Cordis focus RTD Results Supplement. Issue number 60, January 2007.
Date: 2014-10-31
Institutions: CORDIS, Publications Office of the European Union
Subjects: organisation of research, research, research and development, research policy, research project, research results, serial publication

Issue number 60 — January 2007

CORDIS

http://cordis.europa.eu

ISSN 1025-4013

RTD Results Supplement
(cid:76)(cid:0)Biology and medicine 5 (cid:76)Energy 14  
(cid:76)Environment 21 (cid:76)(cid:0)IT and telecommunications 29  
(cid:76)Industrial technologies 39

Technology 
Opportunities

Recent highlights from the CORDIS 
Technology Marketplace

In this issue

(cid:76)(cid:0)For next-generation cryo-preservation 

applications, page 5

(cid:76)(cid:0)Recent advances in planetary sciences, 

page 14

(cid:76)(cid:0)North Atlantic margin modelling for 

integrated sub-basalt imaging, page 21  

(cid:76)(cid:0)Advanced tool for verification 
of security protocols, page 29

(cid:76)(cid:0)Producing advanced organic 

semiconductor devices, page 39

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EDITORIAL
Peak performance

Europe’s busy R & D teams are 
always striving to reach new 
heights — and the Technology 
Marketplace (TMP) is a great place 
to read up on some of their exploits. 

This month’s selection from the 
avalanche of research results and 
technology offers recently published 
on the TMP again features cool, new 
concepts across the board of European 
R & D. Read on for fresh input on 
emerging technologies for biology and 
medicine, energy and the environment, 
industrial technologies, IT and 
telecommunications and check the service 
online if you would like further details: 
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace 

Our highlight articles for this issue include 
notes on research conducted at the Riga 
dynamo facility, which offers crucial insights 
into the origin of the magnetic fields of 
planets and of stars. The environment section outlines a novel, integrated approach to 
sub-basalt imaging developed by the SIMBA research network. The first contribution under 
the IT and telecommunications heading unveils an advanced tool for the verification 
of security protocols, whereas the industrial technologies section starts out with a description 
of newly developed, all-plastic light-emitting field effect transistors which may contribute to 
the development of innovative and flexible optoelectronic devices. 

With drifts of articles on ice and snow, our coverage this month explores the cool factor in 
more ways than one. The biology and medicine section, for example, leads with breakthrough 
research into next-generation cryo-protective agents bound to increase the effectiveness 
of assisted reproductive technology applications. The industrial technologies section has 
details of innovative refrigeration systems for foodstuffs in transit or in storage. And in the 
environment section, a flurry of results from the Envisnow project looks into snow parameter 
retrieval algorithms.

The IST Results service (http://istresults.cordis.europa.eu) completes our overview with 
the latest news from the Infobiomed, MammoGrid and MobileIN projects. 

Your comments and questions on the RTD Results Supplement and on the other publications 
in the CORDIS focus range are greatly appreciated and provide valuable feedback for our 
editors. We look forward to hearing from you.

The CORDIS focus editorial team
cordis-focus@publications.europa.eu

Frequent acronyms

CORDIS
FP5

FP6

ICT 
IRC
IST
R & D
RTD
SME

Community Research and Development Information Service
Fifth Framework Programme of the European Community for research, 
technological development and demonstration activities
Sixth Framework Programme of the European Community for research, 
technological development and demonstration activities
information and communication technologies
Innovation Relay Centre
information society technologies
research and development
research and technological development
small and medium-sized enterprise

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The CORDIS focus RTD Results
Supplement is based on research
results and technology offers published
on the CORDIS Technology Marketplace
and on articles published by the IST
Results service.

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in this Supplement may be covered
by intellectual property rights.

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CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

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Advancing laser through adaptive 
optics technology

The Adaptool project focused on the development of active control 
of the spatial phase of Europe’s high-power laser installations. 
Thereby, advanced liquid crystal spatial light modulators were 
designed for large aperture and high damage threshold purposes.

Lasers are widely used as diagnostic tools
in several laser-matter interaction experi-
ments. In these experiments, it is of prime
importance that the focal spot is of high
quality. Therefore, many European laser
facilities seek to amend this quality by
improving various related parameters,
such as the percentage of the encircled
energy, the diffraction limit number or
the Strehl ratio.

Enhanced focal spot is highly related to a
decreased focal spot diameter in case of an
effective remote control of the wave front
of the laser beam. Most commonly, optical
components, thermal distortions in the
main amplifiers and non-linear propagation

effects cause wave front distortions. Answer-
ing this need, adaptive optical devices can
be placed in the beam to control the wave
front, whose measurement allows the effec-
tive control of the adaptive device.

Until now, adaptive optical devices have
been limited to military equipment due
to their high costs. Wave front sensors,
deformable mirrors and liquid crystal spa-
tial light modulators are very complicated
and expensive tools. Motivated by this, the
Adaptool project aimed at determining the
most cost-effective and technically appro-
priate solutions to the adaptive beam cor-
rection requirement for Europe’s large-scale
laser facilities.

For this reason, new spatial light modu-
lators that feature large apertures were
realised. They may find a number of use-
ful applications in the field of high-power
laser wave front correction. In addition,
they may be employed in the areas of low
laser power or energy, for instance in con-
tinuous wave applications when high spa-
tial resolution is required.

An SME interested in designing and
manufacturing spatial light modulator
components for laser wave front correc-
tion is sought for further collaboration.

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Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Human potential’ 
(Improving the human research potential 
and the socio-economic knowledge base).

Collaboration sought: further research 
or development support, licence agreement.

Offer ID: 3081

Aiming for high-quality optical fibres

An Israeli SME has realised a novel breakthrough technology 
and advanced process tools that offer an all-in-one, complete solution 
for the optical fibre manufacturing industries.

Optical fibres are ultra-thin glass or plastic
structures that are primarily used for infor-
mation communication as they may trans-
fer large amounts of data very rapidly over
long distances. Until recently, the manufac-
ture of optical fibres relied on the use of very
expensive technology, such as repeaters and
amplifiers.

Answering this need, the SME developed
new technology for manufacturing a cut-
ting-edge process tool that can provide
enormous information in the most cost-
efficient and rapid way. The manufac-
tured optical fibres are of premium quality,
which has direct effects on the total costs
of the telecommunications infrastructure
companies.

The newly developed process tools for
fibre manufacture include novel technol-
ogy for modified chemical vapour depos-
ition (MCVD), outside vapour deposition
(OVD), consolidation and drawing tower.
The cutting-edge process tools can be
employed for realising single-mode fibres
(SMFs), multi-mode fibres (MMFs) and
specialty fibres.

The advanced process tools constitute a
complete solution for fibre manufacture
resulting in an increased efficiency of the
electronic units. In comparison to trad-
itional methods, the quality of the manu-
factured fibres is shown to be improved by
30 to 50 %, while production costs and time
are kept to the minimum.

The novel technology meets the require-
ments of high safety standards set for
the process and the tools as well as sup-
port systems used for gas and chemicals
delivery systems. Based on breakthrough
concepts, such as realising the ultra-high-
purity processing objective, process param-
eters can be more easily controlled and
improved design process approaches can
be adopted.

Industrial partners in the field of fibre
manufacture are sought for further col-
laborations, such as joint venture or licence
agreements. The interested partners are
expected to get involved in the technology
testing for new applications and its adapta-
tion to specific needs.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement, licence agreement, 
financial support, information exchange/training, other. 

Offer ID: 3029

For further information on any of the technology offers and research results featured in this issue, please access 
the article online by entering its ID number in the search window on the CORDIS Technology Marketplace: 
http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace

For further information on the articles provided by the IST Results service
http://istresults.cordis.europa.eu
please access the article online using the URL provided in reference.

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

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Technology Marketplace: 
Connecting people 
with technology

http://cordis.europa.eu/marketplace

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Introducing the latest research results:
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a selection of the latest and best technologies 
emerging from European R & D;
a focus on key exploitable results in three sections: 
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with contact details.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE

For next-generation cryo-preservation applications

Online platform for the assessment of microvasculature in dynamic 
contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Genetic medicine — just over the horizon?

Improving calibration for in vivo radioactivity monitoring

Ultrasonic prototyping for innovative medical applications

Second-generation photosensitisers for photodynamic cancer therapy

New technologies for knee surgeries

Getting vitamin D from bread

Improving cosmetics with nanotechnology

Radical new method for colon cancer detection

Database of benzoxazinoid allelochemical research

Developing diagnostics for fish diseases

Harnessing grid computing to save women’s lives

Innovative gene therapy therapeutic modalities

Genetic diversity of Fagus sylvatica

Novel method for a more ‘ethical’ testing of skin products

Skin imaging in cancer prevention

Innovative methods towards food safety

Improving dental visits via 3D mapping

Descriptions of microsporidia in Bombus spp.

Maintaining pet oral hygiene ultrasonically

ENERGY

Recent advances in planetary sciences

Automatic correction control system for solar tracking

Heating system based on microwaves

Effective monitoring operations for a solar chemical plant

Storing the Sun’s energy in zinc-based fuel cells

Analysis of the dynamic behaviour of a microgrid

Hydrogen detector 

New model for geothermal applications

Electro-kinetic converter

Energy management of solar panels at the maximum power point

Preventing power plant corrosion

Solar-assisted building cooling using a dry-cooled absorption heat pump

Light flow control for high-pressure street lamps

Burning biofuel in conventional power plants

Novel membrane helps extract cleaner-burning fuel from natural gas

Cost-effective process for continuous high-pressure hydrogen generation

Device for heat exchanger thermal power increase

ENVIRONMENT

North Atlantic margin modelling for integrated sub-basalt imaging

Modelling a biomass gasifier

Bioaugmentation and soil management

Earth observation of snow cover areas — new resources for skiers?

Analysis of the temporal variability of the spatial distribution of snow

Multi-sensor time series snow cover algorithms

Algorithm for assimilation of snow cover area observations into a hydrological model

Automatic operational geocoding in Envisat ASAR, ERS and Radarsat modes

Deep geological disposal of radioactive waste

Remediation technology for combined biological and chemical elimination 
of damage to soils and subsoil waters

Assessing the hazards of using allelochemicals in crops

Measuring depth and floating obstacles at sea through sea clutter radar data

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Oil slick collection and removal system

Brand-new approach to water resources management

Plant responses to climate change

Software sensors for continuous emission monitoring systems

Rescue capsule

IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Advanced tool for verification of security protocols

High-performance, radiation-tolerant data processing unit for space flight 
and other harsh environments

Fully automatic multifunction pull and shear tester for the microelectronics 
and computer chip industries

Fighting the digital divide

Simulations on demand executed in grid environment

Generating knowledge for e-learning

Composition language for web services

Ubiquitous workforce for mobile business

Building trust into computing environments

The brains behind an artificial body

Wider access to Europe’s cultural heritage

Providing real-time feedback for competency stocks

Realising a play-in and smart play-out approach

UML extensions for capturing timing

Delivering personally meaningful and emotional experiences

Modelling the growth of virtual cities

New algorithm for querying images

Generating new telecommunications services from existing infrastructures

Monitoring vigilance in real time

User-friendly software for residential environments

Model-driven architecture for telecommunications

Examining empathic responses to bullying

Bio-stimulation of artificial systems

Design insights into the smart clothing market

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES

Producing advanced organic semiconductor devices

Optical nano-probe for spectroscopy and imaging

Providing innovative tools for SMEs

Carbon nanotubes for high-performance sources

Precise motion control on nanoscales

Using carbon nanotubes as field-emitting sources

Monitoring building structures ultrasonically

Breakthrough nuclear magnetic resonance techniques

Moulding plastics into shape

Inexpensive sensors for high temperatures and harsh environments

Contributing to the design of the propulsion systems of modern ships

Advancing computational fluid dynamics with grid computing

Natural minerals for industrial use

Cooling system for transporting refrigerated or frozen goods

Mobile positioning

New mobile system for forced air cooling

Cost-effective production of polymer nanocomposites

Methods for evaluation of poplar wood

Advancing laser through adaptive optics technology

Aiming for high-quality optical fibres

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BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE

For next-generation cryo-preservation applications

An innovative water-based breakthrough development enhances typical 
cryo-protective agents and media acting as a solvent for the cryo-preservation 
of cells and semen in assisted reproductive technology (ART) applications.

By enhancing the binding of water molecules in solution, it pre-
vents the formation of intracellular ice crystals as it replaces water 
molecules inside cells being frozen. The technology allows stabili-
sation of the cryo-preservation media during freeze and thaw.

Cryo-protective agents are formed on the basis of molecules that pre-
vent damage caused to tissues and cells by ice formation inside the 
cells. The most commonly used agents are glycerol and dimethyl sulf-
oxide, which are considered to be genotoxic. Unlike these, the novel 
cryo-protecting technology is not only non-toxic to human sperm 
cells, but also contributes to cell survivability after cryo-preservation.

The  innovative  cryo-protec-
tive agent is based on special 
nanotechnology  that  uses 
nanoparticles for introducing 
water-based biomaterials. More 
specifically, on the grounds of 
the unique properties of nano-
particles,  the  technology  is 
capable of modifying the phys-
ical  properties  of  water  mol-
ecules around them. Thereby, it 
produces a water structure fea-
turing  physical  properties  that 
mimic that of intracellular water 
through the usage of inorganic, 
insoluble  crystals  introduced  in 
water in a patented process.

The  technology  was  employed 
for  the  development  of  a  water-
based cryo-protectant for ART that 
enables  optimisation  of  typical 
cryo-protective agents and media. 

Online platform for the assessment 
of microvasculature in dynamic contrast-
enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

A Cypriot start-up has developed an innovative solution offering specialised 
software for the assessment of microvasculature in dynamic contrast-enhanced 
magnetic resonance imaging (DCE MRI) via an online platform. 

The algorithms used to analyse DCE MRI
images have been optimised for a variety
of conditions involving angiogenesis. The
software has been tested for diagnostic
purposes, to assess suspicious lesions in
the prostate, cervix and breast. The infor-
mation obtained on the vasculature (iden-
tification of high angiogenic and hypoxic
areas of lesions for example) holds greater
promise for the assessment of new drugs
in clinical trials for radiotherapy and
chemotherapy.

The company is a medical image post-
processing centre aiming to offer services
in Europe. It is a spin-off company of Dio-
genes, the high-tech business incubator at
the University of Cyprus. Prior to securing

a grant from the incubator scheme operated
by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and
Tourism of Cyprus, the company’s manage-
ment team won first prize for their business
plan in the Cyprus Entrepreneurship Com-
petition in 2003.

The company’s expertise lies in DCE MRI
and it offers outsourcing solutions for DCE
MRI image analysis. The focus is on image
analysis techniques that relate to screen-
ing, diagnosis and prognosis for a variety
of conditions involving angiogenesis. The
company gathers and synthesises informa-
tion on the latest techniques available with
the online platform, and finds ways to bring
the state-of-the-art post-processing tech-
niques into practice. Its pioneering concept

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

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The novel cryo-protective agent offers 
appropriate  regulation  of  the  oxido-
reduction  enzyme  mechanism  and 
reduces the harmful damages of free 
radicals, thereby protecting the inner 
mitochondrial  cell  membrane.  The 
technology facilitates the maximisa-
tion of efficiency of superior water-
based biocatalysts, solvents, reagents, 
media enhancers  and buffers in new 
and existing products and processes.

Collaborations  are  sought  with 
manufacturers  and  providers  of 
agent and media products related 
to the cryo-preservation of all types 
of biological samples. These include 
semen,  serum,  live  cells,  DNA, 
embryos, gametes and others.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: joint venture 
agreement, licence agreement.

Offer ID: 3089

offers a simple solution: people scan their
images and send them to the centre; the cen-
tre processes them and returns results that
aid decision-making.

The company is seeking technical cooper-
ation with pharmaceutical companies, scan-
ning clinics and clinical trial organisations
for immediate utilisation or further devel-
opment of its platform.

Innovative aspects: state-of-the-art algorithms implemented 
and optimised for a variety of conditions involving angiogenesis 
(e.g. relating to the breast or the prostate); an online platform 
to offer post-processing in a centralised way; cost-effectiveness 
as the company provides the means and expertise to centralise 
the post-processing function; fast implementation of techniques 
currently only available at universities; customisation 
of post-processing to an organisation’s specific needs.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: diagnostic materials 
and equipment, health monitoring, care, medical imaging.

Collaboration sought: adaptation to specific needs, 
joint further development.

Result ID: 42550

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Genetic medicine — just over the horizon?

Genetic medicine promises a revolution in health care. 
But major obstacles remain, not least the complexity 
of extrapolating clinical practice from organic molecules. 
The Infobiomed team hopes to link biological and medical 
informatics in a bid to make genetic medicine a reality.

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The day you are born, your birth certificate
carries a detailed genetic profile showing
your predisposition to allergies and cer-
tain diseases, your health risks and infor-
mation useful to minimise your chances
of falling sick. With all this information so
early on, you and your health professional
can take steps to minimise the effects of
disease, before age-related illnesses begin
to develop 60 years on. In the meantime,
if you do fall sick, doctors can better diag-
nose and tailor treatment and drugs to your
exact genetic profile, with a greater chance
of success. The era of genetic medicine is
upon us.

That scenario illustrates the promise of
genetic medicine. Yet problems remain
before the genetic revolution can move
from research labs to patient benefit. The
human genome is immensely complicated,
and extrapolating clinical practice from gen-
etic data is fraught with problems. Medical
doctors and molecular scientists talk a dif-
ferent language; their expertise has a differ-
ent focus and their computers can even use
incompatible databases.

Which explains why one project team is
working on this very problem. The partners
in Infobiomed are attempting to link bio-
logical informatics with medical informat-
ics, to match observed laboratory phenom-
ena with clinical outcomes.

‘Bioinformatics works mainly with data on
a molecular and DNA level, while medical
practice is more centred on “higher” data
levels for human organs or tissues. There’s a
big gulf between the two’, notes project man-
ager Carlos Diaz of Fundació IMIM in Bar-
celona. ‘We want these two information sys-
tems to develop a common ground between
what happens in your DNA and what hap-
pens with disease.’

Infobiomed has already had a huge impact
since its beginnings in 2004. The doctors,
scientists and IT experts involved in the
project are now talking a common language
and working on shared problems, which is
a major step forward.

‘When we first held meetings with all these
specialists, it was like new wavers talking to
punk rockers. They couldn’t relate to each
other. But they do now. That’s the value of
a multidisciplinary Network of Excellence’,
Diaz says.

The project also put
students from differ-
ent disciplines into a
house together during
one week, split them
into teams and gave
them problems to work
on jointly. ‘It was like a
scientific “Big Brother”,
as all the prejudice and
barriers posed by differ-
ent languages and trad-
itions were exposed, and it
taught us a lot about get-
ting different specialists to
work effectively together’,
he remarks.

But that’s not the most dif-
ficult problem. Some dis-
eases can be associated in a relatively sim-
ple way with a specific genetic anomaly. But
most diseases depend upon a huge variety
of genes, plus many other factors — lifestyle,
environment, even chance. The problem of
understanding the mechanisms of disease is
extremely complex.

‘It is difficult to extrapolate clinical practice
from genetic information, but we hope to
provide a feedback loop, through the com-
bined informatics systems — so-called “bio-
medical informatics” — so that doctors and
geneticists can find links between genomics
and medical outcomes’, notes Diaz.

Over time, this will develop a picture of
the relationship between the two. It could
also mean that drugs are tailored specifi-
cally to individual patients, or groups of
patients, with greater odds on a successful
outcome.

But that is for the future. Yet Infobiomed
has already taken some major steps toward
that horizon. It has produced reports on the
state of the art in biomedical informatics,
and developed databases and software that
link both bioinformatics and medical infor-
matics in a meaningful way.

The project partners have also developed
pilot applications in four medical areas:
pharmaco-informatics, genomics and infec-
tion, genomics and chronic inflammation,
and genomics and hereditary colon cancer.
And these pilots aim to deliver limited clin-
ical results as proof of concept of the bene-
fits of discipline integration.

‘Using advanced biomedical informat-
ics approaches, the pharmaco-informatics
study found a previously unsuspected bio-
molecule that could play a key role in the
development of the complex regional pain
syndrome, a painful disorder affecting one
or more extremities of the body, that ulti-
mately can even lead to amputation. The
results obtained could serve as basis for
new drug treatments, and could also have
a relationship with other inflammatory dis-
eases’, says Diaz. ‘The method followed in
the research could be applied to other com-
plex diseases as well.’

Infobiomed ends in July 2007, but Diaz
hopes they will find a way to continue
the work.
‘We’re currently looking at
options — we could for example start a
professional society to run a journal, with
regular meetings to move biomedical
informatics forward’, he says.

‘We would also be interested to hear from
companies, investors or partners who have
an interest in the area.’ Diaz suggests that
many organisations could find the project
results useful — health, pharma or infor-
matics companies, or institutes with spe-
cialist departments in this field. The project
piloted four medical fields, but others could
benefit from the same approach.

There are ethical issues too. ‘Ethics has a
very important role to play’, warns Diaz.
‘Who can access your genetic information,
what impact will it have on your rights,

continued on page 7

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Improving calibration 
for in vivo radioactivity monitoring

Aiming at improving the accuracy and speed of internal exposure monitoring 
techniques, the IDEA project studied computer simulations using suitable 
phantoms on whole-body counting in the scanning geometry.

Compared to external radiation monitoring,
internal radiation exposure measurements
are more complicated, time consuming and
potentially less accurate. In view of this obser-
vation, the IDEA project focused on improv-
ing internal dosimetry techniques including
bioassay and in vivo studies for assessing their
applicability in routine practice.

One of the key project results involves a
comparative study of calibration methods
using phantom measurements and compu-
terised techniques involving specific Monte
Carlo simulation code. Thereby, measure-
ments of bottle phantoms filled with a solu-
tion of holmium-166m and cobalt-60 on a

whole-body counter in scan geometry were
compared against results coming from the
computer simulations.

In order to assess the more accurate method,
uncertainty factors of both calibration meth-
ods were calculated. A finite amount of events
give rise to statistical uncertainty factors for
both the measurement and the simulation.
Other uncertainty sources include calibration
sources of the bottle phantoms, geometrical
reasons, averaging techniques and models for
simulated physical effects.

All uncertainties were stated as one standard
deviation. It was shown that calibration by

Ultrasonic prototyping 
for innovative medical applications

A French university’s engineering and design department has built specific 
know-how in ultrasound engineering. The department is able to realise dedicated 
ultrasonic prototypes for medical diagnosis and monitoring applications. 

The department has obtained a strong
experience in ultrasonic instrumentation
prototyping for medical applications. Its
services cover feasibility studies, prototype
design, realisation, assessment or technical
support in the field of medical imaging,
diagnosis and monitoring. Particularly, it
realises dedicated prototypes according to
given specifications, from single electronic
boards or complete computerised labora-
tory or portable devices up to pre-industrial
prototypes.

Concerning diagnosis and monitoring
applications, the specific know-how of the
department includes musculoskeletal imag-
ing (high-resolution skin ichnography, bone
densitometry, tendons biomechanics), car-
diovascular monitoring, space physiology
and sports medicine.

The department gathers all the required
multi-field scientific and engineering skills
in acoustics, analogue and digital electron-
ics, industrial computing and mechanics in
order to be able to offer complete solutions
(from scientific expertise to technological
development). It is located near an important
university hospital with a medical ultra-
sound department considered as a European
reference. This high-quality environment
also includes a technical investigation
centre for prototype validation in clinical
situations.

The department has long experience in
collaboration with scientific research
organisations. The department is currently
involved in projects that concern very
innovative medical applications of ultra-
sound. Its technical skills and facilities

simulation displays a better accuracy (3.8 %)
than calibration by measurement (4.1 %).
Therefore, the simulation technique has the
potential to be exploited in the calibration
studies of a whole-body counter and anthro-
pomorphic phantoms.

Using medical internal radiation dose
(MIRD) phantoms, uncertainty factors for
different weights and heights of the subjects
as well as inhomogeneous distributions in
the human body were also calculated. The
interesting findings are expected to improve
the efficiency of the calibration technique
and in vivo monitoring methods.

Funded within the Euratom research 
and training programme in the field of nuclear energy.

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3064

allow rapid transfers from research inves-
tigations to commercial introduction.

The department pursues the policy of the
local university service of valorisation
in order to be able to undertake its activ-
ities in the strictest confidentiality. It also
has a strong operational autonomy within
the university, which enables it to propose
the required reactivity in its engineering
projects.

The structure proposes innovative product
development for research organisations and
medical instrumentation manufacturers in
technical cooperation or commercial agree-
ment with technical assistance (engineering
services).

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: 
diagnostic materials and equipment, medical imaging.

