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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.

Prof. Ronald Hanson proved that quantum entanglement is real when he linked two particles 1.3 km apart. Credit: TU Delft
interview | frontier research
03 May 2017

No one yet realises what the quantum internet will enable us to do – Prof. Ronald Hanson

The quantum internet, which connects particles linked together by the principle of quantum entanglement, is like the early days of the classical internet – no one can yet imagine what uses it could have, according to Professor Ronald Hanson, from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, whose team was the first to prove that the phenomenon behind it was real.

Prof. Toni Cathomen says that using CRISPR-Cas9 to correct eye disorders may be its first in vivo medical application. Image courtesy of Prof. Toni Cathomen
health | frontier research | interview
19 April 2017

CRISPR has revolutionised how we approach many diseases – Prof. Toni Cathomen

Re-engineering immune cells and modifying yeast to produce drugs are just two of the tantalising applications of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, says Professor Toni Cathomen, director of the Institute for Cell and Gene Therapy at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

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.

Cyber criminals target critical infrastructure such as power stations because of the potential to destabilise large parts of society, says Georg Peter. Image credit: ERNCIP
ict | interview
20 March 2017

Critical infrastructures under daily attack – ERNCIP head Georg Peter

Critical infrastructures such as railway networks, power stations and telephone grids are under daily attack by cyber criminals, according to Georg Peter, who is responsible for the European Reference Network for Critical Infrastructure Protection (ERNCIP), an important part of the EU response to help countries defend their assets.

Collaboration between schools and industry could help align curricula to develop skills needed for jobs, says Marc Durando. Image courtesy Marc Durando.
opinion
17 March 2017

Schools and industry should join forces to reduce skills gap – Marc Durando

Schools and industry should join forces to increase the level of skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and better prepare pupils for careers in the sector, according to Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet, a network of 31 European ministries of education.

Dr Alexander Kröller is researching the risk that hacking and viruses pose to self-driving cars. Image courtesy of Dr Alexander Kröller
interview | transport | ict
16 March 2017

Hackers could blackmail owners of self-driving cars - Dr Alexander Kröller, TomTom

Automated vehicles have the potential to revolutionise our day-to-day lives, but these kind of cyber-physical systems are vulnerable to attack by criminals. Horizon spoke with Dr Alexander Kröller, a research manager at Dutch navigation company TomTom, to explore the risks that hacking and viruses pose to self-driving cars.

Modestas Gudauskas won a prize for creating a bacteria that produces two substances which could be used to develop alternatives to plastics. Image courtesy of the European Union
interview | industry
15 March 2017

Visualise your goals and never give up – EU young scientist winner Modestas Gudauskas

Taking part in science projects while at school plus a healthy dose of persistence is the key to making your mark in research at a young age, according to 19-year-old Modestas Gudauskas from Lithuania, winner of the first European Union Contest for Young Scientists award for projects in the bio-based industries.

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