All posts tagged: Horizon Europe

The Clean Energy Transition as a European transformative strategy

The Clean Energy Transition as a European transformative strategy

Published by skeptic

Stella Tsani, Associate Professor Department of Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, explores the necessity of collaboration and equality in the Clean Energy Transition. Europe’s clean energy transition is accelerating. In 2025, wind and solar reached 30% of EU electricity, overtaking for the first time fossil power (29%). Yet the benefits and costs of decarbonisation remain unevenly distributed across regions and communities. In 2025, 92.7 million people in the EU (20.9% of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Europe’s energy transition will succeed only if it strengthens social cohesion, industrial competitiveness and inclusive governance. Fairness and cohesion-oriented policies and investments for a successful energy transition The European Union has made significant progress towards clean energy transition. Renewable energy deployment is accelerating, fossil fuel dependence is declining, and clean technologies are reshaping the industrial systems. Yet the transition remains highly uneven across European regions. Coal-dependent areas, carbon-intensive industrial clusters and rural communities continue to face disproportionate economic and social pressures linked to decarbonisation. The challenges of the energy transition in …

Transforming biomedical research and innovation

Transforming biomedical research and innovation

Published by skeptic

Due for completion in 2028, the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator will be a globally significant hub for biomedical research, innovation, and translation in Sydney, Australia. Currently in the construction phase, the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator (SBA) is a visionary partnership between the University of Sydney, Sydney Local Health District, and the NSW Government. The partnership brings together clinicians, researchers, academics, and industry to solve some of the world’s most complex health challenges. It will provide a compelling platform for international collaboration, offering partners opportunities to engage in joint research, clinical translation, and industry-led innovation. When built and operational, the SBA will support innovative research, translation, and commercialisation, fast-tracking scientific discovery into better health outcomes. Capitalising on the University of Sydney’s international collaborations, particularly its longstanding partnership with Europe, the SBA will benefit significantly from existing relationships and collaborations as it works towards a vision closely aligned with the overarching direction of European framework programmes. To find out more about the SBA and what it will do for Australia’s medical research landscape, The Innovation Platform spoke with Professor …

Oslo University Hospital secures €4.9 million EU grant for older cancer patient care

Oslo University Hospital secures €4.9 million EU grant for older cancer patient care

Published by skeptic

Horizon Europe has granted €4.9m to Oslo University Hospital (OUS) Radiumhospitalet to lead an international research project aimed at improving outcomes and care for older cancer patients. The project, ENACT-65 (Enabling Action on Integrated Nutritional and Exercise Care in Cancer), will develop and test new models of nutrition and exercise support, integrated directly into routine cancer treatment and targeted at older patients. Led by OUS, an international consortium of cancer research centres across Europe will come together, including: Gustave Roussy (France) UMC Utrecht (Netherlands) Netherlands Cancer Institute (Netherlands) Freiburg University Hospital (Germany) Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute (Spain) “This award highlights the strength of the international research environment at Oslo University Hospital and our ambition to develop the next generation of cancer care. By combining cutting-edge oncology with supportive care and rehabilitation, we aim to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients,” says Jon Riise, Head of the Department of Oncology at Oslo University Hospital. Over 65% of cancer diagnosis are in people aged 65 and over Many of these older patients do not receive …

The telescope that could reveal the missing half of the universe

The telescope that could reveal the missing half of the universe

Published by skeptic

A new European-led telescope could map the dusty, hidden half of the universe, all without using fossil fuels. If you have ever seen the Milky Way in the night sky, you probably noticed that it looks cloudy. That is because towards the centre of our galaxy, and of most galaxies, there are vast amounts of dust that make it hard to see what is going on. That means a big swathe of the universe is hidden to us, with about half of the light coming from galaxies buried in this dust. The best way to see inside these obscured regions is to use a gigantic submillimetre-wave telescope that detects radiation between radio waves and infrared. “Without submillimetre, we’re getting a very biased picture of what’s out there,” said Claudia Cicone, an astrophysicist at the University of Oslo in Norway. “We are missing the regions of space that are most obscured by dust.” In recent decades, telescopes like the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile have allowed us to probe some of these regions. Now astronomers want …

AI joins the quest to find new treatments for rare neuromuscular diseases

AI joins the quest to find new treatments for rare neuromuscular diseases

Published by skeptic

Rare neuromuscular diseases often lack treatments because developing targeted drugs is slow, costly and risky for companies. A new approach using AI and stem cell models could finally shift the balance. Belgian AI company Kantify was doing business as usual until a cancer diagnosis forced the team to rethink their direction. “We built algorithms for sectors like marketing or transport,” said Ségolène Martin, Kantify’s co-founder and CEO. “Those were complex projects that had nothing to do with health, but they enabled us to build a deep expertise in AI.” That changed in 2017, when Nik Subramanian, the company’s CTO, was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that forms tumours in connective tissues such as bones, muscles and blood vessels. This experience prompted the company to shift its focus to health and explore the potential of AI to help improve how new drugs for rare diseases are identified and tested. “It changed our lives,” said Martin. “We are now completely focused on AI for human health, and have developed a specialised technology for AI-based drug discovery.” …

