE CHN O LO GI E S

Enhanced technologies for plastics production

Plastics  have  become  ubiquitous  in  everyday  life  and  the 
plastics manufacturing industry plays a key role in Europe’s 
economy.  EU-funded  researchers  provided  new  tools  and 
technologies that promise to enhance Europe’s competitive 
edge in this booming sector of the world economy.

Investigators  developed  a  simula-
tion tool, including the drive or con-
trol  systems  for  the  clamping  and 
injection units that facilitated virtual 
design and optimisation of system 
performance.

overall costs via enhanced eﬃ  ciency 
with  decreased  energy  consump-
tion.  In  addition,  commercialisation 
of the prototypes has the potential 
to  improve  reproducibility  and  reli-
ability of products.

One  of  the  most  common  meth-
ods  for  plastic  parts  production  is 
injection  moulding,  a  process  by 
which the heated material is forced 
(injected) into a mould cavity where 
it  cools  and  hardens  to  form  the 
desired  part.  Compared  to  other 
production  methods,  the  cost  per 
unit  is  relatively  high  unless  very 
large quantities are produced.

EU researchers, supported by fund-
ing  for  the  Icon-Hisim1  project, 
sought to develop new technologies 
injection  mould-
for  high-speed 
included 
ing.  Speciﬁ cally,  goals 
enhanced  productivity  and  reliabil-
ity with simultaneous reductions in 
cost  and  energy  consumption  to 
increase  European  competitive-
ness in the booming ﬁ eld of plastics 
production.

Three  diﬀ erent  virtual  prototypes 
were developed incorporating adap-
tive control of the clamping unit for 
enhanced  accuracy  and  perform-
ance as well as iterative learning to 
control  injection  velocity  for  high-
quality reproducible parts.

successes 

Icon-Hisim 
included 
development and testing of a com-
pact control system for the clamp-
ing unit,  alongside the development 
of optimum process control of the 
injection unit — the latter resulting 
in reduced energy consumption and 
an  approximately  50 %  increase  in 
system eﬃ  ciency.

Use  of  the  virtual  prototype  tool 
should facilitate reduction of set-up 
costs  associated  with  high-speed 
injection  moulding  as  well  as  of 

Overall, 
Icon-Hisim  project  out-
comes  could  signiﬁ cantly  enhance 
European  competitiveness  in  the 
global  high-speed  injection-mould-
ing sector used to produce a pleth-
ora of common plastic components.

The project was coordinated by the 
Technische  Universität  Dresden, 
Germany.

1 

 ‘Intelligent controls for high-speed 
injection moulding machines’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional 
materials and new production processes 
and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > 
search > offers > 8561

Interview: ‘diving into the world of the very small’ 

Nanotechnology  —  the  science  of  making  and  manipulating  the  very  small  —  has  the  potential  to  transform  our  lives. 
With  the  help  of  ERC  funding,  Dr  Davide  Iannuzzi  is  building  microscopic  moving  parts  on  to  the  ends  of  optical  fibres, 
which in turn may be able to help push nanotechnology even further — as well as opening up new areas for research and 
medical technology.

Imagine a circular swimming pool 
with a diving board at its rim. Now 
imagine that this ‘swimming pool’ 
is the round end of an optical ﬁ bre 
and  the  ‘diving  board’  is  thinner 
than  a  human  hair.  This  is  pre-
cisely  what  Dr  Iannuzzi  makes: 
it is called a ‘ﬁ bre-top cantilever’ 
and has the potential to transform 
many diﬀ erent areas of research.

The FTMEMS1 project arose from 
Dr Iannuzzi’s experiments in fun-
damental  physics.  His  research 
focused  on  trying  to  measure 
forces  due  to  quantum  eﬀ ects, 
like  the  ‘Casimir  Eﬀ ect’,  between 
two  objects  very  close  together. 
The  usual  apparatus  shines 
a  laser  beam  on  to  a  tiny  canti-
lever.  The  force  to  be  measured 

will  bend  the  lever  and,  if  you 
can  measure  this  bend  through 
deﬂ ection  of  the  reﬂ ected  laser 
light, you can measure the force. 

The project has developed a ver-
sion of this equipment that builds 
the  cantilever  on  to  the  end  of 
the  same  standard  optical  ﬁ bre 
as  is  used  in  telecommunica-
tions — a 0.1mm-diameter glass 
ﬁ bre, 
transmitting  a  0.01mm 
light  beam  within  it.  This  is  a 
kind of ‘Micro-electro-mechanical 
system’ (MEMS).

The  advantage  is  that  the  laser 
light  emerging  from  the  ﬁ bre 
automatically  shines  precisely 
on  to  the  cantilever  and 
is 
reﬂ ected back into the ﬁ bre itself. 

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

35

INDUSTRIA L TECHNOLOGIES

Interference  between  the  emit-
ted  and  returning  light  causes 
changes  in  the  intensity  of  the 
light detected at the opposite end 
— which indicates the amount of 
movement. 

Thanks  to  an  ERC  Starting  Grant 
in 2007, the team have been able 
to bring this technology to matu-
rity  and  patented  a  method  to 
fabricate the devices.

Research*eu  magazine  asked 
Dr Iannuzzi to explain a little more 
about the project:

What were the main 
themes and objectives of 
the FTMEMS project? 
The  main  goal  was  to  bring  this 
technology  from  ‘an  idea  on  a 
blackboard’ to maturity, and dem-
onstrate  its  potential  as  a  new 
platform  for  sensors  and  other 
research 
instruments.  We  can 
now  produce  many  probes  per 
day,  and  these  can  be  used  to 
investigate phenomena that were 
previously  impossible  to  observe 
in  this  way  —  from  microscopy 
to  measurements  of  vibrations, 
accelerations  and  ﬂ ows  in  harsh 
environments.

