Mission Innovation Champions, a programme launched in May in Sweden, aims to recognise exceptional researchers and innovators who are developing novel ways of making energy cleaner, cheaper, more reliable, and using it more efficiently. Whether you are inventing the products and services of the future, or discovering the science that underpins it all, registration is open to anybody willing to participate.
You have until 10 September 2018 to register! Click here for all the details.
An independent study on the impact of European Research Council (ERC) projects in frontier research in 2016 and 2017 has shown that a whopping 79% had a major impact of some sort, with 19% leading to a breakthrough, and 60% to a major scientific advance. Only 1% of projects were observed to have had no appreciable scientific contribution. The finding was celebrated by ERC President Jean-Pierre Bourguignon who praised the ERC’s management ‘by scientists, for scientists’. Read the full press release.
The publishing of the study coincided with the ERC-STOA event held on 31 May in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. MEPs and other high-level decision-makers, including Commissioner Moedas, discussed the benefits and future of the ERC with a number of scientists and ERC grantees. Nobel prize winner, ERC grantee, and chemist Jean-Marie Lehn gave an opening speech in which he observed that together they were ‘’making science in Europe great again’’.
Meanwhile, seven experts have been appointed by Commissioner Moedas to find the next president of the ERC who will start on the new job on 1 January 2020.
In early May, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) organised a high-level conference with the objective of increasing regional cooperation in South East Europe and to support the Western Balkans as competitive market economies. The ”Supporting and Innovation Agenda for the Western Balkans” report projects the advancement of Smart Specialisation policies in the region as well as tools and methodologies to advance technology transfers and the strengthening of research and innovation connections. This marks an important step in recognising the full innovative and scientific potential of the region. You can read the full news article from Commission here.
On 20-21 March, the European Commission hosted a conference to identify the cross-cutting actions it, and stakeholders, could take, ‘to maximise the societal benefits of nuclear and radiation technologies, whilst providing high standards of quality and safety to European citizens’. The conference, with keynote speakers such as Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete, Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano, sought to facilitate discussions between stakeholders, experts and institutions with the aim of contributing to the Commission’s general legislative work on this subject. More info here.
For more information on EuCheMS’ work on the subject, visit our Division of Nuclear and Radiochemistry page.
A high-level Horizon 2020 conference organised by the European Commission spotlighted the latest innovations in the field of cultural heritage supported by EU funding instruments. The conference demonstrated the crucial link between preserving cultural heritage and scientific research and innovation, whether in the form of engineering and structural repairs, 3D laser scanning, or neutron resonance analysis for archaeological applications.
But chemistry and Cultural Heritage are also linked in other ways. Chemistry has been an integral part of Europe’s cultural makeup, and for this reason, EuCheMS decided to set up its Historical Landmarks Programme, which will reinforce the sense of belonging of European chemists and showcase to the public the role chemistry plays in our cultural heritage. Know a historical landmark that ought to be better recognised for its links to chemistry? You have two weeks left to submit your proposal! You can read the guidelines for the award here.
Interested in Chemistry and Cultural Heritage? Join the 5th International Congress Chemistry and Cultural Heritage in Bucharest, Romania on 3 – 7 July 2018!
The names of twelve successful women entrepreneurs shortlisted for the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2018 were unveiled by Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The European Commission’s initiative is part of a wider move to encourage more women to become innovators and entrepreneurs as they continue to be underrepresented in many areas. The criteria for the award looked at the originality and marketability of the developed products or services, their economic and societal impact, as well as the impact and leadership role of the contestants. You can meet the finalists in this short video.
On 22 and 23 February, the European Commission (EC) hosted the second edition of the EU Industry Day forum
. EC Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, delivered a speech in which he described the innovative changes in industry and society as resembling the propeller of a plane ‘’with three strong blades: the first is Science; the second is Start-Ups; and the third is Industry’’.
He also announced the launch of the EIC Horizon Prize on Innovative Batteries for e-Vehicles, with an award of €10 million for whoever manages to crack the challenge of developing a safe and sustainable battery for electric vehicles. Up to the task? Click here for more information.
A non-legislative draft report on how to boost clean energy innovation and make the energy system more efficient and affordable was debated and voted by ITRE MEPs earlier in February.
A stable market and the predictability and certainty of a regulatory framework, along with an ambitious and deliverable long-term policy vision are the prerequisites for “Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation”, said ITRE MEPs in their vote on a draft non-legislative text prepared by Jerzy Buzek (EPP, PL).
