January 2015
JRC newsletter
Science
for smart
and sustainable
growth
Editorial
Italian Presidency:
research for
growth and
competitiveness,
Stefania Giannini,
Minister of
Education,
Universities and
Research
6
8
9
EU companies
must boost R&D
investment to
stay globally
competitive
China takes over
lead in photovoltaic
installations
Improving maritime
security off East
African coasts
Joint
Research
Centre
2
Editorial
Italian Presidency : research for growth and competitiveness
The main theme underlying
the priorities of the Italian
Presidency of the Council
of the EU was how to
develop actions aimed at
boosting economic growth
and competitiveness with
the aim of ensuring new
job opportunities across the
European Union. Against
this background, the debate
on research within the
Competitiveness Council
highlighted the role of
research and innovation
as important drivers for
growth. Four Council
conclusions in this area
were adopted during the
Italian Presidency.
Stefania Giannini,
Minister of Education,
Universities and Research.
“It is crucial
to speed
up the full
implementation
of the European
Research Area
and to extend
the concept
of a common
research
area to the
Mediterranean”
The Council agreed that investment in research
must be more focused on high quality, leading
edge research and joint programmes on major
societal challenges to ensure that the scarce
resources are used for quality spending, reducing
fragmentation and eliminating unnecessary
duplications. In the short term, the Council
acknowledged the need to consider also
non-conventional measures, such as the “Juncker
package”, focused on investment in new and
innovative projects.
In this perspective, space was an area that
deserved the attention of the Council because of
its huge potential in contributing to innovation,
growth and citizens’ wellbeing. The Council
agreed to work on the definition of a European
long-term strategy on space research.
Recognising that the impact of research on
growth and employment depends on adequate
“framework conditions”, the Council agreed
to take action in order to speed up the full
implementation of a genuine European Research
Area (ERA) – the “single market” of knowledge
– by the adoption within mid-2015 of an
operational roadmap of agreed key priority
actions and relevant indicators.
The Italian Presidency and other Member States
stressed the importance to extend the concept
of a common research area to the Mediterranean
area. Accordingly, the Council invited the
Commission to assess the proposal prepared
by several Member States and Mediterranean
partners for a joint programme based on Art. 185
of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union (TFEU), which focused on the development
and the adoption of innovative and integrated
solutions for improving the efficiency, safety,
security and sustainability of food production and
water provision in the Mediterranean area.
Recognising the peculiarity of the Mediterranean
Sea and its importance for the region and for
the whole Union, the Council took note of the
work done during the Italian Presidency to
launch the BLUEMED initiative, aimed at defining
a common marine and maritime research and
innovation strategy for the Mediterranean Sea.
Italy will host an event in late spring 2015 to
formally present the relevant Strategic Research
and Innovation Agenda.
Finally, under the initiative of the Presidency, the
Council thoroughly discussed the role of science
with and for society, focusing in particular on
the importance of the concept of Responsible
Research and Innovation (RRI), on the role of
society to stimulate innovation, and on how to
promote philanthropy for basic research.
3
HighlightS
International Conference: Future-Oriented Technology Analysis
(FTA) ‘Engage today to shape tomorrow’
The JRC organised a conference on the potential
of Future-Oriented Technology Analysis (FTA),
‘Engage today to shape tomorrow’, which was
held on the 27th and 28th of November 2014 in
Brussels. The 5th edition revolved around three
main themes: “FTA and innovation systems”,
“Creative interfaces for forward looking activities”
and “Cutting edge FTA approaches”.
FTA Conferences have reached a multinational
dimension and have become a regular international meeting with a scientific impact which has
increased over the years, leading to the publishing
of the book ‘Future-Oriented Technology
Analysis - Strategic Intelligence for an Innovative
Economy’ and to the publishing of various articles
in specialised journals.
The conference provided a common platform
for the interaction of closely related communities of foresight, forecasting and technology
assessment, where experts discuss strategies and
policy recommendations.
A wealth of conference material, such as videos, and
presentations, is available on the event’s website.
Numerous parallel sessions, interactive
workshops and labs provided an opportunity
to discuss with some of the most prominent
names in the worldwide domain including Sohail
Inayatullah, Caroline V. Rudzinski and Andrew
Stirling. In addition, the event also helped participants to discover the foresight discipline and
its practical applications for strategic planning,
change management and, in particular, innovative
policy making.
FTA conference
website:
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/en/event/site/
fta2014
Report: “Tomorrow’s
healthy society.
Research priorities
for foods and
diets”:
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/sites/default/
files/jrc-studytomorrow-healthlysociety.pdf
FTA 2014 opening
session. Keynote
speech by Sohail
Inayatullah, Professor
at the University of
the Sunshine Coast,
Australia.
During the conference, the first study from a
JRC new series based on foresight approach was
released. It focused on research priorities for food
and diets.
Strengthening the SET-Plan
The 7th Conference of the European Strategic
Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan), gathered
more than 650 energy stakeholders from
Europe and beyond in the city of Rome in
December 2014. The conference was a
unique opportunity for all stakeholders and
representatives of national and EU institutions
to have in-depth discussions on the new
developments of the SET Plan towards an
integrated roadmap and action plan addressing
research & innovation challenges and needs of
the EU energy system.
Read more:
Read more:
A document entitled “Towards an Integrated
Roadmap: Research Innovation Challenges
and Needs of the EU Energy System” was
presented at the event. It is the result of in–
depth consultation and inputs from more than
150 stakeholders and the SET-Plan steering
committee from the Member States. The
document was compiled based on these inputs by
the European Commission’s Directorates-General
for Energy, Research and Innovation, and the JRC.
The JRC coordinated the scientific input to the
consultation process.
Towards an
Integrated
Roadmap:
http://setis.
ec.europa.
eu/set-planimplementation/
towards-integratedroadmap-andaction-plan
The SET-Plan Conference
was held under the
Italian Presidency.
