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Jean-Eric Paquet says the the need for science to live up to societal challenges is greater than ever. Image credit - European Commission
interview | policy
28 March 2018

'Evolution, not revolution' will guide next EU research funding programme – Jean-Eric Paquet

The structure of the EU’s next research funding programme is based on the mantra of ‘evolution, not revolution’ and so will not contain any major surprises, according to Jean-Eric Paquet, the EU’s recently appointed director-general for research and innovation, who takes up his new role on 3 April.

Imagine if all the billions we are now putting into these expensive subscription journals could be put into research, says Robert-Jan Smits. Image credit - European Union
interview | policy
23 March 2018

Open access to scientific publications must become a reality by 2020 - Robert-Jan Smits

A lot of lip service is being paid to making scientific papers free to access but when it comes to action there is a lot of hypocrisy, according to Robert-Jan Smits, the EU's outgoing director-general for research, science and innovation. He has recently been appointed the EU's special envoy on open access, tasked with helping make all publicly funded research in Europe freely available by 2020.

Dr Margarete van Ess says that educating people on the importance of cultural heritage can help preserve it. Image credit: I. Wagner, German Archaeological Institute
social sciences | interview
13 March 2018

War can destroy cultural heritage twice – in conflict and in clean-up

People can inadvertently destroy cultural heritage for a second time when cleaning up conflict sites after a war ends, according to archaeologist Dr Margarete van Ess, who says that databases and education are the best basis for safeguarding sites for the future.

Major missions such as putting a man on the moon generate a lot of spillover innovations along the way. Image provided by Prof Mazzucato.
interview | policy | open innovation
27 February 2018

Missions could make Europe cool again – Prof. Mariana Mazzucato

Missions modelled on the 1960s 'moonshot' programme to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade could help make Europe a cool place to do business and unite the public behind European science and innovation, according to Professor Mariana Mazzucato, founder and director of the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London, UK, where she holds the chair in the economics of innovation and public value.

Prof. Seán Ó Riain has been studying how workplaces have changed since 1995. Image credit - Maynooth University
interview | social sciences
21 February 2018

Era of flexible work requires new universal services – Prof. Seán Ó Riain

The future of work is here – and it’s defined by flexibility, autonomy and pressure, according to Prof. Seán Ó Riain from Maynooth University, Ireland, who has been studying how workplaces have changed since 1995. He says we need to rethink public services to help people balance work and family in this new era.

Professor Eus Van Someren says that our genetic make up and childhood experiences can impact on whether we experience insomnia as adults. Image credit - Gerlinde de Geus
interview | health
15 January 2018

Insomnia may stem from hyperalert brains shaped by genes and childhood – Prof. Eus Van Someren

Genes and adverse childhood experiences could result in a hyperalert brain that is good at being ready for action but gives rise to insomnia in later life, according to Professor Eus Van Someren, a sleep expert at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. He is investigating the link between insomnia and depression and has discovered a strong genetic correlation among the two conditions.

Dr Nora Khladi hopes that by using peptide molecules we will be able to prevent future chronic diseases. Image credit - Kieran Harnett
interview | health
04 January 2018

AI is like having a treasure map to find disease-preventing molecules – Dr Nora Khaldi

A cereal bar that keeps diabetes at bay is one example of how we could prevent disease by adding short molecules known as peptides into what we eat, says Dr Nora Khaldi, founder of Nuritas, which is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify new peptides and create foods with health benefits.

Professor Eystein Sverre Husebye said hormone disorders have consequences including obesity, hypertension, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and ulcers. Credit — Eystein Husebye
interview | health
11 December 2017

New device will shed light on hormonal disorders – Prof. Eystein Sverre Husebye

Hormonal disorders can affect people's immune systems, metabolism and even bones, and unravelling the mystery around something called ultradian rhythms could help improve diagnosis and lead to better treatments, according to Professor Eystein Sverre Husebye, who works at the Department of Clinical Science at the University of Bergen (UiB) in Norway.

Kristina Tsvetanova believes that persistence is key to creating a successful start-up. Image credit - Blitab
interview | ict | open innovation
06 December 2017

Better communication of EU funding would connect Brussels and Bulgaria – Kristina Tsvetanova

Entrepreneurship in Eastern Europe is on the rise, but more better communication about the funding available from the EU would help it to grow further, says Kristina Tsvetanova, the US-based co-founder and CEO of blind-accessible tablet start-up Blitab, and a 2017 winner of the EU Prize for Women Innovators.

Dr Juan Bicarregui says it’s a long road to a full European open science cloud but some parts will be available for use very soon. Credit — Kevin Casey
interview | open science | science in society | ict
28 November 2017

Establishing a sense of direction is first step for open science cloud – Dr Juan Bicarregui

Changing the way science is done in Europe is the first job in setting up the European open science cloud, a huge shared data repository that will enable data from all publicly-funded research to be freely accessible, according to Dr Juan Bicarregui from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK.

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