Human Brain Project under attack

Credit: Human Brain Project

Credit: Human Brain Project

Last week, the eyes of the scientific community were fixed on the € 1.2 billion Human Brain Project (HBP) as more than 150 European neuroscientists raised concerns over the project’s management in an open letter to the European Commission.

One of the two Europe’s Flagship Initiatives, the HBP spans 112 research institutions across 24 countries and was launched last year with the grand vision of creating a long-needed ICT infrastructure for future brain research. Not without controversy, the project adopted a bottom-up approach to build a computer simulation of the brain based exclusively on the fundamental understanding of neurons and their interactions.

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euRobotics Forum 2014

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The fifth edition of one of the most influential events for the European robotics community took place last week from March 12-14 in Rovereto, Italy. As always, the 3-day program was jam-packed with dynamic workshops, seminars and talks, making it possible for robotics stakeholders from the whole of Europe to discuss the future of robotics research and industry, find new potential business applications and expand their professional network.

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Innovation Convention 2014

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This week, from March 10-11, over 2000 people from a variety of sectors involved in research, innovation and science gathered to take part in the 2nd Innovation Convention. The event, held this year in Brussels, is a key initiative of the Innovation Union, which aims to make Europe a more innovation-friendly environment – an idea that lies at the core of the European Union’s 2020 strategy.

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ICT 2013: Create, Connect, Grow

From November 6–8, nearly 5000 of Europe’s top researchers, engineers, industry representatives, politicians, journalists, entrepreneurs, and students gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania to share insight and future visions for the future of ICT in Europe. The global event also provided  an inspiring setting for the discussion of European ICT policy as well as networking opportunities for business, research, and innovation groups.
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A Bigger and Better Robotics Industry for Europe

The European Commission recognizes Robotics as a key industry for the future of Europe

The European Commission has recently agreed to launch a Public Private Partnership in Robotics (PPP) between academia and industry for 2013. 

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Robot Companions for Citizens

An introduction to one of the FET Flagships

The video above was presented by the Robot Companion for Citizens Flagship Initiative at a conference in Warsaw at the end of November. Robot Companions for Citizens is currently one of 6 research initiatives in the running to receive 1 billion euros funding from the European Commission over the next 10 years.
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FET Flagships Pilots Midterm Conference

Held November 24-25 at the Warsaw University of Technology and the University of Warsaw.

The 6 FET Flagships showed off their stuff  at the midterm conference, involving about 250 European scientists and policy makers, who assessed the progress made by each of the flagships, reevaluating their goals and the possible impacts they will have.
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Robot Companions for Citizens is Officially Launched at FET11

Paulo Dario presents the Robot Companions for Citizens coordination action at FET11

Robot Companions for Citizens is of one six pilot initiatives that was officially presented at FET11

FET11 (European Future Technologies Conference Exhibition) was the second installment of a new forum dedicated to new research in information and communication technologies (ICT).  The conference, held May 4-6, 2011 in Budapest, Hungary, featured the launching of Robot Companions for Citizens as one of  6 Pilot Actions that will now be funded until May of 2012.
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