Research eu #89FEBRUARY 2020 - Project Relief
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
ISSN 2599-7920 #89 FEBRUARY 2020 Research eu B R I N G I N G Y O U T H E R E S U LT S O F E U R E S E A R C H A N D I N N O VAT I O N Time to use military history to diminish the power of the new nationalists RE T U Manufacturing robots A NS get smarter thanks to artificial FE IO intelligence A L T U HE N C I L O OT AI E S O P Increasing the security S P EW S IC and resilience of Europe’s N TO ON critical infrastructure H R C
Editorial How EU research is helping to alleviate chronic pain, moving closer to market for an innovative AKU treatment and celebrating the success of one project in its nomination for the prestigious German President’s Award welcome to this month’s Research*eu magazine If you’ve been suffering from any kind of continuous, unrelenting various forms of chronic pain a priority. As always, we feature pain for more than 6 months then congratulations, you’re one of seven of them, chosen because of their dynamic use of the most the approximately 100 million Europeans (about one in six adults modern and cutting-edge medical technologies to provide solu- to put it another way) who are officially suffering from chronic tions, and ultimately relief, to the millions of patients who are suf- pain. Sarcasm aside (your own editor sadly also counts himself as fering on a daily basis. one of these ‘lucky’ individuals), chronic pain is actually a major healthcare challenge for EU Member States’ already stretched In other news, we celebrate the achievements of the Carbon4PUR healthcare systems. project, one of which was recently nominated for the prestigious German President’s Award. Flick over to this issue’s Project of the Chronic pain can come in many different forms, affects people in Month feature to find out more! Then, in Life After, we catch up many different places of their bodies and can vary in intensity. The with the DevelopAKUre project that, after 10 years hard slog, is causes are numerous, ranging from achy joints due to arthritis, finally very close to launching a new treatment for AKU, a very, neuropathic pain, possibly caused by an injury or trauma, or as an very rare disease, thus transforming the lives of those affected. after-result of vital cancer treatment, to name but three. Infuriat- ingly for the patients affected, sometimes medical professionals And last but by no means least, EU Agenda gives you the low- simply cannot find an underlying reason behind their particular down on upcoming events, and don’t forget to check out our reg- form of pain. ular nine thematic sections on the latest results from EU-funded projects from all major research areas. That’s why we wanted to shine a light on this arguably underap- preciated but very real healthcare challenge in this issue’s special Until next month, if you have queries, questions, suggestions (but feature. Many innovative projects across the EU’s research family hopefully never a complaint), please feel free to drop us a line at under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation umbrella have editorial@cordis.europa.eu thankfully made developing new therapies to target and alleviate Published on behalf of the Research*eu is free of charge. Disclaimer ISSN 2599-7912 (printed version) Reuse is authorised provided the European Commission by the ISSN 2599-7920 (PDF) source is acknowledged. Community Research and For all issues of the magazine Online project information and ISSN 2599-7939 (HTML) Development Information Service you can: links published in the current issue Catalogue n° ZZ-AG-20-001-EN-C The reuse policy of European (CORDIS) at the Publications Office – browse the web edition in of the Research*eu magazine are (printed version) Commission documents is of the European Union six languages correct when the publication goes Catalogue n° ZZ-AG-20-001-EN-N regulated by Decision 2011/833/EU 2, rue Mercier – download the PDF version to press. The Publications Office (PDF) (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). L-2985 Luxembourg – order single print copies cannot be held responsible for Catalogue n° ZZ-AG-20-001-EN-Q – subscribe to have every issue information which is out of date For any use or reproduction of LUXEMBOURG (HTML) photos or other material that is not cordis@publications.europa.eu posted to you worldwide or websites that are no longer live. Neither the Publications Office nor Luxembourg: Publications Office under the EU copyright, permission Editorial coordination Go to cordis.europa.eu/research-eu any person acting on its behalf of the European Union, 2020 must be sought directly from the Birgit Alice BEN YEDDER is responsible for the use that copyright holders. may be made of the information © European Union, 2020 Cover photo © studiostoks, contained in this publication or for Shutterstock any errors that may remain in the texts, despite the care taken in preparing them. The technologies presented in this magazine may be covered by intellectual property rights.
Contents #89FEBRUARY 2020 HEALT H P R OJ E C T O F T H E M O N T H 4 Breakthrough medical imaging technologies 23 Converting carbon dioxide into a raw material for non-intrusive diagnosis for increased sustainability and a more 6 Transplanted nano-coated cells are a smart circular economy way to treat diabetes 7 Dualities between public health requirements and economic interests in pharma market FO O D A N D N AT U R A L R E S O U R C E S in the Global South 24 Advances towards new vaccines against tricky livestock parasites LIFE AFT ER . . . 25 Augmented reality helps improve agricultural productivity 9 Catching up with DevelopAKUre: After 10 years of hard work, an innovative AKU treatment will soon be available, transforming IN D U S T R IA L T E C HN O LO G IE S patients’ lives 27 Manufacturing robots get smarter thanks to artificial intelligence SOC IET Y 28 Laser texturing increases resistance to wear of oil lubricated mechanical parts 10 Time to use military history to diminish the 30 Robo-inspector checks industrial tanks from inside power of the new nationalists 12 Framing Europe’s changing art market 13 Being queer and Polish in Brexit UK D IG ITA L E C O N O M Y 32 Tiny piezoelectronic device accelerates CMOS ENERGY chips 33 Real-time modulation of processor energy 15 Improved storage of excess electricity could consumption achieves a minimum all the time make wind and solar energy more attractive 35 Equipping the data centre of the future 17 Faster, cheaper assessment tools promise ‘fair winds’ in terms of profit for the wind energy sector S E C U R IT Y 18 Enhancing the marketability of lithium-sulphur batteries 37 Increasing the security and resilience of Europe’s critical infrastructure 38 An innovative approach to corporate payments C LIMAT E C H AN G E AN D E N V I R O N ME N T fraud prevention 20 Urban metabolism approach helps tourist hotspots manage their waste FU N D A M E N TA L R E S E A R C H 21 Microorganisms and parasites help identify conservation status of endangered primates 40 Smoothing down the bumps: Research sheds new light on turbulence dynamics 41 Organic crystalline materials’ research SPEC IAL FE ATU R E advances solar cell design 01 New solutions to soothe chronic pain AG E N D A 43 MARCH 2020