4
COVER STORY
Read more:
Europe 2020
flagship initiatives:
http://ec.europa.
eu/europe2020/
europe-2020-in-anutshell/flagshipinitiatives/index_
en.htm
Education, Adult
Skills and Social
Outcomes:
Empirical evidence
from the Survey on
Adult Skills:
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/en/
publication/
eur-scientificand-technicalresearch-reports/
education-adultskills-and-socialoutcomesempirical-evidencesurvey-adult-skillspiaac-2013
Horizon Report
Europe: 2014
Schools edition::
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/en/
publication/
eur-scientificand-technicalresearch-reports/
horizon-reporteurope-2014schools-edition
Smart
Specialisation:
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/en/researchtopic/smartspecialisation?
search
ICT sector business
expenditure in R&D
(BERD) share of total
BERD by Member State
(2010,2011).
Source: Eurostat,
elaborated by Ivie and
the JRC.
Science for smart and sustainable growth
The way we study, create, produce and consume
has a major impact on our lives, society and the
economy. Performing better in these areas is
key to boosting Europe’s economy and ensuring
the wellbeing of its citizens. Policy-makers call
this objective smart and sustainable growth.
EU policies on better education levels, IT skills
and highly functioning innovation chains rely on
initiatives such as the creation of a digital single
market with ultrafast internet and interoperable
applications as well as better equipping young
people for the jobs market through education,
training and students’ mobility. Another policy
target for achieving smart and sustainable
growth is investing in R&D and innovation to
tackle major challenges for our society like
climate change, and energy and resource
efficiency. In its role of providing policy-makers
with science-based advice, the JRC relies on
its studies, interactive tools and data analyses
to help shape the most effective polices for a
smart, intelligent and climate-friendly growth
of the European economy that respects the
environment.
Smart growth
To narrow the gaps in economic development
across European regions, smart specialisation
– designed to boost regional innovation and
hence economic growth – helps competent
authorities to focus on their regional strengths.
In cooperation with the Commission’s Directorate
General for Regional and Urban Policy, the JRC
has developed the Smart Specialisation Platform
(S3P). It assists regions and Member States
in developing their own smart specialisation
strategies. The platform helps regions to
identify activities which offer the best chances
of strengthening their competitiveness. The
platform is also a unique resource of guidance
material, good practice examples and innovation
partnerships. More than 172 regions and
countries accounting for over 80% of the EU have
benefited from JRC support. The digital agenda is
another pillar of the EU’s smart growth strategy.
Under a multiannual research project called
PREDICT, the JRC analyses the ICT sector and its
R&D investments – both private and public – in
the European Union and beyond and the ICT R&D
performance through a worldwide analysis of
patenting in this sector. Research results show,
for instance, that despite growing, ICT R&D public
funding falls 700 million euros short of the target
in 2011 with regards to Digital Agenda targets
which aim at doubling ICT R&D public expenditure
by the year 2020 from 2007. They also show that
the ICT sector continues to be highly concentrated
in the five largest EU countries: Germany, United
Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. However,
Nordic countries such as Sweden, Finland, and
Denmark showed superiority in terms of public
funding for research and development in this
area when compared with GDP. Globally, Europe
still lags behind although it is narrowing the
gap. In 2012, the US led the ranking of ICT
sector in terms of size, whereas Asian countries
(Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan) led private
R&D expenditures. This research is carried out in
collaboration with the Commission’s DirectorateGeneral for Communications Networks, Content
and Technology, and combines national statistics,
company data, and technology-based indicators.
Education is also part of the equation. The EU’s
lower growth than its main competitors is partly
due to shortcomings in the education system:
considerably lower number of young graduates
than in Japan or the USA, too many young people
who leave education early and qualifications often
mismatch with the needs of the labour market.
With its Centre for Research on Education and
Lifelong Learning (CRELL), the JRC supports the
Commission’s Directorate-General for Education
and Culture to help guide policy-makers and steer
5
Member States towards more effective education
and training systems. CRELL research focuses on
the benefits, outcomes and returns to education
and training, including school-to-work transitions,
skills mismatch and adult participation in lifelong
learning. In addition, CRELL researchers conduct
secondary analysis of large scale surveys on
teaching practices and on students’ knowledge
and skills in different domains. These analyses
are passed to national bodies for better informed
policy decisions on education
Greening the European economy –
sustainable growth
When it comes to sustainable growth, the JRC
is fully embedded in the process. It provides
scientific and technical support to EU policies
which aim to bring about the most efficient use
of resources and to promote more sustainable
products, such as those linked to recycling, waste
management and efficiency requirements or best
available techniques for production. Methods
are also developed to help businesses identify
and improve their social and environmental
performance.
For instance, the JRC has developed a
methodology to assess the material efficiency
of products by using criteria such as re-usability,
recyclability, recycled content and durability.
This allows opportunities for the improvement of
product design to be identified. Based on another
in-house methodology, the JRC also prepares
technical studies proposing end-of-waste criteria,
including materials such as waste paper or glass
and aluminium or iron scrap metals. This allows
waste materials to become products again and
be able to be re-utilised.
Providing knowledge is key to facilitating a
competitive advantage through greater insight,
increased efficiency, and more sustainable
products; ultimately enhancing cost-effectiveness,
as well as social and environmental performance.
The European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment
(EPLCA) facilitates the availability of data for
goods and services, both within Europe and
internationally, on associated raw materials
consumption and emissions.
The JRC’s European Product Bureau provides
the technical, economic and environmental
information needed for important EU initiatives in
our search for sustainability, such as the ecolabel,
green public procurement, ecodesign or energy
labelling schemes.
