investEU
The EU is investing in the Comme Chez Nous association, which offers emergency housing, healthcare and training to people in need in Wallonia, Belgium. This enables them to get back on their feet and gradually play a more active role in society. In 2018, Comme Chez Nous provided assistance and coaching to 1,037 individuals.
The site of the former Belle-Vue brewery, is an innovative project supported by the Brussels municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. It brings together industrial heritage, urban regeneration, energy efficiency, training and coaching for the young people, and makes an ideal base for visiting Brussels’ tourist attractions.
Critical Materials* develops IT solutions for analysing structural elements of complex instruments such as aircraft and wind turbines. Based on this, it supplies proposals and diagnoses to improve performance, reduce maintenance costs and prevent accidents. Founded in 2009, the company has its head office in Guimarães, Portugal.
* Critical Materials will operate as Stratosphere from September 2019 onwards.
Using EU funding, a startup from Cluj has developed Wello, a health app based on gaming innovation and artificial intelligence. It is the first health platform in Romania to help families that have children with weight problems to lose weight and gain a healthier lifestyle.
Housed on traditional farms, Poland’s Green Care Farms represent an innovative approach to social care in rural areas. The aim is to encourage the elderly to stay active and engaged, combating loneliness and related health problems. Thanks to EU funding, the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Agricultural Advisory Centre (KPODR) has helped establish 14 green care farms for a total of 225 guests.
EU-funded Viennese start-up Macro Array Diagnostics develops revolutionary ways of diagnosing allergies. Its Allergy Explorer (ALEX) is the first test in the world that can rapidly and reliably test for up to 300 allergens simultaneously. A single drop of blood plasma or serum is all that is needed to carry out a comprehensive analysis.
The new Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) campus in Carcavelos, near Lisbon, has an area of 84,000 m². It should be fully operational for the start of the 2018-19 academic year. Co-financed by the EU, it can accommodate 3,200 students, 700 more than the current campus at Campolide.
SunnyBAG, located in the Austrian city Graz, is a producer of innovative shoulder bags and backpacks. They convert sunlight into electricity, allowing owners to charge mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets while they are out.
EU’s European Regional Development Fund financed the implementation of major urban regeneration projects in Limassol. The projects have significantly improved the quality of life in the city and bolstered the attractiveness of the historic centre, the seafront and other areas.
Under the NETfficient project, scientists are developing and testing a range of smart storage technologies for different types of renewable energy on the North Sea island of Borkum. These include second-life electric vehicle batteries, ultracapacitors, lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen fuel cells and a hybrid energy storage system. Supported by EU funding, the project will help Borkum to become energy self-sufficient.