H E A LT H Breakthrough medical imaging technologies for non-intrusive diagnosis Modern health systems are set up to reduce hospitalisation through less invasive disease detection, diagnosis and treatment. The EU project ASTONISH developed imaging devices to detect skin cancer and vascular and neurological diseases, among others. As Europeans live longer, health authorities face the The consortium of 24 partners from Belgium, Czechia, challenge of providing quality care for them and of bet- Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain developed six ter treatment of diseases. ASTONISH (Advancing Smart demonstrators for different medical applications, testing Optical Imaging and Sensing for Health) developed new them on patients and healthy volunteers. Some of the state-of-the-art imaging tools to diagnose and treat dis- applications are very close to commercialisation. eases from skin cancer to neurological diseases in a mini- mally invasive way, with applications aimed at cutting “It is impressive to see so many partners already work- hospital stays and improving quality of life. ing on tangible activities to promote and release their © ESB Professional, Shutterstock 4 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
“ It is impressive to see so many of its existing image-guided surgery system for tumour ” partners already working on tangible visualisation and the imaging of the circulatory or lym- activities to promote and release their phatic systems. innovative products. Spanish IT service management company Ibermática developed a clinical decision support system for the diag- nosis and prognosis of skin cancer in collaboration with their Spanish partners, the University of the Basque Coun- innovative products,” says project manager Robert try, research and technology organisation Tecnalia and bio Hofsink, who works for the Philips Image-Guided Therapy software company NorayBio. business in the Netherlands. Optical imaging can also be used for imaging during spi- The consortium of companies, backed by universities and nal surgery. Hofsink’s company Philips developed an aug- research and technology organisations developed near- mented reality surgical navigation system. The system infrared and hyperspectral imaging devices to charac- integrates X-ray and optical imaging, offering an intuitive terise tissues, to more easily detect tumours and skin user interface to guide surgeons during spinal operations. cancers. Hyperspectral imaging collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum “The product fuses live optical video with pre-operative to obtain the spectrum for each pixel in the image of a 3D X-ray data sets, allowing the surgeon to improve pro- scene, with the purpose of finding objects or identify- cedure planning, surgical tool navigation and implant ing materials. accuracy, as well as reduce procedure times,” concludes Hofsink. In a clinical study, an orthopaedic spinal surgeon Perhaps one of the most remarkable moments for the placed 253 pedicle screws on 20 consenting patients, developers came halfway through the project when they with an accuracy rate of 94 %. managed to integrate their optical sensors in a system to synchronously measure electroencephalogram (EEG) and The French-Italian semiconductor manufacturer STMicro- functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals, two electronics investigated the application of highly sensitive ways to measure activity in the brain. “This breakthrough imaging components. The demonstrators obtained have allows for the non-invasive measurement of both elec- huge potential for the development of wellbeing and trical and haemodynamic brain activity and may help in Internet of Things devices. the assessment of neurological diseases such as stroke and dementia,” explains Antonio Chiarelli, neuroimaging researcher at the University of Chieti, Italy. MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS As a result, Icare, which is part of Finnish technology A S TO N I S H corporation Revenio, is now looking to commercialise a hyperspectral camera for skin cancer detection. ⇢⇢ Coordinated by Philips Medical Systems in the Netherlands. The results of the project are also now being used by ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-LEIT-ICT. Quest Medical Imaging, a subsidiary of Quest Photonic ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/692470 Devices in the Netherlands, to expand the functionalities ⇢⇢ Project website: astonish-project.eu R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 5
H E A LT H Transplanted nano-coated cells are a smart way to treat diabetes EU-funded scientists have developed novel nano-coated cells that could in future be transplanted in diabetes patients to replace daily insulin injections. The pancreas plays an essential role in human health by who have had diabetes since childhood would need to producing and releasing insulin into the blood stream to take immunosuppressants for life. regulate blood sugar levels. However, in diabetic patients, the insulin-produced cells, present in specific pancreas Now EU-funded scientists have developed special bioen- structures known as ‘islets’, do not work properly. gineered cells which are nano-coated with novel bioma- terials. These protect the cells from the immune system, “A potential treatment for people with diabetes is to trans- yet still allow them to deliver insulin to the blood stream. plant islets from a deceased donor or other sources such as stem cells. But the problem is the transplanted islets COATING TECHNOLOGY are detected by the immune system which attacks them, and the implanted islets rapidly die,” explains José Carlos The nano-coating does not completely isolate the islets. Rodríguez-Cabello, professor of condensed matter physics “It has to be selective, and permeable enough for oxy- at the University of Valladolid, Spain and project coordina- gen, blood and nutrients to enter the cells and for insu- tor of ELASTISLET (Tailored Elastin-like Recombinamers as lin hormones produced by the islet to be released,” Advanced Systems for Cell Therapies in Diabetes Mellitus: Rodríguez-Cabello underlines. a Synthetic Biology Approach towards a Bioeffective and Immunoisolated Biosimilar Islet/Cell Niche). “We explored the applicability of a novel class of materials © vetpathologis, Shutterstock – elastin-like recombinamers – that are halfway between Treating islet-transplanted patients with immunosup- natural proteins and plastics,” Rodríguez-Cabello adds. pressants has not been very effective. Moreover, patients Designed and produced synthetically, they have a pro- tein-like nature that the islet can interact with at the cel- lular level when they are in natural surroundings, such as the pancreatic environment. Layer-by-layer technology creates a very thin coating by immersing the islets in a bath of a solution that has one of the components of the mixture. “Then you take it out and clean it a little so only a few molecules of this mate- rial remain on the surface and go to the second compo- nent which is complementary and which reacts with the first one,” explains Rodríguez-Cabello. With these washing and immersion steps, a very thin layer is created. “But we had to play a bit with the diffu- sion properties of the layer to achieve permselectivity,” Rodríguez-Cabello says. 6 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
