Society

Over recent years there has been much talk about the rise of populism. But what’s the evidence, what is it, and if true, is it necessarily troubling? We asked Jan Kubik, professor of Political Science, to unpick developments.

What are Europeans’ views on the COVID-19 pandemic? And how do they feel about the scientists and governments involved in dealing with it? An EU-backed survey takes a look.

One step closer to cleaner oceans: An EU-backed project has tested its autonomous underwater litter collection system in the murky coastal waters of the Port of Hamburg, Germany.

A new study has shown that China’s massive population shift to urban areas has had a positive impact on the country’s carbon stocks. This means that urbanisation could play a role in reducing CO2 emissions.

When the EPICA project ended in late 2020, it had delivered a methodology for assessing and recognising graduates’ employability skills. In June 2022, two researchers involved in the design, creation and implementation were invited to present the methodology’s impact at the ‘Global Dialogue on Micro-Credentials: Initiatives and Perspectives on Small Learning Units from around the World’ event organised by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Do people reconsider their opinions based on new information or to gain social acceptance? A new study shows how the brain distinguishes between different types of social influence when we change our mind.

In October 2020, the Results Pack Social Sciences and Humanities in Energy Research featured SMARTEES, a project that explored the concept of social energy innovations and how they evolve over time. We find out that the results fed into a novel digital tool to improve policy design and decision-making.

Suppose doctors could predict decades in advance if we are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) or cardiovascular disease (CVD). A new study on lipid profiling may have just found a way.

Can countries to which refugees and asylum seekers flock receive early warnings and timely support? To make this possible, a new report looks at the time sequence from conflicts or mass disasters to peoples’ migration to a neighbouring country.

An EU-funded study looks at mortality in 2 rural areas in the United Kingdom during temperature extremes over a 38-year period.

According to a new study, most of Europe’s cities are getting denser thanks to higher immigration rates and reduced land take for housing.

EU-backed researchers make food safety training fun. Their online cooking game increases consumer awareness of safe food handling while training them to engage in risk-reducing behaviour.

Armed with digital technologies, the EU-funded HyperCOG project is helping to create the factories of the future. Its smart system promises to increase production performance and reduce emissions and energy use in Europe’s process industries.

Thanks to the launch of a new dashboard, anyone can use their smartphone to help scientists track mosquitoes – the deadliest animals on Earth.

How do different potatoes respond to heat, drought and waterlogging stresses? EU-backed scientists are investigating the changes that make potatoes resilient or susceptible.

Is there a more nutritious alternative to maize and rice for gluten-free food products? The answer could lie in African cereals and legumes.

Armed with innovations in IT and training, an EU-backed project is better preparing Europe for future pandemics. Its new Advisory Board members, the Irish Defence Forces, are helping to further this goal with their expertise in major emergency management.

Preparing for a future of seamless network handovers across European borders, an EU-backed project has just completed its first cross-border connectivity demonstrations at a 5G testbed in Latvia.

New innovations in the field of autonomous mobility have been recognised by EU Innovation Radar experts. Developed under an EU-backed project, these innovations contribute to the EU goals to make our towns and cities safer and more sustainable.

A new ultrasonic sensor promises to improve railway track lubrication monitoring and maintenance for lower costs and better safety.