Why restoring soil health is a win-win for farmers and the environment

Why restoring soil health is a win-win for farmers and the environment

Published by skeptic

More than half of Europe’s soils are degraded. Researchers are showing that restoring soil through better farming makes both ecological and financial sense. Soils feed us, filter our water and support most of the food chain on Earth. But they are also among Europe’s most neglected resources –quietly degrading beneath our feet while we look elsewhere. Andrés Rodríguez Seijo from the University of Vigo in Spain is one of the researchers working to change that. He first noticed how little attention soil receives while working on microplastics, at a time when the issue was just beginning to gain traction. “Everyone talked about microplastics at sea, but ignored the fact that, before they get there, they’re on land, polluting our soils,” he said. Soils in trouble European soils are in bad shape. They contain far too much nitrogen, largely due to the overuse of fertilisers, and are heavily eroded and polluted. More than 60 % are currently classified as unhealthy, and climate change is set to make matters worse. The bill for this damage is already steep. Soil …

Europe’s breakthrough in reversing paralysis after spinal cord injury

Europe’s breakthrough in reversing paralysis after spinal cord injury

Published by skeptic

Once considered impossible, restoring movement after paralysis is becoming a reality thanks to EU-funded researchers who have developed a device that reconnects the brain to the body. Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains one of the most devastating neurological conditions, severing communication between the brain and the body and leaving millions worldwide with permanent paralysis. Despite decades of research, restoring movement after spinal cord injury has remained one of neuroscience’s most intractable problems. An EU-funded initiative supported by the European Innovation Council offers a new route: a fully implantable brain–spine interface that reconnects mind and body, offering fresh hope against paralysis. “Treating patients with paralysis remains one of the greatest challenges of humanity,” said Professor Grégoire Courtine, the neuroscientist at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, who led the breakthrough research. He said researchers have tried for decades – and failed – to regrow neurons and fibres with biological approaches. “We have completely changed the approach. Instead of trying to repair the actual injury, we are focusing on what is intact below the injury, but …

Green Deal Projects Support Office final event

Green Deal Projects Support Office final event

Published by skeptic

The Horizon 2020 Green Deal Projects Support Office (GD‑SO) marked a major milestone with its flagship final event on 28 April 2026 in Brussels and online, convening a diverse community of policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, local authorities and civil society. Bringing together more than 300 participants, the event highlighted the collective achievements of 73 projects funded under the €1bn Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call. Turning research into real-world solutions Showcasing tangible results and real-world impact, the gathering underscored how EU-funded research and innovation are driving practical, scalable solutions to support the European Green Deal. From clean energy and climate resilience to biodiversity, sustainable food systems, circular economy, nature-based solutions and citizen engagement, the projects demonstrate a strong foundation for accelerating Europe’s green transition. The Green Deal Call funded 73 projects spanning five core transitions corresponding to projects’ thematic Working Groups: clean energy, food and health, climate and biodiversity, urban environment and mobility, and knowledge and citizens. Taken together, they represent something relatively rare in EU research funding: a coordinated, thematically coherent portfolio designed not just …

EU Commission eyes major restructure of departments that handle funds – POLITICO

EU Commission eyes major restructure of departments that handle funds – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

One Commission official described the process as part of von der Leyen’s “absolute centralization” drive. However, another official said it was an extension of the Brussels’ plans to change how the long-term budget is distributed, with spending programs merged into two main funds. The officials said they believe the plan is to have a single centralized service manage EU funds. One senior official said the model is the recovery fund that was set up after Covid (handled by the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support): with national governments submitting spending plans, cash disbursed based on hitting milestones, and centralized oversight. “If everything moves to this system, it’s logical to create a service that does exactly that,” the official said of plans for a future DG INVEST. Commission Executive Vice President Raffaele Fitto last week publicly hinted at the restructuring plans, saying: “Inside DG REGIO we are reflecting on the opportunity and possibility of creating a more efficient DG and identifying the right model.” The restructuring process is advancing. On the Commission intranet, seen by Playbook, a dedicated “workstream” has …

Horizon Europe Cluster 6 opens €210m call for green projects

Horizon Europe Cluster 6 opens €210m call for green projects

Published by skeptic

The European Commission has opened a new €210m funding call under Horizon Europe Cluster 6, targeting breakthrough environmental and sustainability research projects. The call supports initiatives focused on biodiversity, circular economy innovation, and pollution reduction across Europe. Under the latest Horizon Europe Cluster 6 funding package, €76m has been allocated to biodiversity and ecosystem services research, €101m to circular economy and bioeconomy projects, and €33m to clean environment and zero-pollution initiatives. Applications are open until 17 September 2026. The programme is designed to accelerate research that supports the European Green Deal and broader climate objectives. Successful proposals are expected to contribute to restoring biodiversity, improving food security, reducing environmental damage, and advancing low-carbon economic models across urban and rural regions. Focus areas for Horizon Europe cluster 6 Horizon Europe Cluster 6 targets research and innovation connected to food systems, agriculture, natural resources, forestry, oceans, and environmental protection. The programme also supports projects linked to bio-based industries and circular production systems. Key areas eligible for funding include environmental monitoring, biodiversity protection, sustainable agriculture, forestry management, marine …