EFFECTIVE COATING “ You take this injection and it ” would last for a period of years; it could Coating the cells was a challenge because of the irreg- even eliminate the need for another ular surface of the islet. “If you leave a hole big enough injection. for the immune cell to detect, then all is lost,” Rodríguez- Cabello comments. So the team designed a system to improve coating efficiency. “We never arrived at 100 % By the end of the project, the team produced a system coating efficiency, but we know that 80 % of the islets that that works well in short-term experiments in laboratory we implant are well-coated and will stay for a long time.” animals and is now patented. “Now we are testing to see if these implants can retain this ability for longer periods, The transplanted islets must also be able to interact with with the idea that you take this injection and it would last the surrounding cells and integrate with the host tissue. for a period of years; it could even eliminate the need for Integration is enhanced by a strategy to vascularise the another injection,” concludes Rodríguez-Cabello. cells allowing the development of blood vessels, which improves islets’ survival and the exchange of nutrients. ELASTISLET Ninety-five researchers worked on the multidisciplinary ⇢⇢ Coordinated by the University of Valladolid in Spain. project, 42 of them PhD students, including specialists in ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-LEIT-ADVMAT. nanotechnology, immunology, cell biology, synthetic biol- ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/646075 ogy and bioengineering, as well as medical practitioners ⇢⇢ Project website: elastislet.eu/en with clinical knowledge. bit.ly/34jWoy4 H E A LT H Dualities between public health requirements and economic interests in pharma market in the Global South Evolution of pharmaceutical systems in the Global South is subject to many social and economic influences, both current and historic. Analysis of first-line malaria treatments as a case study has revealed the phenomena at play. Research by the EU-funded project GLOBALMED (Arte- South-East Asia. The idea was to improve existing sys- misinin-based combination therapy: an illustration of the tems and to strengthen the sovereignty of the states and global pharmaceutical drug market in Asia and Africa) was regions discussed based on a comparative analysis of the geared to understand the social, political, economic and advantages and disadvantages of the pharmaceutical health stakes surrounding the pharmaceutical markets in systems studied. Benin and Ghana in West Africa as well as Cambodia in R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 7
“ There are plans to present a proof of concept at the European Research ” Council for an innovative film production model for a stronger impact of social sciences research on health. IMPOSING INFLUENCE ON PHARMA SYSTEMS IN WEST AFRICA AND ASIA © IRD/Carine Baxerres looking at the biomedical health system, representatives Principal investigator Carine Baxerres describes a very of pharmaceutical companies, actors in private distribu- impressive series of dissemination events: “A big inter- tion and consumer practices. national symposium in March 2018 at Ouidah, Benin on ‘Regulations, markets, health: Questioning current stakes THE FUTURE FOR PHARMACEUTICAL of pharmaceuticals in Africa’.” Presentations were made MARKETS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH to health authorities in Cambodia (April 2016), Benin (February 2017) and Ghana (February 2018). GLOBALMED strongly recommends a return to the idea of ‘essential medicines’ as developed in the early “We presented our research results at scientific sympo- 1970s when structuring all pharmaceutical systems in siums in Europe – Prague, Barcelona, Toulouse, Oxford, the southern continents. Opening avenues for reflection, Paris, Marseille, Bâle, to name but a few,” Baxerres con- project conclusions promise to improve existing systems tinues. Routledge Editions will be publishing a collective and to strengthen the sovereignty of the states and book on GLOBALMED results. regions discussed. UPHEAVALS IN PHARMACEUTICAL As well as a future book on Ghanaian formal pharmaceu- SYSTEMS IDENTIFIED AND tical entrepreneurs, there are plans to present a proof of REALITIES BARED concept at the European Research Council for an innova- tive film production model for a stronger impact of social Pharmaceutical markets in the Global South were pro- sciences research on health. This will be tested through foundly disrupted during the post-colonial period by the the production of a short series from the project. construction and growth of an industry in emerging coun- tries, by the creation of global donor markets in the early Summing up her plans for the future, Baxerres outlines 2000s and by the emergence of local production centres her upcoming studies: “Future work based on that already in Africa. “This has created a hierarchy in pharmaceutical achieved by GLOBALMED will follow the emerging trans- markets that mix colonial and post-colonial legacies, the regional approach. Combining the previous social sciences recent dominance of Asian medicines and the ascendency formulation and the new global study of West Africa and of global health,” Baxerres comments. South-East Asia, I will be able to uncover the dynamics at play, an exciting challenge for me as a specialist anthro- Detailed analysis primarily focused on comparing the pologist of West Africa.” existing pharmaceutical systems in Benin and Ghana – in particular, artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for malaria. “We then went on to explore the deter- mining role transnational actors such as United Nations agencies, private foundations and public-private partners G LO B A L M E D play in influencing local pharmaceutical markets and how healthcare professionals and individuals manage this ⇢⇢ Hosted by the Research Institute for Development major epidemic,” Baxerres continues. in France. ⇢⇢ Funded under FP7-IDEAS-ERC. Taking a broader perspective, GLOBALMED analysed ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/337372 the entire pharmaceutical supply. The exercise involved ⇢⇢ Project website: globalmed.ird.fr 8 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
LIFE AFTER... Catching up with DevelopAKUre: After 10 years of hard work, an innovative AKU treatment will soon be available, transforming patients’ lives This month we catch up with the DevelopAKUre project which we featured in our February 2019 special section on rare diseases. The project was working on a full commercialisation of nitisinone, an innovative treatment for alkaptonuria (AKU), an extremely rare condition. We chat with the project’s dedicated coordinator, Lakshminarayan Ranganath, consultant at the UK’s Royal Liverpool University Hospital and professor at the University of Liverpool. When we spoke at the begin- the results in Stockholm over a (and serum) homogentisic ning of 2019, the DevelopAKUre 2-day period in June 2019 and, acid (HGA), the cause of AKU, (Clinical Development of Nitis- because of the robust data, of more than 99 %, which was inone for Alkaptonuria) team our Swedish pharma partner, the agreed primary outcome were on the cusp of deciding decided to apply to the Euro- with the EMA. “Overall, our whether to file a market appli- pean Medicines Agency (EMA) studies have provided proof- cation that would allow nitisi- for marketing authorisation of of-concept support for the none to be used to treat AKU nitisinone in alkaptonuria.” lowering of HGA as a disease- patients. What has happened modifying strategy, leading since? “Well, our SONIA 2 (suit- Work has