The  project  started  in  2007  and 
now, as we enter the last year of 
the  grant,  has  produced  working 
sensors — which can be used to 
measure properties such as pres-
sure,  ﬂ ow  and  humidity  —  that 
are  already  under  evaluation  in 
15  labs  across  Europe.  We  have 
therefore  been  able  to  bring  the 
technology  to  maturity  and  dif-
fuse  the  technology  for  use 
around Europe.

There  are  a  range  of  possible 
from  measuring 
applications: 
mountain  vibrations 
in  order 
to  predict  landslides  (in  collab-
oration  with  the  University  of 
Padua), to wind tunnels (in collab-
oration with the Second University 
of Naples), space technology and 
bio-physics. We are now focusing 
on  developing  the  instruments 
for  use  in  biological  applications, 
like  measuring  the  stiﬀ ness  of 
human tissue. Our aim is to make 
the  instruments  easy  to  use  and 
suitable for clinical use. We have 
already  managed  to  develop  a 
table-top  device  and  are  now 
working  to  make  a  hand-held 
model.

What first drew you to 
research in this area of 
micro-engineering and 
MEMS?
I guess you could say my ‘cultural 
background’ is as a physicist, and 
I  was  drawn  to  do  physics  out 
of  curiosity.  This  project  started 
from experiments in fundamental 
physics.

When  trying  to  measure  forces, 
such  as  the  Casimir  Eﬀ ect,  the 
commercial instruments we used 
were  causing  spurious  eﬀ ects 
and  we  wanted  to  eliminate  this 
source of errors. The focus of the 
laser  was  too  wide  and  the  light 
missing  the  lever  would  cause 
problems  in  the  very  sensitive, 
small-scale  measurements  we 
were trying to make.

In  an  attempt  to  design  new 
equipment that could avoid these 
problems, we suddenly hit on the 
answer:  ‘Why  not  fabricate  the 
cantilever  directly  on  to  the  end 
of an optical ﬁ bre?’

What is new or innovative 
about the project? And 
what are the concrete 
results from the research 
so far?
The  applications  include  ‘Atomic-
force  microscopy’  (AFM)  —  a 
sharp tip on the end of the lever 
can  be  pressed  to  a  surface  and 
moved like the stylus of a record 
player.  By  recording  the  location 
and movement of the ‘stylus’ you 
can  build  up  a  map  or  image  of 
the  surface  with  a  resolution  of 
nanometres  that  is  much  bet-
ter  than  is  possible  using  optical 
microscopes. 

Normally, this equipment is bulky, 
expensive  and  requires  complex 
alignment  of  mechanical  and 
optical  parts,  but  with  ﬁ bre-top 
technology  there  is  no  need  for 
alignment.  Even  if  the  sensor  is 
more  expensive  to  make,  this 
leads  to  cheaper  and  smaller 
microscopes. 

In  addition,  building  a  mechan-
ical device on the tip of an optical 
ﬁ bre  means  we  can  see  what 
happens  to  the  mechanical  part 
from  a  long  way  away,  at  the 
other end of the optical ﬁ bre. This 
makes it suited for use in harsher 
environments,  with  light  source 
and  electronics  kept  at  a  safe 

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distance.  It  can  also  be  used  in 
small,  narrow  spaces:  the  dream 
is that we could eventually use it 
in applications such as minimally 
invasive surgery.

But  we  can  also  use  the  light  to 
collect optical data from the sam-
ple.  We  can  push  on  the  sample 
and  simultaneously  see  how  it 
reacts  with  light  through  spec-
troscopy  —  we  know  the  force 
applied  and  can  then  interrogate 
the  eﬀ ect  with 
light,  collect-
ing  mechanical  and  optical  data 
from  the  sample  at  the  same 
time  in  a  single  device.  We  have 
started  to  test  this  concept  with 
a  ﬁ rst  series  of  experiments  on 
plastic  samples,  and  it  seems  to 
work  just  ﬁ ne.  We  are  now  aim-
ing  at  extending  the  studies  to 
small  perturbations  of  biological 
samples  —  which  one  could  call 
‘nano-trauma’ or ‘nano-palpation’ 
—  ﬁ rst  in  vitro,  and,  hopefully, 
one day, in vivo and at the clinical 
scale.

What are some of the 
difficulties you have 
encountered? And how 
did you go about solving 
them?
The  ﬁ rst  issue  was  fabrication. 
Before  the  ERC’s  grant,  we  pro-
duced  the  ﬁ bre-top  devices  by 
carving them directly into the tip 
of  an  optical  ﬁ bre,  but  doing  so 
accurately  at  such  a  small  scale 
was  too  expensive  in  terms  of 
time and equipment. 

We have therefore developed two 
new fabrication techniques: in the 
ﬁ rst,  we  nest  the  much  thinner 

optical ﬁ bre inside a 3x3mm block 
and  machine  the  whole  block  — 
we  can  then  use  much  cheaper 
carving  instruments,  since  the 
object  they  are  working  on  is 
30  times  bigger.  The  second 
technique is still at the proof-of-
concept testing stage — applying 
the  same  fabrication  technology 
used  for  silicon  microprocessors 
and MEMS to optical ﬁ bres. 

We have patented our new solu-
tion,  using  photo-lithography 
to  deﬁ ne  the  geometry  of  the 
mechanical  parts  on  glass  ﬁ bre, 
so  we  can  grow  or  deposit 
material  on  the  end  of  the  ﬁ bre 
and  then  select  a  pattern  for 
etching  this  material  away  to 
leave  the  ﬁ bre-top  cantilever. 
We are now trying to demonstrate 
the scalability of the technique.

At  ﬁ rst,  it  was  also  not  easy 
to  ﬁ nd  researchers  who  wanted 
to use the technology. We started 
by  approaching  engineers  and 
physicists — researchers who are 
looking  into  ﬂ ow,  vibration,  etc. 
And  now  we  are  receiving  a  lot 
of  interest  from  scientists  work-
ing  in  bio-physics  and  medicine 
as  well  —  although  the  technol-
ogy is still a long way from clin-
ical use in hospitals. 

