The EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum has just published a new thematic report. The purpose of this report is to present an updated view of the aspects related to the energy efficiency of blockchain technologies. The topic of energy consumption of blockchains, and especially of the Bitcoin blockchain, has recently triggered a lot of discussion and a debate has started on the topic of making Bitcoin a sustainable ecosystem.

In 2017-2020, Tech4Care developed and tested a virtual reality (VR) based system for stroke rehabilitation for a pre-commercial procurement led by healthcare organisations in Northern Ireland and Italy. This accelerated the internal R&D activity, boosted the company's growth and sustained the development of further digital health products, now available in the market.

The Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a second Important Project of Common European Interest (“IPCEI”) to support research and innovation in the battery value chain. The project, called “European Battery Innovation” was jointly prepared and notified by Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.

Silvia Scaglione is specialist in bioengineering. Since 2010, she is a permanent researcher at the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and head of the Laboratory of Tissue Engineering CNR-IEIIT in Genoa. She is also founder, president and chief scientist of React4Life, an innovative biotech start-up.

The recently published Strategic Research Agenda encompasses those short-term and long-term priorities that European battery research needs to follow in order to strengthen the position of the EU on the global market.

The European Commission proposes to modernise EU legislation on batteries, delivering its first initiative among the actions announced in the new Circular Economy Action Plan. Batteries that are more sustainable throughout their life cycle are key for the goals of the European Green Deal and contribute to the zero pollution ambition set in it. They promote competitive sustainability and are necessary for green transport, clean energy and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The proposal addresses the social, economic and environmental issues related to all types of batteries.

Connect University will kick-off its 2021 programme with two fascinating sessions where you will get the opportunity to hear from our researchers of the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme.