To remain competitive globally, Europe has to change innovation from a buzzword to a byword, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso told European industrial leaders on 6 December.

To do so requires working together to solve the European paradox, whereby Europe has the necessary knowledge and research, but then fails to take this knowledge to market, said the Commission President.

HealthService24 Project validation pilots showed that the introduction of a mobile health monitoring service is not disruptive with current work practices. It can easily co-exist with other formats of service delivery, in some cases supplementing them or, in other cases, replacing previous practices. This facilitated the integration, putting the end-users in command to decide on the most adequate pace.

Multidisciplinary research in nanotechnology-based solutions, new functionalisation techniques, knowledge-based processes including bioprocesses, novel fibres and composites-based innovative products, biomedical sensors, microelectronics, mobile communication and telemedicine has led to the development of new textile products and markets characterised by high added-value and growth potential.

"It's a great day", EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik told journalists immediately after the European Parliament approved amendments to the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) proposal that were drafted together with the Council.

Leading European researchers and clinicians have joined forces in a newly launched Network of Excellence (NoE) on finding new treatments for rare neuromuscular diseases (NMD), such as muscular dystrophies and spinal muscular atrophy.

Dubbed TREAT-NMD (Translational research in Europe - assessment and treatment of neuromuscular), the five-year network is the first of its kind in Europe, bringing together a total of 21 partner organisations from 11 countries. They include charities and companies that will work alongside doctors and researchers in the field.

Does eHealth contribute to saving lives?
Every year, thousands of intensive care units (ICU) patients across Europe either die or stay sick for longer than necessary. The cause is the fact that many ICUs cannot easily control the glucose levels in each patient's blood. One EU eHealth project may have solved the problem.

A recently launched EU funded HealthAgents project (and recent Best IST Project Website Award winner) is developing software which is likely to give doctors everywhere much-needed help in the early diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours.