{"id":18955,"date":"2017-02-22T16:43:57","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T16:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/digileaders.com\/?p=18955"},"modified":"2019-01-17T09:46:56","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T09:46:56","slug":"future-emerging-technologies-investing-europes-future-improving-peoples-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/future-emerging-technologies-investing-europes-future-improving-peoples-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Future and emerging technologies: investing in Europe’s future, improving people’s lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
The EU has supported and prioritised top-quality scientific research and innovation for a long time.<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Several years ago, we decided to fund and promote ambitious and long-term research into uncharted areas that stretch the boundaries of science and technology.<\/p>\n

This is the origin of the Future and Emerging Technology (FET) Flagships<\/u><\/a>. It is frontier and ground-breaking work. That is no exaggeration.<\/p>\n

These mammoth projects are academic-industrial partnerships on an unprecedented scale. They are inspired by several scientific disciplines with cross-sectoral expertise spanning many EU countries.<\/p>\n

They have major implications and benefits for society. And we do not yet know all of them.<\/p>\n

The first two Flagships were launched in 2013.<\/p>\n

Briefly, to start with Graphene<\/u><\/a>: this is a transparent and flexible two-dimensional material based on single atom-thick layers of carbon.<\/p>\n

It comes with a long list of unique properties: many times stronger than steel and a highly efficient conductor of electricity and heat. The idea is to take graphene from the laboratory to the marketplace in numerous practical applications.<\/p>\n

The Human Brain Project<\/u><\/a> (HBP) aims to create the world’s largest experimental facility for developing the most detailed model of the brain and studying how the human brain works.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it aims to develop personalised treatment of neurological and related diseases, as well as new computing technologies inspired by the brain’s abilities.<\/p>\n

A third FET initiative, on quantum technologies<\/u><\/a>, is in the pipeline and coming soon. It will be the subject of an event<\/a><\/u> to be held by the Maltese Presidency of the EU on February 17, in cooperation with the Commission, in Malta.<\/p>\n

A solid political and financial commitment<\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Each one represents a public-private investment of \u20ac1 billion over 10 years. That is a good deal longer than the EU’s usual 2-4 year research funding period.<\/p>\n

Why? Chiefly because the scientific challenges involved require a degree of funding that neither the Commission or a single EU country can meet on its own.<\/p>\n

This represents a solid political and financial commitment: to keeping Europe as a home of scientific excellence, and also to building the base for radically new next-generation technologies that have the power to change how we look at whole industries and society at large.<\/p>\n

These are not just scientists working in universities and research institutes.<\/p>\n

Many industrial partners are also involved, helping to identify and develop practical applications that can make a real difference to people’s lives, as the original research concepts move from academia and laboratories into European society.<\/p>\n

People really will feel the benefit of these technologies \u2013 certainly in terms of improving health and lifestyle.<\/p>\n

After three years of activity, the whole FET Flagship concept was recently scrutinised by a panel of independent experts.<\/p>\n

Their report<\/u><\/a> comes out with a strong endorsement, finding that both running projects are “contributing towards excellent science” and delivering world-leading results, beyond the initial targets.<\/p>\n

Here are just two examples among many, because there is so much more one could say about these two projects:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. the Graphene Flagship set a new world record in infrared fibre-optic communication systems, reaching data rates of up to 100 gigabits per second thanks to faster photodetectors based on wafer-scale graphene.<\/li>\n
  2. in brain science, HBP achieved a world-first digital reconstruction of the micro-circuitry of part of the rat brain.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The report also recommends launching new FET initiatives where the concept is relevant. We are looking at these, and also at future financing.<\/p>\n

    For me, the bottom line is that if we fail to invest now, then Europe gets left behind – ‘out of the game’ – for these important emerging technologies.<\/p>\n

    But it is not all plain sailing. The report identifies where there is room for improvement \u2013 in reconciling the two objectives of excellent science and innovation, for example.<\/p>\n

    It is not a new problem. To translate an idea into a mass-marketable product, to move from a pure-science research hub to factory manufacture: this is often not easy or obvious.<\/p>\n

    There is not enough space in a blog to write at length about these fascinating areas of research. These technologies are our future; they fit in well with what we are trying to achieve with the Digital Single Market.<\/p>\n

    I plan to revisit them in later blogs during the year.<\/p>\n

    With the Graphene Flagship, for example, I plan to visit the Commission’s pavilion<\/span><\/u><\/a> later this month as part of my visit to the Mobile World Congress<\/span><\/u><\/a> in Barcelona.<\/p>\n

    I want to experience this revolutionary material for myself and learn about some of the specific applications that industry has helped to identify.<\/p>\n

    This post\u00a0first appeared here on the\u00a0European Commission blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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