Collaboration sought: adaptation to specific needs.

Result ID: 42242

continued from page 6   ‘Genetic medicine — just over the horizon?’

how you keep it secure — these are all
problems that only add to classical security
concerns in clinical settings, and that will
evolve over time.’

people are provided with optimised health
care when they fall sick, through treat-
ments that are specifically tailored to solve
the problem.’

But he believes that the promise of the field
will triumph. ‘We could eventually see a
revolutionary era in health care, where

As an added bonus, in the very long term,
genetic medicine could mean cheap health
care, as prevention begins to trump cure.

The era of molecular genetic medicine could
be just over the horizon.

Based on information from Infobiomed.

Promoted by the IST Results service.

http://istresults.cordis.europa.eu/index.cfm?
section=news&tpl=article&ID=88925

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Second-generation photosensitisers 
for photodynamic cancer therapy 

A research group from a Catalonian university in Spain has developed 
new molecules overcoming the limitations of the only systemic drug 
approved to date for oncological applications of photochemotherapy. 

The group has recently developed molecu-
lar modelling, synthetic and photochemical
characterisation methodologies leading to
the acquisition of 2,7,12,17-tetraphenylpor-
phycene and its palladium complex, com-
pounds that are highly effective against cul-
tured tumour cells.

The synthesis of this new family of photo-
dynamic therapy (PDT) photosensitisers
based on the porphycene macrocycle has
been developed (patent pending) and the
group offers the know-how for the devel-
opment of new molecules of this family by
means of combinatorial chemistry tech-

niques, as well as for their chemical char-
acterisation and for their biological activity
assessment.

In most cases, the synthesis of novel photo-
sensitisers requires lengthy, multi-step pro-
cedures which need to be endured over and
over again every time a small variation in
the peripheral substituents is required. This
has severely limited the development of new
compounds and the discovery of successful
leads.

The technology developed by the research
group allows a combinatorial approach

New technologies for knee surgeries

Knee ligament injuries often require surgical reconstruction using a new graft. 
Despite the high frequency of this type of surgery globally, there is a significant 
proportion of error involved, often causing chronic problems.

An SME based in Israel can now offer a
new solution to overcome the shortcom-
ings of the current technologies. The novel
approach employs a minimally invasive
technique that anchors the knee ligament to
the femur and tibia bones. One of the key
advantages of this technology is that the
pressure applied to the graft is even and con-
stant. Further advantages include a minimal
number of sutures to the graft and improved
healing times.

The so-called ‘Push n’pull’ technology
enables even compression of the liga-
ment graft, resulting in uniform contact
between the graft and the bone. This is
in contrast with commercially available
products, which apply a pressure gradient
on the graft, often slowing down healing
rates.

The developers of the technology are seek-
ing to form a collaborative agreement with

to the synthesis of novel compounds,
which dramatically enhances the chances
of obtaining a successful drug candidate.
The group is looking for a pharmaceutical
company with a view to licensing or fur-
ther product development at preclinical
and clinical levels.

Innovative aspects: this new family of PDT sensitisers overcomes 
the limitations of the only systemic drug approved to date 
(low reproducibility in treatments, absorption maximum below 
the margin of wavelengths to which skin is transparent, and high 
phototoxicity due to slow elimination from the organism); the new 
molecules can be obtained by means of combinatorial libraries.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: fine chemicals, 
medical and health-related, pharmaceutical products.

Collaboration sought: 
joint further development, licence agreement.

Result ID: 42547

an industrial partner able to manufacture
the final product and further develop the
technology. The financial returns could
be significant, given that there is still
an unmet medical need for a long-term
reliable solution in this field. A proto-
type is ready for demonstration purposes
and patents covering the technology are
pending.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement, 
licence agreement, financial support.

Offer ID: 3047

Getting vitamin D from bread

A study was conducted on enriching bread with vitamin D 
in order to improve the intake of this important supplement, 
which tends to be limited in Northern countries during winter.

Among its numerous benefits, vitamin
D is known for keeping joints and bones
healthy since it assists in the body’s
absorption of calcium. It is a vitamin pro-
duced naturally by the body, but in order
for this to occur, an adequate amount of
sunlight exposure is necessary. North-
ern countries lack sunlight during winter
months, which can lead to a deficiency in
vitamin D.

In light of this, a supplement intervention
is necessary. Thus, a study was conducted
on vitamin D-fortified bread as a means of
addressing this deficiency. Fortified wheat

and rye bread were baked with the addition
of vitamin D in a water-soluble powder of
approximately 12 microgram per 100 g of
baked bread. Chemical analysis revealed
that vitamin D was evenly dispensed in
the bread and did not disappear during
baking.

The study took place in Finland during
three weeks in February and March. Four
groups of healthy women were tested for
the bioavailability of vitamin D in bread.
Each day group one received 85 g of for-
tified wheat bread, group two received
85 g of fortified rye bread and group three

received 85 g of unfortified wheat bread.
The fourth group received the same as
group three in addition to a 10 microgram
vitamin D tablet.

The results of the study showed that con-
trol group three was the only one showing
no improvement. This indicates that vita-
min D can be distributed evenly in bread
and also that it is stable and bioavailable.
Hence, vitamin D-fortified bread is a safe,
viable way to increase vitamin D status.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Collaboration sought: 
information exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3035

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Improving cosmetics with nanotechnology

A group in Israel has designed and tested a new process that uses 
nanoparticles to manipulate the physical characteristics of water, 
enabling bonding with normally hydrophobic molecules.

Nanotechnology is a new and exciting field
whose developments are touching all parts
of our daily lives. For instance, while the

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cosmetics industry may seem far from the
world of high tech, an Israeli firm has suc-
cessfully applied nanotechnology to improve
beauty products.

Traditionally, alcohol has been an ingredient
in many skin care products since most of the
beneficial essential oils used in these prod-
ucts are not soluble in water. Unfortunately
for consumers, the alcohol causes a number
of side effects, including skin rash, dryness
and a general interference with the human
immune system.

The Israeli scientists inserted nanoparti-
cles, namely tiny, inorganic crystals, into

Radical new method for colon cancer detection

Accurate and timely diagnosis is often the key to 
a favourable prognosis for a great number of pathologies.

This notably holds true for colon cancer,
which presents significant challenges in
terms of diagnosis and detection of cancer-
ous tissue. A team of Israeli researchers has
developed a new microspectroscopy-based
method used for early detection of malig-
nancy in the colon. This method advances
the possibilities of early detection compared
to standard pathology tests.

This new approach takes advantage of the
fact that pathology alters the biochemical

state of tissues. In other words, the ‘bio-
chemical fingerprint’ of each cell changes
during the pre-cancerous stage. The infra-
red spectrum is altered according to the
biochemistry of the cells and it is these
changes that are detected by the Israeli
method.

It is well documented that DNA and RNA
molecules are altered in terms of expression
and quantity during cancer and the precan-
cerous stage. These two types of molecules

Database of benzoxazinoid 
allelochemical research

The Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS) has created 
a public database that provides access to all research carried out 
on benzoxazinoid allelochemicals. It will be extremely valuable to 
those assessing the viability of these chemicals in large-scale agriculture.

The rising popularity of organic produce
is evidence that consumers are becoming
increasingly concerned about the methods
used to produce their food. The aim is to
keep the process as natural as possible.

The introduction of allelochemicals, either
by breeding or by genetic modification,
could help promote this trend. Allelochem-
icals are a special class of substances emitted
by plants that affect the plant and animal life
around them, often acting as natural herbi-
cides and pesticides.

The ‘Life quality’ programme funded
the Fateallchem project to fully investi-
gate the potential of allelochemicals in
this role. DIAS specialists in integrated
pest management (IPM) coordinated the
project.

The question to be answered was how
t he a l l e l o ch e m i c a l s wou l d b eh ave
once released into the environment.
Fateallchem focused on the effects of
benzoxazinoid allelochemicals and their
breakdown products on both humans and

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

water, altering its physical structure and
therefore behaviour. The result is that the
essential oils and other hydrophobic com-
pounds can be incorporated. Additional
benefits of the new surfactant solution
include reduced surface evaporation and
improved phase change (e.g. liquid to solid
and vice versa) characteristics.

The SME has applied for a patent to protect
the new technology. In addition to revolu-
tionising skin care and other beauty prod-
ucts, the innovative technique is also rele-
vant to other areas of application.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: 
joint venture agreement, licence agreement.

Offer ID: 3053

are also likely to be the major contributors
to changes in spectral patterns.

The researchers are now keen to form joint
ventures or other types of collaboration
in order to exploit the market potential of
this discovery. The market impact of a final
product based on this technology could be
significant given the low cost and the time
efficiency of this approach in comparison to
the current state of the art.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought:
 joint venture agreement, financial support.

Offer ID: 3049

the biosphere. An important deliverable of
the project is a database which contains
references to all known research address-
ing the microbial transformation of ben-
zoxazinoid allelochemicals.

The database has been made available to
the research community and to the greater
public. A relevant publication in the journal
Chemosphere has also been realised. DIAS
will further enrich the database with the
results from the research undertaken in the
context of Fateallchem.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3061

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Developing diagnostics for fish diseases

Viral diseases affecting farmed salmon can have a significant impact 
on fish health and market viability of the aquaculture sector in Europe.

Due to the lack of knowledge surround-
ing Salmon pancreas disease (SPD) and
sleeping disease (SD) until recently, little is
known regarding their prevalence among
fish populations. The EU-funded ‘SPD/SD
diagnosis’ project set out to develop specific
diagnostic kits for the detection of these dis-
eases, aiming to gain a clear picture of dis-
ease occurrence.

The new diagnostics would be based on
newly-gained knowledge of the nature of
the alphaviruses causing these diseases.
A number of diagnostic approaches were
compared and contrasted throughout the
duration of the project.

Results obtained at the Queen’s University
of Belfast showed that early acute infec-

Harnessing grid computing to save women’s lives

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. In the EU and the United States, 
1 woman in 9 will develop it at some point in their lives, and it will kill 1 in 28. 
But harnessing the power of the grid could help increase the accuracy of diagnoses.

Mammography examinations save several
1 000 women’s lives every year. However, the
rate of misdiagnosis can be high — in some
instances up to 30 %. This is due in part to
physical differences across patient popula-
tions, differences in equipment and proced-
ures, and difficulty in using computers to
help detect changes in breast tissue.

Computer-aided detection of this poten-
tially fatal cancer, especially when used
together with the traditional method of
visually screening mammograms, can not
only shorten the time needed for analysis,
but can also help increase the accuracy of
diagnoses.

The team in the European IST project
MammoGrid, which ended in August
2005, aimed to apply the power of the grid
to see if they could more accurately detect
breast cancer. The prototype software that
resulted is already enabling users — hos-
pitals, doctors, clinicians, radiologists and
researchers — to harness the massive cap-
acity of grid computing to run advanced

algorithms on digital mammograms,
stored Europe-wide.

The project team also developed a geograph-
ically distributed, grid-based database of
standardised images and associated patient
data. Already, there are 30 000 images stored
from over 3 000 patients, equally balanced
between the university hospitals of Cambridge
in the United Kingdom and Udine in Italy.

The novelty of the MammoGrid approach
lies in the application of grid technologies
to medical diagnoses, and in providing the
data and tools to enable users to compare
new mammograms with existing ones in
the grid database. Users can access mam-
mograms from a variety of sources, and
also computer-aided detection algorithms
to detect micro-calcifications (tiny specks
of calcium in the breast that could indicate
cancer) and monitor breast density (dense
tissue is considered a major risk factor).

‘The system in its current version allows users
to securely share both resources and patient
data which has been treated to ensure
anonymity’, explains project coordina-
tor David Manset of Maat GKnowledge
in Madrid, Spain. ‘It also supports
effective co-working and provides
the means for powerful comparative
analyses through the use of a standard
format for mammogram images.’

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This breakthrough functionality
could lead to major advances in
prevention and detection of the
disease. It also opens the door
to novel, broad-based statistical
analyses of the incidence of breast
cancer and its different forms.

Since the project ended, a new
consortium independent of IST

tions could be detected using histology and
immunohistochemistry approaches. Later-
stage infections could be diagnosed using
antibody detection and viral RNA detection.
Furthering this line of research could result
in innovative marketable products targeting
the aquaculture industry and supporting its
competitive advantages on a global scale.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
information exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3030

funding has been set up to further develop
the prototype and take it closer to market
needs. Under MammoGrid+, a new set of
partners is building on the results already
achieved. The partners include organisations
such as Ciemat (Spain’s energy, environ-
mental and technological research centre),
CERN (Switzerland), SES (health service for
the Extremadura region of Spain, represent-
ing the hospitals of Infanta Christina, Don
Benito and Merida), and the university hos-
pitals of Cambridge and Udine.

The new project team has set up four sep-
arate sites, to simulate the needs of four dif-
ferent hospitals and test the latest project
developments. The results from these tests
have been evaluated by a panel of two
IT experts and five clinicians from the hos-
pitals in Spain’s Extremadura region.

Their feedback is being incorporated into
a pre-commercial release of the software
(MammoGrid+ version 1.0) in June 2007.
This version is being deployed within
the five hospitals collaborating in the
project — these hospitals will also receive
the hardware infrastructure to host the
MammoGrid+ suite.

Future plans include broadening the exist-
ing database throughout Europe. Already a
further hospital, the university hospital of
Cork in Ireland, has shown interest in join-
ing the MammoGrid+ network.

‘The inclusion of the new hospitals will
increase the coverage of the database and
make our knowledge more relevant and
more accurate’, Manset concludes. ‘This
will allow larger and more refined epidemi-
ological studies. In the end, these techniques
could help save lives.’

Based on information from MammoGrid.

Promoted by the IST Results service.

http://istresults.cordis.europa.eu/index.cfm?
section=news&tpl=article&ID=88963

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Innovative gene therapy therapeutic modalities

Gene therapy could revolutionise the medical world and could 
provide treatment options against a number of pathologies.

The EU-funded ‘Targeted gene vector’
project aimed to optimise gene therapy
administration methods and overcome cur-
rent shortcomings in the areas of safety and
efficiency. The project partners concentrated
their efforts in the field of anticancer gene
therapy. The main objective of the project
was to develop optimised viral delivery vec-
tors based on existing retroviral, lentiviral

and adenoviral vectors for the treatment of
liver and brain cancer.

The Université Pierre et Marie Curie developed a
series of retroviral vectors conditionally express-
ing tetracycline. Tetracycline-expressing vectors
had previously been based on the lentivirus
genome. However, this new approach utilised
vectors based on the Moloney murine leukemia

Genetic diversity of Fagus sylvatica 

An inventory of the genetic diversity in European beech 
(Fagus sylvatica L.) populations was conducted using 
4 highly polymorphic microsatellite and 10 isozyme markers. 

In total, data of 1 058 trees, originating from
10 stands, were obtained and stored in a data-

base. These data allowed the researchers to
examine the impact of forest management on
genetic diversity and mating
in these beech stands.

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For this, the team per-
formed a pair-wise com-
parison of the stands
which differ in manage-
ment intensity. Natural
stands under low man-
agement intensity were
chosen as reference.
Different parameters of
genetic diversity, mating
system and for estimat-
ing genetic differenti-
ation were obtained,
such as allelic richness
(A), effective number

Novel method for a more ‘ethical’ 
testing of skin products

An innovative method based on the chorio-allantoic membrane 
(CAM) of the avian egg has been modified for conducting 
pre-clinical dermatological testing of drugs and chemicals.

Nowadays, investigations on human skin in 
vivo may be prohibited due to the extensive
use of expensive and sensitive immune-
deficient mice. Such studies include testing
of therapies for treating skin disease and
of pharmaceuticals or cosmetics as well as
studies on modifying hair growth. Apart
from the ethical reasons, there are also
medical limitations, as in many cases exam-
ination involves component cells of the skin
and not the entire organ.

In response to this need, Israeli researchers
advanced a previously used method for the
development of anti-cancer treatments, the

vascularised CAM of the chicken egg. The
extended and perfected CAM method allows
the successful growth of intact human and
mouse skin in 11 days maximum. Since no
nerve endings are included, it is painless for
the chick, unlike other conventionally used
techniques employing mice and pigs.

The innovative CAM technique is highly
consistent, rapid, simple and less costly
than other testing studies that use immune-
deficient mice. Additionally, it reduces the
needs for experimental animals and human
volunteers while it involves significantly less
regulatory permissions, as the used human

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virus (Mo-MLV). The end result was hybrid
virions with ability to express tetracycline.

Studies showed these vectors to be active in a
number of cancer lines. They are also repro-
ducible and easily regulated. The potential
of this type of gene therapy vector could be
significant, given its distinct advantages over
the current state of the art.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3057

of alleles (Ae), number of rare alleles (Arare),
observed (Ho) and expected heterozygosity
(He) and the F-statistics indices Fis aand Fst.

From the results of the genetic inventory, the
research group was able to draw conclusions
about the effect of management on genetic
diversity. The results indicated that the shel-
ter wood system is adequate to maintain the
genetic diversity in beech. It is likely that
this type of management has no or min-
imum impact on the diversity in beech, at
least for the genetic markers used, because
the management mimics natural regeneration
processes. Additionally, the genetic data were
useful for describing the geographical genetic
structure of this European species.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Potential market applications: forest management.

Collaboration sought: 
further research or development support.

Result ID: 42379

skin is ‘discarded skin’. Moreover, chick
embryos are not considered as experimen-
tation animals and therefore no permissions
are demanded.

The CAM method can find a broad range
of commercial applications in the fields of
pharmaceuticals and cosmetics as well as
in other areas where skin testing is needed
for product safety. Some examples include
development of gene therapy techniques for
treating skin disease, testing of cosmetics,
hair colour, shampoo or soap in terms of
irritative or allergic potential, anti-viral and
anti-bacterial preparations on human skin
and others. Industrial partners are sought
for licence agreements.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: licence agreement.

Offer ID: 3108

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Skin imaging in cancer prevention

Melanoma is a serious and sometimes life-threatening cancer. 
However, with early diagnosis and treatment, the chances of recovery 
are very good. To this end, an Israeli SME has developed a prototype 
camera to monitor potentially cancerous moles.

Melanoma is a disorder caused by specific
skin cells called melanocytes. These epider-

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mal cells are capable of synthesising mel-
anin, which gives skin its colour and at the
same time protects it from harmful ultra-
violet (UV) rays. When melanocytes begin
to grow abnormally and penetrate into the
depth of the skin, melanoma occurs. It is
very important for people at high risk of
developing skin cancer to be checked fre-
quently by their doctor in order to find sus-
picious moles early and have them treated.

A new camera has been developed for fol-
lowing up and accurately comparing the
current and previously suspected mole
images. The Skin Sentinel, as the system is
called, can measure up to four levels into the
depth of the skin. This is of primary import-
ance as cancerous melanoma cells travel

Innovative methods towards food safety

Food safety is an extremely important point of focus for the EU authorities, 
which seek to minimise the health hazards associated with food products.

The EU-funded project Foodsafe concen-
trated on the development of safer food
production processes, by eliminating toxic
agents on-site. Chloroprene and chloro-
anisole fungicide residues can be extremely
toxic to humans and have been detected in
wine, potable water and fruit juice produc-
tion steps.

Project partners focused on the develop-
ment of immunochemical assay procedures
for the timely detection of these contam-

inants during the production process. The
French-based company Diaclone produced
a series of monoclonal antibodies to aid
detection of toxic agents. The aim was to
devise a method that was time- and cost-
efficient and also easy to operate.

Based on the use of one of those mono-
clonal antibodies, which was raised against
penta-chlorophenol, an indirect competi-
tive immunoassay was developed. Initial
studies indicated a series of false positives,

Improving dental visits via 3D mapping

An intra-oral camera that can map a patient’s mouth 
via a 3D mapping technology has been developed.

Most conventional dentist techniques are
still not automated and thus quite dated. As a
result, a vast amount of dentist’s time is spent
measuring a patient’s teeth, oral tissues and
prostheses. Impressions of the patient’s teeth
and bordering tissues are taken through the
use of putty-like substances.

These traditional procedures require costly
dental materials and use a great deal of the den-
tist’s time. Furthermore, techniques required
for prostheses and orthodontic devices rely
on laboratory technicians. Consequently, this
may result in expensive, inaccurate and inad-

equate outcomes. Another disadvantage is that
patients are compelled to go through numer-
ous temporary fittings while experiencing dis-
comfort throughout complex multiple proced-
ures and recurrent, extended dental visits.

In this light, a comprehensive technique using
intra-oral 3D precision mapping of teeth and
bordering tissues in real time has been devel-
oped as a means to significantly improve den-
tal procedures. This is made possible through
an established intra-oral fixed global registra-
tion position within the patient’s oral cavity. It
enables real-time measurements and images

though the blood stream and affect other
organs. Moreover, the system takes into
account external parameters such as tem-
perature and humidity, which have a direct
influence on the optical parameters of the
skin. In this way, a very high repeatability
of the reflection and absorption spectra is
achieved. These features yield high diagnos-
tic accuracy, simplicity and cost efficiency in
measuring depth changes between present
and previous images.

The medical devices industry may benefit
from turning this prototype camera into a
commercial product. The benefits can be
extended by applying this same technology
to a number of other applications, including
cosmetics.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement,
 licence agreement, financial support.

Offer ID: 3077

which led the research team to develop new
methods for the purification of samples.
These methods have now opened the way
for a new robust approach to toxic agent
detection and the technology is available for
outlicensing or other forms of commercial
exploitation.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Collaboration sought: further research or development 
support, joint venture agreement, licence agreement, 
marketing agreement, manufacturing agreement, 
information exchange/training, venture capital/ 
spin-off funding — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3071

to be acquired and featured in multiple fields
of view while set at various locations.

A company interested in the development
and use of the equipment is sought.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement.

Offer ID: 3096

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CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

CRTD_60.indd   12

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I

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Descriptions of microsporidia in Bombus spp.

Bumblebees host lots of parasites including one microsporidium: Nosema bombi
(Fantham and Porter, 1914). The ‘Pollinator parasites’ project has documented 
this species in a large number of different bumblebee hosts. Numerous publications 
have treated various aspects of the ecology of this microsporidium and the impact 
on the hosts, but few have dealt with the cytology and none has done so in depth.

Bumblebees infected with Nosema bombi 
were collected in Denmark and southern
Sweden from B.  hortorum,  B.  hypnorum,
B.  lapidarius,  B.  lucorum,  B.  pascuorum, 
B. pratorum, B. ruderarius, B. subterraneus 
and B.  terrestris. Specimens were either
dissected directly, killed by decapita-
tion or freezing, or stored frozen for some
time. Light microscopy was conducted on
unstained and fixed preparations using
standard techniques. Ultrastructure was
studied using standard techniques for elec-
tron microscopy, but including the improved
fixation of spores developed in the project.

Nosema bombi was most regularly observed
in tissues samples from the Malpighian ves-
sels. Small foci of developing microsporidia
were often found in all regions of the gut wall,
from the ventriculus and backwards. It was
not observed that gut cells completely filled
with microsporidia were released into the gut
lumen, as is the case for Nosema apis, but in
the regions of the gut posterior to the Mal-
pighian vessels, microsporidian spores were
regularly observed in the lumen. In heav-
ily infected hosts, practically all Malpighian
vessels, in their entire length, were infected.
When squashed, entire spore-filled cells were
released. Presporal stages were most com-
monly seen in epithelium of the Malpighian
vessels. In cases of advanced infection, the walls
of the tracheal system were also invaded. In
two specimens, one male of B. pascuorum and
one worker of B. lapidarius, microsporidian
spores were also found in the musculature. In
several specimens of B. hypnorum, B. lucorum,

B. pascuorum and B. terrestris, infection was
restricted to peripheral fat cells, which means
that samples from the Malpighian vessels and
other tissues were negative.

The presporal development was of Nosema
type. The cells measured up to 6.1 μm in sec-
tions, the greatest diameter of sectioned nuclei
was 1.9 μm. The cells had a typical, about 7 nm
thick, plasma membrane. Cytoplasm and
nuclei were both granular, but the nuclei were
slightly more dense. When the merozoites
matured to sporonts, vesicular areas appeared
in the cytoplasm, interpreted as a primordial
Golgi apparatus. The thick external layer of the
sporont wall, the primordium of the exospore,
was added over large areas simultaneously,
not as the regularly spaced strands typical for
the genus Nosema. The sporogony was dispo-
roblastic with the two elongated sporoblasts
arranged like a short chain. In the sporoblasts,
the polar filament was initiated and extended
forwards from a system of Golgi vesicles at the
posterior pole. The earliest signs of a polaro-
plast became visible late in the maturation pro-
cess, but prior to the first signs of the endospore
layer. The diplokaryon, with distinct nucleoli in
the nuclei, was located to the anterior half of
the immature spore until it was pushed back-
wards by the developing polaroplast.

