The Lead Market Initiative (LMI) for Europe was launched by the European Commission following the EU's 2006 Broad based innovation strategy. The Lead Market Initiative for Europe will foster the emergence of lead markets of high economic and societal value.

At present, dental technicians can only make dentures using a bite impression. The silicone template for this plaster model is made by the dentist, in a procedure which is unpleasant for the patient. In future a 3-D digitizer will provide the teeth contours - without plaster model.

The Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI) was set up in 2008 to coordinate a large scale network to share access to available biological samples in Europe. This infrastructure will cover major biobanks, molecular resources and biocomputing centres to ensure that the samples are linked to existing databases, scientific literature and statistical expertise.

Make the most of your holiday this summer, even if you do happen to have unlucky breaks. Having a vacation in the European Union should mean rest and relaxation. But for the unfortunate few, it means accident and emergency. Breaking your ankle while dancing in a beach club or while mountain climbing can spoil your holidays. Thanks to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), a card that in recent years has become a very important one to carry, you may be laying on the beach or be back in the mountains the very next day without a care in the world.

Both the European Union and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have recognised ICT-facilitated solutions as key enablers for modern, patient-centered and efficient healthcare services. To support health policies, it has become mandatory to monitor and benchmark Health ICT (eHealth) adoption and use.

PORTFASTFLU is a €3.8 million, European Union FP7 funded project which aims to develop and validate a rapid diagnostic system for influenza that will be used for surveillance and early detection of influenza, and as a point-of-care tool in developed and developing countries.

Three years ago, researchers at the EU-funded ElderGames project set out to create a high-tech play platform specifically for the elderly - the first designed to provide cognitive and social stimulation, and to allow early detection of cognitive decline.