MEPs further called for an increased overall budget of at least EUR 120 billion for FP9, saying that the financing for sustainable, low-emission energy projects should increase by at least 50 % over and above the corresponding Horizon 2020 amounts, so as to ensure sufficient funding to support EU’s energy transition and the effective implementation of the Energy Union.
A greater coherence between the relevant funds, including structural funds, dedicated to clean energy projects would be necessary, said MEPs, expressing concern about the large number and complexity of existing financial instruments.
Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/
The new Regulation on Novel Food is applicable from 1 January 2018. The regulation brings significant improvements and changes to the novel food authorization procedure. The regulation includes an expanded definition for novel food to account for innovation and technology advances in the food sector, a centralized EU-wide authorization system of novel foods and of traditional foods from third countries, a list of all authorized novel foods in the EU, and data protection provisions for the applicants.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/
The European Commission has published a study on the role of the chemical and petrochemical industry in reaching the EU climate targets. The innovative energy technologies considered in the study “Energy efficiency and GHG emissions: Prospective scenarios for the Chemical and Petrochemical Industry” can cut annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 72.5 Mt of CO2, equivalent to 36% of GHG emissions in 2050, while supporting the sector’s growth. The conclusions are based on a model accounting for fuel prices, GHG allowances and the payback period of technologies such as combined heat and power and carbon capture and storage. The study also concludes there is a need for additional research as identified in the Energy Union Package in order to reach the 2050 climate objectives in a cost-effective way.
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
The study on the impacts of REACH (registration evaluation authorisation and restriction of chemicals) authorisation indicates that the system is achieving its objectives. The authorisation system is progressively promoting substitution of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) by available alternatives and reducing risks associated with the use of SVHCs.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/
The European Patent Office (EPO) has published a study addressing the role played by Europe’s patent system in promoting technology transfer in the European Single Market. It shows that the fragmented nature of the system imposes limitations on trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), preventing the realisation of the economic benefits which could be expected from a more harmonised system, i.e. unitary patent. Among other, the study highlights that compared with other industries, IP-intensive industries such as analytical instruments, biopharmaceuticals, chemicals, ICT, medical devices and production technologies make a greater contribution to outgoing than to incoming or intra-EU trade and FDI flows.
Source: http://www.epo.org/
The European Commission has recently published the 2017 Industrial Research and Development (R&D) Investment Scoreboard. One of the main findings shown in this scoreboard is that European Union companies have significantly increased their investments in R&D, rising above the world’s average growth rate. While the world’s top 2500 companies in terms of investment into R&D increased this investment by 5.8% over 2016, companies with headquarters in the EU did so by 7%, with growth driven mainly by the information and communications technology, health and automotive sectors. The analysis also shows that the EU has the most productive companies in Chemicals (in terms of sales/employee) but that the R&D investment has decreased in this essential sector by -0.8%.
Source: http://iri.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
Earlier this month the European Commission launched the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS), a central platform in a user-friendly format, with key information on non-fuel, non-agricultural raw materials from primary and secondary sources. The competitiveness of EU industries, directly and indirectly rely on the secure and sustainable supply of raw materials. This tool aims to be a focal point for resource availability information which is often scattered across several sources, such as ministries, agencies, geological surveys, research institutes, and universities. The recuperation or substitution of rare raw materials is a fundamental part of circular economy and has been the topic of EuCheMS workshops – Protecting Endangered Elements and From Waste to Health.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/
119 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 24 countries have been selected for funding in the latest round of the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument. The funding is provided under Phase 1 of the instrument, which means that each project will receive €50,000 to finance a feasibility study for innovative products that can disrupt the market. As expected, chemistry is present in many proposals, examples are “Industrial Micro Electrochemical Cell sensors for real-time quantification of H2S in wastewater” from Denmark, or “Industrial scale PET chemical recycling plant based on innovative glycolysis process” from Italy.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/
The paper “Implementing Smart Specialisation – Thematic Platform on Industrial Modernisation” offers an overview of policy and economic reasons behind the launch of the new Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation. It is argued that modernisation of the European Industry depends upon multiple innovations across many industrial areas linked to emerging value chains. Some European regions have access to leading R&D and upstream innovation facilities; others have industrial skills needed in downstream testing and industrial upscaling. This paper looks at how the new Industrial Modernisation Platform can help European regions to create and/or join transnational networks of knowledge and expertise, and drive the development of transnational and macro – regional value chains. Smart Specialisation is a place-based approach characterised by the identification of strategic areas for intervention based both on the analysis of the strengths and potential of the economy and on an Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) with wide stakeholder involvement.