The recorded length of living spores ranged
from 2.73 to 6.63 μm. In one specimen of
B. terrestris, where two distinct classes of
morphs were seen, the oval spores measured
1.95–2.60 x 2.77–5.85 μm, the elongated
spores 1.69–2.47 x 4.42–6.24 μm. Spores

were either completely uncoupled or, when
dealing with the more elongated morph,
appeared pair-wise or arranged to strands
of spores. The spores further differed in the
willingness to eject the polar filament.

The mature spores exhibited cytology of the
most common microsporidian type. With
the exception of the spores found in one
specimen of B. pratorum, the lowest number
of polar filament coils observed was 12 (spore
length 3.1 μm), the greatest 24 coils (spore
length 3.98 μm). Two intervals of coils were
dominant, 13–15 and 18–20, the greatest
number in the elongated spore morph. The
coils were normally arranged as a single layer
of coils, but with more than 15 coils, the last
2–4 coils were normally displaced to form an
internal layer. Occasionally, two almost com-
plete layers of coils were observed (20–21
coils). The filament was isofilar, measuring
about 100 nm wide (96–105 nm).

The results presented complete the previ-
ously incomplete descriptions of N. bombi 
and document an unusual morphological
variability. This documentation is useful to
avoid future confusions on microsporidia
infections in bumblebees.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Result ID: 42535

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Maintaining pet oral hygiene ultrasonically

An ultrasonic toothbrush for pets has been designed by an Israeli SME. 
It uses a mechanical piezoelectric engine which is able to generate 
high-frequency micro-vibrations that the animal cannot feel.

Proper oral hygiene protects pets from
severe medical problems that arise from
unhealthy oral bacteria, as well as lesser
problems such as halitosis. Thus, dental
health care is a branch of veterinary medi-
cine that is gaining importance. Since pet
owners are becoming increasingly aware of
the health benefits associated with dental
cleaning for their pets, veterinary clinics
provide dental scaling as a routine treat-
ment. Also special toothpastes and teeth
cleaning instruments for pets are becom-
ing more common.

Halitosis is a common complaint of
those with household cats and dogs. Fur-
thermore, it can signal the beginning of
periodontal disease and even organ dis-
ease resulting from bacteria entering the
bloodstream. Dental infections that go
untreated are a main cause of such health
problems.

The mechanical piezoelectric engine of this
novel toothbrush generates high-frequency
micro-vibrations that the animal cannot
feel and that neither humans nor pets can

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

hear. Moreover, the ultrasonic waves cause
mouth flora to separate, interrupting the
bacterial colonisation process within the
periodontal pocket and the mucus mem-
branes of the oral cavity. This dual action
is very effective in preserving good pet
mouth hygiene.

Strategic partners such as developers of
dental products, veterinary products or
medical devices are sought to conduct
clinical trials and bring the product to
market.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought:
 joint venture agreement, financial support.

Offer ID: 3048

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ENERGY
Recent advances in planetary sciences

The progress in handling liquid metal flows in large containers has opened opportunities for the realisation of homogeneous 
dynamos in the laboratory. Combined with increased computer capacity that has permitted numerical experiments of 
convention-driven dynamos, these developments will lead to a deeper understanding of the origin of fields in planets and in stars.

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The origin of the Earth’s magnetic field, as most cosmic bodies’ 
magnetic fields, is attributed to the motion of electrically con-
ducting fluids. Whereas the underlying theory of homogeneous 
dynamos has been widely elaborated over the last decades, an 
experimental verification of magnetic field self-excitation in con-
ducting fluids has been pursued only recently.

The experiments conducted at the Riga dynamo facility in Novem-
ber 1999 had shown that a liquid metal flow spiralling in a cylin-
drical container can generate a slowly growing magnetic field. 
The EU-funded Magdyn project’s main objective was to upgrade 
and further exploit this laboratory facility through new series of 
dynamo experiments.

The experiments relied on numerical simulations to calculate the 
fluid flow and the induced magnetic field, both in the design phase 
and for data analysis. Two equation eddy-viscosity and full Rey-
nolds-stress numerical models which solve the magnetohydrody-
namics equations in the experimental geometry were developed 
by project partners at the Delft University of Technology.

Despite all the approximations involved in the computational 
calculations, the comparison of the experimental results with the 
simulation predictions of central quantities showed a satisfactory 
agreement. A next-generation, large-scale dynamo experiment 
that would bring most valuable insight on the energetic and mag-
netostrophic balance of planetary dynamos is being designed on 

Automatic correction control 
system for solar tracking

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the basis of these results. While the kinematic dynamo effect and 
the role of high levels of turbulence on the self-excitation con-
ditions have already been investigated in the Riga experiment, 
there are still open questions that need to be addressed.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Human potential’ 
(Improving the human research potential and the socio-economic knowledge base).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
information exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3080

A research institute in Italy has developed an advanced management 
and control system for solar trackers, combined with a device for verification 
and automatic correction of the tracking. The system is based on a control logic 
that uses a micro-controller able to calculate the daily sun path, to automatically 
measure the feedback signals and set the correction step of the tracking. 

This system mainly deals with electric
energy production from solar energy con-
version, by means of proper devices located
on solar tracking facilities and proper
equipments suited to optical concentra-
tion of the solar rays. In this system, the
solar tracker is equipped with a small-sized,
integrable component that makes use of a
control logic based on a micro-controller
suitable for implementation in elaborate
calculations of the daily sun path and able
to automatically measure and analyse feed-
back signals in order to set the correction
step of the tracking.

This invention pursues the following aims:
provide the sun tracker with an automatic
•
motion management system, coupled with
an error-checking system (feedback) of the
calculated positioning, without affecting
the solar tracker’s cost;

•

•

•

eliminate any tracking structural error due
to mechanical floats that are intrinsic to
the system, thermic dilatation of the facil-
ity or the installation of the solar tracker
hardware;
provide the opportunity to detect, by
means of daily observation of the regis-
tered variance, the collimation error, which
can be inserted in an efficiency-check sys-
tem of the whole tracking facility;
make the management control system of
the solar tracker autonomous and inde-
pendent from operator attendance, as
automatic time-synchronisation systems
and tracking mechanisms have been
inserted in the control system.

The system is already working, but it can be
customised according to various require-
ments, even with the participation of a
third party. Organisations interested in solar

tracking are sought for licence agreement or
for other types of agreement.

Innovative aspects: the system corrects potential errors due to wear 
and tear, installation inaccuracies, thermic dilatations and variance 
of the refractive index of the atmosphere; the possibility to recover 
the errors makes the tracker’s mechanical structure less critical 
for the motion precision of the actuators, allowing use of low-cost 
components; use of a dedicated algorithm for instantaneous 
calculation of the sun positioning according to the site parameters; 
this algorithm is extremely precise and its accuracy is affected 
by the clock’s precision: the use of a radio-synchroniser for the clock 
frees the system from periodical tuning; the system has a ‘pocket 
book’ size and thus is perfectly integrable in a pre-existing 
solar tracker system; in the case of a solar tracker field, 
each tracker can be assigned an ID that allows communication
 with each unit in order to monitor the overall system; 
the system is made up of low-cost electronic components 
with the aim of developing an analogue-digital system able 
to provide an original and reliable solution to the sun-tracker 
control problem; logic control is used also for purposes 
of mechanical wear and tear or anomaly prevention 
and assessment, increasing overall system reliability; 
the control system brings together high performance with 
an intrinsic low cost; the error-recovery feature allows significant 
reductions of the solar tracker cost, which is an important goal 
for the success of concentration photovoltaic systems.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: electrical equipment, optical 
and photographic equipment, renewable energy, solar energy.

Collaboration sought: licence agreement.

Result ID: 42562

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22-01-2007   10:09:45

 
 
Heating system based on microwaves

A German university has developed a new energy-saving heating system. 
The heat conductor is heated by a microwave directly at molecular level. 

•

•

the system can easily be integrated in an
existing heater;
as there are no emissions, the system is
non-polluting.

The system could be used as an additional
heating unit, like a radiant heater. It can
replace conventional heating as well, and it can
be introduced in existing heating systems.

The university is looking for partners for fur-
ther development and commercialisation.

Innovative aspects: heating with microwaves; 
the heating conductor is heated directly at molecular level.

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The heat conductor is heated by a microwave
and pumped into a boiler. When this boiler
has reached the requested temperature, the
system turns off automatically. If the tem-
perature falls bellow a limit value, the heat-
ing procedure starts again.

In small rooms, the oil can be used as trans-
port medium directly; in bigger rooms, a
heat exchanger is used. Because of that it
is also possible to connect this heating to
existing systems.

•

Main advantages:
•

by heating the heat conductor directly
without using a tank no energy is lost, as
there is when the material of the tank is
heated first;
the system is space-saving and can be
installed in any room;

Effective monitoring operations 
for a solar chemical plant

A complete instrumentation system for monitoring 
the operation of a solar chemical plant has been realised.

The ever-increasing depletion of fossil fuels
has created new demands to exploit other
energy sources. Solar energy is found abun-
dantly in nature, yet it constitutes an inter-
mittent energy source. Challenged by this, the
Solzinc project focused on bringing forward
the concept of storing sunlight in the form
of chemical energy by reducing zinc oxide to
zinc. In turn, zinc becomes an energy vector
that produces electricity in zinc-air fuel cells
or can be used as commodity zinc.

For this purpose, the technical feasibility of a
solar chemical reactor that produces zinc from
zinc oxide and carbon as a reducing agent
in a 0.5 MW plant was sought. Among the
project results, a complete system for moni-

toring processes of a solar chemical plant was
developed. The system allows monitoring of
the behaviour of various complicated, custom
systems with parts operating at high tempera-
ture. For instance, the parts of a 500 kg cap-
acity chemical reactor and a 50 kg/h metallic
powder zinc quenching system.

The instrumentation set-up offers monitoring
of the key operating parameters that are vital
for running the plant. It may also provide
comparisons of the real system’s behaviour
against predictions from modelled behav-
iour. The system allows optimisation of plant
operations by monitoring approximately 150
key parameters, without including all the
auxiliary systems. These parameters include

Storing the Sun’s energy in zinc-based fuel cells

Project partner ScanArc made an important contribution to the Solzinc project 
by optimising the conversion of zinc metal vapour into powdered form.

The EESD programme sponsors R & D
projects that aspire to make Europe more
energy efficient and thus more competitive.
Solar energy is a promising source of renew-
able energy, but since the Sun doesn’t shine
at night, it is necessary to store the energy
captured during the day.

A prototype solar reactor that utilises the
Sun’s energy to reduce zinc oxide to zinc
was developed in the context of the Solzinc
project. The zinc can then be used to make
fuel cells that later release the stored energy.
Plasma specialists with ScanArc in Sweden
were assigned the task of converting the zinc

vapour produced by the reactor into a form
usable for constructing the fuel cells.

The use of carbon as a reducing agent in the
solar reactor means that carbon monoxide
(CO) and hydrogen gas (H2) can contaminate
the zinc vapour conversion process. The Swed-
ish engineers resolved this issue by dissolving
the zinc vapour into liquid lead using spray
condensers. Tests indicated that ScanArc’s
own spray condenser was the most efficient
due to its low sensitivity to oxidising gases.

Once condensed into metal form, the zinc
must be powderised. Trials by ScanArc

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: 
energy sources, renewable energy, retail.

Collaboration sought: 
joint further development, licence agreement.

Result ID: 42282

low to high temperature parameters of solids,
liquids and gases, pressure of gases, flow rates
of liquids and gases, as well as real-time gas
composition analysis.

The system can be exploited for data col-
lection in order to achieve effective process
control either in real time or after analysis.
Additionally, it may significantly assist in the
improvement of the theoretical models using
real measurements and may be used for fur-
ther development and economic studies.
Project partner Promes-CNRS has improved
its current knowledge on the instrumenta-
tion and monitoring of high-temperature,
solar-based chemical processes. This exper-
tise can be employed for improving other
high-temperature processes.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3067

revealed that while this procedure is pos-
sible, it is expensive and reduces the attract-
iveness of the entire solution. Thus, the
researchers turned their attention to direct
conversion of the zinc vapour into powdered
form. Fine-tuning of a commercially avail-
able powderiser (produced by Harzer Zink)
enabled stable production of high-quality
(95 % purity) micron-sized particles.

Securing this result marks an important step
towards demonstrating the overall viability
of the solar reactor concept.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3087

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Analysis of the dynamic 
behaviour of a microgrid

Introducing a new type of power system, the microgrid, the Microgrids 
project investigated its stability for different types and locations of disturbances.

trol strategies and emergency functions for
the system. Thereby, in case of failures in the
medium-voltage main system, the distribu-
tion network may break down in isolated
‘islands’, each of which is self-sufficient in
energy supply.

The microgrid power system comprises a
set of interconnected, small, modular gen-
eration sources to low-voltage distribution
systems. The system may either be con-
nected to the main power network or oper-
ate autonomously just like the power sys-
tems of physical islands.

The key concept behind this is to increase
the potential of using renewable energy and
micro-sources (fuel cells and micro-tur-
bines) as well as improve reliability of the
power supply system. Moreover, the new
system is expected to result in great reduc-
tions of annual losses and energy cost reduc-

With the aid of the developed MatLab/
Simulink platform, several simulations have
been conducted for the two cases. In add-
ition to these, consideration was taken for
two types of fault locations, a fault on the
main medium-voltage network and a fault
inside the microgrid network.

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tion for the end-user.

One of the project results involved
the study of the main issues, such
as stability regarding the opera-
tion of microgrids in two cases.
In the first case, the microgrid is
in interconnected mode with a
main medium-voltage network,
while in the second it is in emer-
gency (islanded) mode under
fault conditions.

The study results may signifi-
cantly contribute to the explor-
ation and development of con-

Analysis of the dynamic behaviour of the
microgrid system involved assessment of
the impact of load types under varied fault
elimination times and fault resistance val-
ues. Moreover, the stability of the micro-
grid with the potentiality of load shedding
was also compared against the case without
load-shedding possibilities.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3106

Hydrogen detector

A research group in Spain has developed a hydrogen detector composed 
of a palladium (Pd) filament wound around a Bragg-type optical fibre sensor. 
The sensor can be embedded in the composite material by means of a capillary 
of the same material. The detector can be used to detect leaks in deposits and 
piping in ground and aerospace vehicles that use hydrogen as their energy source. 

In collaboration with the Madrid Polytechnic
University (UPM), the composite materials
department of the Spanish National Institute
of Aerospace Technology (INTA) has devel-
oped an optical fibre sensor capable of detect-
ing hydrogen leaks in deposits, tanks and
piping that are used for example in the aero-
space industry for aircraft and space vehicles,
or in ground industry as an energy source for
vehicles and in thermal power stations.

The hydrogen sensor is based on a Bragg-type
sensor written in the core of an optical fibre.
Bragg-type sensors detect mechanical defor-
mations with great accuracy. If the fibre is
deformed longitudinally, the sensor responds
with a shift in the wavelength of the light
reflected in the zone of the Bragg sensor.

In the proposed invention, Pd is applied
in the form of a filament-winding bobbin
around the zone of the Bragg sensor. The
filament is fixed by adhesive to the optical
fibre during the winding so that the Pd bob-
bin and the optical fibre are bonded. Another
joining technique could be by fusion, by
heating the Pd filament to a degree higher
than the fusion point of the optical fibre.

Once the Pd of the sensor enters into contact
with the hydrogen, its volume augments.
This increase in volume provokes a response
from the Bragg sensor in the form of a shift
in the wavelength of the light reflected in
the sensor, and this is a direct measurement
of the quantity of hydrogen that is in contact
with the sensor.

In order to detect hydrogen with a Bragg-
type optical fibre sensor, the same effect is
used that is employed to detect deforma-
tions, but instead of the deformations being
produced by mechanical forces, they are
produced by the expansion of the Pd bush
that swells as it absorbs hydrogen.

The functioning of the hydrogen sensor has
been checked in a test in a recipient with
different concentrations of hydrogen and
nitrogen. The sensor responded satis-
factorily to an increase in hydrogen, and
showed a shift in the wavelength of some 40
pm to a concentration of 8 % hydrogen.

The hydrogen sensor can be applied on the
outside of a structure and to measure the
quantity of hydrogen present around the
application point. Due to its very small size,
the hydrogen sensor also offers the possi-
bility of being embedded inside a structure
made of carbon/epoxy composite materials
or similar materials. In this case, the sensor
should be protected by a capillary that per-
mits it to move freely inside the structure.
The capillary material used should be trans-
parent to hydrogen.

Innovative aspects: application of the layer of Pd in the form 
of a filament winding: due to this form, the Pd has a greater 
surface that enters into contact with the hydrogen to be detected 
and does not have monolithic bushes or layers that are already 
known and the increase of the contact surface increases the 
speed of the reaction of the Pd with hydrogen and reduces the 
response time of the sensor; a shorter response time is a factor 
of major importance for hydrogen sensors as a hydrogen leak can 
be detected more quickly, thus offering greater safety in the service 
of the structure being monitored by the sensor; the advantages of 
the filament-wound hydrogen sensor are economic, among others, 
for their manufacturing technique, safety, due to the rapid response 
of the sensor and technologies, due to the fact that the sensor is 
embedded in the composite material; the application of the layer of 
Pd using the filament winding technique avoids costly techniques 
such as physical or chemical vapour depositions (PVD or CVD) 
normally used for applying fine layers; in addition, the conventional 
techniques of PVD and CVD have problems in applying layers thicker 
than 5 microns, which is required for this particular application, 
over an optical fibre, as the initial tests have demonstrated.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: telecommunications systems.

Collaboration sought: licence agreement.

Result ID: 42457

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New model for geothermal applications

A new model, Frachem, simulates the physical and chemical processes occurring 
in special geothermal wells several kilometres below the Earth’s surface.

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Geothermal systems aim to exploit the
vast reserves of thermal energy stored
in the Earth’s core. Hot dry rock (HDR)/
hot fractured rock (HFR) systems inject
water into rock several 1 000 m below the
surface where temperatures reach over
200 °C. The heated water is then returned
to the surface where is it used directly as
a heat source, or indirectly to generate
electricity.

Europe is a leader in geothermal tech-
nology and boasts one the world’s larg-
est HDR test facilities in Soultz, France.
In the course of working to demonstrate
the technical and economic feasibility of
HDR, the need to develop accurate model-
ling tools has arisen. This is due to the fact
that reliable measurements at such depths
are impractical.

In the framework of the ‘Hot dry rock
energy’ project, the heat mining arm of
the European Economic Interest Grouping
(EEIG), which operates the Soultz facility,
created Frachem — a numerical code that
incorporates previous work in thermal,
hydraulic and geochemical modelling.

One of the main advantages of Frachem
is its ability to address the mixing of fresh-
water with geothermal brine, which is rich in
minerals. Apart from problems with scaling,
the brine’s temperature difference produces
thermally induced flows within the reservoir,
which can now be simulated with Frachem.

Another important aspect tackled by the new
model is possible microseismic disturbance
caused by moving such large volumes of fluid
at depth, especially during the stimulation

Electro-kinetic converter

A small company in Romania has developed an electro-kinetic converter 
that transforms, in the atmospheric environment, electric energy into kinetic 
energy without mobile mechanical means. This converter can be used 
for any purpose that implies the displacement of a gas mass for acoustic, 
pneumatic or ventilation purposes or for ozone production. 

This invention relates to an electrical device
operating in atmospheric environment. The
main property of the electro-kinetic con-
verter is the direct change of electrical energy
into kinetic energy, i.e. without mobile
mechanics. It has the secondary purpose
of modifying the air structure by burning,
defined as a chemical process — breaking
the atomic bounds of the compounds — in

plasmatic medium, leading to the restoration
of natural ratios for the chemical compounds
defining the atmosphere.

This is an unconventional technology,
which can be used for moving and in the
same time cleaning air by burning it in cold
plasma, without any mobile components or
noise and without filters.

Energy management of solar panels 
at the maximum power point 

A research group of a Catalonian university, in Spain, has found how to 
optimise the power generation of solar panels permanently, i.e. how to force 
them to operate at their maximum power, and at the same time use off-the-
shelf standardised power regulators able to impose the voltage of the maximum 
power point (MPP) on the panels.

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phase. Improving the understanding of these
processes is especially important when gaug-
ing the lifetime of critical system compon-
ents like the heat exchanger. Finally, the new
code proved useful in distinguishing where
precipitation occurs for carbonate versus alu-
minosilicate materials, which is relevant for
permeability calculations.

Frachem has been described in detail in a
number of scientific publications.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3084

The company is looking for a partner for the
development of equipments.

Innovative aspects: this is an unconventional technology that directly 
transforms electric energy into kinetic energy without mobile 
mechanical means; it can be used for all acoustic, pneumatic, or 
ventilation purposes involving the displacement of a gas mass; 
it can produce ozone and purify air at low cost.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: energy audits, 
manufacturing control systems, retail, waste heat recovery.

Collaboration sought: adaptation to specific needs, 
assembly, engineering, joint further development, 
joint venture agreement, licence agreement, maintenance, 
technical consultancy, testing of new applications.

Result ID: 42097

facilitate its integration into the solar panels
if necessary.

Main advantages:
•

optimisation of the power generation of
the solar panel;
standardisation of the power systems
required.

•

This principle is not based on the well-known
tracking process called maximum power
point tracking (MPPT). It permanently deliv-
ers a reference voltage, which is proportional
to the existing MPP voltage, to the power
regulator, which regulates the solar panel
voltage without affecting its control system.

The system is based on a microprocessor
which permanently receives the measure-
ments of both solar panel current and volt-

age and is able to identify the analytical
form of the solar panel electrical character-
istics, irrespectively of cell type, panel envir-
onment, temperature and ageing.

This principle appears to be reliable (a con-
stant reference voltage is available in case
of a microprocessor failure) and low cost.
It is materialised by hardware with reduced
physical dimensions, low power consump-
tion and electrical interfaces which would

The team is looking for industrial partners
working in the energy area, solar panels or
power systems to license the technology.

Innovative aspects: the system makes it possible to use 
a panel solar system at its maximum power permanently 
without the use of an MPPT algorithm.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: combined heat and power, 
electrical equipment, renewable energy.

Collaboration sought: licence agreement.

Result ID: 42252

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

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Preventing power plant corrosion

European engineers have discovered how to avoid corrosion problems when 
burning meat and bone meal (MBM) in power plants, thereby allowing more 
environmentally and economically efficient use of this biomass resource.

MBM is one of many by-products of the
slaughter industry produced by render-
ing plants. Due to its high protein content,
MBM was, until recently, used as animal
feed. However, following the investigations
into mad cow disease, formally known as
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE),
MBM was prohibited as animal feed.

Rather than condemning MBM to landfills,
where it poses an environmental and health
threat, European scientists started burning
it in power plants to produce electricity.
MBM is an ideal form of biomass due to
its high energy content. However, it also
contains chlorine, calcium and phosphor,

all of which contribute to the corrosion of
the power plant.

The FP5 programme EESD funded the
FBCOBIOW consortium to learn how to
overcome these drawbacks. They experi-
mented with various types of coal burned
in combination with MBM. An 80 MW
power plant, outfitted with fluidised bed
combustion (FBC) technology, served as
their test bed.

Traditional high volatile bituminous
(HVB) coal proved problematic as alkali
metals served to transport the chlorine
to the boiler where it caused significant

Solar-assisted building cooling using 
a dry-cooled absorption heat pump

A university in Madrid, Spain, has developed a cooling system based 
on absorption heat pumps. This technology overcomes the technical 
limitations of the currently available commercial systems, which lose 
efficiency as ambient temperature increases. This novel system overcomes 
this barrier, and does not require a wet cooling tower to operate. 

Air conditioning dwellings and buildings
is highly energy-consuming, and causes
electricity peak demands that are worry-
ing. The university’s engineering group has
developed a system at a pre-commercial
stage that allows heating and air condition-
ing of inhabited spaces using waste heat or
heat coming from plane solar collectors or
high-efficiency variants. This energy can be
complemented or substituted by natural gas,
if required. For the disposal of residual heat,
there is no need of a wet cooling tower, so
that the risk of Legionella bacteria is avoided.
The power of the machine has been reduced
to 10 kW and the size is compact.

The absorption machines, using natural
refrigerants, do not threaten the ozone layer
(Montreal protocol), nor do they consume
primary fossil energies. This novel system
consumes mainly heat and a small fraction
of electricity. It offers the possibility of using
renewable energies, distributed natural gas
or liquefied petroleum gas so that electricity
peak saving is achieved.

