Tag: innovation

SPECIAL REPORT / The European medical technology industry worries that a centralised pre-market authorisation system in Europe will destroy innovation, research and development within the sector. It warns especially that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could disappear with the proposed new system.

SPECIAL REPORT / As jet engines grow quieter, European researchers are turning to other parts of aircraft to reduce noise to spare those living near airports and to make the final moments before landing more comfortable for passengers. EurActiv reports from the Paris Air Show.

With the highest unemployment since the introduction of the euro, and a shortage of skills in the technology sector, Europe needs to tap into the emerging data revolution, writes John Boswell.

The Commission has proposed a new industrial EU strategy for electronics, as the 27-country bloc is at risk of losing the capability to design and manufacture electronic components that are essential for the digital economy.

Europe has some of the most innovative countries in the world, Intel executive Christian Morales says in a video interview, but investment must be maintained across energy, health and other sectors to ensure that the continent keeps its competitive edge.

The Greek parliament approved legislation late on Thursday (4 March) to boost private investment, a key condition to get the crisis-struck country out of its worst-ever peacetime recession.

Europe needs to boost its innovation capacity if it wants to keep its seat at the global innovation table. Although this is a call to all European countries, it holds especially for large yet low-innovating countries such as Italy, writes Reinhilde Veugelers.

Without more private R&D spending, Spain, Italy and others in the south may continue to lag as national governments and the EU are slashing money earmarked for research and innovation. Critics of government cuts say these risks are creating a vicious circle, discouraging business. 

SPECIAL REPORT / Nanotechnologies that deliver fertilisers to plants offer promising ways of improving farm productivity while reducing the risk of water contamination. But the scientists behind a new Swiss-funded study caution that while the technology is still evolving, potential risks must be considered.

SPECIAL REPORT / With an ageing population and blindness on the rise, German ophthalmic experts are taking strides to find innovative solutions to the sight crisis looming over Europe with pioneering implant technology.

SPECIAL REPORT / Austerity is leading to an increase in mental illness and suicide rate in crisis-hit countries but also offers Europe the chance to embrace radical health innovations, experts at the Gastein forum heard.

The European Commission yesterday (3 October) presented a new recipe to improve the functioning of the internal market with a focus on job-creation and growth in its Single Market Act II plan.

If civil society  engage more actively in its development and implementation, a functioning internal market can help the EU get out of the financial crisis, EU lawmakers said, in a resolution celebrating 20 years of the single market.

SPECIAL REPORT / Innovative technologies will form the core of a new industrial policy that the European Commission will put forward next month. But its success relies on a sharp increase of the EU's budget, which will be a hard sell for cash-strapped EU nations struggling to contain their budget deficits.

Europe has failed to create the right "ecosystem" that would encourage the creation of new ICT companies and sub-sectors, holding back the continent's post-crisis recovery, says a new study from the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.

EU countries must be consistent in the energy-efficiency measures they implement, because a fragmented Europe could lose ground in the competition with other global players such as China, GE's Horst-Tore Land says in an interview with EurActiv.

The European Commission has announced a new €365 million a year innovation partnership scheme aimed at boosting the development of ‘smart’ technologies in cities, EU officials told the press on Tuesday (10 July). 

We are entering a new phase in which China's powerful manufacturing industry is being threatened by lower wages in neighbouring countries and will have to gain its vital competitive edge from culture-based creativity and innovation, argues Philippe Kern. Much like in Europe.

The European Union has bet big on innovation as a source for growth, but on the ground, the finances of many regional research agencies and competitiveness clusters are endangered by conflicting public finance rules. EurActiv France reports.

A new industry standard is on its way for smart home technology, but there are other challenges facing the industry, notably the clash between technology and privacy, according to Huawei’s standards expert Richard Brennan.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), set up three years ago, is still in its infancy but the European Commission has already called for a €3-billion budget boost to help it reach cruising speed despite criticisms over meagre results and excessive bureaucracy.

Once again Europe is trailing the United States, Japan and South Korea when it comes to boosting innovation and meeting EU targets of devoting 3% of GDP to research and development.