Panel discussion

Bio-Europe, Hamburg, 11-13 November 2019
Horizon 2020, the European Union's Framework program for support to research and innovation provides various types of grants for research as well as other financial mechanisms. Small and Medium-sized companies (SMEs) can apply for these funds, in some cases as individual entities (e.g. the EIC Accelerator) or as a partner in a larger consortium applying for large collaborative research grants to work with academic groups and/or other companies including via the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also provides specific and dedicated support for SMEs.

Moderator:

Stéphane Hogan, Head of Sector, Stakeholder Engagement, DG Research & Innovation, EC

Panellists:

Gregor Novak, Project Advisor, European Innovation Council Accelerator, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), EC

Angel Fuentes, Policy Officer, Sustainable Industry Systems unit, Prosperity Directorate, DG Research & Innovation, EC

Emmanuel Vincent, CEO, Aenitis Technologies, France

Magali Poinot, Advisor to the Executive Director, IMI

Constantinos Ziogas, Head of the SME office, EMA

This event is open to the entire scientific community, aiming to introduce EBRAINS with an overview of interdisciplinary efforts for the advance of digital neuroscience, presented by HBP leadership and experts.

Around the world, parallel environmental and societal crises are unfolding on an unprecedented scale, posing great threats to human health, well-being and our very existence. Time is running out. We need to take action now to ensure that these times of crises are the opportunity for a socially-just transition to a more sustainable future for all.

Join us on 10 December for key insights on:
• How the new European Commission and Parliament will deliver integrated measures for more sustainable, healthier and equitable societies;
• How EU Member States are achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through a whole-of-government approach;
• How municipalities across Europe and beyond are implementing concrete, innovative solutions for sustainable change;
• Whether “growth” can be sustainable environmentally, socially, and economically.

We welcome you to debate with conference speakers, discuss how to enable behaviour change for more sustainable futures, and apply the learnings from the 4-year EU H2020 research project, INHERIT.

VENUE: KVS-Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg | Royal Flemish Theatre Rue de Laeken 146 | Lakensestraat 146, 1000 Brussels

Any surgical procedure can be risky, especially for older people. To minimise the dangers, EU-funded researchers have developed the world's first personalised test to assess the risk of patients developing post-surgical sensory and cognitive disorders, allowing doctors to choose the safest treatment.

Using neurons grown from stem cells, EU-funded researchers are revealing more about mutations that lead to autism, schizophrenia and intellectual disability which researchers hope will lead to new drug targets for personalised medicine.

EU-funded researchers are investigating the causes and consequences of ADHD with the aim of improving the lives of patients and reducing their risk of developing linked disorders such as depression and obesity.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2019 has been awarded jointly to William G. Kaelin Jr, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.

WHO reports show that more than 3 million people died from alcohol-related illness in 2016, yet low-cost interventions to measure how much people drink can lead to major reductions in heavy consumption. The EU-funded SCALA project promises significant results by introducing some of these techniques in Latin America.

Older people recovering from cardiac problems regularly miss out on life-changing rehabilitation. An EU-funded project has harnessed new technology to include this often-forgotten population.

The EU-funded CORE project is helping to develop safer, more effective medicines by improving the processes pharmaceutical companies use to separate mirror-image pharmaceutical molecules, which will boost the industry's efficiency and competitiveness.

An organic molecule composed of simple sugars could become a potent weapon in the fight against rising antibiotic resistance, according to EU-funded researchers who have developed a novel, targeted drug-delivery technique to treat deadly tuberculosis and other lethal pathogens.

EU-funded researchers are studying the molecular mechanisms behind endometriosis in the hope of finding new treatment options for the millions of women around the world who suffer from the chronic inflammatory disease.

CT scans have revolutionised the fight against human illness by creating three-dimensional images of the body's inner workings. Such scans, however, can deliver high doses of radiation. Now EU-funded researchers have built special cameras that limit radiation while delivering images vital for patient health.

An underexploited band of the electromagnetic spectrum is set to enable new imaging systems that are capable of peering into complex materials and the human body, thanks to innotivative research in an EU-funded project.

More efficient, longer-lasting machine and vehicle components, improved medical implants and novel fluid control technologies are just a few of the potential applications emerging from an EU-funded project inspired by the unique ways in which the skins of some animals interact with water.

Today, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas officially launched the work on five major European research and innovation missions that will be part of Horizon Europe, the next EU research and innovation programme.

A special capsule that shields transplanted insulin-producing cells from a recipient's immune system represents a cost-effective improvement in treatment for diabetes patients. The biomaterials developed and put through preclinical trials by an EU-funded project could also have other applications, such as repairing organs.

The ability to control key forces that drive biological functioning would be a boon for a number of medical fields. With a focus on breast cancer, an EU-funded project is bringing together different research communities to work towards understanding and controlling cellular mechanics.

Estonian citizens could become significantly healthier following the launch of a pioneering nationwide DNA testing programme. The aim is to provide tailored treatment, preventive care and lifestyle advice, building on the work of an EU-funded project that is making personalised medicine effective and affordable for all.

An EU-funded project is supporting innovative nanotechnology research, with a platform for improved cancer monitoring among its successes. This promises earlier and more cost-effective detection of cancers and can guide individualised therapeutic approaches.