continued since that the way for more advanced ability of nitisinone in alkap- meeting to make the market gene therapy in the future,” tonuria 2) study, which was authorisation request a prior- comments Ranganath. a randomised clinical trial for ity. “In early November 2019, 4 years wrapped up in January an investigator meeting was For now, the focus is on the © Lightspring, Shutterstock 2019,” explains Ranganath. also convened in Stockholm planned EMA application “Key stakeholders discussed when the decision to apply and to ensure that all AKU landscape for AKU patients to the EMA was conveyed to patients across Europe have should be changed forever by the consortium following a access to the new treat- the end of 2021!” full discussion of the results,” ment. Sobi are also working “ Ranganath continues. “The in parallel to ensure equita- D E V E LO PA K U R E regulatory package is currently ble access to nitisinone post- being prepared by Sobi with a approval through the MoCA ⇢⇢ Coordinated by the Royal Our efforts to develop nitisinone view to submission to the EMA (Mechanism of Coordinated Liverpool & Broadgreen for AKU began in 2011 and should in late February 2020.” Access) initiative. University Hospitals conclude in February, when the EMA NHS Trust. decision will follow. So this was a whole A NEW HOPE FOR Ranganath concludes: “Our ⇢⇢ Funded under ” decade of work – and so the landscape AKU PATIENTS efforts to develop nitisinone FP7-HEALTH. for AKU patients should be changed for AKU began in 2011 and ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/ forever by the end of 2021! Why nitisinone is so crucial as should conclude in February, id/304985 an AKU treatment is because when the EMA decision will ⇢⇢ Project website: Lakshminarayan Ranganath it is shown to cause a marked follow. So this was a whole developakure.eu Project Coordinator of DevelopAKUre sustained decrease in urine decade of work – and so the bit.ly/30lI0F0 © Lakshminarayan Ranganath R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 9
SOCIETY Time to use military history to diminish the power of the new nationalists A rising tide of nationalists recount ‘them’ and ‘us’ tales of past glory to conjure up a bright future for their cause. EU project UNREST explored the narratives on offer at war museums to suggest an alternative approach for societies to preserve a democratic EU. Nationalists are again winning support by telling a ‘them’ Europe,” writes Stefan Berger, UNREST project coordinator and ‘us’ narrative about past wars to serve their political in ‘Is the Memory of War in Contemporary Europe Enhanc- ends today. EU project UNREST (Unsettling Remembering ing Historical Dialogue?’ The paper, one of about a dozen and Social Cohesion in Transnational Europe) examined written on the project, is due to be published by Rout- war museums and excavations of the bodies of the vic- ledge in its series ‘Studies in Genocide and Crimes Against © Vitormarigo, Shutterstock tims of wars to explore historical methods that can con- Humanity’. trast nationalist narratives. The war museums studied on the project mainly adopt an “It should be possible to encourage museum makers to over-simplistic ‘good’ and ‘evil’ approach, found research- adopt forms of historical dialogue that are more capa- ers. The worst treat the host nation as a superior ‘his- ble of engaging vernacular nationalisms in contemporary torical master’ who defeated enemies in the past – an 10 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
‘antagonistic’ approach – echoed by nationalists. But most conflicts between different European nation states that adopt a ‘cosmopolitan’ trend, which though better, does are still informing conflicts in Europe today.” society few favours. “Instead of understanding past violence and promoting self-reflection about the underlying reasons The researchers developed the concept of a better third for it, cosmopolitanism condemns past violence with refer- way – the ‘agonistic’ approach, building on work by phi- ence to abstract universal values,” outlines Berger. losopher Chantal Mouffe. Its understandable focus on war’s victims often leaves They find examples in museums and they also out the perpetrator’s perspective, the vast amount of organised an exhibition with the provocative title ‘War Makes hard-to-classify bystanders and the fact that victims can Sense’ in Essen, Germany, and a play, ‘Donde el Bosque se become perpetrators and vice versa. Espesa’ which premiered in Spain, to test agonistic history with audiences. A PAT H TO B R E X I T They also see it in the exhumation of victims of the The Imperial War Museum in London takes an ‘antagonis- dictatorship of Francisco Franco’s forces in the Spanish tic’ approach, find the researchers, with exhibits of heroic Civil War. “The exhumations challenge the hegemonic British soldiers in the First World War contrasted with memory narrative established during the Spanish transi- exhibits of mainly statistics representing soldiers from the tion to democracy which underlines the existence of per- other nations involved. “We can see strong antagonistic petrators and victims on ‘both sides’ of the conflict and memory being promoted by the Brexit camp, differenti- maintains a discursive silence on the left-wing victims, ating between a morally ‘bad’ German-run them, in the still buried in unmarked graves,” Berger explains. form of the EU,” says Berger. They find the quintessential ‘cosmopolitanism’ museum UNREST is the House of European History, opened in Brussels in 2017, which simplifies to offer a sanitised vision of the ⇢⇢ Coordinated by Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany. past. “The museum encourages a dialogue with the past ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-SOCIETY. that posits a violent history of war and genocide against ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/693523 the promise of European peace, stability and modernity,” ⇢⇢ Project website: unrest.eu writes Berger. “It shies away from directly representing bit.ly/2ss5T0R CIRCULAR ECONOMY INNOVATIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL AND URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT Today’s ‘take-make-dispose’ economic model is wasteful and unsustainable. The challenge of managing increasing quantities of waste, particularly from growing urban areas, represents a significant cost to society and puts pressure on the natural environment. But this discarded material also represents a valuable resource, which can be exploited by embracing a more circular economy that eliminates waste and allows for the continual use and re-use of resources. One of our newest CORDIS Results Packs examines six EU-funded projects that will help transform our economy and society, and decouple industrial growth from environmental impacts, with emphasis on the textile, construction, photovoltaic, steel industry, bulky and urban waste sectors. To find out more, browse, download or order a physical copy of the Results Pack here: cordis.europa.eu/article/id/411500 R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 11