The JRC is also behind the Best Available
Techniques (BAT) which are the backbone behind
the system of permits for industrial installations
in Europe. In the context of the EU’s industrial
emissions directive, they provide information
about what may be technically and economically
available to an industry in order to improve their
environmental performance.
In its search for a sustainable use of resources,
the JRC also looks at the options to make
better use of our water, soil and land. Different
modelling platforms allow the JRC to study the
most effective and sustainable management
of water or land by taking into account the
environmental and socio-economic variables.
Energy is also an important component of
sustainability, and research focuses on various
issues and aspects. An example of this is the
technical work done in support of the EU’s
environmental technology verification programme
to ensure that cutting edge technologies in this
area find their way to demonstrate their added
value and can therefore make it to the markets.
Another example of research is the integrated
sustainability (economic, environmental and
social) assessment of various unconventional
fossil energy resources, such as shale gas and
coalmine methane. These research activities
contribute to better understand the security
and diversity of EU energy supply in an
environmentally compliant and economically
acceptable manner.
Furthermore, the JRC is currently setting-up a
Bioeconomy Observatory, in order to allow the
Commission to regularly assess the progress
and impact of the EU bioeconomy, as required
by the Bioeconomy Strategy and its Action
Plan. The Observatory so far includes statistics
on investments in research, policy mapping,
bioeconomy country profiles and various
analyses, such as a comprehensive, independent
and evidence-based environmental sustainability
assessment of various bio-based products and
their supply chains.
COVER STORY
Smart Specialisation
Platform:
http://s3platform.jrc.
ec.europa.eu/home
Universities
and Smart
Specialisation:
https://ec.europa.eu/
jrc/en/publication/
eur-scientificand-technicalresearch-reports/
universities-andsmart-specialisation
European Platform
on Life Cycle
Assessments:
http://eplca.jrc.
ec.europa.eu
Bioeconomy
observatory:
https://biobs.jrc.
ec.europa.eu
Bioeconomy and
bio-products
factsheets:
https://biobs.jrc.
ec.europa.eu/
analysis
Structural Patterns
of the Bioeconomy
in the EU Member
States:
https://ec.europa.eu/
jrc/en/publication/
eur-scientificand-technicalresearch-reports/
structural-patternsbioeconomy-eumember-statessam-approach
Science for a
Circular Economy:
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/sites/default/
files/jrc-brochurecircular-economy.pdf
Registered countries
and regions in the S3
Platform, including
non-EU regions.
6
NEWS
EU companies must boost R&D investment to stay
globally competitive
Read more:
http://iri.jrc.
ec.europa.eu/
scoreboard14.html
Top 2500 companies
R&D investment by main
world regions (% of total
€538.5bn).
Investment in research and development by
companies based in the EU grew by 2.6% in
2013, despite the unfavourable economic
environment. However, this growth has slowed
in comparison to the previous year’s 6.8%. It is
also below the 2013 world average (4.9%), and
lags behind companies based in the US (5%)
and Japan (5.5%).
companies’ key R&D and economic indicators
corresponding to the companies’ latest
published accounts. It measures the total value
of their global R&D investment financed with
their own funds, irrespective of the location
where the relevant R&D takes place.
These are the results of the 2014 EU Industrial
R&D Investment Scoreboard, published
annually by the JRC and the DirectorateGeneral for Research and Innovation. It
analyses the top 2500 companies worldwide,
representing about 90% of the total business
R&D expenditure. Data show that 633
EU-based companies invested €162.4 billion
in 2013, whereas US-based companies (804)
invested €193.7 billion and the Japanese ones
(387) €85.6 billion.
The 2014 Scoreboard is based on a sample
of 2500 companies. The research collects
Slight increase in ICT sector employment
Read more:
PREDICT project:
http://europa.
eu/!Rp39hp
ICT value added share of
GDP for the EU and other
economies (2010, 2011).
Source: Eurostat, OECD,
elaborated by Ivie and JRC
JRC research analyses the ICT sector and its
R&D investments – both private and public
– in the European Union and beyond. The
2014 Predict report, based on official data
(2006-2011), found that the EU ICT sector
has declined in terms of value added (value
of output minus the value of intermediate
consumption) but increased in terms of
employment.
On R&D progress, the ICT business enterprise
R&D expenditure (BERD) intensity – measured
as the ratio of R&D expenditure compared
to its value added – grew, consolidating the
sector as one of the most research-intensive
sectors in the EU economy, with an intensity
four times greater than the average. This
progress also coincides with an increase in
public funding in this area. However, despite
growing, ICT R&D public funding falls short of
700 million euros of the target in 2011 with
regards to Digital Agenda targets which aim
at doubling ICT R&D public expenditure by the
year 2020 from 2007.
The ICT sector continues to be highly
concentrated among the five largest EU
countries: Germany, United Kingdom, France,
Italy and Spain. However, the Nordic countries
(Sweden, Finland, and Denmark) showed their
superiority in terms of public funding for
research and development in this area when
compared with GDP. Globally, Europe still lags
behind although it is reducing the gap. The US
led the ranking of ICT sector in terms of size,
whereas Asian countries (Japan, China, Korea
and Taiwan) led private R&D expenditures.
This research, carried out in collaboration
with the Commission’s Directorate-General
for Communications Networks, Content and
Technology, combines national statistics,
company data, and technology-based indicators.
7
Global CO₂ emissions increase to new all-time record, but
growth is slowing down
2013 saw global CO² emissions from fossil fuel
use and cement production reach a new all-time
high. This was mainly due to the continuing steady
increase in energy use in emerging economies over
the past ten years. However, emissions increased
at a notably slower rate (2%) than on average
in the last ten years (3.8% per year since 2003,
excluding the credit crunch years).