But  thanks  to  the  ERC  Starting 
Grant,  surgeons,  dermatologists, 
and  scientists  working  on  tis-
sue  mechanics  can  come  and 
see  our  instruments  in  the  lab. 
This has been one of the main bene-
ﬁ ts  —  giving  us  the  opportunity 
to  show  a  complete  work-
ing  system  and  make  it 

>

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36

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

INDUSTRIAL  TE CHN O LO GI E S

available  for  testing  and  use  by 
other  researchers.  We  were  able 
to  develop  the  technology  to  a 
maturity  that  attracted  interest 
from other ﬁ elds. In order to gain 
their trust, we needed to be able to 
show  something  concrete  and  in 
the 
‘critical  mass’  necessary 
to  show  the  scalability  of  the 
technology.

What are the next steps 
for the project, or next 
topics for your research?
This  is  a  very  exciting  period  for 
the project. We are currently in dis-
cussions with neuroscientists and 
doctors, because we have become 

aware that this instrument can do 
more than we thought.

We  have  demonstrated  that  we 
can  fabricate  micro-machined 
devices  on  glass  ﬁ bres  by 
means  of  the  very  same  tech-
niques  used  to  manufacture  sil-
icon-based  MEMS.  With  the  help 
of  a  new  ERC  ‘Proof  of  concept’ 
Grant, we now want to show that 
this  process  can  be  scaled  up 
to volume production. This would 
result  for 
be  a 
our 
research  group  and  for 
Optics11,  the  start-up  company 
we  have  created  to  commercial-
ise ﬁ bre-top technology.

tremendous 

Combining  optical 
techniques 
with  AFM  could  turn  out  to  be 
very powerful. The light beam can 
be used to generate ﬂ uorescence 
in  the  materials  being  studied, 
so researchers can collect chem-
ical data from the same point at 
the  same  time  as  scanning  its 
nano-scale  image.  Researchers 
could  use  the  new  apparatus  to 
examine  the  physical  properties 
of  biological  cells,  detecting  the 
stiﬀ ness of the cell wall, indicat-
ing  health  or  illness.  These  bio-
physics  applications  could  result 
in  greater  understanding  of  the 
fundamental  properties  of  cells, 

which in turn can lead to potential 
medical and surgical applications.

This  Starting  Grant  project  was 
hosted  by  the  VU  University 
Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

1 

 ‘Fiber-top micromachined devices: 
ideas on the tip of a fiber’.

Funded by the European Research Council 
(ERC) under the FP7 specific programme 
Ideas.
http://erc.europa.eu/success-stories > search 
> ‘diving’

Innovation and training in ultrafast quantum dynamics

An  EU-funded  initiative  is  training  young  researchers 
in  the  domain  of  advanced  techniques  for  the  ultrafast 
manipulation  of  atoms  and  molecules  using  strong 
femtosecond  laser  pulses.  With  a  consortium  of  European 
universities  and  companies  involved,  the  effort  represents 
the cutting edge of research in this field which has a wide 
range of applications.

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The  use  of  strong  shaped  fem-
tosecond  laser  pulses  —  ultra-
short pulses on the order of 10-15 
seconds — opens an innovative 
avenue  to  controlling  quantum 
dynamics  via  hitherto 
inac-
cessible  physical  mechanisms. 
However,  these  new  scenarios 
the  development  of 
require 
novel  versatile 
femtosecond 
sources  in  the  ‘Ultraviolet  radi-
ation’  (UV)  and  ‘Vacuum  ultra-
violet  radiation’  (VUV)  range  of 
high-shaping capabilities.

The  Fastquast1  project  has 
gathered 
leading 
together 
experts  from  Europe  to  push 
research  and  training  in  this 
ﬁ eld.  Involving  18  doctoral  stu-
dents  and  six  young  postdoc-
toral  researchers,  the  initiative 
is preparing the next generation 
of  innovators  and  developing 
new  principles  of  control  of 
quantum  dynamics  by  shaped 
strong ﬁ elds.

includes  a  num-
The  project 
ber  of  specialised  work  groups 
as  well  as  several  mini-schools 
and  workshops  focusing  on  the 
elementary and advanced princi-
ples of quantum control. Areas of 
speciﬁ c research and experimen-
tation  include  nuclear  and  elec-
tron  wave-packet  dynamics,  the 
principles  of  strong-ﬁ eld  coher-
ent control by shaped pulses, the 
measurement  and  stabilisation 
of cold atoms and molecules, and 
ultrafast information processing.

In  addition  to  the  technical  sci-
entiﬁ c  training,  there  have  also 
been sessions building the com-
plementary  skills  of  the  young 
researchers,  including  aspects 
such  as  project  management, 
presentation and planning.

the 

involvement 

With 
of 
10  universities  and  three  com-
panies,  the  network  represents 
the  leading  players  working  in 
the  ﬁ eld  of  femtosecond  light-
matter  interaction  in  Europe. 
The  initiative  will  continue  to 
advance  training  and  research 
in this area and build collabora-
tive  working  relationships  that 
will  outlive  the  project,  which 
ends in September 2012.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the  Université  de  Bourgogne, 
France.

1 

 ‘Ultrafast control of quantum systems 
by strong laser fields’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
‘People’ (Marie-Curie actions).
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search 
> offers > 7582

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

37

INDUSTRIA L TECHNOLOGIES

The new generation of microscopic robots

Toxic  spills  can  be  devastating  to  humans,  animals  and  to  the 
ecosystem  The  ERC-funded  Chobotix  project  has  successfully 
created the first prototypes of chemical robots that could be used 
for ‘intelligent cleaning’.

swarm robots and their response to 
external stimuli. 