SOCIETY Framing Europe’s changing art market Europe’s art world is undergoing rapid change with the rise of private patronage. An EU-funded project seeks to shed light on the nature of the changes and how it affects the value of art works. “Contemporary art is very important to European culture and acting as key gatekeepers, though this “doesn’t nec- and the economy so it is important to understand how essarily mean an enclosure of art away from the public,” value is created in art,” says Jenny Sjöholm, research fel- adds project coordinator Philip Crang, Professor of Cultural low at Linköping University, Sweden who received support Geography at Royal Holloway University of London, UK. from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme to study the art market in Europe through her project Art Market R O L E O F A RT C O L L E C TO R S (The re-privatization of the contemporary art world: pri- vate collectors and artist-entrepreneurs in the changing Sjöholm’s research focus has been on Sweden, where art geographies of European art). collectors are more visible than before, and their collec- tions, too, she explains. Sjöholm refers to this as one sign “In the art market there is radical institutional and mar- of the privatisation of the art market. ket transformation. Many state-funded arts institutions are struggling with budget cuts. At the same time private “Who gets access to the collections and who doesn’t is © Parinya Feungchan, Shutterstock art collectors and other private actors are becoming more an important question when the market is being priva- prominent,” Sjöholm notes. tised. It is about an individual’s preference rather than a larger perspective. A state-funded organisation has a Private collectors have also taken over some curation completely different mission compared to an individual roles in public galleries in deciding what gets displayed collector,” says Sjöholm. This raises issues of who is able to access and appreci- ate art. For example, there are massive storage spaces in which the artworks are kept; they are semiprivate and not open to the wider public. But they can be viewed during special events or in individual art collectors’ homes. Meanwhile, artists themselves offer ‘open studio days’ during which they invite customers. They also curate and show their art through their online homepages. “Artists are exhibiting their work in different ways,” Sjöholm explains, and they are becoming artist-entrepreneurs. R O L E O F T H E A RT S T U D I O AND ARCHIVES In the digital age, new ways of documenting and recording have also led to different ways for art value to be created, an area which has not been well studied, Sjöholm adds. 12 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
“My main assumption is that works of art have a par- ticular social life as they move from places of production “ Many state-funded arts institutions are struggling with budget cuts. ” to galleries, collections and museums. All these places At the same time private art collectors and and practices give an indication of the works’ value,” other private actors are becoming more says Sjöholm. prominent. How artists document their work is also becoming more important. This includes sketchbooks which can function as personal archives as well as being important tools for creativity. Archives, artists’ diaries and blogs definitely Tracking the collection from the 1980s onwards “illus- add to the value of art. “The artist needs to be able to trated how an individual collection went from being pri- speak about their work and contextualise it, and that is vate property subject to individual consumption, taste value,” Sjöholm adds. and emotion, to being a collection of public importance, interest, display and value,” Sjöholm says. F O L L OW I N G A C O L L E C T I O N During the project, Sjöholm followed the collection of Swedish artist Fredrik Roos which ended up in one of Sweden’s first privately run art museums. “To follow this ART MARKET art collection is to also untangle the different networks, places and institutions it travelled through. My approach ⇢⇢ Coordinated by Royal Holloway and Bedford New is that we should be aware of the life histories and jour- College, University of London in the United Kingdom. neys of art and think in terms of not just objects but wider ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-MSCA-IF. collections,” Sjöholm explains. ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/660629 SOCIETY Being queer and Polish in Brexit UK The first large survey on how Polish LGBTQ migrants feel in modern Britain has been carried out by EU project FACELOOK. It’s difficult to estimate how many Polish people migrated “While there is plenty of research about Polish diaspora in to the UK after the EU’s enlargement in 2004, but accord- the UK, large-scale research into the experiences of Polish ing to the British Office for National Statistics by the end LGBTQs in the UK is virtually non-existent,” says Lukasz of 2018 there were about 905 000 Poles living in the UK. Szulc, lecturer in Digital Media and Society at the Univer- At least some of those migrants were gay, lesbian, bisex- sity of Sheffield. ual, trans or queer, but there are no reliable estimates on how many or the specific challenges they face. EU pro- With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme, ject FACELOOK (Identity Management on Social Media and supervised by Myria Georgiou, professor at LSE, Szulc by Diasporic LGBTQs) has carried out the first study of surveyed almost 800 people online and carried out 30 its kind into how LGBTQ Poles feel about their identity in in-depth interviews. He released the results this month in contemporary Britain. ‘Queer #PolesinUK: Identity, Migration and Social Media’. R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 13
According to the British Office “ ” Research into the experiences of for National Statistics, by the Polish LGBTQs in the UK is virtually non- existent. end of 2018 there were about 905 000 Poles living in the UK more positive associations to the UK, including ‘open- ness’, ‘tolerance’ and ‘freedom’,” writes Szulc. P O I S O N O U S AT M O S P H E R E But the Poles interviewed also told of the xenophobia they experienced in person and on social media after the Brexit referendum. Strangers, neighbours and colleagues told some ‘go back to your country’ or ‘the NHS will be only for the British people’. Szulc was surprised to find most intend to stay, probably because they have built their lives and shaped their iden- tities in the UK, helped by learning about new terms on FACELOOK discovered these migrants are ignored when social media: “A significant number of young respondents Polish people are discussed in the UK and even in LGBTQ reject such identities as ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ and embrace surveys. Part of the reason is that Polish people are per- more fluid and non-binary identities such as ‘gender fluid’ ceived as being Catholic, conservative, sexist and homo- and ‘pansexual’.” phobic, sharing similar views to the ruling party in Poland. “This leaves little space for acknowledging the lives, Szulc presented the life stories of some of his inter- experiences and challenges of Polish LGBTQs in the UK,” viewees in performance events held in London and says Szulc. Sheffield, bringing together the general public along with Polish LGBTQ people, artists and DJs. In fact, a quarter of those surveyed said LGBTQ issues © Al-Hussein Abutaleb were one or the main reason for seeking a new life in the Szulc hopes FACELOOK will start to give Polish LGBTQ UK where same-sex marriage is legal. “While they charac- people a wider voice in Poland and in the UK, and wants terised Poland by negative associations with ‘homopho- the perspective of queer migrants included in the LGBT bia’, ‘intolerance’ and ‘lack of acceptance’, they attributed Action Plan proposed by the UK Government Equalities Office. Szulc also wants LGBTQ-friendly legislation in Poland: “It is truly heart-breaking to talk to Polish LGBTQs in the UK who say they would love to live in Poland together with their families, that they love Poland, but they cannot imagine themselves living there because of the intensified anti-LGBTQ climate in the country.” FA C E LO O K ⇢⇢ Coordinated by the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom. ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-MSCA-IF. ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/699745 ⇢⇢ Project website: lse.ac.uk/media-and-communications/ research/research-projects/Facelook 14 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
