Issue 132
November 2024
ISSN 2315-0017
Spotlight on research and innovation
Our future is shaped by research and innovation. Research helps us understand the world around us and find solutions to challenges we face collectively. Innovation drives us forward, provides us with the tools we need to overcome these challenges, and stimulates economic growth, sustainability, and societal well-being.
The European Union is home to over two million researchers who discover, analyse, and spearhead innovation in a range of domains, from the use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing to the treatment of diseases like cancer. While EU Member States manage their own research policies and funding programmes, our common issues can be best tackled when researchers and innovators in different countries work together. This is why research and innovation are supported at EU level.
Through the European research area, the EU promotes cross-border cooperation in research and innovation by encouraging the development of European research infrastructures and enhancing access to scientific information. Furthermore, through its innovation principle, the EU makes sure that legislation is designed in a way that creates the best possible conditions for innovation to flourish.
In four decades, since the launch of its first community-wide funding programme for research, the EU has provided funding of over €280 billion to more than 150 000 research and innovation projects. This makes the EU the largest multilateral provider of research funding in the world. By providing easy access to data about these research and innovation projects, the EU aims to maximise the benefits they bring to our lives and ensure that those who can best make use of these research results are able to find them.
The EU’s current funding programme for research, Horizon Europe, continues to drive Europe’s scientific excellence by:
- supporting the scaling up of innovative companies,
- promoting researcher mobility, and
- encouraging research into some of modern society’s greatest challenges.
As we celebrate 40 years of EU-funded research and innovation, and 30 years of online access to EU-funded research results via CORDIS, our November newsletter puts the spotlight on research and innovation. As always, we also recommend publications on other topics such as the state of the EU’s regions and cities.
Enjoy the good reads!
40 stories, 40 years PDF
EU research & innovation
Here’s to 40 years of EU funding for science, research & innovation! In four decades, €280 billion has been invested via 120 000 grants, resulting in 30 Nobel Prize winners and countless breakthroughs. Discover 40 inspiring stories of EU-funded research and innovation making a difference to our lives.
Available in EnglishCORDIS results pack on polar regions PDF/Paper/HTML
Explore the impact of climate change on Earth's polar regions and learn about the rapidly warming Arctic and Antarctica. The 13 EU-funded projects featured in this Results Pack focus on the polar regions, climate change, and the links between them. These projects are bridging gaps in understanding, modelling, and predicting the vulnerable components of Earth's climate system and biosphere.
Available in EnglishCORDIS results pack on supercomputing PDF/Paper/HTML
Supercomputers are advanced systems with extremely high computational power, capable of delivering solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems, from meteorology to diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Discover how the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking is revolutionising European research and industry via 15 groundbreaking projects.
Available in EnglishCORDIS results pack on renewable fuels PDF/Paper/HTML
Transport fuels are among the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. In line with the European Green Deal’s goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, Europe is investing in decarbonising the transport sector. Read about 15 EU-funded projects introducing renewable fuel technologies that will support the clean energy transition in the sector and help the EU achieve energy independence.
Available in EnglishHorizon projects using environmental observations and artificial intelligence for the benefit of science and society PDF
Artificial intelligence plays an important role in harnessing Earth observations to support sustainable practices in different economic sectors and to improve the detection of extreme weather events among others. Read about 19 EU-funded projects using AI tools to carry out research tasks and learn about the benefits, risks, and limitations of these technologies.
Available in EnglishIn your language
EU annual report on the state of regions and cities PDF/Paper
Factsheet 2024
Did you know that cohesion policy is worth one third of the EU’s budget for 2021-2027? Or that 75% of Europeans live in urban or suburban areas? Dive into the latest annual report on the state of regions and cities in the EU. Learn about the challenges facing regions and cities, from climate change to housing, and gain insights into initiatives set up across the EU to overcome these issues.
Available in all official languages of the EUYou may also like
Open data and AI: A symbiotic relationship for progress html
Unleashing the potential of this powerful duo
Artificial intelligence systems are becoming increasingly accurate and sophisticated due in part to advances in the algorithms used to develop them, access to greater computer processing power, and the wider availability of data. Learn more about the relationship between AI and open data in this data story from data.europa.eu.
Available in EnglishEmployment and social developments in Europe 2024 PDF/Paper
The latest review of employment and social developments in Europe examines how different aspects of EU Member States’ societies and economies compare with each other. It also analyses the impact of various social policies, such as housing policy, social protection, and green reforms.
Available in EnglishOur news
The European Data Conference on Reference Data and Semantics is coming back for its third edition on 8 and 9 October 2025. Those studying or working on reference data, semantic technologies and artificial intelligence are invited to share their insights and research and contribute to the conference programme by 6 January 2025.
In a world where digital technologies are continuously evolving, the management and sharing of information can represent significant challenges for organisations. This is particularly true where large volumes of data are produced, disseminated and reused. Despite advancements in technologies that can facilitate these tasks, challenges remain when retrieving information and exchanging it between different systems, especially across borders and when integrating AI-based solutions.
Using harmonised reference data and semantic technologies can help organisations overcome these issues. By exchanging best practices and experiences, organisations can learn how best to implement the use of these tools. Since its first edition in 2021, the European Data Conference on Reference and Semantics (ENDORSE), has served as a key platform for these exchanges.
As indicated in the slogan of ENDORSE 2025, ‘Reference Data and AI: Transforming Data into Action across Borders and Languages’, the conference will provide the opportunity to explore how artificial intelligence can potentially assist with the use of reference data.
Join us and contribute to the evolving landscape of reference data and semantics. For details on how you can participate in the conference, visit the dedicated website!
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