This technology offers the possibility of
reducing the energy demand of buildings
both supplying cold in summer and heat
in winter in a sustainable way. The system
increases the return on the investment

Light flow control for high-pressure street lamps

A company in Italy has developed a system that monitors and controls 
the light flow for high-pressure street lamps. The system allows saving 
electric energy and facilitates the maintenance procedure by noticing 
system faults and signalling them to the maintenance operator. 

Due to its activity in the area of design and
research of innovative elements, a small Italian
company active in the communication field
since the second half of 1990 has adopted plans
for the production of devices using the surface
mounting technology (SMT), with low and
competitive prices on the national market.

The company has developed a system
that monitors and controls the light
flow for high-pressure street lamps. It
saves electrical energy and facilitates the
maintenance of electrical plants by sig-
nalling possible faults to the responsible
operator.

damage. What proved to be the key was
co-firing coal with a high aluminium sili-
cate content. The FBCOBIOW consortium
also highlighted the importance of not pre-
treating coal with potassium or other sub-
stances that can deactivate the aluminium
silicate.

This work will enable wider adoption of
MBM as a viable biomass substitute for
coal and other fossil fuels, thereby helping
to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases
and other harmful pollutants. Its economic
viability is also aided by the fact that many
rendering plants must pay to have the MBM
disposed of.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3107

in thermal solar energy panels in sum-
mer (when hot water demand is low) and
also avoids possible damage to the panels
through overloading.

Prototypes of this air conditioning system
are currently being tested in Madrid, with
promising results. They are compact and
built with current manufacturing technol-
ogies, but further efforts to reduce the cost
and the size are needed.

The university is seeking commercial part-
ners to collaborate in the further develop-
ment of the current prototype into a mar-
ketable device.

Innovative aspects: more efficient absorption machine; 
does not consume water; does not need a cooling tower; 
compact in design; available down to single-family housing.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: recycling technologies, renewable 
energy, solar energy, waste heat recovery.

Result ID: 42120

The technology is constituted by a current
sensor, a brightness sensor and telecom-
munication equipment (802.15.4 standard)
that creates a meshed network of analogous
devices.

The systems currently in use set the whole
power supply line of the lamps without con-
sidering the state of individual lamps. The pro-
posed system allows a regulation of the power
absorbed by the individual lamps through an
action of linear reduction of the supply tension

continued on page 19

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Burning biofuel in conventional power plants

Power plants emit many dangerous substances. Work by ENEL, Italy’s largest 
energy producer, is ensuring that the emissions controls designed to eliminate 
nitrogen oxide emissions don’t allow toxic metals to escape to the atmosphere.

Production of electricity is one of the main
culprits in terms of emissions of gaseous
and particulate pollutants. It has therefore
been the target of a great deal of research.
One proposal that has drawn attention is the
combustion of biofuel in combination with
coal in power plants. Since biofuel is a natural,
cleaner, renewable source of energy, pollutant
emissions are expected to decrease.

The EESD programme sponsored the
Tomered project, which brought together
15 organisations including ENEL. During
Tomered, ENEL investigated how emissions
of toxic metals, such as mercury, would be
affected by introducing biofuel.

The scope of their work involved determin-
ing how mercury emissions are affected by
various in-furnace nitrogen oxide (NOx)
controls, such as over-firing air (OFA) sys-
tems. Measurements of mercury concentra-
tions at various stages in the combustion
process were analysed by ENEL and have
led to an improved understanding of the
complex physical and chemical processes
involved.

The main finding was that toxic metal
emissions are dependent on the amount of
unburnt carbon (UBC) present in the fly
ash. The more UBC, the greater the poten-
tial for mercury removal via oxidation

Novel membrane helps extract 
cleaner-burning fuel from natural gas

A microporous ceramic membrane invented by the Energy 
Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) will enhance 
the production of alternative, environmentally friendly fuels.

The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process was ori-
ginally developed in Germany, where it was
used to transform the country’s coal reserves
into much needed liquid fuel during World
War II. Today, the FT process is still highly
relevant as a gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel forma-
tion process.

The ECN and its nine partners in the
LTCPO-GTL project set out to improve
upon current state of the art in GTL fuel
formation. They targeted the transform-
ation of natural gas, which is already one
of the cleaner fossil fuels in compari-
son to coal and oil, into a low-emission
liquid fuel.

One of the by-products of the FT reactions
is water. Membranes have proven extremely
valuable in facilitating the removal of this
excess water through the process of per-
vaporation. Scientists with the ECN devel-
oped the production process for a new
microporous ceramic membrane that out-
performs its polymeric counterparts cur-
rently on the market.

The novel membrane is based on a tubular
construction and can be extended up to 1 m
in length and can reach a total surface area of
up to 5 m2. The ability of the new membrane
to effectively dehydrate organic materials was
demonstrated in the laboratory. Feedback

continued from page 18 ‘Light flow control for high-pressure street lamps’

chemistry. Other factors, such as residence
time and the amount of cooling of the flue
gas, were also important.

ENEL compiled the data, their analysis and
the conclusions into a summary report that
is available from the Tomered consortium
upon request. It marks an important step
toward cleaner power plants.

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Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3086

from these tests is being used to improve the
original LTCPO-GTL prototype.

In the context of LTCPO-GTL, the mem-
branes are being used to create cleaner fuels
that will benefit the environment. In addition
to the FT process, the membranes are suit-
able for many other dewatering applications.
The ECN is now looking to take advantage of
these favourable market conditions.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3068

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according to cycles that can be programmed in
value and in time and depending on the esti-
mated traffic flows or on an external control
signal. Besides, data produced by the single
nodes are delivered toward a GSM concentra-
tor for collection and analysis. An alert can also
be given for any faults in acquiring nodes.

The following possibilities are provided
through the local interface of the concen-
trator or through a GSM connection:
•

scheduling the beginning of the process of
control of every point;

•

•

scheduling continuous monitoring of the
lighting state from a particular point in
time;
starting continuous monitoring of anom-
alies in single elements to be signalled in
real time to a supervisor.

The company is interested in finding an
industrial partner to integrate the system
inside other devices (commercial agree-
ment with technical assistance).

Innovative aspects: the proposed system is innovative with 
regard to the modular structure and the possibility to control 
every single point in an installation; the system allows to set 
the installation according to the foreseen traffic flows or to an 
external signal of control, to save up to 40 % of energy with 
positive environmental effects, to be installed in existing structures 
without additional work, also with lamps of different kinds, to 
perform the maintenance at the right time without carrying out a 
reconnaissance of installations and to have a uniform flow of light 
over the roadway, thus increasing safety and comfort.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: instruments and measuring 
equipment, manufacturing control systems, waste heat recovery.

Collaboration sought: assembly, engineering, technical consultancy.

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

Result ID: 42112

19

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•

•

•

the generated hydrogen is directly usable
in car engines;
hydrogen gas can be generated at any pres-
sure (tested up to 600 bars);
no need for an external electric source to
produce hydrogen, like in an electrolytic
hydrogen production process.

The process is patented and the laboratory
is looking for industrial partners interested
in further development as well as for licence
agreements or financial resources.

Innovative aspects: hydrogen is generated by a chemical reaction 
from formic acid under mild conditions in aqueous medium; 
the generated hydrogen is directly usable in fuel cells; 
temperature range for the reaction ranges between 25 and 120 °C; 
optimal temperature is around 80 °C; hydrogen generation 
at a very high rate, perfectly controllable, either in batch 
or in continuous mode; the generated hydrogen is completely 
free from CO traces and can be easily separated from CO2.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: industrial chemicals, renewable energy.

Collaboration sought: financial support, joint further 
development, licence agreement, testing of new applications.

Result ID: 42429

Innovative aspects: may be installed on any type of heat exchanger, 
for any type of thermal energy source; installation does not require 
tools or the intervention of a plumber or fitter; can be installed in 
1 min; by using a heat exchanger equipped with this device, the 
room is heated more rapidly than using a radiator without this 
device; solves the temperature problem in rooms with small heat 
exchangers; when the central heating is changed with the new 
one working in condensation or with a heat pump, by using these 
devices it is not necessary to also change the heat exchangers; it is a 
modular device — for small radiators it is possible to allocate many 
devices; the cost of a device may be insignificant (about EUR 20).

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: 
energy sources, retail, waste heat recovery.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement, licence agreement.

Result ID: 42426

Cost-effective process for continuous 
high-pressure hydrogen generation

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A research laboratory from a Swiss engineering school has developed 
a cost-effective process to produce hydrogen at the desired pressure from 
formic acid in a homogeneous catalytic reaction. Hydrogen is directly 
usable in fuel cells and does not need to be transported or stocked. 

Hydrogen generation is becoming a key
issue, notably with regard to fuel cells. The
system developed by the research labora-
tory allows hydrogen generation in  situ
from formic acid in batch or continuous
mode.

The hydrogen is generated in a homoge-
neous catalytic reaction in aqueous medium.
The reaction does not require any par-
ticular condition. By this process, hydro-
gen can be recovered at any pressure, from
0.5 to 600 atmosphere (adjustable partial
pressure, which is important for fuel cells),
or higher if necessary. The hydrogen gen-
eration rate is high and well controllable.
Moreover, the hydrogen obtained is com-
pletely free from carbon monoxide (CO)

traces, a poison for fuel cells, and can
easily be separated from carbon dioxide
(CO2).

Laboratory tests have been performed in
high-pressure laboratory reactors (Parr),
with hydrogen production up to 30 litres of
hydrogen gas volume per minute and litre of
reactor volume (60 litres of gas mixture per
minute and litre of reactor volume), up to
600 bar hydrogen partial pressure.

Main advantages:
•

no need for transport and storage of
hydrogen gas under high pressure (or low
temperature liquid hydrogen);
this hydrogen fuel is very economical and
ecological;

•

Device for heat exchanger 
thermal power increase

A Romanian inventor has developed a device designed to increase the thermal 
power of heat exchangers. The device facilitates heat exchange, reduces the 
needed dimensions of heat exchangers and decreases the cost of thermal power. 

The device may be used with existing heat
equipments and also with new installations.
When the device is used with new installa-
tions, the dimensions of the heat exchanger,
and consequently the investment expenses,
can be reduced.

When the device is used with existing heat
installations, benefits include the increase of
air temperature in the rooms and reduction
of thermal energy cost. At the same time, in
the case of an existing central heating plant, by
using these devices the result will be an increase
of its capability and smaller invoices for the
same temperature in the rooms. In short: a few
additional degrees at a cheaper price.

A very important application of the device is
when it is employed to convert the classical
central heating plant into a new and modern
one, working with condensation or using a
heat pump: this type of central heating usu-
ally requires bigger heat exchangers, but by
using these devices it is possible to keep the
old heat exchangers.

Main advantages:
•
•

reduction of investment expenses;
reduction of costs for thermal energy.

Medals and distinctions obtained by the
invention:
•

gold medal at the International Exhibition
of Inventions (Lyon, France, 2005);
special trophy of the Romanian Educa-
tion and Research Ministry and diploma
of excellence at the Inventika exhibition
(Bucharest, 2005);
gold medal (Eureka, 2005);
special prize of the Belgian Inventors
Association (Brussels,
2005);
special prize of the
Polish Inventors As-
sociation (Brussels,
2005);
gold medal and jury’s
congratulations (Geneva,
2006);
special prize of the
Hungarian Inventors
Association (Geneva,
2006).

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The inventor is looking for
industrial manufacturers
interested in the produc-
tion and distribution of
such devices.

20

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CRTD_60.indd   20

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North Atlantic margin modelling 
for integrated sub-basalt imaging

A realistic 3D velocity model allowing overall assessment of the sub-basalt 
imaging problems via synthetic wave simulations has been developed.

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ENVIRONMENT

Thick sequences of basalt flows extruded during the continental 
break-up and seafloor spreading cover pre-existing sedimentary 
basins of interest for hydrocarbon exploitation. The conventional 
seismic exploration of these deep offshore targets has encoun-
tered difficulties as the basalt reflects and scatters seismic signals, 
masking the characteristics of the underlying structure. Non-seis-
mic methods arising from the convergence of technical develop-
ments have been successful in improving the understanding of 
the overall structure’s geometry.

Urged by the need for comprehensive characterisation of hydro-
carbon reservoirs and pollution assessment in subsurface envir-
onments, the SIMBA research network sought to explore the 
effective integration of seismic and non-seismic data. For this 
purpose, significant effort was devoted to designing a high-reso-
lution 3D model of a typical example of volcanic margin, based 
on information extracted from real data.

Specifically, the North Atlantic margin was studied with different 
field methods, including magnetotellurics investigations, inver-
sion of satellite gravity measurements and regional geological 

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maps,  to  pro-
vide  data  com-
plementary  to 
the seismic. The pre- and post-basalt interfaces were obtained 
from the interpretation of seismic signals reflection data. The lack 
of clearly defined knowledge of small-scale heterogeneities and 
individual flows were, in contrast, resolved using statistical infor-
mation from borehole sonic and density logs.

The detailed model was used to generate accurate seismic and 
non-seismic synthetic data to test different data acquisition and 
processing techniques. The results obtained will enable the devel-
opment of effective strategies for geological and geophysical 
data into a common methodology and improve the sub-basalt 
imaging quality. The model and the data may be made available 
to the public by the project partners upon request.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD (Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Modelling a biomass gasifier

An Italian university has employed a mathematical model 
to support the development of a new procedure that cleanses 
wastewater produced during biomass gasification.

Even biofuel is not without its environmental
concerns. During the gasification process,
which converts biomass into producer gas for
use in power plants, excess organic materials
accumulate in the gasifier. Wet scrubbing helps
remove these pollutants, but the result is a heav-
ily contaminated liquid effluent called tarwater.

The partners in the DE-TAR project com-
bined their skills and experience to address the
tarwater problem in the hope of removing a
significant obstacle to the adoption of biomass
throughout Europe. The research focused on a

new treatment known as supercritical wet oxi-
dation/gasification (SCWO/G).

The Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
in Italy performed several computer simula-
tions that proved extremely helpful in guid-
ing the development of the SCWO/G meth-
odology. A mathematical model was created
that describes the reaction kinetics and trans-
port physics occurring within the gasifier.

Experimental data collected with DE-TAR’s
pilot process development unit, which

Bioaugmentation and soil management

The Access project has implemented bioaugmentation protocols 
to improve herbicide removal in soils. The bioaugmentation protocol 
serves to assess the performance of the specialised catabolic strains 
both in the herbicide removal rate and in strain survival.

To assess the effect of bioaugmentation
on soil bacterial population, the bioaug-
mentation protocol can be combined with
culture-independent tools and approaches
also developed within the framework of
this project. The bioaugmentation proto-
col can be applied for strains catabolising
either s-triazine herbicides, such as atrazine
or simazine, or chlorinated phenoxyalka-

noic herbicides such as 2,4-dichlorophen-
oxyacetate. Use of soil microcosm studies
as a previous step before field studies is
recommended.

Procedures to test abiotic factor effects in
both herbicide removal rates and strain sur-
vival, such as lixiviation and soil sterilisation
through irradiation, are also considered.

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3085

produces up to 60 kg of effluent per hour,
were used to validate the model. In turn,
the model was used to gauge the impact of
various operating parameters, such as inlet
temperature, flow rates and so on.

The model output compared well with field
data and confirmed the parameterisations that
were applied within the model. The DE-TAR
consortium is hoping to build on these
initial results and eventually to construct
an industrial-scale gasifier using the SCWO/G
technology.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3083

Some soil management procedures such as
use of plants, use of nitrogen source, or add-
ition of antimicrobial compounds are also
addressed. Although tested in three types
of soils, and five different catabolic strains,
the use of these protocols can be extended to
other soils and catabolic strains.

Funded under the FP5 programme INCO 2 
(Confirming the international role of Community research).

Potential market applications: animal or plant breeding.

Collaboration sought:  further research or 
development support — available for consultancy.

Result ID: 42609

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Earth observation of snow cover 
areas — new resources for skiers?

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The temporal development of the spectral reflectance of snow due to snow 
metamorphosis and variable contents of impurities, the anisotropic effects 
in the snow reflectance and the variable reflectance of the bare ground 
all make precise measurements of the fractional snow cover area (FSCA) 
challenging. In addition, variable local acquisition and illumination 
geometry varies due to sun elevation, topography and observation angle. 

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No algorithm so far had been able to give
accurate results through the whole melting
season. A new algorithm developed by the
EESD project Envisnow takes all the men-
tioned effects into account and thereby makes
very precise estimates of the fractional SCA.

The concept assumes a day-to-day moni-
toring of the snow from winter conditions
until all snow has melted. The developing
spectrum of the snow is both observed
by satellite sensors, giving samples of the
bidirectional reflectance distribution func-
tion (BRDF), and modelled by including an
empirical snow metamorphosis model and
a snow impurity model giving full BRDF.
Snow impurity development and snow
metamorphosis models are used to infer the
development of the snow albedo.

The impurity model takes account of the
typical impurity development based on time,
land surface cover type and bare-ground
fraction. The metamorphosis model fol-
lows a similar scheme based on time. The
predicted snow spectrum and the local bare-
ground spectrum are applied in a linear spec-
tral unmixing algorithm to estimate the area
fraction of snow (FSCA) and bare ground. By
using predicted spectra for the current situ-
ation and not a pool of all possible spectra,
the result is more accurate and reliable.

The surface temperature of snow (STS) is
a geophysical parameter that is relevant for
hydrological modelling of the snow melting
as well as for climatic monitoring. Retrieval
of STS by means of satellite remote sens-
ing is undertaken in the thermal part of the
spectrum. Snow surfaces are close to black-
bodies, but because of the atmosphere, the
brightness temperature observed from the
satellite will typically differ from the real
surface temperature of the snow cover. The
atmospheric attenuation depends on the
wavelength of the observed radiation, the
length of the atmospheric path between the
surface and the satellite, and the chemical
composition of the atmosphere.

Methods for retrieving STS from earth obser-
vation data typically combine observations
in different spectral bands or from different
view angles. The researchers identified Key’s
algorithm as one of the best single-view tech-
niques for polar atmospheres, and it can be
applied on moderate-resolution imaging spec-
troradiometer (MODIS) as well as advanced
very-high-resolution radiometer (AVHRR)
data. The algorithm was tailored to the snow
application and validated using field data and
meteorological measurement stations.

Snow wetness is an important indicator
in hydrology for snow melt onset and the

Analysis of the temporal variability 
of the spatial distribution of snow

A simulation exercise has been performed in order to study 
the temporal development of snow-covered area and the spatial 
distribution of snow water equivalent (SWE).

Special consideration was paid to how the
properties of the spatial statistical distribu-
tion change as a response to accumulation
and ablation events. A distributed rainfall-
runoff model at a resolution of 1 x 1 km
was run with time series of precipitation
and temperature fields of the same spatial
resolution derived from the high-resolu-
tion limited area (atmospheric) model
(Hirlam).

The precipitation fields were disaggregated
and the temperature fields interpolated.
Time series of the spatial distribution of

snow water equivalent and snow-covered
area for three seasons for catchments in
Norway were generated. The size of the
catchments was 3 085 km2 and two rec-
tangular sub-areas of 484 km2 were located
within the larger catchments.

The results show that the shape of the spa-
tial distribution of SWE for all three areas
changes during the winter. The distribution
is very skewed at the start of the accumula-
tion season, then the skew decreases during
the accumulation season, and as the ablation
season sets in, the spatial distribution again

development of the snow melt process. The
approach developed by Envisnow is to infer
wet snow from a combination of measure-
ments of STS and snow grain size (SGS) in
a time series of observations. The tempera-
ture observations give a good indication of
where wet snow potentially may be present,
but in themselves are not accurate enough
to provide very strong evidence of wet snow.
However, a strong indication of a wet snow
surface is a rapid increase of the effective
grain size observed simultaneously with a
snow surface temperature of approximately
0 °C. The research team also developed an
algorithm applying this approach to infer
coarse snow wetness classes. The algorithm
has been validated using field data and
meteorological measurement stations.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Potential market applications: environmental monitoring.

Collaboration sought: licence agreement.

Result ID: 42338

becomes more skewed with a maximum
near the end of the ablation season. For one
of the sub-areas, the research team found
a consistently more skewed distribution of
SWE, which is addressed to higher vari-
ability in precipitation.

This indicates that observed differences in
the spatial distribution of snow between
alpine and forested areas can be a result
of the differences in the spatial variability
of precipitation. The results obtained from
the simulation exercise are consistent with
a new approach of modelling the spatial
distribution of SWE as summations of a
gamma-distributed variable.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Result ID: 42324

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Multi-sensor time series snow cover algorithms

Frequent mapping of snow parameters, like snow cover area (SCA), 
is important for applications in hydrology and climatology. 

The objective is to analyse, on a daily basis, a
time series of optical and synthetic aperture
radar (SAR) data together producing sensor-
independent products. A multi-sensor SCA
product has been defined and a prototype pro-
duction line has been developed to automat-
ically perform data retrieval, pre-processing,
parameter retrieval and product generation.

The approach is to analyse each satellite
image individually and then first to combine

them into a day product. How each image
contributes to the day product is control-
led by a pixel-by-pixel confidence value that
is computed for each image analysed. The
confidence algorithm may take into account
information about the local observation
angle or instantaneous field of view (IFOV)
size, probability of clouds, prior information
about snow state etc. The time series of day
products are then combined into a multi-
sensor and multi-temporal product.

Algorithm for assimilation of snow cover area 
observations into a hydrological model

A method for the assimilation of snow cover area (SCA) satellite observations into 
the hydrological model was developed. The method is based on the correction of 
the simulations of SCA by hydrological model to agree with the observed SCA.

The hydrological model was improved to
simulate the SCA by using the elevation and
slope information from the digital eleva-
tion model (DEM). The elevation has an
effect on both snow accumulation by lower
air temperatures and more precipitation on
higher elevations and snow melt by delay
in melting on higher elevations due to the
lower air temperatures. The elevation effect
is simulated in the improved hydrological
model in order to simulate the spatial vari-
ability of the accumulation and melting of the
snow cover that allows simulating the SCA.

to the assimilation of other data (such as dis-
charge, water level and snow water equivalent).
The task of the data assimilation procedure is
to correct the simulation of the hydrological
model to agree with all these observations.
The SCA observations are used to correct the
simulated amount of the snow water storage to
agree with the real snow water storage, which
is not observable due to the spatial variability
of the snow cover properties. Using the SCA
observations in the hydrological model is a
large step ahead towards the spatially distrib-
uted snow cover simulation.

The combination of products is done on a
pixel-by-pixel basis and controlled by each
individual product or pixel’s confidence
value and a decay function of time. The
‘multi-product’ is then to represent the most
likely status of the SCA.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Potential market applications: environmental monitoring.

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Result ID: 42339

without SCA observations. The SCA observa-
tions were available for the springs 2001–05.

The observations from springs 2001–03 were
used for the calibration of the model. The data
from spring 2004 was used to test the effect of
the SCA observations on the accuracy of the
forecasts. The hydrological model was run
in two versions with and without using the
SCA observations and the simulated flood
forecasts were compared. Since spring 2005,
the developed method is used in the Finnish
operational hydrological forecasting system
SYKE-WSFS. The real-time flood forecasts
are made for the whole territory of Finland,
including cross-boundary watersheds, i.e. a
total area of 390 000 km2.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Potential market applications: animal 
or plant breeding, environmental monitoring.

The method of data assimilation in the hydro-
logical model is improved by adding the
assimilation procedure of SCA observations

The effect of the SCA observations on the
accuracy of the forecasts was tested by mak-
ing forecasts over the spring period with and

Collaboration sought: further research or development support

Result ID: 42336

Automatic operational geocoding in Envisat 
ASAR, ERS and Radarsat modes

Norut IT has developed a set of methods and software for geocoding and 
calibration of data from satellite-borne synthetic aperture radars (SARs). 

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The software is
a d apte d to t h e
processing system
of the Envisnow
project and works
automatically for
specified data from
the Envisat ASAR,
ERS-1 and ERS-2
a n d R a d a r s a t
instruments. The
tools are mainly
implemented in
the program lan-
guages Envi/IDL

under a common framework. Parts of the
system were separated as pre-compiled
c-routines. The output was a geocoded
and calibrated SAR image on a selected
projection.

The system is based on using SAR data as
input. In addition, it requires input from a
digital elevation model of the area covered
by the SAR image.

The methods as such are generic and adapt-
able for several existing and future SAR
sensors, as well as for different geographical
regions. Today, the system has been limited

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

to certain geographical regions (mountain-
ous parts of southern Norway), and to cer-
tain sensors and sensor modes (ERS, Envisat
and Radarsat). It is, however, relatively easy
to extend the system to other regions and
other sensors.