This slowdown, which began in 2012, signals
a further decoupling of global emissions and
economic growth, which mainly reflects the
lower emissions growth rate of China. China,
the USA and the EU remain the top-3 emitters
of CO², accounting for respectively 29%, 15%
and 11% of the world’s total. After years of a
steady decline, the CO² emissions of the United
States grew by 2.5% in 2013, whereas in the EU,
emissions continued to decrease by 1.4% in 2013.
In 2013, global CO² emissions grew, however, to
a new record of 35.3 billion tons (Gt). Sharp risers
include Brazil (+ 6.2%), India (+ 4.4%), China
(+4.2%) and Indonesia (+2.3%).
These are the main findings in the annual ‘Trends
in global CO² emissions’, report released by
the JRC and the Netherlands Environmental
Assessment Agency (PBL).
Read more:
Annual report
‘Trends in global
CO² emissions’:
http://edgar.
jrc.ec.europa.
eu/news_docs/
pbl-2014-trendsin-global-co2emissions-2014report-93171.pdf
Global CO₂ emissions
increased in 2013, but
growth is slowing down.
Energy and climate goals 2030: looking into the economic impact
On 24 October 2014 EU leaders agreed to
reinforce the Union’s climate and energy targets
and to achieve at least a 40% reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (compared to
1990 levels) and at least a 27% EU-wide binding
target for the use of renewable energy. Energy
efficiency should increase for at least 27%, and
the target will be reviewed by 2020 having in
mind an EU level of 30% for 2030.
The JRC’s contribution to the new package,
and in particular to the impact assessment
which accompanied the European Commission’s
proposal, included an analysis of, the broader
economic impacts of the tighter reduction
targets. To examine how these targets will
affect EU’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and
employment, JRC’s experts used GEM-E3, the
JRC general equilibrium model which covers the
interactions between the economy, the energy
system and the environment.
The analysis demonstrated that a 40% reduction
of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 without
other countries taking any action, would result in
a GDP loss ranging from 0.10% to 0.45% in 2030.
At the same time the impact on employment
ranges from -0.61% to +0.20%, depending on
the choice of policy instruments, such as free
allocation of permits, increasing use of auctioning
in the EU’s emissions trading system (ETS)
sectors or taxation in the non ETS sectors.
Read more:
Energy and climate
goals 2030:
http://ec.europa.eu/
clima/policies/2030/
index_en.htm
Impact assessment
on energy and climate
policy up to 2030:
http://eur-lex.europa.
eu/legal-content/EN/
ALL/;ELX_SESSIONI
D=5BJmJrRYcz09lyj
DhdhbSJjjnnplXvJW
sH2qV4Pqp9Th5jG
7SFry!-618884778?
uri=CELEX:52014SC
0015
Highly efficient
photovoltaic LED lamps
used for street illumination
in Milan, Italy.
8
Read more:
http://iet.jrc.
ec.europa.eu/
remea/pv-statusreport-2014
China takes over lead in photovoltaic installations
A booming photovoltaic market in Asia
has propelled China to a global leader in
photovoltaic energy installations in 2013,
according to the latest edition of the JRC’s
PV status report. The EU has retained its
domination in cumulative installed capacity –
its total of 80.7 GW represents a 57 % share
of the world’s 140 GW of solar photovoltaic
electricity generation capacity at the end of
2013. However, this is down from a 70% share
in 2012, reflecting Europe’s stagnating market.
The report combines up-to-date information
on photovoltaics in 2013, collected from public
and commercial studies and own research.
It finds that despite an overall drop in solar
energy investments – amounting to 23%
compared to 2012 – the falling prices for
photovoltaic cells and modules have allowed
a 23% increase in the annual installation
capacity with respect to the previous year.
The photovoltaic industry has changed
dramatically over the last few years, with
markets shifting due to a greater demand
in Asia: from the total of 39.5 GW of new
installations in 2013, 12.9 GW were set up in
China and 7 GW in Japan. For the first time
China has left behind the EU (10.6 GW), which
dominated the market in the past decade.
Annual PV installations
from 2005 to 2014
(data source: [Epi 2014,
Eur 2014], JRC analysis).
New tool predicts magnitude of heat waves
Read more:
Magnitude of
extreme heat waves
in present climate
and their projection
in a warming world,
DOI: 10.1002/2014J
D022098
http://onlinelibrary.
wiley.com/
doi/10.1002/2014J
D022098/pdf
If no action is taken,
extreme heat waves will
become the norm by the
end of the century.
A new index which measures the magnitude of
heat waves shows worrying signs that extreme
heat waves will become the norm by the end
of the century, if no action on climate change
is taken.
The new heat wave magnitude index (HWMI)
developed by the JRC in collaboration with
other research organisations, is the first of its
kind that allows the magnitude of heat waves –
across continents and in time – to be compared.
It is based on an analysis of daily maximum
temperatures to classify the strongest heat
waves that occurred worldwide during three
reference periods (1980-1990, 1991-2001
and 2002-2012). It takes into account both the
duration and intensity of heat waves and can
serve as a benchmark for evaluating the impacts
of climate change.
The index shows that the percentage of the
global area affected by heat waves has increased
in recent decades. Moreover, model predictions
reveal that there will be an increased probability
of extreme heat waves in the coming years,
unless effective strategies to mitigate global
warming are implemented. The figures show that
with the current trend, extreme heat waves like
the one that hit Russia in summer 2010, are likely
to occur every two years in southern Europe,
North and South America, Africa and Indonesia.
9
Measuring the quality of biodiesel with first certified
reference material
To answer the increasing demand to accurately
measure the quality of biofuel products, the JRC
has released the first certified reference material,
ERM®-EF001, for rapeseed based biodiesel,
the most frequently used biodiesel in Europe.
It will support the creation of a harmonised
measurement system and will increase the
comparability of measurement results between
laboratories; improving trust in the regulatory
compliance of products put on the market. With
the development of this reference material, the
JRC is supporting EU legislation on renewable
energies (Directive 2009/28/EC) and on fuel
quality requirements (Directive 2009/30/EC).