In  future,  chemical  robots  could 
be used for diﬀ erent purposes, for 
instance  to  deliver  substances  in 
a  more  eﬃ  cient  way,  to  ﬁ nd  the 
source  of  pollution  or  to  identify 
chemicals or cancerous cells in the 
human body. Robots might even be 
able  to  deliver  the  exact  amount 
of  drug  directly  to  the  right  place 
without harming any other cells, as 
is the case in current cancer treat-
ments.  Chemical  robots  could  also 
play  a  key  role  as  they  are  poten-
tially able to act in very remote or 
hardly  accessible  areas  and  could 
be  used  for  ‘intelligent  cleaning’. 
Other  potential  areas  of  use  are 
agro-chemistry, cosmetics, and con-
sumer chemistry in general.

Research is being carried out in the 
Laboratory of Chemical Robotics at 
the Institute of Chemical Technology 
in Prague, Czech Republic. The lead-
ing ﬁ gure of the international team 
of  young  researchers,  František 
Štěpánek,  says  that  a(cid:4) er  three 
years  in  existence  his  project  has 
fulﬁ lled  its  goals  and  more:  ‘We 
have created the ﬁ rst prototypes of 
our chemical robots. In cooperation 

with  other  research  teams  of  bio-
chemists,  we  have  managed  to 
create  a  structure  that  can  deliver 
the  substance  on  demand,  where 
needed, and which is able to release 
its content repeatedly. We are now 
entering the phase of demonstrat-
ing “swarming”, i.e. collective behav-
iour of robots.’

With  a  truly  visionary  angle,  the 
Chobotix  project  covers  many 
from 
ranging 
scientiﬁ c  ﬁ elds, 
chemical 
engineering,  material 
engineering,  biophysics  and  micro-
biology  to  applied  mathematics 
for  computer  simulation.  František 
Štěpánek’s  small  laboratories  in 
Prague  will  assuredly  bring  physi-
cists more surprises.

This  Starting  Grant  project  was 
hosted by the Institute of Chemical 
Technology, Prague.

1 

 ‘Chemical Processing by Swarm 
Robotics’.

Funded by the European Research Council 
(ERC) under the FP7 specific programme 
Ideas.
http://erc.europa.eu/success-stories > 
search > ‘robots’

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Inspired by both nature and science 
ﬁ ction,  the  ERC-funded  Chobotix1 
project has brought the ﬁ rst proto-
types of microscopic robots to life. 
These tiny robots could have appli-
cations in various ﬁ elds, from seek-
ing  out  a  source  of  contamination 
and neutralising it in toxic waters to 
treating patients in a more eﬃ  cient 
way  by  delivering  them  the  exact 
amount of medication without dos-
ing their whole body.

sized in only tens of micrometres so 
they can get to the tiniest places. 

As  synthetic  single-celled  organ-
isms, they can move in their envir-
onment  and  selectively  exchange 
molecules  with  their  surroundings 
in response to local changes in tem-
perature or concentration. They can 
also process the chemical compos-
ition of molecules and either accu-
mulate or release a substance.

This  project,  which  works  on  the 
design  and  synthesis  of  chemical 
swarm robots, is the ﬁ rst to beneﬁ t 
from an ERC Starting Grant in Czech 
Republic.  These  micro-entities  can 
also be deﬁ ned as ‘artiﬁ cial cells’ or 
‘artiﬁ cial  single-cellular  organisms’ 
(called ‘chobots’). These chobots are 

The  main  areas  being  explored 
in  the  course  of  this  project  are: 
the  synthesis  of  suitable  shells  for 
chemically active swarm robots; the 
mechanisms  of  molecular  trans-
port into and out of such shells and 
means of its active control; and the 
collective  behaviour  of  chemical 

Photonic light for 
nano applications

A  training-focused  initiative  is  advancing  the  skills  of  young 
scientists in the fields of materials science and nanotechnologies. 
Project outcomes are also enhancing knowledge for applications in 
optoelectronics.

The  Finelumen1  project  is  centred 
on  the  training  of  highly  skilled 
young  fellows,  particularly  in  the 
ﬁ elds  of 
luminescence,  carbon 
nanostructures and supramolecular 
chemistry.  Toward  this  end,  activ-
ities are focused on the preparation 
and characterisation of luminescent 

materials  in  which  luminophores 
are  encapsulated  within  nano-con-
tainers such as ‘Carbon nanotubes’ 
(CNTs) and coordination cages.

The project's ultimate objective is to 
create a library of luminescent 
modules  emitting  throughout 

>

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

INDUSTRIAL  TE CHN O LO GI E S

the  visible-near  infrared  region 
for production of improved hybrid 
materials. The versatile properties 
of these materials make them at-
tractive  for  applications  in  areas 
such  as  bio-imaging,  and  also 
for  optoelectronic  devices  and 
sensors.

the  preparation  and  full  charac-
terisation  of  numerous  inorganic 
compounds  and  several  organic 
emitters.  Those  displaying  the 
most  desirable  combinations  of 
physical  and  chemical  properties 
have been selected for encapsula-
tion inside CNTs.

Project  partners  have  made 
advances  in  the  production  of 
CNTs  and  the  testing  of  various 
treatments 
their 
encapsulation  function.  Work  on 
in 
luminophores  has 

resulted 

enable 

to 

Finelumen  team  members  have 
discovered  how  to  best  insert 
emitters  inside  CNTs,  and  have 
reached  a  major  milestone  with 
the  preparation  of  endohedral 
in 
hybrid  materials.  Success 

producing  brightly 
luminescent 
CNTs has proved the feasibility of 
using  rare  earth  emitters  for  this 
purpose.

through 

advanced 
Training 
research 
in  chemistry,  physics 
and  materials  science  aims  at 
preparing  young  researchers  for 
highly  qualiﬁ ed  jobs  in  academia 
and  industry.  Moreover,  this  pro-
ject  goal  has  been  approached 
by  attracting 
students  both 
from  within  the  European  Union 
and  beyond  its  borders,  and  by 

promoting the scientiﬁ c careers of 
women.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
the  Consiglio  Nazionale  delle 
Ricerche, Italy.

1 

 ‘Cavity-confined luminophores for 
advanced photonic materials: a 
training action for young researchers’.