ENERGY Improved storage of excess electricity could make wind and solar energy more attractive The EU requires efficient methods of energy storage to enable significant increases in contributions from intermittent renewable energy resources such as wind and sun. Technology to store excess electricity as methane in existing European infrastructure could play an important role. The EU is targeting a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) CONVERTING ELECTRICITY INTO emissions by 80-95 % relative to 1990 levels by 2050. STORABLE MOLECULES As a result, the contribution of renewable sources such as wind and solar to electricity production is growing among SOE cells (SOECs) produce H2 through electrolysis of H2O. national electricity production systems. Co-electrolysis of steam (H2O) and CO2 yields carbon monoxide and H2, a mixture known as syngas. This can be The fluctuating nature of these sources requires efficient converted into various hydrocarbons such as e-gas (syn- technologies to store electricity in periods of excess pro- thetic methane) through established catalytic processes. duction. The EU-funded ECo (Efficient Co-Electrolyser for © Anke Hagen Efficient Renewable Energy Storage) project set out to According to project coordinator Anke Hagen: “The over- develop innovative technology based on solid oxide elec- arching idea was to use electricity from renewable sources trolysis (SOE) to convert electricity from wind and solar to produce synthetic natural gas, allowing for large-scale power into storable methane. storage and distribution through the existing natural gas infrastructure in Europe, which currently can accommo- date approximately 50 % of the electricity produced from renewable resources as methane.” R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 15
“ For the example of France with 23.6 % of the electricity provided by photovoltaics, savings of up to 239 000 ” tons of CO2 equivalent (in terms of global warming potential) were possible annually. TEAMWORK ENSURES THE ACHIEVEMENTS ARE MORE THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS EU is targeting a 80-95 % Although the electrolysis process demonstrates con- reduction in GHG emissions version efficiencies close to 100 %, challenges remain relative to 1990 levels by 2050 regarding costs and lifetime. ECo successfully improved the performance and lifetime of SOECs and stacks, reduc- ing investment and maintenance costs as well. provided by photovoltaics, savings of up to 239 000 tons As Hagen explains: “The SOEC is a composite of differ- of CO2 equivalent (in terms of global warming potential) ent layers, where materials’ compositions and structures were possible annually. As grid mixes in Europe become determine performance and durability. The ECo project ‘cleaner’ in the future, the ECo solution will provide even succeeded in delivering improved, truly cross-European greater benefits. ECo also established tools to assess the cell versions through integration of components devel- benefits for any specific local conditions. oped by different partners into a single cell. ECo demon- strated how SOECs cope with realistic conditions such as ECo’s improved SOEC technology could be instrumental fluctuating electricity input without loss of lifetime on in future renewable energy storage, helping the EU meet both the cell and stack level yielding reduction of GHG its goals for GHG emissions reductions while ensuring a emissions and efficiently converting ‘green’ electricity into stable and reliable supply of energy for its citizens. storage media.” ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF INTEGRATING SOE TECHNOLOGY INTO EXISTING ECO FACILITIES ⇢⇢ Coordinated by the Technical University of Denmark ECo designed an SOE plant and integrated it into three in Denmark. different existing CO2-emitting plants: a cement produc- ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-ENERGY. tion plant, a biomass gasification plant, and a biogas pro- ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/699892 duction plant. ⇢⇢ Project website: eco-soec-project.eu bit.ly/2RWlgJJ Hagen elaborates: “Access to cheap and clean (CO2-lean) electricity is crucial for ECo’s economic viability. The share of renewables in the electricity input affects the envi- ronmental impact. All cases potentially benefit from an integration. Implementing the ECo concept into a cement plant provides the largest environmental benefits.” For the example of France with 23.6 % of the electricity 16 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
ENERGY Faster, cheaper assessment tools promise ‘fair winds’ in terms of profit for the wind energy sector Wind power has become one of the most affordable sources of energy, particularly for onshore sites. As the sector continues to grow, demand is increasing for faster, more accurate and more transparent wind assessment tools at cost-effective prices. As available flat terrain for wind farms becomes scarcer, future wind energy production, reducing both costs and there is a resulting increase in the use of offshore or topo- uncertainty,” says Tristan Clarenc, project coordinator and graphically complex sites. In such locations, the only CEO and founder of ZephyScience. viable solution for achieving accurate wind assessment results and profitability is computational fluid dynamics NEW PLATFORM SUPPORTS (CFD) models. However, CFD models require significant WIND FARMS computational resources, which represent a significant upfront investment that small actors cannot easily afford. Researchers from ZephyScience applied their open- source wind farm design software ZephyTOOLS to a The EU-funded ZephyCloud-2 (Making Wind Energy More streamlined cloud computing service. “Any wind farm Profitable...Faster!) project combined CFD wind modelling designer can now easily perform advanced wind flow and software development expertise to provide cost- modelling. Through this process, our users can run calcu- © Neil Mitchell, Shutterstock effective, innovative tools for wind resource assessment lations simultaneously and have total control of the run- and become the reference platform for the wind power ning computations,” Clarenc explains. industry. “Our solution, thanks to cloud computing and its pay-as-you-go model, provides an accurate estimation of On top of the computing service, the team built Zephy- Farm, a web platform dedicated to wind energy projects that brings together a wide range of services, documen- tation, data, tools and scientific modules. According to Clarenc: “These aim to provide an integral solution for wind analysis and optimisation along the entire pro- ject lifecycle, from project development to operating wind farms.” New modelling services can be introduced on the plat- form thanks to ZephyOpen. They can be offered either privately (letting the user take advantage of cloud com- puting capacity) or publicly (becoming available to all users connected to the platform). Furthermore, they allow the size and the complexity of models to be increased and support the introduction of new advanced assess- ment methodologies into the wind energy community. R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 17