Source: http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
A new publication by the European Patent Office (EPO) provides concrete examples of how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can use intellectual property (IP) to their advantage. It not only illustrates the variety of approaches to using IP and their many advantages, but each study also contains a list of specific recommendations. In a highly competitive business environment, Europe’s SMEs need to remain agile and responsive to market conditions. One way of doing this is to invest into R&D and build as well as maintain a strong intellectual property portfolio. But developing and fine-tuning IP strategies is not always easy, particularly for smaller entities, which often have limited resources.
Source: https://www.iprhelpdesk.eu
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) first report on the operation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation shows that notifications from EU companies to export certain hazardous chemicals outside the EU have grown by 74 % in the past three years. This increase is far beyond the originally estimated 10 % yearly increase and implies that the EU gives an increasing amount of useful information to authorities in importing countries, which they can use for regulatory purposes and to identify the companies using these chemicals in their country.
Source: https://echa.europa.eu/
The “Unitary Patent Guide” aims to provide companies, inventors and their representatives with an outline of the procedure involved in obtaining a Unitary Patent from the European Patent Office (EPO) once it has granted a European patent on the basis of the provisions laid down in the European Patent Convention (EPC). The guide also deals with the accessory procedures relating to Unitary Patents, such as those to be followed under the compensation scheme for translation costs or when registering a statement on licences of right, and gives an overview of the rules on how to pay renewal fees for Unitary Patents.
Source: http://www.epo.org/
80 successful consortia have been selected under the 2017 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) call for proposals, which is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. The RISE programme promotes cross-border and cross-sector collaboration through sharing knowledge and ideas from research to market and vice versa within Europe and beyond. With an overall budget of EUR 80 million, 811 participating organisations (including 113 SMEs and 227 organisations from third countries) involved in research and innovation activities will receive funding for 7,480 staff exchanges in all scientific domains. Researchers at doctoral level, post-doctoral fellows as well as technicians, managerial and administrative staff are involved in the exchanges.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/
The European Commission’s Research and Innovation Observatory (RIO) at the Joint Research Centre has published the 2016 edition of the RIO reports, which assess the evolution of the research and innovation systems at country level and identify key challenges. Covering 28 countries of the EU, these reports main aim is to feed into the EU policy process by providing input to the European Semester process and to monitor progress of the European Research Area. Among other conclusions the reports indicate that industry collaboration and commercialisation of public research results are still major challenges for R&I systems in many EU countries and that the demand for human resources is increasingly a central point of R&I policies.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/
The European Commission has recently released the 2017 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), a tool providing a comparative assessment of research and innovation performance and the relative strengths and weaknesses of national research and innovation systems. Overall, innovation performance has improved in 15 countries, though large differences exist between these Member States. Sweden remains the innovation leader while Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria and UK are the fastest growing innovators. In a global perspective, the EU is catching up with Canada and the US, but South Korea and Japan are pulling ahead. China shows the fastest progress among international competitors.
Source: http://europa.eu/
On 1 June 2007, the REACH Regulation (the European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical), cornerstone of EU chemicals legislation, entered into force with the objective of, among other, to improve citizens’ confidence in the safety of products. A recent Eurobarometer survey on chemical safety reveals the impact REACH has made in its 10 years’ existence. According to this study 44% of EU citizens consider that safety of chemicals contained in products has improved in the last 10-15 years. They also have a higher level of confidence in products manufactured in the EU compared to those imported from outside. Two-thirds of citizens are concerned about being exposed to hazardous chemicals, while in general, citizens in Northern Europe are better informed about the potential dangers of chemicals than citizens in Southern Europe.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has updated the guidance provided to applicants with clearer advice on how to submit dossiers for the safety assessment of substances to be used in plastic Food Contact Materials. This safety assessment is a condition for putting these materials on the market in the European Union. Previously covered in one guidance document, EFSA has now published separate scientific and administrative documents. The scientific guidance includes updated information on the dataset required to assess the genotoxic potential of a substance, while the administrative guidance details the application procedure and introduces new forms applicants should use when preparing and presenting an application.
Source: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/
From 1 June 2017, all chemical products placed on the market have to be labelled in accordance with the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation. This marks the end of the transitional period for labelling mixtures. Companies which still have products on the shelves with labels following the requirements of the previous legislation, must now make sure that the products are either no longer placed on the market, or re-classified and re-labelled in accordance with CLP. The purpose of the classification and labelling of hazardous chemicals is to ensure a high level of protection of health and the environment, as well as the free movement of substances, mixtures and articles. It is based on the Globally Harmonised System, agreed in the UN.
Source: https://echa.europa.eu/
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