Funded under the FP7 specific programme 
‘People’ (Marie-Curie actions).
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search 
> offers > 7317

New technology for flexible printed circuit boards

EU-funded  researchers  have  developed  a  patent-pending  process  for  producing  flexible 
printed circuit boards that could significantly enhance Europe’s position in a rapidly growing 
sector of the electronics industry.

ﬂ exible  PCBs  and  processing  tech-
niques  compatible  with  standard 
‘Surface-mount technology’ (SMT).

Research  and  development  (R&D) 
focused on the necessary machines 
and tools required for the EMCI pro-
cess and exploration of the poten-
tial  for 
(3D) 
circuit boards.

three-dimensional 

A  functional  demonstrator  exhib-
ited  good  performance  capabil-
ities.  Commercial  exploitation  of 
the many valuable results has the 
potential  to  enhance  European 
SMEs’ position in the rapidly grow-
ing  and  widely  applicable  ﬁ eld  of 
ﬂ exible  PCBs,  providing  important 
beneﬁ ts for business, the economy 
and consumers alike.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
ITC  Intercircuit  Electronic  GmbH, 
based in Germany.

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circuit 

boards 

Flexible 
are 
a  rapidly  growing  and  emerging 
electronics  sector  with  widespread 
application  for  computer  peripher-
als,  hand-held  devices  and  tele-
communications  equipment  as 
well as automotive, aerospace and 
medical devices.

European  researchers,  supported 
by  funding  for  the  EMCI1  project, 
sought  to  develop  an  ‘Embedded 
micro-connector  injection’  (EMCI) 
‘Printed  circuit 
process  for  the 
board’  (PCB)  manufacturing  indus-
try  with  a  focus  on  reducing  cost 
and environmental impact.

Given  that  ﬂ exible  circuit  mater-
ials  are  sensitive  to  the  high  tem-
peratures  required  for  lead-free 
soldering,  extensive  research  was 
required  to  develop  cost-eﬀ ective 
solutions  for  small  and  medium-
sized  enterprises  (SMEs).  In  add-
ition, researchers sought to develop 

1 

 ‘Embedded micro-connector injection’.

Funded under the FP6 programme ‘SME 
activities’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search 
> offers > 8597

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July/August 2012

39

INDUSTRIA L TECHNOLOGIES

Toward next-generation magnetic data-storage devices

The electronics industry has achieved tremendous success 
in enhancing the performance of products by shrinking the 
size  of  devices.  EU-funded  researchers  have  contributed 
important  technological  advances  and  experimental  data 
related to quantum mechanics and magnetic data storage.

As the physical limits of size reduc-
tion are approached, and given that 
the  maximum  amount  of  storage 
capacity on disk drives is limited by 
the  size  of  the  magnetic  particles 
on  the  surface  of  the  disk,  a  phe-
nomenon called ‘Ballistic magneto-
resistance’ (BMR) has been gaining 
interest.

BMR refers to a quantum-mechan-
ical  eﬀ ect  related  to  an  electron’s 
intrinsic  angular  momentum  or 
spin that eﬀ ectively turns the elec-
tron into a tiny compass needle. An 
increase  or  decrease  in  electrical 
resistance  in  an  applied  magnetic 
ﬁ eld provides a sensing device with 
dimensions similar to those of the 
magnetic particles on a disk.

European 
launched 
researchers 
the BMR1 project to develop state-
of-the-art  nano-fabrication  tech-
niques,  to  employ  them  together 
with thin-ﬁ lm deposition to produce 
thin-ﬁ lm nano-constrictions (essen-
tially  wave  guides  for  the  elec-
trons) and to study BMR behaviour 
in these various nano-contacts.

Researchers 
successfully  used 
‘Focused ion beam’ (FIB) nano-fabri-
cation to produce ‘Current-in-plane’ 
(CIP)  and  ‘Current-perpendicular-
(CPP)  thin-ﬁ lm  nano-
to-plane’ 
constrictions  and 
characterised 
nano-scale  spin  transport  in  these 
devices.

Analysis  of  extensive  experi-
mental data could not conﬁ rm the 
existence of BMR in these devices. 
Rather,  experimentally  obtained 
magnetoresistance  data 
related 
to  constriction  size  contradicted 
BMR  predictions  based  on  current 
BMR theory.

Although  the  ﬁ eld  is  blooming, 
numerous  contradictions  and  ex-
perimental  diﬃ  culties  exist  and 
scepticism remains.

BMR  results  make  an  important 
to  nano-fabrication 
contribution 
techniques  that  could 
lead  to 
a  new  generation  of  transistor 

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devices.  In  addition,  researchers 
have  extended  the  experimental 
data required to test BMR theories 
and  fostered  a  better  understand-
ing  and  exploitation  of  quantum-
mechanical phenomena.

Continued  research  should  open 
the  way  to  new  data-storage  and 
spintronic  devices  and  computers, 
with important implications for the 
European economy.

The project was coordinated by the 
University of Plymouth in the United 
Kingdom.

1 

 ‘Ballistic magneto-resistance in 
thin-film nanocontacts’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional materials 
and new production processes and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search 
> offers > 8636

Increased applicability of glass coatings

EU-funded  researchers  have  developed  a  technology  to 
enhance  the  applicability  of  glass  coatings  with  important 
implications for a sagging sector of the European economy.

Coatings are applied to numerous 
materials  to  protect  them  from 
wear  and  oxidation.  Glass-based 
coatings  are  a  subclass  of  such 
technologies  particularly  applica-
ble to chemical reactors, injection 
moulding  machines  and  concrete 
construction  components,  among 
others.

Conventional  industrial  processes 
for producing thick glass coatings, 
such  as  enamelling  and  glazing, 
are  limited  both  in  terms  of  the 
types  and  sizes  of  substrates  to 
which  they  can  be  applied,  given 
that  they  require  the  use  of  a 
high-temperature furnace.

European  researchers,  supported 
by  funding  for  the  Glascoat1  pro-
ject, sought to develop novel pro-
cessing  technology  enabling  thick 
glass  coatings  with  enhanced 
properties and without the use of 
a furnace.