BETTER MODELS FOR MORE ACCURATE ASSESSMENTS “ Our solution, thanks to cloud computing and its pay-as-you-go model, ” provides an accurate estimation of future The project team is particularly proud to have imple- wind energy production, reducing both costs mented a comprehensive and accurate method for and uncertainty. properly analysing the wake effects within and around a wind farm. “This important step addresses one of the main requirements of the industry, that is the uncer- tainties related to wake effects, especially now that the “Whether tidal, wave, hydro energy or even thermal flows industry is tending to move towards offshore projects,” within solar and geothermal processes, these systems all notes Clarenc. require high-accuracy modelling to reduce uncertainties in yield predictions, improve projects’ bankability and reduce ZephyCloud-2 will enable the most advanced numerical operational costs,” Clarenc concludes. models to be used and facilitate viable wind farm devel- opment, wind turbine optimisation, and a reduction in operation and maintenance costs. It will accelerate the development of a next-generation wind power simulation and analysis cloud platform, thereby boosting the deploy- ment of renewables and contribute to achieving EU and Z E P H YC LO U D -2 global objectives for clean energy. ⇢⇢ Coordinated by ZephyScience in France. In addition, the concept and structure of the cloud service ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-ENERGY, H2020-LEIT-ICT and the ZephyFarm platform are also relevant to other and H2020-SME. sectors in the renewable industry with similar needs. ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/783913 ENERGY Enhancing the marketability of lithium-sulphur batteries By addressing safety and stability issues, researchers with the EU-funded HELIS project have helped move lithium-sulphur batteries closer to being market-ready. Thanks to their high specific energy and cost-effectiveness, the cathode’s low electrical conductivity and the irreversi- lithium-sulphur batteries (LSBs) are well-positioned to suc- ble loss of active materials when dissolving lithium-sulphur ceed the use of lithium-ion batteries. In fact, LSBs have into the electrolyte. been shown to offer specific energies in the order of 500 to 600 W h/kg – significantly better than the 150 to 250 W h/kg The HELIS (High energy lithium sulphur cells and batteries) achieved by lithium-ion batteries. However, these advan- project picked up where EUROLIS left off. “By scaling-up tages are outweighed by a number of challenges that have the approaches developed during EUROLIS, we aimed to held LSBs back from the market. improve the stability of lithium anodes during cycling and address such issues as recycling and safety,” says Robert Many of these roadblocks to marketisation were addressed Dominko, coordinator of both the EUROLIS and HELIS pro- during the EU-funded EUROLIS project, which developed jects. “In doing so, we took another big step towards devel- practical solutions to some of LSBs’ inherent chemical oping a complete, market-ready LSB cell.” challenges. For example, the project resolved the issue of 18 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
THE LSB VALUE CHAIN “ Our partners gained a lot of know-how and even filed several ” The project’s differentiator was its use of a complete value patents, putting them in a good position chain for LSB production. Each of the project’s 14 partners to push this technology to commercial was charged with managing a specific task along the chain, use. starting with the material development for three different series of prototype cells. Ultimately, a D-size prototype cell was used to test all components developed during the project. SAFE BEHAVIOUR, LONG CYCLABILITY A core focus of the project was the development of separa- Thanks to its strong, results-driven consortia and use of a tors and electrolytes which had the characteristics required well-defined value chain, the HELIS project successfully by LSBs. For example, by modifying the lithium metal sur- developed LSB cells that demonstrate safe behaviour and face or separator, researchers were able to propose and long cyclability at moderate energy density. That being said, evaluate several components that use lithium metal to pro- there remains the issue of protecting metallic lithium, which tect against continuous degradation. will be the focus of the next phase of the project. “The best components were used for the prototype cells, “During the HELIS project, our partners gained a lot of which were assembled at our industrial partner’s facilities,” know-how and even filed several patents, putting them in explains Dominko. “In total, three different generations of a good position to push this technology to commercial use,” LSB cells were produced and tested according to the speci- concludes Dominko. fications of the automotive industry.” Project researchers also performed ageing and safety tests, which are essential for validating the approach. All research was supported by theoretical calculations and life cycle HELIS analysis, and cells from both projects were used to develop a recycling process for LSBs. ⇢⇢ Coordinated by the National Institute of Chemistry in Slovenia. “All of this work resulted in the creation of the right chemi- ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-LEIT-ADVMAT. cal environment to enable excellent reversibility and cycla- ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/666221 bility with only moderate energy density,” adds Dominko. ⇢⇢ Project website: helis-project.eu © P5h, Shutterstock R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 19
C L I M AT E C H A N G E A N D E N V I R O N M E N T Urban metabolism approach helps tourist hotspots manage their waste European cities are among the world’s most popular destinations but they are under pressure from the huge number of tourists they attract. An EU-funded project has taken a fresh approach in managing the increase in waste generated. Compared to other urban centres, tourist cities face addi- R E D U C E D TO U R I S M I M PAC T tional challenges regarding waste prevention and manage- ment due to their geographical and climatic conditions, the Project partners focused on cities under pressure from high seasonality of tourism and the waste it produces. These numbers of tourists, using an urban metabolism approach to challenges threaten the preservation and conservation of reduce municipal waste production and improve sustainabil- ecosystem services, which underly the environmental sur- ity. Urban metabolism is a multi-disciplinary and integrated vival of tourist cities and their attractiveness to visitors. model that studies material and energy flows in cities in the form of complex systems shaped by various social, eco- The EU project UrBAN-WASTE (Urban strategies for Waste nomic and environmental forces. Management in Tourist Cities) has developed eco-innovative and gender-sensitive waste prevention and management The consortium used urban metabolism not only to quan- strategies in 11 pilot cities with high levels of tourism to tify the impact of tourism, but also for the development of reduce waste production and improve municipal waste man- waste prevention and management strategies. “In essence, agement. “These strategies address waste management, it helps us understand how cities can reduce resource con- risk prevention and land-use as an integral part of urban sumption and minimise waste and emissions while improv- development,” says project manager Michelle Perello. ing or maintaining the quality of life of their citizens and © franz12 tourists,” Perello explains. 20 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