Rapeseed-based biodiesel
certified reference
material ERM®-EF001.
Improving maritime security off East African coasts
New software developed by the JRC is being
tested in two maritime operational centres in
Kenya and the Seychelles to help fight piracy and
improve maritime security. By combining data
from a number of different vessel reporting and
earth observation systems, the software creates
a single maritime picture of the entire western
Indian Ocean, indicating current ship positions
on a digital map. This region-wide picture
complements the smaller scale coastal one used
by individual countries, and can be used also to
combat illegal fishing or immigration. The tool
furthermore allows producing maps showing past
piracy events or historic ship traffic density.
Known as the Piracy, Maritime Awareness
and Risks (PMAR) system, it is the result of a
three-year study carried out by JRC researchers
into technologies intended to build maritime
awareness for authorities in regions affected by
piracy. This one-year trial will help to improve
the maritime surveillance capabilities in East
Africa, taking into account existing infrastructures
as well as considering the specific needs of the
concerned countries and their full collaboration.
Maritime awareness and maritime security
research are key pillars of the EU Maritime
Security Strategy adopted in June 2014. The
strategy is a European response to threats and
risks in the global maritime domain. The trial
implementation of the PMAR system is financed
through the 10th European Development
Fund under the EU’s programme to promote
regional maritime security (MASE) in eastern
and southern Africa. It is managed by the Indian
Ocean Commission, an international cooperation
between the five island states: Madagascar,
Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros and Réunion. The
project is aligned with the IMO’s (International
Maritime Organization) Djibouti code of
conduct concerning the repression of piracy,
and complements other EU and international
initiatives on capacity building in the region.
Read more:
Maritime safety and
security:
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/en/researchtopic/maritimesafety-and-security
Mapping of ships
movement off the Horn
of Africa.
The Piracy, Maritime
Awareness and Risks
(PMAR) system provides
a single maritime picture
showing ship traffic
activity and indicating
current ship positions.
10
Read more:
Marine Competence
Centre:
http://mcc.jrc.
ec.europa.eu
New marine competence centre
The Marine Competence Centre (MCC), launched
by the JRC in October, will help competent
authorities to ensure a better environmental
status of Europe’s marine resources, as
required by EU legislation. The centre provides
a European-wide platform for exchange of
information and expertise on areas that are key
to the implementation of the European Marine
Strategy Framework Directive (2008). The
Directive tasks all Member States to develop a
strategy for their own marine waters, in order to
achieve “good environmental status” in the EU’s
marine waters by 2020.
The online platform set by the Marine
Competence Centre provides easy access to
scientific knowledge related to the monitoring
and assessment of the environmental status
of European seas, as well as modelling and
evaluation tools. It will act as a reference centre
for policy review, and it is currently being used
for the review of the criteria and methodologies
for establishing good environmental standards.
The centre was established in close
collaboration by the European Commission, the
European Environment Agency, the EU Member
States, Regional Sea Conventions (RSCs), the
International Council for the Exploration of
the Sea (ICES) and the European research
community.
The JRC’s MSFD
Competence Centre
aims to help Member
States achieve Good
Environment Status of
European seas.
Ten years ensuring the safety of feed additives
Read more:
European Union
Reference
Laboratory fro Feed
Additives (EURL-FA)
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/en/eurl/
feed-additives
A pre-requisite to safe meat on our plates is healthy
livestock, which in turn is based on a traceable
and reliable feed chain. This requires scientific and
technical support, a task that has been performed
over the past 10 years by the JRC-managed
European Reference Laboratory for Feed Additives
(EURL-FA). The reference laboratory supports the
authorisation procedure of feed additives used in
the EU; providing quality assurance through the
organisation of proficiency tests.
As important components of animal nutrition
feed additives are subject to strict controls. The
authorisation procedure involves a scientific
evaluation of data provided by the applicant –
including methods of analysis – that allow EU
countries’ official control laboratories to check if
the use of feed additives are in compliance with
legal requirements.
Since its start, the network has evaluated
analytical methods related to more than 350
dossiers. In addition, this reference laboratory
maintains a database of all feed additives
currently authorised in the EU or under
evaluation, corresponding to about 700 products.
Sampling of feed
additives.
Supported by a network of national reference
laboratories (NRLs), the EU reference laboratory
performs an evaluation and produces evaluation
reports which are a substantial part of the
overall authorisation process. The process further
involves a risk assessment carried out by the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The final
authorisation decision is granted by the European
Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and
Food Safety.
11
World’s first certified mixture of silica nanoparticles
Micrograph of
ERM®-FD102 taken with
a Scanning Electron
Microscop (SEM).
In support to the implementation of the
nanomaterial definition recommended by the
European Commission (2011/696/EU), the
JRC has released the world’s first certified
reference material ERM®-FD102, containing
silica nanoparticles with a distinct bimodal size
distribution. It is a benchmark that will help
to ensure the comparability of measurement
results worldwide; facilitating trade and
enhancing innovation. It will also allow testing
laboratories to validate particle sizing methods
in the nano scale range from 1nm to 100 nm.
Silica nanoparticles have been widely used in
numerous applications such as abrasives in
polishing slurries, food additives for clarification
of beer and wine, and as drug delivery systems.
However, along with the growing interest of
introducing new product features in consumer
products via nanoparticles, concerns related to
possible particle-induced adverse health effects
are increasing. Accurate characterisation of
the nanoparticles’ physico-chemical properties
e.g., size, shape, and surface charge is needed
to support toxicologists in the studying and
understanding of nanoparticle’s behaviour and
fate.
Read more:
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/en/researchtopic/referencematerialsnanotechnologies
The certified and indicative particle size values
determination brought together experts from
30 laboratories from nine different countries in
Europe, America, Australia and Asia.
