Research*EU Magazine | Number 10 (March 2012)

Knowledge beyond frontiers: cross border science and innovation

Summary:

The featured theme for this issue of research*eu results magazine is ‘Knowledge beyond frontiers’ and focuses on cross-border science and innovation’. Advances in science and technology have always crossed and broken through barriers, from shattering illusions about the relationship between the Earth and the Sun to physically breaking out of the Earth’s atmosphere into space. The projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC) today are even called ‘frontier research’.

The top story in the energy and transport section looks at the HAVEit project, which puts us on the road to more automated, and ultimately safer, vehicles. Their new approach focused on automation during extreme driving situations — in which drivers are often most at risk of having an accident — such as negotiating road works or while stuck in stop-and-go traffic. More feature articles on the Catiemon and ‘Central Loco’ projects then highlight research’s role in building better cross-border networks for transport.

The headline story in our environment and society section considers aquaculture as a complement to the fishing of Bluefin Tuna — in the same way as we already produce sea bream, sea bass, turbot and salmon — in order to protect disappearing fish stocks.

Our IT and telecommunications section starts with a look at how European scientists have prepared the ground to make ultra-high-speed broadband networks a reality for many more Europeans. More affordable optical fibre networks could bring huge economic gains.

Meanwhile, our industrial technologies section ends, appropriately, with a spotlight on how nano-crystals can overcome — literally — barriers in nano-electronic applications. The project, involving cross-border exchange with a Swiss university, has demonstrated the application potential of nano-crystal-mediated tunnelling for molecular electronics.

Contents:

Health

Digital Economy

Climate Change and Environment

Energy

Industrial Technologies

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