The initiative therefore mobilised over 500 policy makers, clear value and did not require large investments, while offer- researchers, representatives of industry and civil society, ing direct and indirect economic benefits,” concludes Perello. individual citizens and tourists. Researchers collected data from all the pilot cities and compiled a database to deter- UrBAN-WASTE successfully developed a circular economy mine the baseline conditions of each pilot city. The aim was approach that also addresses important issues linked to local to develop and implement a series of tailored strategies to development such as local production and employment. It better manage and prevent waste generation. also included the development of ecosystem services, pro- ducing indicators and metrics that can be integrated in the Researchers also quantified tourist waste production and urban metabolism framework. total urban waste production before implementing the UrBAN-WASTE strategies. In Tenerife for example, domestic The project will benefit policy makers and stakeholders and vegetable waste is composted to create organic fer- from both tourism and waste management value chains tiliser. “We estimated that the collection of biowaste from by helping cities improve their recycling rates, thereby sav- hotels and restaurants could help save 81.6 tonnes of CO2 ing raw materials and energy, and reducing greenhouse emissions per year,” notes Perello. gas emissions. I M P R O V E D R E C YC L I N G U R B A N - WA S T E Outcomes included a roadmap for stakeholder engagement and mobilisation, 22 waste prevention and management ⇢⇢ Coordinated by the Government of the Canary Islands strategies and policy makers guidelines for their successful in Spain. replication in other EU cities. “These strategies have an over- ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-ENVIRONMENT. all positive social and economic impact, by demonstrating ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/690452 that simple, visible policies involving hands-on action have a ⇢⇢ Project website: urban-waste.eu C L I M AT E C H A N G E A N D E N V I R O N M E N T Microorganisms and parasites help identify conservation status of endangered primates Primates support tropical biodiversity by promoting forest regeneration, but many species are threatened by the loss of their preferred habitat – pristine forests. An EU study has investigated the impact of habitat degradation and human disturbance on primate gut composition. Habitat degradation has led to the disappearance of The EU-funded WILDGUT (GUT biota indices: a new many species, with primates living outside protected tool for WILD animal conservation) project investigated areas being particularly vulnerable to these changes. the four-way interplay between habitat changes, host Hence, primates are an excellent model system for inves- species and gut micro- and macro-parasites in natural tigating the impact of human disturbance and habitat environments. “We studied wild animal gut biota in con- degradation on their gut biota (bacteria, fungi and par- trasting habitat types to identify possible biomarkers asitic worms). associated with conservation status, which can be used R esearch eu #89 F ebruary 2 0 2 0 21
© Thomas T. Struhsaker to improve wildlife management strategies,” says Marie may not be entirely positive; for example, we observed that Skłodowska-Curie Action fellow, Claudia Barelli. baboons living in degraded habitats had an enrichment of bacterial genera such as Sarcina and Prevotella, which are The initiative assessed the diversity and composition of generally associated with consumption of sugar-rich food gut microbiota and parasitic worms in two wild primate and potentially linked to chronic gut inflammatory conditions species (red colobus and yellow baboon) living in degraded and implicated in gut diseases,” observes Barelli. and intact forested areas of the Udzungwa Mountains, an international biodiversity hot spot in Tanzania. They also I M PAC T O F PA R A S I T I C WO R M S identified interactions between microbiota and parasitic worms, and developed statistical models to determine The gut biota includes not only bacteria and fungi but also the conservation status of the primate populations. parasitic worms, which are an important component for gut health. Despite the huge difference across primate species, D I F F E R E N C E S I N G U T B I OTA with baboons having a higher level of richness of parasitic worms compared to the red colobus, we also found a reduc- Although the two selected primates are phylogenetically tion of parasite diversity in animals living in the degraded related, the bacterial and fungal composition of their guts forests compared to those from intact forests. was clearly different. The red colobus had greater bacterial gut biodiversity possibly due to it being a leaf eater, while According to Barelli, this result confirms those found for bac- yellow baboons are omnivorous. In addition, despite the teria, and strengthens the idea that habitat changes also short geographical distance separating the well protected promote biodiversity loss at a micro scale, adding: “The need from the degraded forest, individual primates of the same for further investigations on the health impacts of changes species have unique gut biota compositions in each forest in the different components of the gut biota and their inter- type, especially bacteria and fungi. actions in conservation is ever more urgent.” Intact habitats are expected to offer their inhabitants a WILDGUT will lead to a better understanding of the impact more diverse diet, which translates into greater gut micro- of human activities on microbiodiversity, and whether such biota diversity. However, this hypothesis only worked for the changes could have an effect on wildlife health, and ulti- tree-dwelling, leaf-eating red colobus monkeys. “The same mately on the conservation status of species. association was not found in the omnivorous crop-raiding yellow baboons. This is due to the rapid conversion of trop- ical forest into agricultural croplands and the alteration of behaviour in baboons by feeding on human food waste and WILDGUT crops,” Barelli explains. ⇢⇢ Coordinated by the Edmund Mach Foundation in Italy. By widening their dietary choices, baboons most likely ⇢⇢ Funded under H2020-MSCA-IF. increased their bacterial richness and consequently changed ⇢⇢ cordis.europa.eu/project/id/752399 their gut biota composition. “However, this increase in diversity ⇢⇢ Project website: eventi.fmach.it/wildgut 22 R e se a rc h e u #8 9 F ebruary 2020
You can also read