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Interview

Dr Daria Julkowska is coordinating E-Rare-3 and working on identifying the research requirements for rare diseases. Image credit - Dr Daria Julkowska
health | interview
03 August 2017

Anyone with a rare disease should benefit from cutting-edge research – Dr Daria Julkowska

A new EU-wide approach to funding rare disease research could help patients secure access to new treatments, says Dr Daria Julkowska, scientific coordinator on rare diseases at the French National Research Agency.

Prof. Nicolosi uses Ireland's most powerful microscope that can picture the materials she makes with atomic resolution. Image credit – Amber, Trinity College Dublin
frontier research | energy | industry | interview
26 July 2017

Nanomaterials are closest thing we have to real-life ‘superheroes’ – Prof. Valeria Nicolosi

Utilising the superhero properties of materials around an atom thick could revolutionise how we store energy in electronic devices, according to Valeria Nicolosi, professor of nanomaterials and advanced microscopy at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Prof. Raffaella Schneider is investigating the nature and properties of the first stars and galaxies. Image credit – Dr Marco Mattiuzzi
space | interview
24 July 2017

The first black holes keep revealing secrets about our universe – Prof. Raffaella Schneider

Ancient black holes hidden away in deep space have left behind nuclear clues about the first-ever stars, according to Professor Raffaella Schneider from the Department of Physics of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, who leads a team of stellar archaeologists. 

Professor Matthias Sperl is looking at how to create a lunar settlement. Image credit – DLR
space | interview
19 July 2017

Colonising the moon rests on 3D printing bricks from lunar dust - Prof. Matthias Sperl

To colonise the solar system we need to figure out how to build settlements on alien surfaces, and, according to Professor Matthias Sperl, a material scientist from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), our best bet rests on 3D-printed bricks made from moon dust.

Dr Matteo Bonfanti says that we cannot rely on repressive measures alone to solve terrorism. Image credit - Dr Matteo Bonfanti
social sciences | interview
06 July 2017

Understanding links between terrorists and organised crime can thwart attacks – Dr Matteo Bonfanti

Investigators should capitalise more on the fact that terrorist cells often work with criminal organisations to achieve their goals, according to Dr Matteo Bonfanti, a senior researcher at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

Former World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy says the EU’s next research funding programme should be twice as big. Image credit: Flickr/ Sebastiaan ter Burg
policy | interview
03 July 2017

The next EU science fund should be doubled in size – Pascal Lamy

The next EU research funding programme should be doubled in size to help fix Europe's growth problems, according to former World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy, who is chairing a group of experts selected by the European Commission to analyse which changes to make after the current programme expires in 2020.

Prof. Herman Goossens started European Antibiotic Awareness Day in 2008 after a study showed large numbers of Europeans thought antibiotics can kill viruses. Image credit: Prof. Goosens
health | interview
29 June 2017

Europe can solve superbug crisis - Prof. Herman Goossens

As the European Commission publishes a new plan to fight the threat from drug-resistant superbugs, Professor Herman Goossens, the initiator of the first European Antibiotic Awareness Day, says he is optimistic that scientists and industry can work together to solve perhaps the biggest challenge of our time.

Prof. Luke Georghiou says that Europe needs more companies that are able to apply research. Image credit: Prof. Luke Georghiou
policy | open innovation | interview
29 May 2017

Europe’s companies often need a kick-start for innovation – Prof. Luke Georghiou

Europe needs to demonstrate to many of its companies the benefits of innovation, according to Professor Luke Georghiou, the vice-president for research and innovation at the University of Manchester, UK.

Dr Manoj Dora is looking into so-called lean agriculture to make European farming more productive and competitive.
agriculture | interview
23 May 2017

Secret to cheaper food may be to copy Toyota - Dr Manoj Dora

An on-demand style of farming inspired by the Toyota car manufacturing lines of the 1950s could be the key to improving efficiency on farms, which would in turn lead to cheaper food in European supermarkets, according to Dr Manoj Dora from Brunel University London in the UK.

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.

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