Norut IT intends to exploit the geocoding
software in future applications and for com-
mercial applications. A continuous develop-
ment of the software and adaptation to new
SAR instruments and new locations are
foreseen.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD 
(Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Potential market applications: environmental monitoring.

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Result ID: 42327

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Deep geological disposal of radioactive waste

The findings of a recent study by the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate 
(SKI) indicate that current radionuclide transport models are sufficient. 
More information is available in a summary report.

One of the major problems with nuclear
power plants is what to do with the spent
fuel rods. Their levels of radioactivity are
so high that several 1 000 years must pass
before they are safe for the environment.
Until then they must be isolated.

Deep geological disposal has risen to the
fore as the most pragmatic solution to the
nuclear waste management issue, beating
out deep sea burial and dumping in outer
space. The critical weakness in geological
disposal is the threat of leakage of radionu-
clides outside the repository.

Research supported by the Euratom research
and training programme in the field of
nuclear energy focused on the geosphere,
the buffer region between the repository and
the biosphere. In the context of the Retrock

project, SKI gauged the suitability of today’s
computer models to correctly assess the risk
for any particular site.

The most important processes to be simu-
lated include radioactive decay, transport
and phenomena that describe how the radio-
nuclides escape in the gas, liquid and solid
phases. The results of SKI’s work show that
there are no glaring weaknesses in the cur-
rent assumptions. They also outlined what
organisations can do when insufficient data
regarding the geological characterisation of
the site are available. Finally, a consensus
was reached regarding the next steps for
furthering model development.

SKI’s research has been compiled in a report
(EUR 21230 EN), which is available on the
Retrock website. The report will be useful

Remediation technology for combined 
biological and chemical elimination 
of damage to soils and subsoil waters

A Hungarian SME offers a combined biological and chemical remediation 
technology for companies interested in remediation technologies. 

The offered technology can be used in the in 
situ elimination of damages occurred in soils
and groundwaters. It is suitable for an effec-
tive, environmentally friendly elimination of
damages caused by benzene, toluene, ethyl-
benzene and xylol (BTEX) and methyl-ter-
tiary-butylether (MTBE) contaminations, as
well as by heavy or dead oil.

The company is dealing with the develop-
ment of chemical and biological technol-
ogies applied in the field of environmental
protection, with ecological consultancy and
with the preparation of proposals.

The traditional,  ex  situ methods for the
elimination of damages require removal
and transportation of the contaminated soil
or subsoil water, i.e. an extraordinarily cost-
and time-consuming procedure.

Moreover, the contaminated soil is quali-
fied as dangerous waste to be transported
and stored accordingly. A further dif-
ficulty arising is that a utilisation of the
area in question for any agricultural,
industrial or commercial purpose is ren-
dered impossible for years, or a total ter-
mination of the activities conducted in the
area in question is required. In case of a

contaminated soil, the entire area must be
dug up, a procedure resulting in substan-
tial income losses for the owner during
the damage elimination period.

The suggested technology allows an elimi-
nation of the BTEX and MTBE contami-
nations caused by the fuel having run
out of leaky reservoirs with limited soil
works. The fact-finding performed on the
site starts with soil sampling, followed by
a laboratory testing of the samples and
an evaluation of the test results. The test
results constitute the basis for setting up
the optimum consortium of all BTEX and
MTBE decomposition bacteria as bio-
logical inoculums. The necessary quan-
tity of bacterial inoculums is produced
by means of fermentation. They are intro-
duced into the contaminated soil with
the purpose of biological remediation
through pipes applied at various inter-
vention points situated beside each other.
The pipes are closed down by removable
pavement plates so they do not disturb
traffic. Beside the bacterial inoculums, a
retard oxygen source (peroxide) releasing
oxygen at a controllable speed is also used
for the biological and chemical remedia-
tion. The oxygen causes an enrichment of

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for organisations carrying out performance
assessments for potential deep geological
disposal sites.

Funded within the Euratom research and training 
programme in the field of nuclear energy.

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
information exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3065

the bacteria, enabling them to decompose
the contaminations earlier.

The quantity of the introduced bacterium
stocks as well as that of the peroxide util-
ised are optimised during the combined
biological and chemical remediation.
Additionally, the local possibilities (e.g.
coverage by buildings) are also taken into
consideration. The measurement data are
analysed by software. The offered technol-
ogy is suitable for the cleaning of a soil or
subsoil water contaminated by any type
of hydrocarbon (e.g. aliphatic, aromatic,
poly-aromatic).

The company seeks a cooperation partner
to sign a technical, manufacturing or com-
mercial agreement.

Innovative aspects: combined (biological and chemical) 
procedures are also currently used for the remediation 
of soils and subsoil waters contaminated with diesel oil 
derivates; however, there is no procedure available for the 
remediation of soils and subsoil waters contaminated 
with BTEX, as a decomposition of these substances is 
more complicated than that of the diesel oil derivates; 
the procedure is cost-effective, because the owner 
of the project does not suffer any income loss during 
the remediation period.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: recycling technologies, 
waste management (non-radioactive).

Collaboration sought: joint further development, 
testing of new applications, transfer of knowledge 
in new raw materials, technical consultancy.

Result ID: 42440

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Assessing the hazards of using 
allelochemicals in crops

Aiming at exploring the environmental and toxicological consequences 
of using allelopathy strategies in crops, the Fateallchem project studied 
the synthesis and degradation products of derivatives of natural 
allelochemicals.

Allelopathy strategies offer control of weeds,
insects and diseases by suppressing a plant’s
growth through release of toxins from
another plant of the same or another spe-
cies. Until now, their harmful impact on the
environment and ecosystems has not been
studied in detail.

Allelopathic compounds have already been
identified in wheat, one of the major crops
in Europe. Urged by these findings, the
Fateallchem project focused on studying
the environmental and human risk related
to the widespread use of allelopathic wheat.
The results will contribute to the develop-
ment of a framework for future assessments
of allelopathic crops.

Various geo-environmental factors, such
as the amount of nutrients in the soil and
climatic parameters including tempera-
ture and solar radiation, may affect the
content of allelochemicals. For this rea-
son, researchers investigated the amount
of allelochemicals and their metabolites
in wheat of different origins and growth
under various climatic and environ-
mental conditions and in different farm-
ing systems.

Within this context, suitable protocols
for the synthetic derivation of wheat
allelochemicals and their main degrad-
ation products were carefully prepared.
Optimisations from previously reported

Measuring depth and floating obstacles at sea 
through analysis of sea clutter radar data 

A new method for measuring any kind of information extracted 
from waves has been developed. This radar gets its information 
by analysing the waste of normal x-band navigation radar, named 
sea clutter. The clutter becomes valuable information instead of 
distortion on the radar display. With this system, sea state, water 
depth, floating obstacles, ship wakes and oil spills can be measured. 

This technology developed by a Dutch
research company is an extension of a tech-
nology every vessel already has, namely a
radar system. Normal navigation radars work
by sending out a radio beam and displaying
the reflected signal. Large steel objects, like
ships, give a strong reflection of the radio

beam. However, waves also reflect the radio
beam sent by the x-band radar. These reflec-
tions are called sea clutter. Normally they are
filtered out. By using advanced mathematical
wave models to process the radar signal, the
clutter becomes valuable information instead
of distortion on the radar display.

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works and new procedures were also
included in order to improve the synthetic
methodologies.

The optimised synthetic methodologies
resulted in the derivation of compounds
belonging to three different structural
families. These included benzoxazi-
nones, hydroxyphenylmalonamic acids
and aminophenoxazinones coming from
the natural allelochemicals DIMBOA and
DIBOA. These underwent further studies
for the analysis, bioactivity evaluation and
determination of fate and toxicity of the
compounds.

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Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
manufacturing agreement, financial support, information 
exchange/training, private-public partnership.

Offer ID: 3042

This technology uses a stochastic model of
waves and their propagation to analyse the
sea clutter from normal x-band radar. This
analysis provides information about all fac-
tors influencing wave patterns, such as sea
state, water depth, ship wakes, whales, and
icebergs. The system can measure down to
a depth of 25 m.

The system is presented on one of the
workstations already available, and can be
displayed next to the usual navigational
information. The company is looking for
partners for further development as well as
end-users.

Innovative aspects: provides valuable information that 
has never been available on-board before; highly cost-effective; 
the system is responsible for a giant step ahead in safety and 
operation; all wave information measured is relevant and almost 
every small object can be seen in almost any circumstance, in 
addition to the currently used radars or echo sounders; advanced 
detection of seabed obstacles, moving sandbanks and so forth 
can prevent damage to a ship and its equipment in unfamiliar 
or changing environments and also small objects, like rubber 
speedboats, can be seen on the radar, thus offering additional 
protection against piracy or smuggling; the system is presented 
on one of the workstations already available, and can be displayed 
next to the usual navigational information, which means that it is a 
relatively easy addition that provides highly valuable information.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: aerospace, animal or plant breeding, 
electronic mail, measurement systems, road and rail vehicles, 
ship and boat building, waste management (non-radioactive).

Collaboration sought: joint further development, 
testing of new applications.

Result ID: 42557

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Oil slick collection and removal system

A Scottish SME has conceived a greatly improved oil boom recovery 
system for deployment in the sea, lakes, rivers or canals. 

Conventional oil recovery systems are essen-
tially surface-piercing booms used to gather
spilled oil prior to recovery, storage and
subsequent disposal. They are only effective
where the speed of the contaminated cur-
rent relative to the collection system does
not exceed one knot and at this speed, few
vessels can manoeuvre effectively. At higher
speeds, the collected oil escapes from the
retaining barrier. Using existing methods,
recovery of 10 % of the spilled oil is regarded
as excellent, with 3 % being a more typical
figure.

The oil slick collection and removal sys-
tem comprises an oil boom and skirt with
a membrane of heavy plastic material form-
ing an enclosure or lagoon beneath, situated
at the apex and attached to the boom. The
lagoon is created by having a cross-boom or

weir connecting the two sides of the arc at
a point about halfway down each side. The
plastic skirts which hang from the side and
cross-booms are attached to a flexible plastic
membrane to create the collection sac.

When the unit is towed through the water,
the weir submerges, creating a current that
diverts the contaminated surface water over
it, allowing the clean below-surface water to
pass away.

Within the sac, the oil gathers on the surface
for disposal in exactly the same way as with
conventional systems. Submerged vents in
the sac allow the evacuation of clean water.

Trials of a half-scale model indicate that
a 500 % improvement in operating speed
compared to existing boom containment

Brand-new approach to water 
resources management

A new flexible system for water resources management has been developed. 
The system allows taking into account all processes and influencing factors in 
a water body and in its reservoir. It measures data in continuous mode, saves 
and analyses them and uses them for the mathematical modelling. 

The sustainable use of water resources tends
to be a vital issue worldwide because of the
growing human impact and increasing
demand for drinking water. Thus, regular
monitoring as well as protection and emer-
gency planning are needed to conserve the
ecological equilibrium of the water bodies.

The system, developed by a German
SME, is an interdependent monitoring
and forecasting tool designed for water
resources management. It is based on a
mathematical model that uses data of the
hydrologic, hydro-chemical, hydro-bio-

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systems can be achieved without any signifi-
cant increase in manufacturing cost. Effi-
ciency of collection is more than 10 times
greater.

The company is seeking partners to develop
the system for production, manufacture and
market.

Innovative aspects: can operate at five times the towing speed of 
conventional systems; operationally, the increased speed through 
the water permits five times more contaminated surface to be 
swept in the same time; the anticipated reduction in oil escaping 
from the system will also greatly increase the recovery factor with 
comparison to conventional barriers; the overall effect is to bring 
the cost of physical recovery down to a level broadly comparable 
with that of chemical dispersal; such a product 
has enormous commercial appeal.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: recycling technologies, 
waste management (non-radioactive).

Collaboration sought: adaptation to specific needs, 
engineering, joint further development, licence 
agreement, testing of new applications.

Result ID: 42277

logical and microbiological monitoring
of a water body.

The essential novelty of the system and its
difference to other systems on the market
is its concept of a permanent comprising, of
a close interconnection between a continu-
ous monitoring and a mathematical model
of a water body in rivers, lakes, reservoirs
and sea coastal zones. The system processes
measured data in continuous mode, saves
and analyses them and uses them for the
mathematical modelling.

The company is looking for partners willing
to adapt and implement the system. Tech-
nical cooperation, commercial agreements
with technical assistance or a financial
agreement would be of interest.

Innovative aspects: the continuous monitoring identifies each of 
the pollution sources and its impact on the water quality formation, 
thus water quality deterioration can be thoroughly studied and the 
most appropriate sanitation and ecology improvement strategy 
can be elaborated; a new approach to water body monitoring and 
forecasting; original techniques of empirically proven effectiveness; 
the efficiency of any water protection plan increases; the risks of 
emergency (due to man-made or natural disasters) are forecasted 
and reduced, where possible; surface waters and groundwaters are 
used more effectively; the costs are considerably reduced because 
there is no need to implement lots of single-target projects.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: services, waste management (non-
radioactive), waste management (radioactive), water treatment.

Collaboration sought: engineering, financial support, joint venture 
agreement, technical consultancy, testing of new applications.

Result ID: 42418

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Plant responses to climate change

The EU-funded project ‘Vulnerability assessment of shrubland 
ecosystems in Europe under climatic changes’ (Vulcan) is investigating 
the effects of changes in the climate on the functioning of shrublands 
in order to support political decisions as well as management practices 
to sustain the quality of this habitat type in Europe. 

The project has presented results concern-
ing the vulnerability of European shrub-
land ecosystems and the rate and extent of
changes in these ecosystems as affected by
climate change.

to the treatments was thus very sensitive to
differences among sites (with the cold, wet
northern sites more sensitive to warming
and the warm, dry southern sites more sen-

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With regard to biomass production, the
experimental warming of approximately
1 ºC induced up to 100 % increase in
the aboveground biomass growth in the
northern sites, especially in the sites in
the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Direct and indirect effects of warming,
such as longer growth season (on average,
leaf unfolding was advanced by 15 days in
all sites) and increased nutrient availability,
were likely to be particularly important
in these northern sites, which tend to be
temperature-limited. No effect of drought
was found in the northern sites, which are
not water-limited. Instead, there was no
increase in total aboveground plant biomass
growth in the water-stressed southern sites,
as expected since warming increases water
loss and temperatures are already close
to the optimum for photosynthesis plant
productivity in those ecosystems. Instead,
the southern sites presented the most nega-
tive response to the drought treatment.
However, it was also noticeable that a wet
year such as 2002 allowed the drought
plots to recover even better than the con-
trol plots. Regarding changes in plant tis-
sue chemistry, the most outstanding result
was a decrease in the tissue P concentra-
tions with both warming and drought. The
magnitude of the plant biomass response

sitive to drought), seasons (plant processes
more sensitive to winter warming than dur-
ing summer) and species.

The effect of the treatments on root length
density was not found in the soil cores of 2002
containing old roots, but was observed in the
in-growth cores of 2003. The root length
density of the new-grown roots decreased
significantly. This was most clear in the
upper layer, but in the lower layer this trend
can also be seen. The warming treatment
showed the same trend: in 2003, a decreasing
tendency in most countries. The treatments
apparently affect the root length density,
which means that the capability of exploring
the soil for nutrients and water is affected.
Drought probably affects this capacity nega-
tively through the dying-off of fine roots. For
warming, the mechanism may be different:
increased organic matter decomposition may
improve the availability of nutrients and sub-
sequently reduce root growth.

As for community composition changes,
there were different responses in pheno-
logical advances and in growth depending
on species. These different responses have
changed the competitive ability of species
with likely community- and ecosystem-level
consequences, some of which have already

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been noted earlier by the Vulcan project. For
example, a decrease in seedling diversity in
the warming and especially in the drought
treatment was observed in a study of the
seedling recruitments in the Spanish site. In
the Welsh site, there was a progressive loss
of dominance of Empetrum nigrum, which
was negatively affected by winter warming,
whereas Calluna spp. increased its domi-
nance even more. In Denmark, there was
an interaction of warming and drought with
herbivore attack which was enhanced in
both treatments either because of enhanced
insect metabolism in warming or because of
enhanced larger consumption in response
to decreasing nutritional value and biomass
amount in drought. These changes induce a
shift in the composition of the plant com-
munity towards a decrease in biodiversity.
The community structural changes will
finally affect the ecosystem functioning
because they affect plant growth rates and
therefore carbon uptake or litter decompos-
ition and therefore nutrient availability.

Other findings concerned decreased plant
coverage and dry live fuel, erosion and
fire risk. The plant coverage decreased in
the drought plots in the southern sites of
Spain and Italy, thus increasing soil erosion
risk through a greater area of bare soil. The
decrease in plant productivity, reproduction
and recruitment means a reduced input of
organic matter to the soil and reduced soil
plant coverage, leading to a decrease of the
water retention capacity of the soil and to
increased erosion risk. This is a serious risk
for some areas of the Mediterranean region.
If the soil water content decreases, there is
also a decrease in the productivity of the
vegetation, further reducing the organic
matter input into the soil. Also related to
erosion risk, there is the fire risk which was
also increased under drought since there
were decreases in water input and soil water
content, increases in the ratio between dead
and live tissues, and decreases in the tissue
water content making the plant biomass or
‘live fuel’ more flammable. Although there
were no significant changes in the volatile
organic compounds (VOC) content under
the drought treatment, the increased VOC
emissions after warming may also enhance
the fire risk. In fact, in the last decades, there
has been a greater recurrence of fires partly
linked to these effects. Wildfires and erosion
are the current most important threads for
these shrublands.

Funded under the FP5 programme EESD
 (Environment, energy and sustainable development).

Potential market applications: animal or plant breeding, education, 
learning systems, distance teaching, forest management.

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Result ID: 42169

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Software sensors for continuous 
emission monitoring systems

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An Italian university has developed neural-based software sensors 
that could be considered as an alternative to the conventional analytical 
systems for the monitoring of power plant emissions. 

Replacing conventional analytical systems
with software sensor systems can result in
huge economical benefits: the fixed costs can
be cut by half, while the maintenance costs
can be reduced by more than two thirds. As
an alternative, the software sensors may be
used as backup or fault detection systems.

The proposed software sensor measures the
pollutant emissions, such as carbon mon-
oxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and
sulphur oxides (SOx), from power systems.
The software sensors are based on the use
of a simplified parametric model to estimate

primary and costly-to-measure process
variables (i.e. compositions) from easy-to-
measure process variables (i.e. flow-rates,
temperatures, pressures and so forth).

The core of the software sensors is consti-
tuted of models that are used to describe the
functional dependence of the targeted process
variable on the secondary (easy-to-measure)
process variables. In particular, the proposed
software sensors are based on neural network
modelling that provides a powerful modelling
environment for developing non-structured
process models, as proved by the large number

Rescue capsule

A Swedish SME has developed and offers a new rescue capsule made for fast and 
safe rescue operations, capable of performing even in extreme situations. In tests, 
the capsule, which can take more than 12 people, has already proved to be useful 
in combination with helicopter transports in operations over land and sea. 

After decades of research and tests, a Swed-
ish SME has invented and developed a multi-
purpose spherical rescue capsule that is cap-
able of housing 12 people sitting and some
standing. The rescue capsule is designed for
fast operation from either sea or land, and is
very strong, safe and fire-resistant. In addition
to providing rescue and shelter in emergency
situations, the capsule can also be useful in
combat situations in military applications.

The low weight of the capsule makes its man-
agement simple to the user, and its low centre
of gravity, self-stabilisation and unsinkable
properties — even filled with water — make
qualified rescue operations by helicopters
very fast in all weather. Some other technical
advantages of the capsule are:

•
•
•
•

•

•

•

•

transparent top hatch allows all-round
vision;
easy handling by using a three-point cable
system or forklift;
floating-off possibilities from shipwreck,
and self-righting and self-stabilising
characteristics.

The main dimensions and characteristics of
the capsule are:
•

external diameter: 2.5 m (2.8 m with
fender);
internal diameter: 2.3 m;
height: 2.5 m;
weight empty: 600 kg;
capacity: 12 people on board plus 10 people
on the fender;
maximum load: 3 000 kg.

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of applications that
have appeared in the
recent years.

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Innovative aspects: notably, the 
application of neural network 
modelling to develop software 
sensors to infer the pollutant 
emission from power systems or 
thermal plants; the advantages 
of using software sensors are the 
possibility to have low-cost backup 
systems or fault detection systems; 
the latter may help in understanding 
if the analytical systems are properly 
calibrated and working.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: business, computer 
systems, instruments, measuring equipment.

Collaboration sought: joint further 
development, technical cooperation.

Result ID: 42413

The capsule provides lifesaving protection
against wind, waves, water, heat and even
explosive shock waves. It can also function
as a movable emergency room, a rescue
and survival station in both hot and cold
climates, or can be used in many military
applications.

The capsule has been tested against shock
waves with very good results in withstand-
ing shock stresses, without showing cracks
or other permanent deformations (no
changes in insulation properties, no wear
or physical damage). The product has also
gone through tough burn tests with good
results and with no increase of inside tem-
perature recorded.

This rescue capsule with its new design
is patented, and its proofed construction
makes it ready to be manufactured. The
SME is looking for partners interested in
production and the future development of
this innovation.

Innovative aspects: multi-purpose applications on land and at sea 
with land- and air-transportable possibilities; facilitates fast and 
safe rescue operations; makes it possible to rescue more people 
(more than 10 people in a single helicopter lift) within a shorter 
time; has shown good results in both shock and burn tests; high 
capacity in a construction with relatively small dimensions and 
weight; prototype already tested with good results; besides rescue 
operations, the technology can be used in emergency rooms, 
survival stations in harsh climates, and in many military applications.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: business, offshore technology, 
road and rail vehicles, ship and boat building.

Collaboration sought: financial support, 
joint venture agreement, licence agreement.

Result ID: 42243

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IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Advanced tool for verification 
of security protocols

The constraint logic-based attack searcher (Clatse) software 
tool has been developed for facilitating the verification 
of large-scale Internet security-sensitive protocols.

The Avispa project focused on developing suitable technology 
that would allow the automated validation of Internet security 
protocols and applications. This technology can contribute to 
the development of the next generation of network protocols 
of improved security and enhanced public acceptance. Featur-
ing easy protocol specification and automatic analysis, the robust 
tool technology could be adopted by industrial and academic 
parties as well as standardisation bodies.

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Among the project results is the Clatse tool, which uses constraint 
logic, robust simplification heuristics and redundancy elimination 
techniques to check security protocols. More specifically, the 
tool transforms any security protocol specification written in the 
Avispa intermediate format into a set of constraints which allow 
identification of protocol attacks. The Clatse tool provides transla-
tion and checking in a fully automatic way without any require-
ments for external help.

The followed approach consists of modelling each protocol step 
using a set of minimal constraints on the adversary’s knowledge. 
For instance, a forgery constraint for the attacker would be a 
message received by a trustworthy participant. Conditions such 
as equality, inequality, element or non-element of a list also con-
stitute constraints. Key advantages of the system include input 
treatment at outstanding speed, efficient protocol execution, 

user-friendly (human-readable) output, easy handling of alge-
braic properties and rapid tool results.

Built in a modular way, the Clatse tool can be easily extended 
to  handle  algebraic  properties  of  cryptographic  operators.  It 
fully supports type-flaw detection and manages associations of 
message links. Further collaborations are sought with industrial 
partners and standardisation organisations engaged in protocol 
development or application. Academic partners interested in 
formal methods and automated reasoning for security protocols 
and applications could also be potential partners. 

Funded under the FP5 programme IST (User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
information exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3100

High-performance, radiation-tolerant 
data processing unit for space flight and 
other harsh environments

A Finnish company has developed a high-performance, radiation-tolerant 
data processing unit for space flight and other harsh environments taking 
into account the ionising radiation, vacuum and thermal environment 
in space conditions. Other potential application areas are radioactive 
environments in nuclear power plants and nuclear research facilities. 

High data processing power is achieved by
utilisation of fast digital circuits and multi-
level data architecture. Modern microproces-
sor technology has been applied to achieve
more than 100 million instructions per sec-
ond (Mips) performance. The hardware has
been designed for harsh environments, oper-
ation in vacuum and thermally unstable con-
ditions characteristic to space applications.

A major architectural feature improving the
performance of computers is the use of so-
called ‘cache memories’ embedded into the
microprocessor component. In radiation
environments, transient errors are gener-
ated in the memory components, typically
jamming the computer. Control of these
memory errors is especially challenging in
modern high-power microprocessors. This
has been achieved by careful radiation test-

ing of the selected components and imple-
mentation of special computer operation
monitoring functions. Memory error cor-
rection can be performed using error detec-
tion and correction (EDAC) or block code
technology. Memory and system control
functions are implemented in highly reli-
able, programmable digital circuits allowing
modifications to the detailed design of the
functionality and interfaces.