Nuclear safety: advances in design rules and environmental
reliability of components
The JRC, together with European partners,
assesses the integrity of nuclear components
exposed to harsh environments and develops
methodologies for this purpose.
For light-water reactors the combined action of
thermal and mechanical stresses and corrosive
coolant environments can induce the so-called
stress corrosion cracking (SCC) as a key long-term
degradation mechanism of structural components. In a Euratom FP7 project, SCC susceptibility tests of various austenitic stainless steels
were performed up to 550˚C. One of the objectives was to verify if super-critical water can be
used as an accelerator to simulate SCC in nuclear
power plants under laboratory conditions. To this
end, crack growth rate tests were conducted
under both sub- and super-critical water conditions to deepen the understanding of SCC and to
predict its occurrence in different environments.
Fast reactors, which are being designed in Europe,
will be exposed to higher radiation damage and
temperatures than current light-water reactors
and the JRC has been involved in the revision
of their component design rules. If stresses and
temperatures are sufficiently low, thermal creep
of components does not need to be considered,
something that simplifies design. To this end,
the JRC has developed “negligible creep” curves
in order to facilitate the optimal design of high
temperature components. The work was carried
out under an FP7 project that also worked on the
revision of the creep-fatigue rules with emphasis
on specific steels which are prone to softening
under cyclic loading. Improved methods for creepfatigue modelling and life time prediction have
also been developed.
Read more:
https://ec.europa.
eu/jrc/sites/default/
files/jrc-sciencefor-nuclear-safetysecurity-report.pdf
The stress corrosion
cracking tests were
performed by an
innovative bellowsbased loading system
developed by the JRC.
12
MEET THE scientist
Addressing the complexity of social and policy challenges:
a turbulent growth of performance indices
Michaela Saisana,
coordinator of the
Composite Indicator
Research Group (COIN –
team) in the JRC.
“We are
experiencing a
turbulent growth
of composite
indicators.”
Her fascination with statistics widened hand
in hand with her professional growth. In 2004,
Michaela Saisana was awarded the JRC young
scientist prize for major contribution to statistics
and econometrics in recognition of her research on
composite indicators. Today, she is the coordinator
of the Composite Indicator Research Group (COIN –
team) in the JRC, where she has been from the very
beginning of her career (since 1998) and would not
change her job for any other in the world.
With a Phd in chemical engineering, Michaela
had an open minded attitude when choosing her
career path, and wanted it to be multidisciplinary.
Statistics indeed covers different topics. “My ideal
job has to have four ingredients: proximity to nature,
desk work, travelling and teaching”, she says. She
succeeded in having them all.
Michaela’s work within the COIN team focuses on
performance indices, something she has been doing
since 2002. She conducts and coordinates research
on multidimensional measures for evidence-based
policy making on economic, social, health and
environmental issues. Anything can be measured,
like happiness, for example, she says. “No social
problem or public policy is beyond a composite
indicator”. Currently the European Commission is
developing over 80 performance indices to monitor
progress on competitiveness, financial stability,
humanitarian risk management, consumer conditions, multidimensional poverty, environmental
pressure and innovation, among others.
She takes her job as a journey that is a constant
source of enrichment. “Working on this topic is a
pleasure for me. I don’t take it as a job itself, it’s
my passion. Not sure where it leads, but I like it!”
Working in a multicriteria analyses environment has
also influenced her daily private life. She doesn’t
take fast decisions: “Of course I use intuition like
anyone else, but I’ve noticed that indeed, my
decision making process is longer in comparison to
that of the others, as I introduce many variables in
my selection. It is as if different people gave you
their opinion and you had to distil everything in a
single choice. It’s better for reaching a decision; this
way, I feel I make wiser decisions. I used it when
buying my house for example…”
Michaela says she is delighted to work with a
highly skilled and motivated group of people whose
average age is 32. They are specialists in different
disciplines coming from different countries that
complement each other and make a great team.
“It takes us between four to five months to finalise
the advising process during the development of a
composite index for an international organisation”,
explains Michaela. They normally advise on how to
produce a statistically sound composite indicator,
even though, if requested, they undertake the
whole process of developing it. In general terms,
to design and finalise an index takes from one to
two years. So far, the team has provided advice to
more than 100 international organisations.
“Composite indicators are powerful narratives,
they are like appetizers. We need them; we live in a
globalised world and in the digital information era.
Thanks to them, we are able to measure complex
issues and convey them in an ‘easy to grasp way’.
This is why it is important that those who develop
them, do so responsibly.”
If Michaela had to choose two projects that she
liked the most during her recent career these
would be the UN’s Global Innovation Index
(GII) and the Human Development Index (HDI).
The first index, for which COIN carried out the
statistical audit, is one of the most cited world
indices. The second combines indicators on life
expectancy, education and income to measure
human development across the globe. Michaela
currently participates on the 2015 UN Statistical Advisory Panel (alongside two Nobel Prize
winners– Amartya Sen & Joseph Stiglitz) that aims
to improve all performance indices included in the
2015 Human Development Report.
Michaela’s team has recently embarked on the
development of an index that aims at capturing
the cultural and creative potential of cities,
hoping to identify a city’s innovative path in
response to macro-economic challenges, such as
the financial crisis and the stronger global competition. “It is a challenging task, but we believe it
will be worth the effort”.
The future of performance indices is very promising,
Michaela says. “We are experiencing a turbulent
growth of composite indicators as they are increasingly used in EU policy making, in the academic
world and in media”. Aid agencies may rely on
composite indexes to identify sectors or geographic
areas which need funding or policy intervention.
The best definition of composite indicators for
Michaela would be: a composite indicator is
formed when individual indicators are compiled
into a single measure. “The challenge is to make
sure not to aggregate further than what the data
allows and to try to prevent the loss of information during the process.”
