Microscopy, being relatively easy to perform at low cost, is the universal diagnostic method for detection of most globally important parasitic infections. Methods developed in well-equipped laboratories are, however, difficult to maintain at the basic levels of the health care system due to lack of adequately trained personnel and resources.

Horizon 2020 is built around three pillars:
1. Support for "Excellent Science" - including grants for individual researchers from the European Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships (formerly known as Marie Curie fellowships);
2. Support for "Industrial Leadership" - including grants for small and medium-sized enterprises and indirect finance for companies through the European Investment Bank and other financial intermediaries;
3. Support for research to tackle "societal challenges". During negotiations between the European Parliament and Council it was decided to support research towards meeting seven broad challenges:

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland recently coordinated a pan-European initiative called SMARCOS, which focused on developing technology based on internet sharing between devices. The technology allows the interfaces of various smart devices to follow consumers’ actions and react immediately to their needs. The smart coaching service, for example, can use all the user's digital devices for motivating his/her behaviour towards the goals or for reminding medication.

To help patients manage their (potential) chronic heart and kidney disease, the European Commission has awarded 2,6 million euros to the CARRE project. A group of interdisciplinary researchers will compile personalised alerting, planning and educational services. This will empower patients, and both professionals and patients will be able to make shared informed decisions on the disease.

Children learning to speak depend on functional hearing. So-called cochlear implants allow deaf people to hear again by stimulating the auditory nerve directly. Researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) are working to overcome current limits of the technology. They are investigating the implementation of signals in the auditory nerve and the subsequent neuronal processing in the brain. Using the computer models developed at the TUM manufacturers of cochlear implants improve their devices.

It's EU Robotics Week time again. For the third consecutive year, the achievements of Europe's researchers and inventors working in robotics are celebrated in over 300 events from November 25th to December 1st. Here are some examples of the best EU-funded Robotics projects.

Yesterday, at the 4 th eHealth Network meeting in Brussels, guidelines were adopted to make it possible to share basic health information for a patient across borders. These guidelines were developed and agreed by the eHealth Network. The Network is co-chaired by the Commission and Austria, as the Member States' chair, and brings together all 28 EU countries.