The power supply and thermal management
of the hardware is also included in the technol-
ogy. A local, reliable, low-voltage high-power
converter is implemented into the hardware
for adaptation for standard power interfaces.
Thermal control is achieved by careful thermal
design and analysis. High operation tempera-
tures are achieved without the use of mechan-
ical cooling devices (such as fans).

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

The company offering the technology has
been specialising in the design and produc-
tion of various electronic systems for space,
aircraft, land and underwater applications
for 30 years. A range of space equipment
with similar characteristics to the technol-
ogy offered was delivered successfully for
several space missions. Extensive testing
methods and equipment are used to ensure
the quality of the products.

Technical cooperation is sought for identifi-
cation of new application areas and further
development of the data processing system.

Innovative aspects: high data processing performance 
is achieved by careful memory and interface control and 
component selection; high operational temperature is achieved 
by careful hardware thermal control; testing methods and 
equipment have been designed for harsh-environment 
applications; the technology enables new harsh-environment 
applications requiring fast data processing; high reliability is 
achieved by autonomous fast recovery from transient failure 
conditions; the need for equipment repair and replacement in 
nuclear power plants and research facilities is greatly reduced.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: computer systems, electronic mail, 
information network management, workstations.

Collaboration sought: joint further development.

Result ID: 42561

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Fully automatic multifunction pull 
and shear tester for the microelectronics 
and computer chip industries

An Austrian SME has developed a fully automatic pull and shear tester for the 
microelectronic, micro-mechanic and computer chip production industries. 
A higher level of quality control of the bonding process is possible. Its unique 
features include the fact that it can be integrated into the production line 
and a tool changer with eight optical and mechanical test cartridges.

The SME has developed a new pull and
shear tester. This pull and shear tester is the
first system that allows fully automatic test-
ing of wire and die bond connections for
microelectronic and microelectromechani-
cal systems applications as manufactured in
the microelectronic, micro-mechanical and
computer chip production industries.

pull and shear tester is equipped with an
automatic tool changer that provides for a
high degree of flexibility during the produc-
tion process and integrates an automated
testing. The tools applicable for testing
of individual chips and bonds can be pre-
selected or programmed for the automated
testing process.

The present solution for the testing of wire
and die bonding involves manual inspection
under a microscope and testing to breakage,
thereby measuring the shear strength prior
to breakage of the wire and die bonds of the
chip or microelectronic component.

The new solution enables for the first time
a fully automatic testing method. The new

To enable the automation of the testing
process, a novel and innovative calibration
method that allows for an exact repetition of
pull and shear testing had to be developed.
This has been achieved for the first time
with the development of this equipment.
The pull and shear tester uses a camera with
pattern recognition for visual inspection
and work piece identification.

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The automation of the testing eliminates
human error in measuring the strength of
the bonded connections. The quality control
is immediately at a higher level of the bond-
ing process (wire and die bond). Thanks
to this new concept and development, the
pull and shear tester can be integrated in
a microchip microelectronic or micro-
mechanic production line.

Dimensions:
•
•
•
•

length: 31.496 inches (800 mm),
width: 23.622 inches (600 mm),
height: 32.677 inches (830 mm),
weight: 308 lb (140 kg).

Main advantages include:
•

elimination of human error, and manipu-
lation of test results is no longer possible;
fine pitch testing capability;
fully automatic test documentation both
mechanic and optic.

•
•

Financial investors and contracted service
partners are sought.

Innovative aspects: the tester is the first fully automatic 
testing system for wire and die bond connections for 
microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems 
applications; pattern recognition for visual inspection 
and workpiece identification; a fault-tolerant event-driven 
user interface; all motor-driven axes in the test head; 
magazine input/output system and indexer for all 
applications are available.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: computer systems, 
electrical equipment, manufacturing control 
systems, manufacturing technologies.

Collaboration sought: assembly, financial 
support, maintenance, technical consultancy.

Result ID: 42546

Fighting the digital divide

In line with former Commissioner Liikanen’s words on exploiting new 
technologies to address the digital divide, the Melisa project introduced an 
end-to-end publishing chain for interactive content on multiple platforms.

The key objective of the Melisa project
involves the development of appropri-
ate infrastructure to host broadcasting of
sports events over wireless and digital tele-
vision networks. At the same time, valuable
revenue-building services are also provided
by addressing the needs of sports viewers
and sponsors. Thereby, services for sophis-
ticated presentation of complex interactive
real-time video content, advertisements and
an innovative real-time betting engine are
supported.

Using the next-generation wireless technol-
ogy for mobile commerce (m-commerce),

the project results meet Europe’s market
needs for more personalised and flexible
services. The project implements different
application scenarios. These include pro-
vision of enhanced content and statistics,
dynamic interactive content and adver-
tisements as well as real-time wager appli-
cations. Special attention was paid to user
ergonomics and cognitive principles of
human-computer interaction in the devel-
opment of the interactive interface.

The developed system is fully interoperable
and integrated and allows interaction
between all involved actors in the sports

publishing sector. It includes authoring
tools that bridge the gap of sports informa-
tion provision between television, mobile
and Internet appliances. Additionally, multi-
media databases including sports-related
advertisement and statistics can be com-
bined with real-time data generated dur-
ing the sports events. The newly developed
business models offer options for context-
sensitive dynamic advertising, real-time bet-
ting and e-commerce applications for sports
sponsors.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: licence agreement, 
marketing agreement, manufacturing agreement, 
information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3043

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Simulations on demand executed 
in a grid environment

A new web portal aims to lower the barriers to deploying and 
sharing geographically and organisationally dispersed computing 
resources by raising the functionality of computational grids 
for computational fluid dynamics simulations.

Grid computing has emerged as an attractive
alternative, distinguished from conventional
distributed computing by its focus on large-
scale resource sharing, innovative applica-
tions as well as high performance orienta-
tion. By developing the architecture to run
computational fluid dynamics applications
on the grid, the European initiative Flow-
grid has provided industrial and academic
users with an unprecedented ability to solve
complex problems.

With the Flowgrid system, computational
fluid dynamics users can benefit from

accessing the computational power required
for performing analysis work without the
need to invest in costly parallel computing
infrastructure. The first point of contact with
the Flowgrid system is the Flowgrid portal.
It hides all the details of the grid infrastruc-
ture and associated software to allow users
to concentrate on their simulations as they
would do on their desktop computer.

A web client enables the transparent sub-
mission of complex processing problems
across remote computers, the monitoring of
running jobs’ solution on the grid and final

retrieval of results. Moreover, a certificate is
generated for each end-user and resource
provider to allow for secure communica-
tion between the graphical user interface,
called GenIUS, the back-end software and
requested computing resources.

Overall, the Flowgrid portal provides exten-
sive operations functionality for the man-
agement of subscribers, resources provid-
ers and the systems made available to the
Flowgrid services. Detailed information on
the Flowgrid portal has been made avail-
able to the research community and to the
greater public on the Flowgrid homepage at:
http://www.unizar.es/flowgrid/portal.htm

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3099

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Generating knowledge for e-learning

The interaction of new relevant knowledge from various 
fields has been generated into reports which outline methods 
and guidelines for e-learning in Europe.

The Alfanet project has generated sub-
stantial knowledge outcomes relevant to
e-learning in Europe. One of these has
resulted in the form of pedagogical meth-
ods and guidelines. The focus is on forming
an adaptable conceptual template that can
define courses and be supported by various
Alfanet constituents.

The Alfanet project builds on vital experi-
ence in the use of e-learning standards and

furthermore has the capacity to employ
these standards in an adaptable means
throughout the e-learning life cycle. Thus,
it is structured on these standards as well
as on its innovative architecture compon-
ents, providing support for multiple adap-
tive scenarios.

The Alfanet project offers numerous
benefits. Some of these include providing
various e-learning paths according to user

profile, providing the learner with adaptive
assessments and offering tutor support as
well as recommending material for further
study. The knowledge outcomes have nota-
bly resulted in service-based architecture,
adaptive pilot courses, evaluation results
and user manuals.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST
 (User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research 
or development support, information 
exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3062

Composition language for web services

Under the auspices of the ADAPT project, a new composition 
language was developed for easy analysis of web services.

uted manner. Moreover, they may control
flow mechanisms in a complicated way,
which is an obstacle for the easy analysis
of services.

Web services have a major impact on com-
panies, businesses, organisations and public
administrations as their extent and penetra-
tion in all areas of daily life are tremendous.
It is of prime importance that the basic ser-
vices offered by individual organisations
feature availability, scalability and adaptabil-
ity. Moreover, composing multiple basic ser-
vices into composite services may result in
new business opportunities for more added-
value services.

Challenged by this consideration, the
ADAPT project produced new technol-
ogy and software infrastructure for speci-
fication, representation and monitoring of

inter-organisational business processes.
These would be exploited as composite ser-
vices for increasing availability, scalability
and adaptability to the changing network
conditions and user demands. Further-
more, these services are expected to be
easily reconfigured and repaired under
specific conditions.

Answering this need, the ADAPT project
created a new composition language based
on a distributed composition and a simple
data flow sequencing model. This novelty
is offered to both industrial and academic
partners as well as to those interested in
investigating possible extensions to virtual
organisations.

Composition languages constitute a valu-
able tool for the investigation of the struc-
ture and interrelationship of web services.
Most of the currently available languages
are based on a centralised view of compos-
ition, for instance usage of shared variables
considerably hinders execution in a distrib-

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research 
or development support, information 
exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3097

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Ubiquitous workforce for mobile business

A newly developed software package offering safe data storage 
and access from anywhere and at all times is expected to give enterprises 
a suitable environment for business transactions.

The large amount of information stored on
mobile devices is difficult to retrieve in case
of a technical failure, loss or theft. Under
such circumstances, although the device can
easily be replaced, the valuable data stored
are most probably lost. Answering this need,
an Israeli SME developed an innovative
package for mobile workforce that allows
easy access to data through a web browser.

The package comprises backup and res-
toration of data, virtual and safe storage
of user information, as well as mobile
synchronisation and backup of mobile
devices. Its efficient, rapid and safe stor-
age domain allows for the use of the web
as a disk. The browser offers users access
capabilities for online data retrieval from
anywhere and folder sharing in a simple
and user-friendly way.

Backup and synchronisation of informa-
tion is accomplished in the mobile domain,
where users are capable of managing ver-
sions, updating information and communi-
cating with other devices. The tool features
increased potentialities for reaching backup
files without any requirements on software
installation, but via a web interface. The web
interface is employed for accessing all three
domains by logging in as either the admin-
istrator or the end-user.

Compared to other, similar technologies,
data transfer is faster and storage savings
are bigger, while at the same time full res-
toration of the entire data is feasible. This
novelty constitutes a unique combination
of disaster recovery and mobility, provid-
ing a more efficient utilisation and admin-
istration in all domains. Moreover, the tool

Building trust into computing environments

The global computing environment is constantly introducing new 
challenges to computer security. Authentication is the first step to 
ensure security in computing environments, however, the outcomes 
are arguable. The Secure project investigated the design of security 
mechanisms based on the human notion of trust.

In the digital world, a huge amount of inter-
action may take place between complete
strangers. These interactions involve risk,
since there is no prior information about
the likely behaviour of a prospective collab-
orator. Traditional security policies based
strictly on authentication are too complex,
often assuming the presence of skilled sys-
tem administrators. Trust has been seen as
a predictor of an entity’s future behaviour
based on past experience.

The Secure project provided a computa-
tional version of trust to be used for the

design of dynamic and self-configuring
security mechanisms. This computational
trust model captures human intuitions
about trust and allows reasoning about
trust and risk. In the Secure system, a trust
value reflects the reliability and trustwor-
thiness of an entity, based on its observed
behaviour. The trust value together with
the cost or benefit of the possible outcomes
of a transaction is the data used for risk
analysis automatically performed by the
system. When there is no record of interac-
tion between entities, the system provides
the ability to request recommendations

The brains behind an artificial body

The human brain has always been an excellent source of inspiration 
for the development of innovative computer architectures. Striding 
ahead in this area, the Neurobit project interfaces living cultured 
neuronal networks with an artificial body.

The brain has a functional plasticity
which makes it capable of adapting its
performance from previous experience.
This property is a challenge for science
both in terms of understanding and of
implementation in physical devices. As
a step in this direction, in vitro cultured
neurons were used in order to form a bi-

dimensional physical model of the brain.
The Neurobit project aimed at develop-
ing algorithms and techniques that allow
the establishment of a bi-directional con-
nection between cultured neurons and
external devices. The neural populations
were incorporated with an actual phys-
ical body, such as a mobile robot, and the

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facilitates version
m a n a g e m e n t ,
search capabil-
ities and compari-
son options in the
most user-friendly
and fast way.

Potential users are
people travelling,
home users and
enterprises with
mobile workforces.
Service providers,
companies providing
net services or disas-
ter recovery, as well
as system integrators
are sought for licensing and joint venture
agreements.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement, 
licence agreement, financial support.

Offer ID: 2949

from others in order to form a trust value
based on their experience.

The Secure project has developed a frame-
work encompassing algorithms for trust
management. This framework is written
in the Java programming language and has
been evaluated for a mail proxy spam filter
that employs Secure. However, the generic
structure of the framework allows the fur-
ther evaluation of the overall approach in
a number of application scenarios. This
provides a platform for the scientific com-
munity for experimentation on trust-based
security policies.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3033

mechanisms of sensorimotor integration,
control and adaptation in living systems
were observed.

In the context of the project, a neuro-
physiological mini-laboratory (NML) was
developed for interfacing a cultured neu-
ronal tissue. It is a microsystem consisting
of a microtransducer array (MTA), tem-
perature sensors, heating elements, a glass
reservoir and a mini-incubation chamber.
The MTA is based on a microelectrode
array (MEA) integrated on a transparent

continued on page 33

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Wider access to Europe’s cultural heritage

Within the ‘Cultural heritage language technologies’ (CHLT) 
project, newly developed systems are expected to assist in unlocking 
the vast resource that is the European culture.

The CHLT project aimed to adapt discover-
ies from the field of computational linguis-
tics, natural language processing and infor-
mation retrieval to help researchers in the
humanities advance their work. Research at
Københavns Universitet in Denmark focused
on which of these techniques are language-
independent and optimised them for the
needs of Old Norse saga texts.

Researchers from the department of human-
ities created electronic transcriptions and
high-resolution images of Old Norse sagas
from their collections, while the Scandina-
vian Department at UCLA handled their
processing. Lexical resources were digitised,
for this purpose, and morphological analysis
tools that can reduce inflected forms to their
possible lexical forms were written. More
specifically, one parser takes the inflected

form as its input and outputs the lex-
ical form, and another one generates
complete paradigms for the word based
on its lexical form. The source data for
these parsers are drawn from Geir Zoe-
ga’s Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic.

The emerging digital libraries made these
computational techniques available to non-
experts as well, not only to individual scholars
as generic tools packaged separately from the
texts upon which they operate. The Perseus
digital library environment allows high-reso-
lution images from rare and fragile printed
books and manuscripts to be viewed along-
side automatically generated hypertexts. These
hypertexts provide the reader with increased
capabilities of browsing lexical forms along
with frequency data, links to entries for a word
in dictionaries and grammatical aids.

Providing real-time feedback 
for competency stocks

A unique software module, which can use human interactions in 
organisations and gather information via voluntary feedback in order to 
produce a self-regulating market of competency stocks, has been designed.

Under the auspices of the RODEO project,
the company Cezanne Software has
designed a unique software module named
CompetencyDaq. This module creates an
innovative arena enabling the evaluation of
the entire competency profile of an organ-
isation in real-time while the competencies
emerge and evolve.

CompetencyDaq assists in obtaining and
scoring events that demonstrate individual
competencies on a daily basis. It then col-
lects information in order to design a self-
regulating market of competency stocks,
similar to Nasdaq. The tool is able to pro-
vide feedback regarding social interaction

among players, declaring their personal
competency needs. The feedback is used to
match the shares of the particular compe-
tencies with the player, thereby strength-
ening each player’s set of competency
shares.

The value of the shares is determined by its
value within the organisation in terms of the
demand for the competency, its availability
among employees and its market distribu-
tion. The tool evaluates the gathered infor-
mation and gives the players suggestions in
order to better address specific competency
needs. In addition, it contains a detailed
monitor section that evaluates the market

continued from page 32 ‘The brains behind an artificial body’

substrate and packaged on a printed circuit
board (PCB). The MTA integrates an array
of 60 platinum (Pt) thin-film electrodes
for electrical recording and stimulation of
network activity. The clustering structures
for building the network in interconnected
sub-populations have been realised using
SU-8 technology.

A glass ring glued on the PCB defines a
reservoir of culture media. The reservoir

is closed by a semi-permeable membrane,
in order to limit media evaporation. The
MTA can be integrated in an incuba-
tor chamber, fabricated from polymethyl
methacrylate (PMMA), in the framework
of Neurobit. Heating elements are fixed on
the inside of the chamber and on the top
cover in order to avoid vapour conden-
sation. Moreover, they are commercially
available, selected on the basis of the min-
imal power needed.

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The users of this functionality can range
from experts to novice readers, including
students and the general public. Further col-
laboration is sought in order to establish an
international framework with open stand-
ards for the long-term preservation of data,
the sharing of metadata and interoperability
between affiliated digital libraries.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3069

information and the social network struc-
ture as specified through the connections
made by the feedback.

Cezanne Software can offer the necessary
consultant activities for data collection and
training employees in companies prior and
during the use of the CompetencyDaq soft-
ware module. Moreover, Cezanne Software
is seeking distributors who can sell its whole
Human Capital product suite, of which
CompetencyDaq will be a module. Such
distributors may include consultants spe-
cialised in human capital issues, consultants
involved in company re-organisation pro-
cesses and software vendors specialised in
human resources systems.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development 
support, licence agreement.

Offer ID: 3079

The NML realised exploits thin-film tech-
nology, micromachining and commercially
available parts for investigating adaptive
properties and synaptic plasticity of neuron-
robotic models.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3094

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Realising a play-in and smart 
play-out approach

Within the context of the OMEGA project, the Play-Engine 
tool has been developed to support a scenario-based 
approach for identification and execution of behavioural 
requirements of complex reactive systems.

The ever-growing popularity of embed-
ded software has led researchers to
explore new means of working with these
increasingly complex, multi-platform
and distributed systems. At the same
time, automation in software develop-
ment is highly required in order for
European industry to stay competitive in
the worldwide marketplace. For this rea-
son, validation from the early phases of
development becomes a prerequisite for
producing high-quality software at com-
petitive costs.

Motivated by this, the OMEGA project
developed suitable methodology and tools
for the development of real-time and embed-
ded systems using unified modelling lan-
guage. One of these tools is the Play-Engine
tool that has been based on the play-in/play-
out approach. This advanced tool technol-
ogy allows specification and execution of
behavioural requirement of complex reac-
tive systems. Exploitation of the language of
live sequence charts allows definition of the
scenarios.

Following the play-
in/play-out approach,
requirements are easily
captured by playing them
in with the aid of a graph-
ical user interface that
offers powerful and direct
execution. Moreover, based
on verification methods, an
extension of this approach,
the so-called ‘smart play-out’, offers direct
execution of the scenarios. At the same time,
it provides means for analysis of the scen-
arios in terms of consistency and satisfac-
tion of provided behavioural properties.

For the purposes of the OMEGA project,
the robust Play-Engine tool has already been
applied in three case studies. One of these is
a flight control mechanism that performs
sensors voting and monitoring operations
in a standard flight control system designed
by the Israeli aircraft industry. Another one
includes the medium altitude reconnais-
sance system, which counteracts the image
quality degradation caused by an aircraft’s

UML extensions for capturing timing

A unified modelling language (UML) notation that includes a set 
of extensions for expressing timing has been developed within the 
framework of the OMEGA project. It aims to provide real-time and 
embedded system designers with a better means of capturing system 
requirements and mapping software to physical architecture.

UML represents a substantial effort from a
large number of methodologists to construct
a common means for describing complex
systems using the concepts of object orien-
tation. Since the adoption of UML standard
and its new, advanced release UML 2.0, this
modelling language has been used for the
development of a large number of time-crit-
ical and resource-critical systems.

However, UML is lacking in some key areas
that are of particular concern to real-time
and embedded systems designers and devel-
opers. In particular, the lack of quantifiable
notions of time and resources has been an
impediment to its broader use and rigorous
semantics definition is a mandatory require-
ment. Fortunately, it was discovered that
UML had all the requisite mechanisms for
addressing these issues through its extensi-
bility facilities.

The link between system execution and
time progress may be described in a pre-
cise manner, and thus offer support for
modelling time-dependent behaviour. An
active entity was introduced for this pur-
pose to allow the definition of duration
constraints between arbitrary events oc-
curring in the system.

In addition to the timer object, a clock
retrieves the current moment of time. Fur-
ther extensions allow the identification of
syntactically meaningful events of system
execution, including the occurrence time
and type-related information.

Furthermore, an operational formalism was
defined for expressing assumptions and
requirements that involve more complex
conditions than the distance between two
events. An observer can execute synchro-

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forward motion, developed by the National
Research Laboratory in the Netherlands. A
third application involves the Depannage
telecommunications service built on top of
embedded platform and service compon-
ents, realised by France Telecom R & D.

The Play-Engine tool is currently a research
prototype tool developed at the Weizmann
Institute of Science.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: marketing agreement.

Offer ID: 3052

nously with a system and monitor its state
and events that are occurring. It is used as
a language acceptor which may have local
memory attributes and their behaviour is
described by a state machine.

The new UML real-time profile will be
evaluated on industrial case studies pro-
vided and elaborated by the industrial part-
ners of the OMEGA project. The aim is to
incorporate more detailed steps and guide-
lines on the use of the kernel UML language,
especially concerning the proposed time
extensions.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
information exchange/training, venture capital/spin-off funding, 
other — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3032

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Delivering personally meaningful 
and emotional experiences

As computers move into every aspect of personal life, the MIME project 
proposed that instead of allowing intimate media to disappear into the 
computer, computing solutions should be designed to promote daily activities.

The deepest relationship people form with
their material possessions is through asso-
ciating them with their personal experi-
ences. In response to this human behaviour
and social mechanism, the term ‘intimate
media’ emerged to describe everything that
helps people nurture a sense of identity
and feel comfortable with it. The MIME
project sought to develop a set of digital
elements and add a layer of connectivity

and context sensitivity to a tangible collec-
tion of media distributed in the domestic
environment.

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The project’s design process was grounded
in ethnographic research combined with
an ongoing dialogue with real users. Con-
clusions from these studies on how trad-
itional activities involved in creating, stor-
ing and sharing personal memories could be
enhanced and enriched
were used to generate
concepts for new com-
puting solutions. Tak-
ing advantage of the
possibilities offered
by emerging digital
media and networks,
the ‘Glow tags’ con-
cept was developed
at the University of
Nottingham and was
translated into a con-
cept demonstrator.

‘Glow tags’ are
packaged in a var-

Modelling the growth of virtual cities

In the era of virtual reality, it is easy to image the existence of a virtual 
world consisting of information cities inhabited by millions of info-inhabitants 
involved in various economic and social activities such as building communities, 
buying and selling, discussing, socialising and collaborating. 

Apparently, this is not a fiction scenario,
as the ‘Information cities’ (iCities) project
shows. The project explores the forces that
drive growth and prosperity in the web
ecosystem and support the process of for-
mation and evolution of information cit-
ies. Towards this goal, the project uses
analogies and patterns of aggregation or
segregation of inhabitants in current phys-
ical cities, business districts and urban
communities. To capture these patterns
as well as the behaviours for info-habit-
ants, new formal models have been devel-
oped using principles from economics and
behavioural science.

The modelling framework deployed fol-
lows a bottom-up approach. According
to this approach, the behaviour of the
individual agents, such as the web sites
and Internet visitors, and their interac-
tions designate the growth and population

•

agglomeration of web sites. The agent-
based computational modelling approach
is a way to understand the collective behav-
iour and its relation to single-agent behav-
iour, in order to predict possible directions
of evolution.

In this concept, three agent-based models
and a simulation infrastructure have been
developed.
•

The first model provides a sound basis
for the dynamics of population concen-
tration in the web. It develops a simu-
lated web economy, allocating strong and
rapidly formed agglomeration patterns to
various forms of informational increasing
returns.
The second model gives answers per-
taining to rules of competition and suc-
cess strategies within the web economy,
revealing the fast growth patterns of web
leaders.