13
Discover JRC’s scientific tools and databases
RAPID-N tool to assess natural-hazard impact on industrial plants
A new web-based system developed by the
JRC assesses possible risk and maps the
potential impact of natural hazards on industrial
installations. RAPID-N allows estimating the risk
of hazardous-material releases following natural
disasters (known as Natech risk). It also identifies
Natech-prone areas to support land-use planning,
emergency-response planning, damage estimation
and early warning.
Such risks are expected to increase in the
future due to growing industrialisation, more
natural hazards due to climate change, in
combination with the vulnerability of an ever
more interconnected society. However, there is
a lack of methodologies for the assessment of
Natech risk. RAPID-N was developed in response
to calls by governments for a decision-support
tool for Natech risk management. By calculating
natural-hazard parameters at the location of the
installation and using fragility curves to determine
probabilities of structural damage at process and
storage facilities, RAPID-N estimates the overall
risk of damage and associated consequences. The
results are presented as risk summary reports and
interactive risk maps.
potential consequences of different scenarios
to develop Natech risk maps for land-use and
emergency planning. In the response phase, the
tool can be used to rapidly locate facilities where
Natech accidents may have occurred based on
up-to-date natural-hazard information, so that
first responders and the population in the vicinity
of the facilities can receive timely warnings.
The RAPID-N system is currently implemented
for earthquake impact on industrial facilities, but
work is underway to extend the system to analyse
also other hazards, such as floods and other
installations, such as pipelines.
Read more:
RAPID-N:
http://rapidn.jrc.
ec.europa.eu
RAPID-N output for
release of a flammable
substance from a
storage tank upon
earthquake impact.
RAPID-N can be applied at different stages
of the Natech risk-management process. For
prevention and preparedness it assesses the
INFORM: a global open-source tool for understanding the risk
of humanitarian crises and disasters
The first global, open-source composite index
for risk management (INFORM) of humanitarian
crises and disasters was launched on the
19 November in Geneva. A fruit of a partnership
gathering international organisations and
governments, the online tool is designed to
support decisions on prevention, preparedness
and response. Its developers hope that it will
help responding authorities to better align their
work to reduce crisis and disaster risk and to
build resilience.
With its expertise in geospatial information
and statistics, applied to risk management of
disasters, the JRC led the development of the
science-based composite indicator. The JRC also
developed dedicated IT tools to collect, process
and publish statistical data underlying the tool
and is hosting its online platform.
INFORM simplifies a lot of information about risk
and its components, producing as output a simple
risk profile for every country. The profile includes
risk from natural and man-made hazards,
vulnerability of infrastructure, environment and
population, as well as lack of coping capacity. The
tool covers 191 countries. All the data and results
obtained are freely available and the computing
methodology is transparent.
INFORM can also be used to measure risk at
sub-national level. Partner organisations are
working with regional and national counterparts
to develop region- and country-specific versions
of INFORM.
Read more:
Index for risk
management
(INFORM):
www.inform-index.
org
Index for risk
management results
2015:
http://www.informindex.org/Portals/0/
InfoRM/INFORM%20
2015%20Report%20
Print.pdf
INFORM risk index.
14
COOPERATION AGREEMENTS
Signing of MoU with IRSN (Institut de Radioprotection
et de Sûreté Nucleaire)
On the 5th of November, the French national public
expert in nuclear and radiological risks, Institut de
Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), and
the JRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding,
strengthening their R&D cooperation in the field of
nuclear safety, security and safeguards.
With this agreement, the JRC and the IRSN have
consolidated their partnership of many years
and are now looking forward to expanding their
scientific cooperation to areas such as emergency
preparedness and crisis management; radioactive
waste and decommissioning; transparency (civil
participation); infrastructures; nuclear security and
safeguards; and nuclear training and education
and exercise.
Collaboration agreement with the University of Birmingham
The JRC and the University of Birmingham, UK,
in October 2014 agreed to co-operate in a wide
range of fields, including energy, environmental
omics, nano-technologies and nuclear
decommissioning. New thematic areas are
being explored in areas such as forestry, cancer
registries and urban monitoring.
The partnership aims to promote mutual interest
and co-operation on issues that have direct
relevance to European Union policy. According
to the agreement, the JRC and the University of
Birmingham will share best practice and promote
individual staff development through two-way
staff exchanges, short-term placements, summer
schools and joint seminars.
EXTERNAL RECOGNITION
Sandra Caldeira awarded with “Le Tecnovisionarie”
JRC nutrition expert Sandra Caldeira, received
the Special European Prize “Le Tecnovisionarie
2014” for her work in the field “nutrition &
health” in a ceremony which took place on the
19 November. The award is annually given by the
Italian Association of Women and Technologies
to women who stand out for their work in
technology, innovation and scientific research.
Haagen-Smit Prize for a JRC co-authored article
Read more:
http://www.
sciencedirect.com/
science/article/pii/
S13522310040
00949
The 2014 “Haagen-Smit Prize”, meant to
recognise outstanding papers published in the
journal Atmospheric Environment, was awarded
to a paper led by the JRC scientist Jean-Philippe
Putaud, produced in collaborative effort with 10
research organisations. The paper entitled “A
European aerosol phenomenology—2: chemical
characteristics of particulate matter at kerbside,
urban, rural and background sites in Europe” was
published in 2004. This article complements
a paper by Van Dingenen et al. (2004), which
explains the scientific and policy background and
presents the physical characteristics of PM2.5
and PM10. The award was named in honour of
Prof Arie Jan Haagen-Smit, a pioneer in the field
of air pollution and one of the first editors of the
International Journal of air pollution.
