Reflex special edition: six megaprojects, one billion euros
© 2011 EPFL
With its Flagships Initiative, the European Union plans to fund science projects of unprecedented size. A special edition of EPFL’s magazine outlines the six projects that are competing for this funding jackpot – three of which are Swiss.
A hundred million euros per year over ten years, for two projects: the Flagships Initiative launched by the European Union is absolutely unique in the research world, and deserves to be celebrated. Reflex is issuing a special edition that presents in detail the six proposals that are still in the running. Half of them come from Switzerland – incontestable proof of the excellence of science “made in Switzerland.”
The Human Brain Project, developed at EPFL, aims to simulate the human brain at the microscopic scale using a supercomputer in order to obtain an extremely realistic model of the brain. Guardian Angels – a joint project between the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology – focuses on manufacturing electronic components that use very little electricity. Integrated into our clothing or electronic tattoos, they would measure our physiological variables, warning us of danger and helping us take care of ourselves. FuturICT, proposed by ETH Zurich and University College London, plans to simulate human society by analyzing all available socioeconomic data, with the ultimate goal of simulating and preventing crises.
The IT Future of Medicine project, led by the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, will create a “virtual patient,” a digital avatar upon which doctors and researchers can test and develop new, individualized therapeutic combinations for real patients. In Sweden, Chalmers University of Technology is investigating graphene, a “miracle” material made up of a single layer of carbon atoms, in order to develop a new generation of flexible, transparent chips. And the RoboCom project from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna de Pise aims to develop robot companions who are able to interact and communicate emotionally with humans. In this special edition, Reflex describes all these projects, giving you a glimpse into the science of the future.
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