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iety of ways to enable people to attach them
to intimate media artefacts and trigger per-
sonal memories. They store a small amount
of information related to the story behind the
intimate media in question, such as dates,
names or locations and even digital images
or sounds. The innovation of the ‘Glow tags’
concept is that they monitor information
flows in the house and activate under cer-
tain circumstances. Whenever they notice a
connection between current events and the
facts they store, they glow, gently reminding
of that link.

‘Glow tags’ are essentially small processors
with capabilities to enable input and storage
of limited contextual information. All infor-
mation flows are controlled and monitored
via microprocessors based on program-
mable interrupt controllers. A series of radi-
ometric devices allows for a limited range
of wireless communication. The system can
serve as a prototype for future developments
within the European initiative ‘Disappearing
computer’, which will enable people to easily
embed functionality into existing artefacts
around the home.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST
 (User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
licence agreement, information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3054

•

•

The study of the electronic market is
served by a third model, which frames the
forces that drive the aggregation of mer-
chant web sites.
A simulation infrastructure, which allows
the experimentation and progressive for-
mation of global dynamic behaviours, has
also been built.

The development phase of the modelling
framework led to the conclusion that con-
centration and growth in particular web
locations create a favourable environment
for further concentration and faster growth.
However, further understanding of web
dynamics may rise from extending iCities
models or implementing new ones in the
simulation environment, according to the
needs and scopes of interested potential
partners.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST
 (User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research 
or development support, information 
exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3055

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New algorithm for querying images

Focusing on improving computer vision tasks, the DSSCV project 
evaluated the performance of a newly developed object-matching 
algorithm aimed for a structural search in image databases.

Current state-of-the-art practices for hand-
ling computer vision tasks potentially
exhibit disadvantages. For instance, a top-
down approach may involve increased com-
putation, while a bottom-up approach often
excludes required small-scale information.
In view of this need, the work of the DSSCV
project concentrated on finding multi-scale
image summaries with the aid of singularity,
algorithmic, and scale-space theory.

One of the main objectives was the efficient
representation of images in order to facili-

tate computational tasks. Robust algorithms
for image coding, image search and struc-
tural search were realised. Thereby, a proto-
type object retrieval algorithm based on a
combination of pioneering heuristics and
rigorous mathematics was developed. This
advanced, transparent algorithm sets the
object retrieval issue into a well-understood
conceptual framework.

The new algorithm is still generic, without
any requirements on application-specific
tuning or incorporation of hidden param-

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Generating new telecommunications services 
from existing infrastructures

Rolling out new applications in today’s telecommunications markets 
gets ever harder as mobile, wireless and Internet technologies are added 
to the mix. One European consortium has come up with a solution that 
harmonises services over a wide range of existing infrastructures. The results 
should please operators, service providers and application developers alike.

‘Our project has built on the achievements of
three previous European initiatives — Polos,
Gemini and Evolute’, says Boris Grabner,
coordinator of the IST project MobileIN,
which ended in July 2006. ‘We took their
open-access gateways and connected them all
together, all to enable access to a centralised
platform from all the different networks.’

The new platform, known as the service
creation and execution framework (SCEF),
allows network operators (including trad-
itional telephony, mobile, wireless LAN and
voice over Internet protocol (VOIP)) as well
as third-party providers to offer advanced
services by calling on the location informa-
tion, subscriber data and application logic
which is currently dispersed throughout

the network. According to Grabner, the
new platform provides all the essential open
interfaces for the provision of services that
make use of the so-called ‘intelligent net-
work’ in the traditional telephony domain.

The seven project partners managed to
reduce the many different servers used in the
different networks to what Grabner calls a
‘single box’ approach. ‘Our goal was a single
application server over different networks’, he
says. ‘The resulting platform, run by Telekom
Austria, was designed, developed and imple-
mented in a pan-European test bed’, he con-
tinues. ‘It was connected via public Internet,
to provide dynamic and future-proof services
to users.’ This test bed supports access from
traditional landline, mobile and wireless LAN

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devices.

The MobileIN partners
also developed and
tested a number of new
types of personalised
services. These dem-
onstrated what could
be possible when the
features of heteroge-
neous services are
combined.

‘Make a new friend’,
for example, allows
users to make con-
tact with people

eters. Nevertheless, it was shown that its per-
formance is very close to the performance of
other state-of-the-art heuristic algorithms.
It is expected that this novelty may lead to a
fully operational generic object retrieval tool
for structural search in image databases.

Currently, efforts are made to optimise the
computational efficiency of the new algo-
rithm and determine deviations from simi-
larity transformations between query object
and matching scene object.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3103

nearby who may be interested in specific
topics. Customers wanting to use this service
must subscribe, and agree to be contacted
for specific topics, for example the cinema.
They must then select a specific range (from
20 m to 50 km), in order to limit the number
of people contacted. A location server in the
mobile network provides location informa-
tion on the parties involved. Direct contact is
established once an interested person is iden-
tified, for example by instant messaging.

Another and slightly more complex service,
‘My favourite pizza’, saves users from hav-
ing to search telephone directories for local
services. This application runs on a mobile
phone. Based on the location and local time
of request, the project platform forwards a list
of restaurants that are open and within a cer-
tain range of the mobile phone. The user then
selects a restaurant from the list, triggering
a call from the mobile to the establishment,
which can begin to prepare the order.

Other services that could be harmonised
over a variety of networks include location-
based televoting and billing. Grabner com-
ments that, ‘By running location-based ser-
vices over traditional telephony networks,
operators can make use of their existing
intelligent-network investments, while at the
same introducing new services that address
the needs of mobile users.’

He adds that the project has influenced
the product design of telecommunications
equipment suppliers such as Alcatel, and
facilitated the convergence of Telekom Aus-
tria’s fixed and mobile LAN networks.

Based on information from MobileIN.

Promoted by the IST Results service.

http://istresults.cordis.europa.eu/index.cfm?
section=news&tpl=article&ID=89000

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Monitoring vigilance in real time

A platform employing a new algorithm permitting real-time tracking 
of alertness, performance and well-being of persons in vigilance-intensive 
tasks has been developed. This system encompasses early warning 
of possible accidents, disasters and loss of control in such situations.

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For some professionals, such as truck drivers
and pilots, alertness can be a matter of life and
death. Thus, real-time feedback on the status
of the person’s alertness is crucial. In light of
this, a biomedical engineering company has
developed an innovative technology platform.
It is operated via a user-friendly wearable
monitoring device that tracks the wearer’s
performance and status. The configurations
range from wrist-worn wireless to waist-
belt-worn PC-based systems that are linked
through fibre optic cables to ensure safety.

The series of devices can monitor user alert-
ness, mental workload, responsiveness, aware-

ness, sleep-awake status, and fitness to perform
vigilance-intensive activities such as driving
or guarding. For example, wrist-worn devices
monitor finger and grip neuromuscular activity.
Tests have shown that these are effective in iden-
tifying and alerting a sleepy driver and in alert-
ing a shift supervisor if a guard has fallen asleep.
Furthermore, the devices are cost-effective and
immune to vibrations and acceleration.

The company is seeking cooperation for
the development of further applications
and development of the current know-how
through possible commercial agreement
with technical assistance.

User-friendly software 
for residential environments

A new software package which can deliver messages among entities 
within a converged residential environment has been developed.

The HomeTalk project has designed an intel-
ligent, user-friendly residential environment
that is connected to a broadband network and
is equipped with advanced domestic appli-
ances. Additionally, it is controlled via power-
line by a multifunctional residential gateway
controller and can communicate with the
residents through a natural voice interface.

offers data, voice control and video-related
services. It is able to integrate controlled
home devices with data network elements,
voice elements and management entities.
The entities are abstracted as virtual nodes
with specific access methods and node pro-
filing. The real devices are then accessed via
node-like drivers.

Located within the core of the HomeTalk
platform is Hermes, a software package that

Hermes can also run internal programs
written in a special language called CAL,

Model-driven architecture 
for telecommunications

The Moda-Tel project has developed suitable methodology and tools for 
implementation of the model-driven architecture (MDA) defined by 
the object management group (OMG) in the field of telecommunications.

Although the OMG consortium initially
focused on the formulation of standards for
distributed object-oriented systems, it has
recently also been involved in the develop-
ment of model-based technology and stand-
ards. The MDA constitutes an innovative and
promising architecture that was based on
several standards, such as unified modelling
language (UML), meta-object facility (MOF)
and XML metadata interchange (XMI).

The Moda-Tel project attempted to inter-
pret the MDA for telecommunications sys-
tems development and operation. This is a
joint effort of European stakeholders with

a business orientation in component archi-
tectures. The key project objectives included
the development of a sound methodology,
guidelines and tools to assist in the appli-
cation of MDA in the telecommunications
technology domain.

More specifically, a new methodology
based on software process engineering
metamodel (SPEM) terminology that can
be applied in the MDA-based develop-
ment was specified. Thereby, the Moda-
Tel methodology identifies phases, includ-
ing project management, preliminary and
detailed preparation, infrastructure set-up

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Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement, licence agreement, 
marketing agreement, information exchange/training, other.

Offer ID: 3078

which is useful in implementing simple,
independent services or sections of more
complex services. It provides clients with
a sound interface via its control and noti-
fication features. Subsequently, clients can
handle the in-house devices though the
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), the
standard protocol for the world wide web.
The Hermes software tool supports a var-
iety of access methods including an HTML
browser, a Voice XML browser, and a Java
OSGi agent.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3101

and project execution. Each of these phases
is subdivided into specific activities.

Since the effective application of the meth-
odology requires specification of the project
type, projects are classified into five differ-
ent types. These are engineering, integra-
tion, reverse engineering, re-engineering
and migration project types.

The methodology and guidelines are offered
to companies interested in applying the MDA
principles. Due to the broad applicability of
this methodology, potential partners could
be engaged in other industries and not nec-
essarily in the telecommunications domain.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
information exchange/training — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3098

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Examining empathic responses to bullying

New connections between the status of bullying and its 
relation to empathic ability and to theory of mind (TOM) 
have been established.

Bullying is a widespread and serious prob-
lem existing in schools today. One means
of working towards doing away with
bullying is by instilling a sense of empa-
thy at a young age. Thus the ‘Virtual ICT
with empathic characters’ (Victec) project
addressed the emotional and empathic
facets of the learning process by concen-
trating on personal and social education
(PSE). New technologies were applied
through a synthetic characters toolkit in
order to create a virtual environment with
life-like characters with which children
could relate.

Following this, the University of Hertford-
shire conducted an evaluation exercise
that examined the relationship between
bullying status, empathic ability and TOM.

Data showed that both country and gender
affected the results. One factor influencing
the result may have to do with how much
PSE is stressed in some countries over others.
It was also found that female students had
a higher affective empathy score than male
students in all of the countries involved.

Both pupils and teachers completed a
bullying questionnaire. The results proved
that physical bullying can be more easily
spotted than relational bullying, particu-
larly relational victimisation. This confirms
the notion that relational bullying occurs
behind the back of teachers and certain
students.

It was found that children liked interacting
with the software and that they empathised

Bio-stimulation of artificial systems

Aiming to train a cultured nervous tissue to support the goal-directed 
behaviour of an artificial body, the Neurobit project studied 
the responsiveness of a network to different stimulation protocols.

Neurobit focused on the bi-directional con-
nection between an in vitro brain and an
artificial body and developed suitable tools
and technology for this purpose. In this way,
the unique plastic properties of the brain
can be exploited to control the sensorimo-
tor behaviour of an artificial body, such as a
mobile robot. This may lead to new ways of
using neuro-engineered units for informa-
tion processing and to explore the means by
which bioartificial systems could code the
information.

lated stimulation protocols. These protocols
were prepared on the basis of two stimula-
tion examples, namely the tetanic and the
spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP)
stimulation. The key aim was to induce
activity-dependent and pathway-specific
modifications in cortical networks cultured
over multi-electrode array (MEA) devices.
Exploitation of the MEA’s features and use
of combined specific stimulation patterns
allowed the modulation of the evoked
response of a cortical network.

Part of the project work involved the inves-
tigation of the network’s response to modu-

Various stimulation patterns were imple-
mented (tetanic coactivation, lack of coac-

with the characters, despite the fact that the
character’s physical appearance received a
poor rating. This goes to show that chil-
dren were able to infer emotions from situ-
ational cues rather than from the charac-
ter’s appearance. Additionally, the students
preferred the interactive application over
the teacher-led lesson since they found the
former more private. Further results are to
be expected in the future.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development 
support, information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3031

tivation site) and different response pat-
terns were observed. The main innovative
aspects in this study lie in the effects on
the entity response, the timing and the
recruitment process. The analysis of the
network’s functional connectivity and the
changes in the pathways activated by each
stimulating site showed that connections
increase and their strength results improve
after the tetanus.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research 
or development support.

Offer ID: 3039

Design insights into the smart clothing market

 A university in the United Kingdom seeks a mobile communications 
or Internet company as a manufacturing partner for its designs 
integrating mobile communications and smart textiles. 

The university has scoped the emerging sec-
tor of smart clothing or wearable technol-
ogy to elicit a deeper knowledge of people’s
emotional needs through mobile commu-
nications and smart textiles integrated into
clothing and fashion concepts.

Youth groups tend to be protagonists as far
as mobile and wireless communication is
concerned, as a means to express themselves
and communicate, in the same way that they

use fashion and clothing. By tapping into
that and using a language they understand
in ways they understand, it is possible to
gain insights into their current behaviours,
trends, aspirations, beliefs, culture and so
forth in relation to projecting into a future
where technology may be integrated into
their clothing.

The university has used generative design
techniques with users to elicit a deeper

knowledge of people’s emotional needs, and
developed prototype designs of mobile com-
munications and smart textile systems inte-
grated into clothing and fashion concepts.
Prototype designs have also been used as
research probes to elicit preferences and pri-
orities, and more emotional feedback.

Innovative aspects: innovative design approach offering potentially 
wide acceptance among the young; a cost-efficient and quick 
way of product design development and gaining insight into 
the potential value of an unknown market of smart clothing.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: mobile communications, 
cellular radio, telecommunications systems, textiles, clothing.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement.

Result ID: 42130

38

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Producing advanced organic semiconductor devices

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES

Newly developed, all-plastic light-emitting field effect transistors are expected 
to lead to the realisation of innovative flexible optoelectronic devices.

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gate electrode 
may  result  in 
light  collec-
tion from both 
sides of the film. 
Moreover, using 
a  highly  reflec-
tive metal as gate 
electrode on one 
side of the sheet 
could allow optimisation of light extraction from the opposite side. 
Organic LETs may find useful applications in the development of 
disposable optoelectronic integrated circuits and electronic niches 
such as smart cards.

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High-performance organic semiconductor devices display several 
advantages including easy processing, low cost and flexibility 
that could significantly advance the field of optoelectronics. Moti-
vated by this observation, the ILO project aimed at investigating 
the effect of organic injection laser technology that is based on 
organic semiconductors in solid state. Part of the project work 
involved the realisation of efficient light-emitting diodes and tran-
sistors using synthesised, new, coordinated metal complexes.

One of the key project results involves the fabrication of organic 
light-emitting (field-effect) transistors (LETs) on the basis of a 
flexible and transparent plastic foil (Mylar). The major innovation 
with this material is that it may act both as substrate and gate 
dielectric. These LETs, which are made of plastic substrates, may 
be exploited to produce flexible devices that combine the switch-
ing function of a transistor and the light emission.

The dielectric sheet is transparent to ultra-violet and visible rays, 
which allows increased potentialities in the development of the 
device structure. For example, a transparent or semi-transparent 

Optical nano-probe 
for spectroscopy and imaging

An advanced optical set-up has been developed for spectroscopic 
characterisation of materials and devices at the nanoscale.

Due to the offered advantages, such as easy
processing, low cost and flexibility, organic
semiconductor devices like organic light-
emitting diodes (OLED), organic thin-film
transistors (OTFT) and organic solar cells
(OSC) have become very popular. They may
find applications ranging from flat panel dis-
plays to smart labels and identification tags.

Aiming at the exploration of injector lasing
in organic semiconductors at the solid state,
the ILO project focused on device structure,
organic semiconductor growth and material
synthesis. One of the key project results involves

an innovative facility for ultra-fast spectros-
copy and photolithography at the nanoscale.

This novelty involves a unique combination
of single and multiphoton femtosecond
excitation with a laser scanning confocal
microscope and photon-counting streak
camera detection. The novel coupling offers
photoluminescence spectroscopy with in-
plane spatial resolution of up to 120 nm and
temporal resolution of 2 ps.

With this set-up, 3D imaging capabilities
blend with high sensitivity spectroscopic

Providing innovative tools for SMEs

A toolbox combining coaching support and business 
re-engineering for manufacturing SMEs has been developed.

Companies today need to constantly up-
grade business processes and keep them
in sync with technical solutions in order to
compete and flourish within a global manu-
facturing marketplace. This is particularly
true for manufacturing SMEs.

The Cost-Worth toolbox was designed in
order to address this issue. This is a ground-
breaking, internationally recognised, uni-
fied, application-oriented and practical
methodology that merges coaching-oriented

support with component-based business
re-engineering.

The approach used has several essential
features which support manufacturing
SMEs throughout all stages of the innova-
tive improvement process. These include
the analysis and concept phase, which
identifies the weak points, the specification
and selection phase and the implementa-
tion phase, which covers the improvement
actions.

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

Funded under the FP5 programme IST (User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
private-public partnership — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3074

detection of time-resolved photolumines-
cence. Since imaging and spectroscopy are
carried out on the same spatial position, the
morphological characteristics are directly
correlated to the spectroscopic properties.

The advanced facility may be employed in
the field of spectroscopic investigation and
imaging of the active areas of molecular,
electronic and optoelectronic devices. It
constitutes a valuable tool for investigating
nanoscale phenomena and contributes to
the assessment of organic, hybrid and bio-
logical nanostructures and nanodevices.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST
 (User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: marketing agreement, private-public 
partnership — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3060

The methodology is attractive for SMEs
for several reasons. It is efficient in terms
of both time and cost and it is also easy for
employees to learn. Furthermore, it works to
ensure the achievement of both short- and
long-term SME business objectives while
creating an innovation culture throughout
the entire company.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: licence agreement, 
information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3063

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Apart from microwave amplifiers, the car-
bon nanotube array prototypes can be used
in various applications such as microscopy,
lithography, holography and field emission
displays. Further collaborations are sought
with commercial partners interested in
exploiting carbon nanotube electron source
technology in their products.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
joint venture agreement, licence agreement, marketing agreement, 
manufacturing agreement, financial support, venture capital/spin-
off funding, private-public partnership — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3040

aturisation of manufacturing processes and
industrial assembly of micro-engineering
products requires this type of affordable,
high-performance manipulation tool.

Furthermore, machining techniques have been
investigated to produce prototypes with good
reliability. Laser cutting was mainly used, but
other machining techniques such as chemical
etching for the electrode pattern are a potential
solution for future developments. The research
team at the Laboratoire de systèmes robotiques
is seeking industrial partners who will inte-
grate the MPA into their products.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development 
support, joint venture agreement, marketing agreement, 
manufacturing agreement, financial support, information 
exchange/training, venture capital/spin-off funding, 
private-public partnership — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3076

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Carbon nanotubes for high-performance sources

Within the context of the Canvad project, nanolithographically 
defined growth of aligned nanotubes has been accomplished, 
opening new avenues in the field of satellite ground communications.

Currently, microwave links between high-
power transmitters located on the ground
and satellites allow long-range telecom-
munications. The ever-increasing traffic in
telecommunications coupled with the satur-
ation of currently available frequency bands
has brought needs for new bands. Alloca-
tion at higher frequencies between 30 and
100 GHz is expected to render existing tech-
nology unsuitable.

To this end, arrays of identical and verti-
cally aligned CNTs were produced using
an approach that combines various param-
eters. These included precise control of the
size and the position of the catalyst dot by
nanolithography as well as selection of a
high-temperature diffusion barrier for high
yield and uniformity. Furthermore, the
growth parameters were optimised in order
to obtain selective growth of nanotubes.

Urged by this, the Canvad project fo-
cused on developing cold cathodes that
use carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for micro-
wave vacuum devices. Unlike existing
hot thermionic cathodes, the CNT-based
cold cathodes may result in the fabrica-
tion of inexpensive and compact ampli-
fiers able to operate at higher frequencies
(30–100 GHz).

The project work resulted in the develop-
ment of highly selective, environmentally
friendly and preferential growth of indi-
vidual CNs at specified locations on a sub-
strate. The nanotube structures that have
been developed feature exceptionally high
uniformity and can be exploited as high-
performance electron sources in various
application fields.

Precise motion control on nanoscales

Addressing the fundamental issue of advanced micro- and 
nano-handling in the micro-robotics field, a piezoelectric actuator 
of a high positioning accuracy has been developed within the Micron 
project. The monolithic piezoactuator (MPA) can easily be adapted 
to different configurations and customer requirements.

and therefore yielding excellent dynamics
for systems built using this actuator. Overall,
thanks to the innovative positioning of the
electrodes, the MPA can control centimetre
motion with nanometre accuracy.

The MPA, developed at the École Polytech-
nique Fédérale de Lausanne, is a compact
piezoactuator of simple configuration that
can be integrated into more complex sys-
tems. The potential applications are numer-
ous, especially as this actuator is easily
custom-tailored. Apart from positioning
devices for optical and electronic micro-
scopy and micro-invasive surgery, the mini-

Piezoelectric actuators are very well suited to
replace manual positioning elements as well
as motorised systems. Their relatively sim-
ple control and high positioning resolution
make them ideal to drive micro-robots and
miniaturised micro-positioning systems.
With a decreasing size of these systems, new
concepts were required for the piezoelectric
actuators, which would provide for fabrica-
tion in small-sized batches and importantly
result in reproducible parameters.

Within the framework of the Micron
project, a new methodology was proposed
to allow integrating a number of actuators
monolithically on a single, piezoelectric,
ceramic substrate by simple electrode pat-
terning. The monolithic approach presents
several advantages compared to individually
mounted actuators which are commonly
used in inertia-driven systems.

No machining or forming of the piezocer-
amic substrate is necessary, avoiding prob-
lems for assembly and consequently reduc-
ing production costs. The modelling of the
MPA using analytical and numerical tools
permitted the in-depth study of its geo-
metrical configuration. These models have
shown that the resonance frequencies are
very high, allowing driving at high velocities

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Using carbon nanotubes as field-emitting sources

Within the framework of the Canvad project, a new type of cold 
cathode for vacuum and solid-state electronics applications has 
been designed from well-defined, individual carbon nanotubes.

Vacuum microwave devices for telecom-
munications systems in satellites and
spacecraft that will operate at higher fre-
quency bands than currently available
require high electron current densities
ranging from 5 to 20 A/cm2. Conventional
thermionic cathode technology can pro-
vide these high current densities at the
expense of reduced lifetimes and increased
life cycle costs by operating the cathode at
high temperatures.

Field-emitting cathodes fabricated from
nano-structurally rich carbon materials
are an attractive alternative for low-cost
replacement of the thermionic cathodes. In
particular, carbon nanotubes (CNs) grown
in the form of small, sharp spikes exhibit
extraordinary field emission properties
due to their electrical conductivity and

remarkable thermal stability. Research-
ers at Thales Electron Devices S.A. were
successful in constructing arrays of uni-
form individual carbon nanotubes verti-
cally aligned and spaced at a distance cor-
responding to approximately twice their
height.

Each carbon nanotube of 5 μm height and
50 nm diameter was grown by plasma-
enhanced chemical vapour deposition.
After growth, rapid thermal annealing was
used to improve both the crystallinity of
the carbon nanotubes and their electrical
contact to the substrate (E. Minoux et al.,
2005). This allowed the fabrication of CNs
each capable to emit very high currents of
up to 100 μA at relatively low electric fields.
The device was operated at a frequency
equal to 1.5 GHz in a continuous mode

Monitoring building structures ultrasonically

A new, ultrasonic system for the inspection of building structures 
has been developed.

Technologies that predict the severity of
degradation in a building structure that are
currently on the market often fall short of
expectations. This is because some of them
can only be applied in laboratory situations.
Additionally, others provide only inherent
features such as average parameter values
or are very expensive.

A new technology using an ultrasonic sys-
tem is founded on analysis of the generation
of elastic waves in heterogeneous materials.
The system contains proprietary probes or

sensors, automatic data acquisition software,
a signal processing expert system and a data-
base for storage of inspection information.

The technology provides vertical and hori-
zontal section images (via 3D mapping) of
the stress concentration within the build-
ing structure. This is important because it
points out weak points which can be dan-
gerous to the integrity of the structure in
terms of future load conditions. It analyses
the ability of building structures to remain
stable during present and future loads as

Breakthrough nuclear 
magnetic resonance techniques

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a valuable tool for the 
visualisation of molecular structures. EU-funded research aims 
to lead the way towards advanced NMR tools in the near future.