Speciﬁ cally,  investigators  focused 
on  a  variation  of  thermal  spray-
ing called ﬂ ame spraying in com-
bination  with  near-infrared  (IR) 
crystallisation  to  develop  high-
performance 
nano-structured 
glass-ceramic coatings and glass-
based  nano-composite  coatings 
not previously produced.

>

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July 2012

INDUSTRIAL  TE CHN O LO GI E S

Recent  sol-gel  techniques  were 
used  to  produce  the  nano-struc-
tured  particles  to  be  used  in  the 
ﬂ ame-spraying  process,  enabling 
the deposition of nano-composite 
coatings,  the  processing  of  which 
previously required the use of very 
high temperatures.

Investigators  employed  compu-
tational  models  to  simulate  and 
parameters 
optimise 

process 

and  developed  novel  spray-gun 
designs for use in ﬂ ame spraying.

technologies  should 
Glascoat’s 
enable 
the  spray  coating  of 
glass-ceramics  and  glass-based 
nano-composites 
to  substrates 
of  composition  and  size  previ-
ously  unattainable,  with  potential 
applications  to  machine  tools  as 
well  as  to  the  textiles  and  auto-
industries.  Commercial 
motive 

exploitation  of  project 
results 
could  boost  the  European  glass-
coating industry, which is currently 
in decline due to the lack of knowl-
edge-based  development  and 
competition from low-wage coun-
tries, making a positive impact on 
European jobs and the economy.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
London  South  Bank  University  in 
the United Kingdom.

1 

 ‘High-performance glass-based 
coatings’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional materials 
and new production processes and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search 
> offers > 8643

Novel super-hard protective coatings

New materials and processes for the production of super-
hard  thin-film  protective  coatings,  developed  by  agroup 
of  EU-funded  researchers,  should  rival  the  performance 
of conventional diamond and cubic boron nitride.

‘Super-hard  materials’  (SHMs)  are 
classiﬁ ed  according  to  a  scientiﬁ c 
test  to  determine  their  ability  to 
withstand  indentation  or  deform-
ation in response to a standardised 
force.

As  a  result  of  their  unique  prop-
erties,  SHMs  are  particularly  use-
ful  in  machine  tools,  engine  parts, 
gas  turbine  blades  and  the  like, 
where  moving  parts  create  high 
friction or function in hot, corrosive 
environments.

increasing 

Given that nano-structured mater-
ials  o(cid:4) en  exhibit  enhanced  prop-
erties  compared  to  bulk  materials 
and that molecular defects in bulk 
materials  can  lead  to  fractures, 
nano-structured  SHMs  have  been 
interest.  The 
gaining 
Deshnaf1  project  therefore  sought 
to  enhance  fundamental  know-
ledge about nano-structured SHMs 
and  to  improve  the  properties  of 
nano-composite 
coatings 
applied  through  various  deposition 
methods.

ﬁ lm 

The  most  well-known  and  widely 
used SHMs are diamond and ‘Cubic 
boron nitride’ (CBN), although their 
instability  at  very  high  tempera-
tures limits their applicability.

In  particular,  researchers  focused 
on two families of SHMs (one con-
taining  two  hard  phases  and  one 
containing a hard and a so(cid:4)  phase) 
and  three  deposition  techniques, 

namely ‘Physical vapour deposition’ 
(PVD),  ‘Plasma-assisted  chemical 
vapour  deposition’  (PACVD)  and 
‘Plasma-assisted  physical  vapour 
deposition’ (PAPVD).

Deshnaf 
investigators  evaluated 
the  super-hard  nano-composite 
ﬁ lm  coatings 
temperature 
for 
stability,  oxidation  resistance  and 
other  properties  associated  with 
motion,  such  as  friction  and  wear. 
In addition, they evaluated process 
parameters for optimisation.

Deshnaf  project  results  could  pro-
vide an alternative to conventional 
SHMs,  such  as  diamond  and  CBN, 
as  well  as  enhancing  the  future 
development  of  super-hard  nano-
composite  ﬁ lm  coatings  with  su-
perior  properties,  given  a  better 
understanding of typical deposition 
processes.  Commercial  exploit-
ation has the potential to positively 
impact numerous industrial sectors 

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thus  enhancing  the  EU  economy 
and  stimulating  production  of 
superior performance components.

The project was coordinated by Euro 
Consultants Ltd., based in Israel.

1 

 ‘Deposition of super-hard 
nanocomposite films by plasma 
processing’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional materials 
and new production processes and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search 
> offers > 8647

Novel thin-film fabrication and evaluation technology

As  a  result  of  EU-funded  research,  new  technologies  are 
positioned  to  advance  the  state  of  the  art  in  oxide  thin-
film deposition — of critical importance to the electronics 
industry.

Thin ﬁ lms, or layers of materials of 
nano-scale thickness, have become 
ubiquitous  recently  with  growing 
prevalence  in  the  electronics  and 
protective-coatings sectors.

handling  higher  voltages  than  sil-
icon-based  electronics,  stability  at 
higher  temperatures,  transparency 
(imagine  transparent  electronics) 
and eco-friendliness.

thin-ﬁ lm deposition process via the 
3D-DEMO1 project.

While  many  techniques  exist  for 
thin-ﬁ lm  deposition,  the  ability  to 
mass  produce  multi-component 
oxides with three-dimensional (3D) 
patterning  during  the  deposition 
phase in only one step is currently 
unattainable although key to future 
device designs.

Oxide thin ﬁ lms have become a key 
focus  of  the  electronics  industry, 
given  their  unique  capabilities  for 

European 
researchers  set  out 
to  develop  a  novel  cost-eﬀ ec-
sustainable 
tive,  ﬂ exible  and 

Investigators  developed  ‘Chemical 
beam  epitaxy’  (CBE)  thin-ﬁ lm  de-
position  to  achieve  3D  patterning 

in a single step. Results were com-
pared  to  ‘Pulsed  laser  deposition’ 
(PLD), a process that enables rapid 
reliable growth of thin ﬁ lms but in 
smaller quantities.

