Avila, a Spanish city known for its medieval walls, won the first-ever European award for improving access for people with disabilities. The European Commission awarded Avila the Access●City Award 2011.

Armenian Association of Telemedicine (AATM) announced the launch of its new telemedicine project aimed to establish a fully functional telemedicine connection between a primary health care facility in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), and AATM central office, Yerevan, Armenia.

The new regulations on social security coordination which came into force in May 2010, are currently being applied in all EU countries. To accompany the change, the European Commission is launching an EU-wide information campaign to ensure European citizens are aware of their social security rights.

The European Commission's 2010 "EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard" shows that R&D investment by top EU companies fell by 2.6% in 2009, even though sales and profits fell much more, by 10.1% and 21.0% respectively. The fall in R&D investment by leading players in the US, at 5.1%, was twice as sharp as in the EU, but the worldwide reduction was lower, at 1.9%.

Women could have a fast test for breast cancer and instantly identify the presence of a tumour in the comfort of their own home thanks to ground-breaking new research from The University of Manchester.

Scientists from the Bernstein Center at the University in Freiburg in Germany have taken a step forward in the quest to predict epileptic seizures by monitoring the pre-seizure changes in sufferers' brains.

The European Commission's "Innovation Union" sets out a strategic approach to innovation, driven by the highest political level. The Innovation Union will focus Europe's efforts - and co-operation with third countries - on challenges like climate change, energy and food security, health and an ageing population.