CORDIS has updated its Towards FP7 Service, a gateway to information on the preparation of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The service now includes even more information on this upcoming programme for research and technological development.

ICMCC announces the first internet portal on information on access to electronic health records. Portal represents the result of a group being set up to raise awareness of patient record access nationally and internationally.

The lightning rise of the internet and the development of advanced search technologies have created the greatest storehouse of information ever seen. Yet the very speed of this growth has brought its own problems. Which content is the wheat, and which the chaff? The METOKIS project aimed to help.

It looks as though it will be a busy autumn for the Commission with preparations for the launch of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), and further discussions needed regarding initiatives such as the European Research Council (ERC) and the European Institute of Technology (EIT).

Smart systems based on microtechnology and nanotechnology hold great promise for future systems integration, with a variety of potential applications especially in medicine, automotive safety and aeronautics. However lack of coordination among European research institutions, industry and government means that research and product innovation are not advancing as fast as they could.

Smart as they are, the protective codes of smart cards can be cracked using off-the-shelf technology. But the latest secure chips developed by one European team may soon frustrate hackers and thieves. Produced using a new and much faster design process, these chips can withstand more attacks than before.

The biggest ever biobank has been given the go-ahead by an international panel of experts to begin recruiting 500,000 people in the UK to provide medical data and material.