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Open to the World

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as by its French acronym CERN, makes all of its results widely available through an open source digital library. Image credit: 2005-2016 CERNThe Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance organises scientific surveys involving countries around the Atlantic, such as one carried out on the Canadian coastguard ship Louis S. St-Laurent which mapped the seafloor between Halifax, Canada and Tromso, Norway. Image courtesy of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
The Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance organises scientific surveys involving countries around the Atlantic, such as one carried out on the Canadian coastguard ship Louis S. St-Laurent which mapped the seafloor between Halifax, Canada and Tromso, Norway. Image courtesy of Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Research and innovation can generate the knowledge and solutions to tackle urgent international problems like the Ebola outbreak or the refugee crisis. By removing barriers to international cooperation between researchers and innovators, engaging in science diplomacy, and leading research and innovation partnerships to address global challenges, there is enormous potential for Europe to have a leading voice in global debates. Being open to the world and maintaining the EU’s presence at the highest level of international scientific endeavour is a priority for the European Commission.

Prof. Eliezer Rabinovici helped to set up SESAME so researchers in the Middle East could access a particle accelerator closer to home.
policy | frontier research | open to the world | interview
16 May 2017

Mid-East particle accelerator is ‘lighthouse’ for mutual understanding – co-founder

The first Middle East particle accelerator – officially opened on 16 May – sets an example for young researchers on how a small group of people can build bridges across the troubled region, according to one of the original founders of the project, Professor Eliezer Rabinovici from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, who also holds the Louis Michel Chair at France’s Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques.

Research on finger millet crops aims to boost essential vitamins to tackle malnutrition. Credit: ‘A Scene of Ragi’ by Thamizhpparithi Maari is licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0
agriculture | open to the world | health
10 May 2017

New strains of staple crops serve up essential vitamins

More nutritious versions of staple crops could increase daily vitamin and mineral intake for millions of people with poor diets, helping to overcome undernourishment that can cause blindness, brittle bones, feeble muscles and brain damage.

Over 1 million migrants arrived in southern Europe by boat in 2015. Credit: Flickr/ Freedom House
policy | open to the world
08 May 2017

Migration blind spots add impetus to Euro-Mediterranean research push

There is an urgent need to understand what would enable the middle-class families that make up the majority of Europe’s migrants to stay in their home countries, a meeting to secure research collaborations across the Mediterranean has heard.

Scientists should step up efforts to make their results widely available in order to dispel alternative facts, according to Prof. Van Langenhove.
interview | policy | open to the world
11 April 2017

How ‘alternative facts’ could be tackled with science diplomacy

Science diplomacy – where scientific collaboration is used to promote broader discussions between countries – enables scientists to help tackle issues such as protectionism and government control over research findings, and could even mitigate the future threat of wars over knowledge and data, according to Professor Luk Van Langenhove, research professor at the Institute of European Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.

Collaboration between Europe and North Africa could mean more resources in the Mediterranean region for green energy projects, says InnoEnergy’s Claude Ayache. Image credit: Flickr/dirvish
interview | environment | open to the world | energy
01 February 2017

EU, North Africa green energy tie-up draws closer - Claude Ayache

An experimental project connecting renewable energy researchers in the EU with colleagues in Morocco and Tunisia could help pave the way for a market in renewable energy and energy efficiency that spans the Mediterranean, according to Claude Ayache, senior advisor for European affairs at the EU’s public-private green energy partnership, InnoEnergy.

Dr Leonardo Santos Simão is the High Representative South of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, which brings together 14 European countries and 14 African countries in an effort to find new ways to fight diseases. Image credit: EDCTP
interview | health | open to the world
14 December 2016

Malaria, HIV vaccine achievable ‘in one or two decades’ – Dr Leonardo Santos Simão

We will see vaccines for malaria and HIV within the next one or two decades, predicts Dr Leonardo Santos Simão, the former health minister of Mozambique, who has been appointed High Representative South of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), which aims to accelerate the development of new treatments, vaccines and diagnostic tools for diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Working with Pacific states can teach European researchers about climate change, emerging diseases, deep sea mining and blue growth, according to Prof. Jean-François Marini. Image credit: ZMT/Rathke
interview | environment | open to the world
22 November 2016

The Pacific region is a perfect example of science diplomacy in action – Prof. Jean-François Marini

The Pacific region can serve as an exemplar of how science diplomacy could work, according to Professor Jean-François Marini, coordinator of the EU-funded PACE-Net Plus project and former adviser to the French government on science diplomacy.

The Quito Declaration strengthens the role of science in sustainable urbanisation, according to Dr Niki Frantzeskaki. Image courtesy of Dr Niki Frantzeskaki
interview | environment | policy | open to the world
20 October 2016

UN Quito Declaration puts citizens, scientists at heart of city planning - Dr Niki Frantzeskaki

The United Nation’s declaration on the future of the world’s cities, known as the Quito Declaration, will mean that citizens’ needs are placed at the heart of the urban development process, according to Dr Niki Frantzeskaki, an associate professor at the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Tsunamis are low-frequency but high-impact natural disasters. Image credit: Pixabay/ Unsplash
environment | security | open to the world
11 October 2016

Scientists investigate how to defend Europe against tsunamis

The damage that tsunamis could cause is expected to rise due to climate change, say researchers who are developing a tsunami early warning system for Europe and investigating the best way to reduce their impact on people and buildings. 

Cleaning and cooling down concentrated solar power plants uses as much water as an Olympic-sized swimming pool every day. Image courtesy of MinWaterCSP
energy | open to the world
23 August 2016

Quenching the thirst of concentrated solar power

Concentrated solar power (CSP) could have the potential to energise remote areas of the world, but it faces one major obstacle – the amount of water it uses. Now, thrifty water sprinklers, tailor-made rotors and hybrid sunlight-biomass boilers could cut the water bill of concentrated solar power and even help generate electricity when the sun doesn't shine. 

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