The UK has launched a new supercomputer facility called HECToR (High-end computing terascale resources). The system, which represents the equivalent of 12,000 desktop systems in processing power, is based at the University of Edinburgh's Advanced Computing Facility (ACF) and will run for six years.
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Google Foundation's Predict and Prevent Initiative
Predict and Prevent aims to strengthen traditional disease surveillance and response, but Google.org also hope to foster thinking about what we can do to predict threats before they occur and focus on prevention. In partnership with others, will be enabled a rapid and effective response to emerging threats by improving detection and validation, and establishing better systems for early warning.
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European Commission Promotes Exchanges Between Industry and Academia
Researchers gathered in Brussels to learn more about an FP7 Marie Curie scheme providing 400 million between now and 2013 for staff exchanges between businesses and universities. The "Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways" scheme is particularly designed to involve small businesses, which make up the bulk of European companies, as it opens doors to using research results that can help them develop.
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LISA Life Science Assistant Robot
Assistant robots really suited for everyday routines, which take over burdensome or monotonous work for humans, are still virtually unavailable commercially. Such systems are usually either not absolutely safe or not cost effective. The laboratory robot LISA could change that. In roughly one year, a prototype of this robot will be rolling through biotechnology labs, loading incubators and measuring equipment with sample trays in concert with human colleagues and accurately navigating from one lab instrument to the next.
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To be, or not to be: eHealth Portal with 2 Million Expenditure
The Health Boards Executive (HeBE) in Ireland undertook the project on behalf of the (then) health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority. In July 2003, the HeBE commissioned consultants to carry out a short study to provide direction for the project. The consultants concluded that a phased development of the portal would be necessary, with progressive widening of the range of services made available on line.
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Lead Market Initiative to Unlock Innovative Markets
The European Commission is proposing to unlock market potential for innovative goods and services by lifting obstacles hindering innovation in a first batch of six important markets: eHealth, protective textiles, sustainable construction, recycling, bio-based products and renewable energies. These markets with high economic and societal value represent an annual turnover of more than 120 billion and 1.9 million jobs in the EU. With this initiative they may increase to over 300 billion and over 3 million jobs in the EU in 2020.
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Project to Develop Bat-Like Sonar for Robotic Systems
A new EU-funded project will delve into the mysteries of bat sonar. Building on the findings of the CIRCE (Chiroptera Inspired Robotic Cephaloid) and the CILIA (Customized Intelligent Life-Inspired Arrays) projects, the ChiRoPing project will attempt to develop two biomimetic models of bats, using reverse engineering.
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