In addition, researchers developed a 
modiﬁ cation to ‘Near-ﬁ eld scanning 
optical microscopy’ (NSOM), namely 
‘Heterodyne  interferometric  NSOM’ 
(H-NSOM),  to  better  investigate 
patterning and optical uniformity.

Metal PLD thin ﬁ lms exhibited prob-
lematic  electromagnetic  behaviour 

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July 2012

as well as rough and unstable sur-
faces at high temperatures leading 
to  cracking.  In  contrast,  CBE  ﬁ lms 

of  101-oriented  lithium  niobate 
(LiNbO3)  deposited  on  magnesium 
oxide  (MgO)  were  smoother  and 

INDUSTRIA L TECHNOLOGIES

41

capable of deposition at lower tem-
peratures, demonstrating the supe-
riority of the CBE process.

Wave  guides  —  special  types  of 
electromagnetic 
transmission 
lines  —  were  among  the  devices 
tested.  In  addition  to  successfully 
implementing  the  CBE  process  for 
manufacture,  researchers  applied 
H-NSOM  for  better  deﬁ nition  of 
spectral  properties  of  LiNbO3/MgO 
thin-ﬁ lm waveguides.

Overall,  3D-DEMO  developed  new 
technology  for  3D  patterning  of 
thin-ﬁ lm oxides in a single step as 
well  as  optical  microscopy  meth-
ods  for  evaluation  of  thin-ﬁ lm 
spectral  properties.  Exploitation  of 

results  could  have  an  important 
impact  on  the  European  electron-
ics  device  industry,  reducing  costs 
and  enhancing  mass-production 
capabilities.

The project was coordinated by the 
École  Polytechnique  Fédérale  de 
Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.

1 

 ‘Single step three-dimensional 
deposition of complex nano-patterned 
multifunctional oxide thin films’.

Funded under the FP6 programme 
‘Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 
knowledge-based multifunctional materials 
and new production processes and devices’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search 
> offers > 8640

Nano-powder ceramics as an alternative to metals

In  the  future,  nano-powder-based  ceramics  could  be  used 
instead of metals in the manufacturing of wear-resistant wood-
cutting tools and medical devices, thanks to EU-funded research.

Cutting  tools,  gears  and  bearings 
are  typically  made  of  metal  parts. 
Ceramic  nano-powders  oﬀ er  an 
alternative to metal for the produc-
tion of wear-resistant wood-cutting 
tools,  as  well  as  parts  for  medical 
technology,  micro-reactors  and 
micro-sensors.

To  exploit  their  potential,  European 
researchers 
in  the  Nanoceram1 
project,  set  out  to  develop  plasma 
chemical technology for nano-pow-
der manufacture as along with new 
technologies  for  surface  modiﬁ ca-
tions of the powders used in stand-
ard  gel  casting,  injection  moulding 
In  addition,  they 
and  pressing. 
wanted  to  develop  sintering  meth-
ods  for  producing  dense  materials 
with nano-sized microstructure.

In  particular,  researchers  focused 
on  the  use  of  silicon  nitride  (Si3N4) 
for  wood-cutting  tools  and  yttria 
(Y)-stabilised zirconium oxide (ZrO2) 
for parts in medical technology and 
micro-devices.

Investigators successfully produced 
four  batches  of  plasma-processed 
Si3N4  powders  of  required  quality 
and  quantity.  In  addition,  they  car-
ried  out  surface  modiﬁ cations  of 
the nano-sized powders to achieve 
good  particle  dispersion  and  high 
solid loads.

A gel-casting procedure was devel-
oped  for  manufacture  of  parts 

from pure Si3N4 plasma powder or 
mixtures of it. Manufactured plates 
were free of defects with excellent 
bending  strength,  hardness  and 
fracture toughness.

In addition, parts shaped from Si3N4 
plasma powder, or mixtures of it, via 
gel casting, ‘Metal powder injection 
moulding’ (MPIM) and ‘Cold isostatic 
pressing’ (CIP), were then sintered to 
optimise sintering regimes.

Milling cutters produced from Si3N4 
were tested against hard-metal cut-
ters.  Although  the  ceramic  cutters 
produced ﬂ akes or fragments, ﬁ eld 
emission  scanning  electron  micro-
scopy  of  the  edges  detected  no 
damage a(cid:4) er grinding.

Nanoceram has developed valuable 
new technology that can enable the 
production of wood cutting, medical 
and micro-devices from nano-pow-
der ceramics using standard shap-
ing  methods,  including  gel  casting, 
injection moulding and pressing.

The  project  was  coordinated  by 
Diceram Components GmbH, based 
in Germany.

1 

 ‘Cutting tools and miniaturised parts 
with complex geometry based on 
nano powders’.

Funded under the FP6 programme ‘SME 
activities’.
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace > search 
> offers > 8592

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42
44

EVENT S

research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July 2012
research*eu results magazine — N° 14 —July/August 2012

East-Meets-West on Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ Congress and Exhibition 

The European Office of Cyprus will organise a Congress on Innovation and Entrepreneurship on 1 to 4 September 2012 in Nicosia, 
Cyprus.

The  congress  will  explore  new  tools  to  bring  researchers  and  enterprises  together  from  all  over  the  world.  The  event  aims  to  harness  the  potential 
of entrepreneurship to transfer innovation ideas into products and services. The main objective of the conference is to promote cross-national collaboration 
between East and West as a tool to overcome national limitations on knowledge, ﬁ nancial resources, technology and services.

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

First European Mineralogical Conference 

The first European Mineralogical Conference will take place from 2 to 6 September 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany. 

Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Speciﬁ c studies within mineralogy include the processes of 
mineral origin and formation, classiﬁ cation of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilisation. 
The idea of having a joint conference between European mineralogical societies was launched to foster exchange of new research results between the 
European countries. The conference programme will include sessions on selected topics, invited talks and an open session.

