Across Europe, researchers are tackling the climate crisis head-on. They are cooling our cities, cleaning the air, and protecting our waters and forests. With EU support, they turn knowledge into solutions to build a more resilient future. Researchers in action, driving a sustainable tomorrow.
To reduce pollution, researchers are rethinking the materials used in buildings. At the InnoRenew Centre of Excellence in Slovenia, they are looking for natural alternatives to harmful chemicals found in construction coatings.
Inspired by how fungi protect themselves in the wild, they are developing a self-healing, eco-friendly coating that protects surfaces like concrete, wood and plastic – and even helps clean the air. Unlike chemicals, fungi are safe for people. This work is part of a wider effort to create cleaner cities.
Researchers in Cyprus are using space technology and satellite data to join the fight against climate change.
By monitoring the environment and analysing the data, they are helping the people of Cyprus, and the wider region, manage and respond to climate risks more effectively.
We determine risks from space using geographic information systems and artificial intelligence for different natural hazards, like floods, earthquakes, and landslides.
Feeding a growing population while protecting the planet is one of today’s biggest challenges. To address this, scientists in Germany are exploring how photosynthesis – the process that powers all life – can be made more efficient.
The team studies how plants can make better use of sunlight in the lab, then applies these discoveries to improve crop yields, strengthen food security, and protect the planet.
This research has the potential to make photosynthesis more efficient, and with more efficient photosynthesis, we can grow more productive crops.
Other project examples
African swine fever (ASF) is a fatal porcine virus infecting Europe’s wild boar populations that can spread to domestic pigs, threatening to ruin that industry. With outbreaks in recent years across the region, the relationship between ASF, European hunting and veterinary medicine is being investigated. The aim is partly to gain insights into attitudes and actions of people to stop ASF rampaging destructively through Europe.
Biodiversity plays a central role in everything from food production to climate regulation, human health and water quality. Given its importance, a collaborative research effort is exploring the interactions between people and nature, with the hope of encouraging policymakers to integrate biodiversity more into their decision-making. The team has been developing an app to support this, while finding that over 30% of our interactions with nature can bring about positive change.
The media have referred to water as Europe’s next crisis, with the region’s rivers, lakes, seas and groundwater under increasing pressure from pollution, exploitation and climate change. EU-supported research work is seeking to improve management of water in agriculture, industry, energy production and water utilities through innovative models explored in Living Labs.
International shipping generates around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, calling for future-proof designs that reduce environmental impact. A multi-country research effort saw widespread international collaboration across Europe to explore the likes of foldable steel and fibreglass ‘sails’ to harness energy from the wind on a cargo ship and the use of hydrogen power on a cruise ship.
The food industry is contributing to mountains of processing waste leading to pollution and soil degradation. An EU-supported research effort is looking at a wide range of options to turn these residues into bio-based soil enhancers. It is believed that this could not only address waste, but also reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers by up to 80%.
Europe’s ancient monuments and other cultural heritage face major environmental threats, from human-made climate change and pollution to natural events like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and extreme weather. Aided by AI, researchers developed innovative tools to analyse these impacts and ultimately help preserve this valuable cultural heritage in an EU-supported endeavour.
In 2024, a common EU platform entered into operation for sharing information between maritime authorities to combat the likes of people smuggling, illegal fishing, pollution and security threats. This will aid better cooperation across the region’s seas through information- and data-sharing, following a crucial milestone in the network’s formation in EU-supported research work which ended in 2018.
Deep renovations are wide-scale retrofits that can slash a building’s energy needs by 75% or more, and are shown to make residents healthier, more comfortable and more financially secure. EU-supported research work demonstrated the viability of such renovations, including improving some of the region’s least energy-efficient buildings – Latvia’s Soviet-era apartment blocks.
Options for electric mobility are being explored across Europe as a way to widen access to sustainable forms of transport. In Malta, research work examined the challenges and opportunities for e-mobility as its popularity grows among citizens in the island nation. International collaboration initiated through the research has helped build innovation capacity.
Forests are on the front line of the fight against climate change, with the ability to act as carbon sinks by absorbing more carbon from the atmosphere than they release. In this context, EU-supported research work is developing a decision-support system for forest managers, including tailored protection measures and options for maximising decarbonisation. As part of this, 3D remote-sensing technologies are being used to help inform these decisions.
Packaging is responsible for a significant proportion of the world’s plastic waste. However, less than 10% is recycled and much of it ends up in landfills or incinerators, polluting the environment. EU-supported researchers have developed a bioplastic alternative to laminating and packaging film that offers the same protection as conventional products while avoiding the environmental impact.
Small island nations such as Cyprus face unique challenges in harnessing renewable energy benefits, as storage and utilisation prove both complicated and costly. These challenges are particularly pronounced during seasonal spikes of tourists each year. To tackle this and find better ways to meet the country’s needs, researchers at the University of Cyprus teamed up with colleagues in Austria and Denmark to explore ways to boost the use of photovoltaic technology in a collaborative effort.
Beneficial microorganisms that live in soil are a promising substitute for chemical fertilisers for providing nutrients to help plants grow, as well as potentially helping to mitigate the effects of adverse conditions. Researchers explored how bacteria that live in high-salinity environments can help provide the key nutrient nitrogen to salt-stressed plants.
Carbon black, a fine powder that is soot-like in appearance, is used in making products ranging from plastics, inks and coatings to rubber tyres, but generates waste and harmful emissions. Researchers in Poland developed a new technique that recovers carbon black from recycled tyres as a cost-effective and more eco-friendly way of producing the resource.