JRC nuclear experts get best poster awards at the Vienna
safeguards symposium
Five JRC scientists were awarded for the quality
of their presentations at the Symposium on
International Safeguards: Linking Strategy,
Implementation and People, held from 20 to 24
October in Vienna. Frank Pabian won the award
for best e-poster among the 100 presented
during the symposium for his presentation
entitled Open source analysis in support of
non-proliferation monitoring and verification
activities: Using the New Media to Derive
unknown new information. Along with colleagues
Reinhard Berndt and Patrice Richi, Frank was also
awarded for producing the three best session
e-paper, presentation and content respectively.
Ludwig Holtzleiner was awarded for the best
session e-paper advertising.
15
Past events
Workshop: Connecting research and innovation strategies for
smart specialisation (RIS3) in the Baltics (PG)
The 2nd edition of the workshop “Connecting
RIS3 in the Baltics Sea Region” took place on 9
December 2014 in Vilnius, Lithuania. The workshop
was co-organised by the JRC managed Smart
Specialisation Platform (S3P) and Lithuania’s
Ministry of Economy. It was held within the
International Innovation Conference titled
“Economic transformation: Step into the Future”.
The workshop focused on providing a time-frame
for cooperation in order to connect the RIS3 across
the Baltic Sea Region. The event built on the work
of a previous meeting in Malmö in November 2013
– Get smarter together in the Baltic Sea Region.
Read more:
Smart Specialisation
Platform:
http://s3platform.
jrc.ec.europa.eu
JRC and European Network of Cancer Registries discuss
harmonisation of data
At a JRC-hosted event with the European Network
of Cancer Registries (ENCR) in Ispra, Italy, from
12 to 14 November 2014, experts examined and
endorsed the criteria and conditions for a new
common quality procedure for the collection of
cancer data in Europe. It is expected to improve
the quality and coherence of the data gathered by
European cancer registries.
Aspects of a common procedure were discussed
during a scientific meeting which focussed on
cancer registration, methodological issues and
European Network of
Cancer Registries:
http://www.encr.eu
epidemiological studies on the occasion of the
general assembly of ENCR.
The new quality checks will bolster harmonisation
of data and avoid duplication of efforts and the
fragmentation of the cancer data. Cancer is the
second most common cause of death in Europe,
with about 3.2 million citizens diagnosed with
cancer each year. Comparable and accurate cancer
data are essential for the improvement of health
policies and cancer control mechanisms, and for
steering research activities.
UPCOMING EVENTS
EU Presidency conference - Smart Specialisation Strategy: New
Approaches for Partnerships among Education, Research and
Industry in Regions
Focusing on smart specialisation – a strategic
approach to economic development through
targeted support for research and innovation –
the conference is organised under the Latvian
Presidency of the Council of the EU. It will be held
on 12 and 13 February in Riga, Latvia.
The objective of the conference is to take stock
of the current situation in the development
of Smart Specialisation Strategies, to identify
issues regarding their effective and efficient
implementation, monitoring and evolution, and
to chart out fields that require European-level
cooperation and policy support.
Read more:
Conference website:
http://www.
ris3riga2015.lv
16
Vacant positions
Read more:
Jobs at the JRC
https://ec.europa.eu/
jrc/en/working-withus/jobs
Jobs at the JRC
Recently published – Applicants must submit their application no later than the indicated deadline
Auxiliary Contract Staff (FGII / FGIII / FGIV)
• Scientific/Technical Project Officer – Modeller and
Data Analyst (EREBILAND) (Ispra, Italy)
8 February
• Economic analyst – Corporate tax modelling
(Seville, Spain)
8 February
• Economic analyst – Tax policy modelling (Seville,
Spain)
8 February
• Scientific/Technical support officer – Researcher of
Knowledge Assessment Methodologies (Ispra, Italy)
8 February
• Scientific / Technical Project Officer - AUTORAD
project of the Exploratory Research Program
(Karlsruhe, Germany)
25 February
Trainee
• Impact Evaluation Methods (Ispra, Italy)
1 February
• Fuel cells and electrolyser testing including
diagnostics (Petten, The Netherlands)
1 February
• Challenges of 3D printing in industrial and consumer
markets (Ispra, Italy)
6 February
• Separation, purification and characterisation of Cm
for production of an accurate neutron reference
standard (Karlsruhe, Germany)
15 February
• Data evaluation of hand-held instruments for
chemical substance identification related to the
nuclear fuel cycle (Karlsruhe, Germany)
20 February
Brazilian Mobility Programme “Science without Borders”
The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), provides scholarships to
Brazilian researchers to either study or broaden their experience outside Brazil, mainly in the fields of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Successful candidates will be hosted by the JRC on one of the JRC sites located in Belgium (Geel),
Germany (Karlsruhe), Italy (Ispra), Spain (Seville), or The Netherlands (Petten).
The JRC Newsletter is a bi-monthly publication intended to provide JRC customers,
stakeholders and other interested parties
with an overview of recent highlights
from the JRC’s scientific achievements,
policy support, contributions to events
and other news.
To subscribe to the electronic version of
this newsletter, please visit:
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/jrc-newsletter
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en
Editor in chief
David Wilkinson
Production team
Geraldine Barry, Paola Garcia Isaak,
Elena Gonzalez Verdesoto,
Paula Gordon, Nina Kajander,
Branka Kostovska, Nadia Spirito.
Contact:
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/contact/form
Neither the European Commission nor
any person acting on behalf of the
Commission may be held responsible for
the use to which information contained in
this publication may be put, nor for any
errors which may appear despite careful
preparation and checking. This publication
does not necessarily reflect the view or the
position of the European Commission.
© European Union, 2015
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As the Commission’s in-house science
service, the Joint Research Centre’s mission
is to provide EU policies with independent,
evidence-based scientific and technical
support throughout the whole policy cycle.
Working in close cooperation with policy
Directorates-General, the JRC addresses
key societal challenges while stimulating innovation through developing
new methods, tools and standards, and
sharing its know-how with the Member
States, the scientific community and
international partners.