For further information, please visit: 
http://emc2012.uni-frankfurt.de/index.php?id=4 

Workshop on formal methods and automated software engineering for cloud computing

A 'Workshop on formal methods and automated software engineering for cloud computing' will take place from 4 to 7 September 2012 
in Fukuoka, Japan.

The workshop will be a forum for discussion and research about formal veriﬁ cation and automated so(cid:4) ware engineering for all aspects of cloud computing. 
Cloud  computing  is  the  delivery  of  computing  as  a  service  rather  than  a  product,  whereby  shared  resources,  so(cid:4) ware  and  information  are  provided 
to computers and other devices over a network. With the development of mobile and Internet applications, cloud computing is becoming increasingly 
important. More and more data are ‘in the cloud’. It is thus very important to have reliable, safe and secure cloud environments. One very promising research 
area is so(cid:4) ware composition in cloud computing that is based on web services. Veriﬁ cation of the composition of such web services is a key component, 
and could take several forms. The event is being organised through the cooperation of six European and Japanese universities: the University of Torino, 
Italy; the University of Paris-East - Créteil, France; Kochi University of Technology, Japan; the University of Orleans, France; the University of Leicester, United 
Kingdom; and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission.

For further information, please visit: 
http://traclifo.univ-orleans.fr/PaPDAS/wiki/ForMASECC2012  

Electronics Goes Green 2012+  

The Fraunhofer IZM and Technical University Berlin will organise the ‘Electronics Goes Green’ event on 9 to 12 September 2012 in Berlin, 
Germany. 

The event is a cutting-edge forum for discussion on electronics and the environment. Leading technology experts and eco-designers will meet for four days 
of lectures, workshops and networking on this ever-more important topic.

For further information, please visit: 
http://www.egg2012.de/ 

‘SMARTeST’ International conference on implementing flood resilience

‘SMARTeST’ The conference on implementing flood resilience will be held on 27 and 28 September 2012 in Athens, Greece.

The  climate  is  changing,  and  ﬂ oods  are  becoming  more  frequent  and  more  intense  throughout  Europe.  Science  and  ﬂ ood-resilience  technology  are 
advancing towards increased eﬃ  ciency and reduced damage costs. The conference will address innovative ﬂ ood-resilience technologies and systems, 
testing of standards, damage modelling, decision support, and future actions needed. The event will run in parallel with an international exhibition dedicated 
to ﬂ ood-resilient technologies and systems for the built environment.

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

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research*eu results magazine — N° 14 — July 2012

43

EVENTS

19th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems 

The 19th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems will be held from 22 to 26 October in Vienna, Austria.

Decision-makers from the ﬁ elds of politics, business and administration as well as specialists from the ﬁ elds of IT, telecommunications and automation will 
present and discuss the latest technical developments in the mobility sector along with the most recent advances in the networking of transport(cid:1)relevant 
data. The event will be organised by ERTICO - ITS Europe in cooperation with ITS America and ITS Asia(cid:1)Paciﬁ c and hosted by the Austrian Federal Ministry 
for Transport, Innovation and Technology (bmvit).

For further information, please visit: 
www.itsworldcongress.com 

International Conference ‘EuroMed 2012’ — on cultural heritage

The International Conference ‘EuroMed 2012’, dedicated to cultural heritage, will be held from 29 October to 3 November 2012 in 
Cyprus.

The fourth EuroMed conference brings together researchers, policy-makers, professionals and practitioners to explore some of the more pressing issues 
concerning cultural heritage today. In particular, the main goal of the conference is to focus on interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research on tangible 
and intangible cultural heritage, and the use of cutting-edge technologies for the protection, restoration, preservation, massive digitalisation, documentation 
and presentation of cultural heritage content.

For further information, please visit: 
http://www.euromed2012.eu/ 

FLOODrisk 2012 

The second ‘European conference on flood-risk management’ will be held from 20 to 22 November 2012 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The second ‘European conference on ﬂ ood-risk management’ (‘FLOODrisk 2012’) will explore research advances in ﬂ ood-risk analysis and innovations in 
ﬂ ood-risk management practice. It will consider all aspects of ﬂ ood risk and will cover the causes of ﬂ oods, their impacts on people, property and the en-
vironment, and portfolios of risk-management measures.

For further information, please visit: 
http://www.floodrisk2012.net/ 

Denkmal

The ‘Denkmal’ trade fair for conservation and restoration will take place from 22 to 24 November 2012 in Leipzig, Germany.

With its combination of trade fair, specialist programme, practical demonstrations, award ceremonies and special presentations, Denkmal has developed 
an extensive service for exhibitors and visitors that enables the communication of knowledge, the exchange of experience and specialist discussions. The 
fair’s concept, range of exhibitors, schedule of seminars and conferences, and highly qualiﬁ ed, experienced audience of industry insiders makes it a leading 
trade fair in the ﬁ eld of conservation, restoration and old-building renovation. It is also a contact forum for specialised handicra(cid:4) s and conservators, historic 
conservators, architects, building owners and contractors from the private, public and church sectors as well as for interested individuals and lovers of art 
and cultural heritage.

For further information, please visit: 
http://www.denkmal-leipzig.de/LeMMon/denkmal_web_eng.nsf/ 

PACITA Conference: technology assessment and policy areas of Great Transitions

The first PACITA Conference, entitled ‘Technology assessment and policy areas of Great Transitions’, will be held from 13 to 15 March 
2013 in Prague, Czech Republic.

The conference is open to policy-makers, government representatives, researchers, students and representatives of NGOs, as well as media, experts deal-
ing with the method of technology assessment and the general public. The conference will allow discussion at the plenary session, in parallel sessions 
and workshops. The workshops will deal with healthcare and medicine, energy supply, climate change and mobility — in addition to the use of computer 
technology in all areas of society.

For further information, please visit: 
http://www.tc.cz/detail-event/id-1724/ 

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