As part of the ‘Human potential’ pro-
gramme, the HSFCC NMR project set out
to develop an innovative NMR measure-
ment device used for low-sensitivity spin
systems. The aim is to use the new device to
measure spectral diversity functions of bio-
macromolecules and even macromolecular
aggregates such as tissues.

The project partners have developed soft-
ware tools to analyse the behaviour of the

proton populations in a specific macromo-
lecular group, the proteins. These software
tools could find application for the quanti-
tative analysis of the proton spin relaxation
profiles, a vital step in the interpretation of
magnetisation decays.

The information that this new modelling
tool can provide relates to the overall struc-
ture of the protein and its spatial arrange-
ment. Specifically, researchers can read-

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

without degradation or decrease in current
output, which reached a current density of
12 A/cm2 (K. Teo et al., 2005).

Because of its unique properties, this mini-
aturised electron source holds promise for
a new generation of efficient, lightweight
and compact microwave devices. The most
promising applications of this new type of
cold cathode are power amplifier systems
operating at high frequencies (30 to 100 GHz)
and in particular for travelling wave tubes
used in satellites. Additionally, their abil-
ity to generate and directly modulate elec-
tron beams makes them ideal candidates
for low-voltage field emitters used in par-
allel electron beam lithography and x-ray
generation.

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Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, 
manufacturing agreement, venture capital/spin-off funding.

Offer ID: 3095

well as the degradation velocity of build-
ing foundations. This can all be attained at
a minimal cost.

The new system can be especially useful for
specialists in civil or building engineering,
for building maintenance companies and
producers of pre-fabricated ferro-concrete
structures and parts. Financial resources
and joint venture for further development,
manufacturing and marketing of the system
are sought.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: joint venture agreement, financial support.

Offer ID: 3050

ily obtain information on protein rigidity,
folding and also on protein aggregation and
protein dynamics.

Researchers are keen to collaborate with
groups involved in the study of relaxation
profiles. NMR research groups from around
the world could potentially benefit from
these observations and the application of
these new research findings.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Human potential’ 
(Improving the human research potential 
and the socio-economic knowledge base).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Offer ID: 3082

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Moulding plastics into shape

The production of plastics is one of today’s largest industries. With 
products ranging from mobile phones and car bumpers to syringes, 
the requisite design of plastics is ever-changing. To meet these demands, 
systems for plastic production must be versatile and economical.

One of the prime processes used for plastics
production is injection moulding. Injection
mouldings count for a significant proportion
of all plastics products, from micro-parts
to large components. Virtually all sectors
of manufacturing use injection-moulded
parts — the flexibility in size and shape pos-
sible through use of this process have consist-
ently extended the boundaries of design in
plastics and enabled the significant replace-
ment of traditional materials thanks to light
weighting and design freedom. Modern-day
injection moulding machines need to be
automated, maintainable and programmable
and must adhere to international guidelines.

A new modular multi-control system has
been developed with the goal of provid-
ing an operating system that is completely
adaptable to the needs of specific produc-
tion processes and company operating sys-
tems, in accordance with European and
international standards. The system is
suitable for all kinds of injection mould-
ing machines, regardless of trademark or
year of manufacture. The system controls
the basic functions of plastic injection
machines at all levels, machine connections
can be examined and new functions devel-
oped by manufacturers can be incorporated
into the system. Connections to other soft-

Inexpensive sensors for high temperatures 
and harsh environments

Within the context of the FLASiC project, new sensor devices on Si wafers were 
developed and tested for liquid property analysis in harsh environments.

The development of silicon carbide (SiC)
wafers of large area and high quality are
considered ideal for microelectronical and
biomedical applications at high tempera-
tures and in harsh environments. Until now,
such wafers have been expensive to produce
and additionally, they display low mobility.

In view of this need, the FLASiC project
focused on realising a new process to pro-
duce epitaxial and bulk cubic SiC (3C-SiC)
on Si or substrates. This advanced technol-
ogy allowed the development of low-cost
sensors and devices working at high tem-
peratures and in harsh environments.

Based on the new SiC wafers produced,
demonstrators such as gas sensor proto-
types, liquid property monitoring devices
and biomedical needles were developed.

As an example, with the aid of the new flow
monitoring system, leakage in the bleed air
system may be easily detected.

The bleed air system hinders in-flight freez-
ing of the leading wing edges by hot air
(300 °C) transportation from the engines
along the leading wing edges within the
wings’ interior. The novel high-tempera-
ture system offers reliable monitoring of the
stable flow along the tube system and easy
detection and localisation of leaks.

Aiming at propellant analysis, a miniatur-
ised liquid property monitoring device can
measure density and viscosity of chemically
aggressive media in aeronautical applica-
tions. For this purpose, special housing was
fabricated allowing only the sensitive area of
the 3C-SiC sensor chip to be environmen-

Contributing to the design of the propulsion 
systems of modern ships

The progress of numerical tools for predicting the hydrodynamic performances of 
ships, along with the recent developments in information technologies dedicated 
to optimal design, allows for significant improvements in ship design.

The ship speed of large container vessels,
ferries and cruise ships has been increased
in recent years. Concurrent with this
trend, the design of propellers for these
ships has become more difficult; therefore,
more stringent requirements have been

forwarded to the suppliers of the propul-
sion installation. It is a general rule when
designing propellers to aim for the highest
possible level of propeller efficiency while
keeping vibrations and noise and hence
cavitation at the lowest level.

ware environments are all assessed and
supported and the system can even be run
from local nets and the Internet. The soft-
ware is user-friendly and can be used for
the development of new programmes by
independent software companies. In this
way, the established standards of the soft-
ware can be utilised to produce new prod-
ucts in the plastics industry.

Plastic machinery manufacturers and
injection plastic converters are immediate
potential customers of this new control sys-
tem, and its expansion is foreseen to stretch
throughout various European industries.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Growth’
 (Competitive and sustainable growth).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training

Offer ID: 3091

tally exposed,
while protect-
ing the rest of
the device.

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Moreover, the
modular design
of the system
facilitates the
replacement and
m o d i f i c a t i o n
of the different
c o m p o n e n t s .
The advanced
S i C t e c h n o l -
ogy is expected
to significantly
contribute to pro-
viding European
industries with a competitive edge in the
international market.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Growth’ 
(Competitive and sustainable growth).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training.

Offer ID: 3090

The EU-funded project ‘Leading edge’ sought
to elaborate numerical tools for an accurate
geometrical description of the propulsion
system and for cavitation calculations on
the propellers’ blades. The simulation results
will provide valuable insights into the ori-
gin, strength and structure of the tip vortex,
which is one of the major causes of vibrations
and noise, at model and full scale.

Researchers at the Chalmers University
of Technology investigated three different

continued on page 43

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CRTD_60.indd   42

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Advancing computational fluid dynamics 
with grid computing 

The results of the Flowgrid project will help the computational fluid dynamics 
(CFD) community benefit from new approaches to computing in which 
resources are shared to solve computationally demanding problems.

The increase in computing power in recent
years has helped unlock the potential of CFD
in resolving longstanding fluid dynamics
problems. As we are close to exhausting the
upper limits of individual computers, a new
paradigm has come to the fore that combines
the computing power of several machines
networked together. Grid computing, as it is
known, is today transforming the way research
is performed, and CFD is no exception.

the grid environment. Domain decompos-
ition was key to enabling the CFD solver to
operate efficiently in parallel mode. It was
also necessary to separate communications
tasks, which are handled with the message
passage interface MPICH-G2, from
the mathematical computations. Add-
itional developments included the cre-
ation of interfaces for easy modification
of CFD components.

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The IST programme funded six organisa-
tions to develop the necessary infrastructure
to bring grid computing to CFD. The main
deliverable of the project is the APUS-CFD
solver, which employs numerical methods
to solve the Navier-Stokes equations.

Symban Power Systems Ltd, a Flowgrid
partner, ported an existing CFD solver into

Following the development stage, the
APUS-CFD solver was tested by two
Flowgrid partners in Greece and Spain.
The outcome was positive and established
a precedent with Linux clusters as well
as other configurations. Based on these
encouraging results, the Flowgrid consor-
tium is pursuing commercial exploitation
of the APUS-CFD solver. It will appeal to

the automotive, aerospace and many other
industries where CFD is an integral part of
the product design phase.

Funded under the FP5 programme IST 
(User-friendly information society).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support, licence 
agreement, marketing agreement — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3044

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Natural minerals for industrial use

The identification of naturally occurring minerals which can be 
exploited for commercial use is one of the major roads open 
for cost-effective production. In this context, zeolites come under 
investigation with a view to expanding their industrial capabilities.

Natural zeolites are minerals which form where
volcanic rocks and ash layers react with alkaline
groundwater. They have an ‘open’ alumino-sil-
ica structure that can accommodate a wide var-
iety of cations (positive ions), such as Na+, K+,
Ca2+, Mg2+ and others. Naturally occurring
zeolites are rarely pure and are contaminated
to varying degrees by other minerals, metals,
quartz or other zeolites. They exist in many dif-
ferent structures, and zeolite properties depend
on the structure. For example, they can be used
as catalysts in the petrochemical industry, and
zeolite-based oxygen generation systems are
widely used to produce medical-grade oxygen.

The characterisation of Italian natural zeolite
has been undertaken with the aim of assessing
potential industrial applications.

The main zeolite deposits in Italy were iden-
tified and samples collected to investigate the
zeolite composition from the different quar-
ries. The geological reservoir of zeolite-rich
tuff, which is located in the Piandirena region,
is estimated at approximately 9 000 000 m3.
Samples were collected from about 15 quarries,
and each sample was analysed both qualita-
tively and quantitatively. Structures were deter-
mined using the Rietveld x-ray method and

the zeolite chemical composition was assessed
through cation exchange analysis. The phys-
ical properties of the zeolite were determined,
as were the optimum conditions for the firing
of the mineral. Reviews were also carried out to
determine the methods for the removal of the
impurities identified within the structures.

Following such characterisation processes,
these natural materials can be incorporated
in many industrial uses. Where the impur-
ities identified render them unsuitable, their
purification can be carried out to provide
minerals suitable for use.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Growth’ 
(Competitive and sustainable growth).

Collaboration sought: information exchange/training, 
private-public partnership — available for consultancy.

Offer ID: 3092

continued from page 42 ‘Contributing to the design of the propulsion systems of modern ships’

types of propellers: a conventional propel-
ler, serving as reference, a highly skewed
propeller and a propeller with tip blades.
The first step in both computational fluid
dynamics of fluid flows and finite element
modelling of structural problems was to
generate a solid model of the structure’s
geometry.

simulations of fluid flows, the density
and quality of the grid was revealed to be
especially important and accuracy heav-
ily dependent on which type of grid was
used. Often, there was a trade-off between
accuracy and effort required in the choice
of optimal grid type and in the generation
of the appropriate grid.

The preparation of a calculation grid splits
the geometry under consideration into
small volume elements. In the numerical

A general conclusion from all grid gener-
ations in the project was that a multi-grid
approach meets the requirements of repre-

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

senting complex propeller geometry better.
Efficient form variations can be achieved on
the basis of this approach, as well as solu-
tions that can lend themselves to practical
application in automated hydrodynamic
assessments of ship design.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Growth’
 (Competitive and sustainable growth).

Collaboration sought: further research or development support. 

Offer ID: 2960

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Cooling system for transporting 
refrigerated or frozen goods 

An Austrian SME has developed a transport cooling system not requiring 
separate machinery for cooling on containers. The refrigerant medium 
is pumped from a stationary filling station into condensing units inside 
the transport bodies. The system offers substantial reductions in energy, 
investment, logistics and emissions and is applicable for several kinds 
of cool or frozen goods transport. 

At present, a cooling unit on each container
is necessary for transporting reefer or fro-
zen cargo. All these systems use refrigerants
and require a high-performance refriger-
ating machine situated on each transport
container.

Based on experiences from professional
users, problems arise in several areas.
•

Energy for cooling units is normally gen-
erated by diesel engines on truck bodies
or containers, involving additional fuel
demand while systems powered by elec-
trical energy have even higher energy
demands.
In terms of operation and maintenance,
refrigerating machines cause enormous
costs for investment and maintenance;
problems arise when securing or main-
taining the correct temperature.
Leakage of refrigerant: about 35 % of
refrigerant for cooling machines evap-
orates to the atmosphere every year. This
corresponds to almost 10 tons of CO2-
equivalent per year and truck.

•

•

The new low-energy cooling system follows
the idea of ‘refuelling coldness’: based on
operating principles of ice-slurry, a mixture
of pumpable slurry is used for cooling. Mak-

ing use of smelting enthalpy, a long-term
conditioning inside insulated bodies and
containers is granted.

The new system uses a central storage
cooling unit situated at a stationary filling
station. The produced cold slurry is then
pumped into special condensing units
inside the transport bodies or contain-
ers. This way, the system is designed for
centrally fuelling a number of transport
containers with coldness without requir-
ing separate refrigerating machines. After
use for cooling, the slurry can be reused
and refuelled in a closed loop. There is no
exhaust of slurry and natural refrigerants
(without global warming potential (GWP))
can be applied.

The system offers a number of advantages:
saving investment and fuel costs: no
•
transport cooling units are necessary
on trucks, the related fuel costs are
saved;
reduction of operation and maintenance
costs for cooling units on trucks: usually
service is necessary every 500 to 1 000
working hours and stops a truck for a
day; furthermore, trucks lose 2 to 5 kg of
refrigerant per year;

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logistical advantages for semi-trailers:
semi-trailer systems for trucks or contain-
ers in several temperature ranges do not
require a cable joint with the drive unit
and frozen products (–40 °C) and fresh
products (+4 °C) can be handled flexibly
without long-term pre-cooling;
reduction of weight and increase of pay-
load: for delivery trucks, a weight reduc-
tion of 180 to 300 kg can be guaranteed
and this reduction allows increasing
payload, higher transport value and
efficiency;
enormous reduction of emissions:
refrigerant is only used in stationary
cooling units. This implies a complete
reduction of refrigerants in mobile units
(average 8 kg per unit) and the elimi-
nation of loss by leakage.

When the system is installed for a number
of trucks or containers, the financial advan-
tage over a five-year period is estimated at
EUR 30 000 to 60 000 per truck.

The SME disposes of reliable experience
with trucks of small dimension (max. 3.5
tons of total weight). In delivery and distri-
bution of frozen goods, 35 to 40 stops can
be completed within 10 to 12 hours without
exceeding temperatures of –18 °C. The sys-
tem is adaptable for high-volume truck bod-
ies or containers. For long-distance trans-
ports, filling stations along the way will be
necessary for refuelling.

The company is looking for partners inter-
ested in:
•

licensing the technology for their own
applications, production and distribution;
distributing the system to international
markets in transportation, logistics, food-
stuff and so forth;
commercial cooperation with technical
assistance for extended pilot tests and sys-
tem adaptation to high-volume truck bod-
ies or containers.

•

•

Innovative aspects: simplified system requiring only 
a central stationary cooling unit instead of separate 
cooling units on individual truck bodies; advanced 
technology reducing the consumption of fossil fuels 
and using natural refrigerants without GWP; closed-loop 
system increasing energy efficiency and preventing 
emissions; higher flexibility for semi-trailers and varied 
temperature ranges; saving investment and fuel costs; 
reduction of operation and maintenance costs; logistical 
advantages for semi-trailers; reduction of weight and 
increase of payload; enormous reduction of emissions.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: aerospace; business, 
road or rail vehicles.

Collaboration sought: licence agreement.

Result ID: 42240

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Mobile positioning

A company in Germany offers a multi-sensor tool for the localisation of 
persons or objects with Internet connection to location-based services (LBSs). 

ogies. It is looking for licence agreement
partners, e.g. mobile communication pro-
viders, suppliers and services providers.

The innovative multi-sensor tool is based on
universal mobile telecommunications sys-
tem (UMTS) technology and enables locali-
sation of persons or objects with Internet
connection to LBSs. The technology allows
tracking of objects in closed rooms with an
accuracy of less than 10 m deviation using
electronic sensor signals.

The company offers implementation of this
tool and other mobile devices with inte-
grated broadband modules using global pos-
itioning system/general packet radio service
(GSM/GPRS), UMTS, digital video broad-
casting — terrestrial (DVB-T), wireless local
area network (WLAN) and so forth, with a
focus on the convergence of these technol-

Innovative aspects: the technology allows 
relative indoor positioning using system components 
that are readily available on the market.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Collaboration sought: assembly, financial support, licence 
agreement, technical consultancy.

Result ID: 42545

New mobile system for forced air cooling

An Italian SME has developed a new technology 
for rapid cooling of foodstuffs. 

The technology developed consists of a rapid
pre-cooling system for fresh crops. All fresh
horticultural crops are living organisms and
they remain alive until they are consumed.
The necessary energy to sustain their life

cycle is called respiration. During this stage,
the product generates heat, raising the tem-
perature and priming all events related to its
ageing process.

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Studies confirm that lowering the respir-
ation rate, as fast as possible, is essential
to preserve the quality of the fresh prod-
uct. A proper pre-cooling system preserves
product quality by inhibiting the growth of
micro-organisms, limiting enzymatic and
respiratory activities, preventing water loss
and reducing ethylene production.

The process starts by placing the product
and the machine inside the cold rooms. The
product, in the form of pallets or bins, is
placed in two parallel rows spaced at a dis-
tance of around 50 cm from one another. The

Cost-effective production 
of polymer nanocomposites

Within the context of the Melt_Nanocomp project, methods for preparing 
polymer nanocomposites from polyolefins were investigated extensively.

Polymer nanocomposites are a family of
reinforced polymers with low amounts of
clay particles in the nanometre scale. In com-
parison to standard polymers, these feature
better mechanical, surface and thermal prop-
erties and hence, find several useful indus-
trial applications. For instance, they may be
employed for producing gasoline tanks in the
automotive industry, panels in construction,
printed circuits in electronics and electrical
sectors, or containers in food packaging.

Avoiding the use of expensive nanofillers in
manufacture of polymer nanocomposites, the
Melt_Nanocomp project focused on reducing
manufacture costs by avoiding conventionally
used wet-chemistry practice and simplifying

the processing procedure. One of the project’s
key innovative features was the use of a com-
bination of high-shear compounding and
reactive processing techniques for concen-
trates development. Additionally, the combi-
nation of high-shear and in-line processing
technologies allowed the shaping of pieces in
one compounding processing step.

Part of the project work involved exploration
of methods for preparation of polymer nano-
composites from polyolefins. Having con-
ducted extensive benchmark testing, it was
found that results on polypropylene-based
organoclay are difficult to reproduce. Prep-
aration of superior nanocomposites through
melt blending technologies can be achieved

CORDIS focus RTD Results Supplement — No 60 — January 2007

machine is composed of a unit endowed with
a centrifugal fan and an integrated tarp. An
electronic thermostat is placed in the con-
trol panel and a pulp probe is inserted in the
fruit. A powerful fan pulls the cold air from
the cold room crossing the product, allowing
to get the product cooled in one third of the
time usually employed for the process.

Innovative aspects: the new system has been designed to keep 
the temperature monitoring with a difference of +/–0.5 °C 
between the pulp temperature and the air of the environment, 
with the possibility to register the temperature by issuing a ticket 
(around sensitive point heating, cooling and process piping); this 
cooling phase takes place quickly, within approximately 3 hours 
instead of the 9 hours usually employed by normal cold rooms; 
the system can be used within the most common rooms; energy 
consumption is strongly reduced; high quality of fresh products
 is guaranteed; long-lasting product shelf-life.

Promoted through the IRC network.

Potential market applications: animal or plant breeding, foods, drinks.

Collaboration sought: licence agreement, technical cooperation.

Result ID: 42563

through optimisation of the configuration of
screw extruder and elements as well as process-
ing conditions. Most interestingly, the polymer
matrix variation plays an important role in the
performance of the nanocomposite.

The combination of untreated montmo-
rillonite with polyamid 6 polymer showed
increased potentialities for further use in pro-
duction with significant cost savings benefits.
However, this approach still requires further
R & D to be realised. In the case of conven-
tional compounds with micronised talc, the
two-step compounding process can offer
increased savings, yet further improvements
in mechanics and shrinkage might lead to
higher production costs.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Growth’ 
(Competitive and sustainable growth).

Collaboration sought: further research or 
development support, licence agreement.

Offer ID: 3037

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Methods for evaluation of poplar wood

For the selection of plant material for tree improvement, both growth 
and material properties have to be considered. Poplar wood is a good 
raw material for pulp and paper. Its fibres have suitable dimensions 
to form a smooth paper surface with good optical properties, but it also 
contains vessels, which may create problems for printing.

Research in wood and fibres has been
limited by lack of efficient measurement
methods. The Swedish research institute
STFI has developed several methods useful
for evaluation of the industrial potential of
softwoods. One task within of the project
has been to establish a set of characterisa-
tion methods, useful in tree improvement
programmes for evaluation of properties of
young hardwood materials. This includes
investigation of age-to-age relationships,
based on measurements of property dif-
ferences between individual growth rings.
Measurements of length and width of fibres
and vessel elements in poplar have been
emphasised.

Prior to the project, STFI had developed a
system, the STFI ‘FiberMaster’, for charac-
terisation of fibres in pulp, primarily soft-
wood fibres. The method had also been
used for analysis of the radial development
of fibre length in stem cross-sections. Cross-
sections were cut into radial sub-samples.
The fibres were liberated through macer-
ation and analysed. The same procedure
has now been tested on poplar, with posi-
tive results.

To allow the study of sub-samples repre-
senting individual growth rings, a new pro-
cedure has been developed. Radial sample
strips are cut from larger-size wood sam-
ples and the growth rings to be analysed
are marked out. Sample strips are placed

in specially designed containers and a
kraft cook is performed. After cooking, the
strips are soft but intact. The marked-out
growth rings are removed and the material
is agitated to liberate the fibres, vessel ele-
ments, etc.

With the ‘FiberMaster’, it was not possible
to analyse the vessel elements in the pulp.
A new method for this has been developed
in parallel with and inspired by the Pop-
wood project. Pulp is diluted and images are
recorded from its different objects: fibres,
vessel elements, fines, etc. Image analysis is
applied to locate the individual objects, clas-
sify them by type and collect the objects of
each type in separate files. The objects are
then characterised with dedicated routines.
When minority objects are characterised, it
may happen that too few objects for good
statistics are analysed. Routines have been
added to handle this and good measure-
ment results are now obtained.

In many cases it is, however, interesting to
measure the objects in situ in the original
wood matrix, to allow a better interpreta-
tion of the result. In the Popwood project,
a new technique has been developed for
this. The cross-sectional dimensions of
individual fibres and vessel elements are
analysed with microscopy over large areas
in wood (mm x cm). A solid wood sam-
ple is sawn from the wood material. The
sample is planed, sanded and prepared to

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offer an even surface with high contrast
between the fibre wall and lumen. The
sample is mounted on a motorised stage
under a microscope equipped with a video
camera. The set-up is operated by a com-
puter control system. Many small, elemen-
tary images are taken and stitched together
into larger images. Image analysis is applied
to identify each object (fibres and vessels)
and to determine features such as width,
perimeter, area, roundness. A functioning
system has been built. There were difficul-
ties with the image quality, which were to
a large extent solved by using microtome
sliced samples instead of solid wood. There
were also difficulties with long calculation
times. Eventually, it was decided that the
method for measurement on pulp would be
used when large numbers of poplar samples
would be analysed. However, many experi-
ences valuable also in other measurement
applications have been gained and will be
reported.

The evaluation of age-to-age relationships
of different plant materials has, thus, been
performed with the new methods for pro-
duction of growth ring pulp samples and
for analysis of fibres and vessel elements in
pulp, with good results.

Large interest has been shown from industry
and researchers. The methods are already
applied in other research projects and con-
tract work on aspen and eucalyptus. In one
project, the natural variability within and
between trees and clones is investigated for
better matching of wood raw materials and
products. In other projects, the objectives
are to select suitable clones for plantation
forests. Other possible applications are trou-
ble-shooting in mills, if problems related to
vessel elements or other raw material prop-
erties are suspected, process investigations
and optimisation.

The new procedures are now in operation
in the STFI Wood and Fiber Measurement
and Simulation Laboratory. Extensive use
is expected in the company’s own research,
R & D cooperations and contract work with
research groups and companies.

Funded under the FP5 programme ‘Life quality’ 
(Quality of life and management of living resources).

Potential market applications: education, learning systems, 
distance teaching, forest management, instruments, 
measuring equipment, optical, photographic equipment, 
paper, paper products, surgical equipment.

Collaboration sought: further research or development support.

Result ID: 42513

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