The leading information society technology event – IST2006, in Helsinki on
21‑23 November – will showcase new technologies, the latest research results,
workshops, robots and much more. And to guarantee continued success, the EU has
announced a budget of €9bn for its new technology research programme.
Commission reveals the five winners of this year's Marie Curie excellence awards: Michal Lavidor, Frank Keppler, Chris Ewels, Nicolas Cerf and Paola Borri. Assisted by EU funding, each winner had excelled in their respective field of research.
A proposal to set up a European Institute of Technology, to become
operational in 2008, has been brought before the European Parliament and the
Council. It is hoped that this institute could bridge Europe's innovation gap
by translating its knowledge and research into commercial activities. The EIT
would take the form of a two-tier structure bringing together a Governing Board
to set the strategic priorities, and Knowledge and Innovation Communities to
integrate innovation, research and education. The institute would receive both
public and private funding of an estimated €2.4 billion for 2008-2013.
Cutting-edge research came under the microscope on 22 September as science
events were held all over Europe. The Researchers' Night for 2006 proposed a
wide variety of activities in more than 20 European countries.
The EU and its 6 partner countries met in Brussels on 24 May to give the
formal go-ahead to the construction of the world's largest experimental nuclear
fusion reactor, ITER.
