European Horizon Research Articles

Emerging Topics in Joint Radio-Based Positioning, Sensing, and Communications

This is an editorial paper focusing on emerging topics in joint wireless positioning, sensing, and communications. After introducing the sometimes-confusing and non-unified terminology in the field and defining the overall research area under the comprehensive terminology of Joint positioning, sensing, and communications (JPSAC), a brief state-of-the art overview is given, followed by a detailed list of emerging topics and open research questions. The ongoing Horizon Europe projects are also reviewed in relation to the emerging JPSAC. Some of the main trends in the JPSAC-related areas are related to extremely large-scale antennas and apertures, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, the integration of terrestrial and satellite-based communication, sensing, and positioning functionalities, and cell-free or distributed networks with JPSAC functions.

The Horizon Europe AGEMERA Project: Innovative Non-Invasive Geophysical Methodologies for Mineral Exploration

Abstract. The AGEMERA project (Agile Exploration and Geo-Modelling for European Critical Raw Materials) advances the exploration of critical raw materials in the EU by deploying innovative, non-invasive geophysical technologies. Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, it aligns with the European Critical Raw Materials Act to enhance resource security and sustainability. Utilising passive seismic methods, drone-based electromagnetic sensing, and muography, the project maps subsurface characteristics across multiple countries in Europe and Zambia. Outcomes are integrated into a dynamic web-based platform for enhanced co-visualisation of different data sets.

The European Commission as an engine for international cooperation

Collaboration is crucial to pool the expertise and resources needed to devise solutions to tackle pressing global challenges. Unprecedented global challenges cannot be solved without world-leading research and the funding opportunities and initiatives provided by the European Commission (EC) are built on this premise. A document called the EC’s Global Approach to Research and Innovation 2021, sets out Europe’s strategy for international cooperation in a changing world. A key part of this is open and balanced collaborations. It highlights the important role of innovators in ensuring the wellbeing of citizens for generations to come and emphasises the need for stronger than ever cross-border collaboration to produce innovative solutions that align with the sustainable development goals and promote Europe’s resilience and competitiveness. There is an emphasis on partnerships with countries that share the same values as the EU. By developing frameworks for cooperation with non-EU countries, the goal is to push forward global efforts to solve global challenges. Strategic objectives are the promotion of open and inclusive collaboration, strengthening global partnerships and tackling global challenges through the development of solutions that will benefit everyone. There is emphasis on balancing openness with the need to protect data security, ensuring fair access to funding opportunities, strengthening frameworks for collaboration, supporting research and innovation in partner countries and supporting Horizon Europe initiatives. Horizon Europe is key to facilitating global collaboration in research and innovation. The Global Gateway is another key initiative in the EC’s strategy to enhance collaboration. Von der Leyen called it a ‘roadmap for major investment in infrastructure development around the world’.

Opening Our Innovation Ecosystems to All: The INTEGER Project Case Study

Quadruple Helix open innovation ecosystems are gaining relevance as they incorporate different actors with different perspectives, contributing significantly to the development of social innovation communities that are more responsive to today’s social and environmental challenges. The Horizon Europe INTEGER project aims to better understand how social and economic innovation actors can be effectively integrated into European innovation ecosystems to address critical sustainability challenges. An exploratory and qualitative study was conducted, using three different focus groups (partners, stakeholders, and driving group) and analysing the intra- and inter-regional health and wellbeing ecosystems of three European regions (Krakow, Hamburg, and Catalonia). The results propose a systemic model based on a new generation of Living Labs, called Collaboratories, that involves the actors of social and economic innovation and facilitates a holistic understanding of the interconnected dimensions of the ecosystem, where all the dimensions interact to drive sustainable impact. In addition, this study highlights the key role of the facilitator who guides the group process from the beginning to the achievement of the objective, as well as the adaptation when it comes to scaling and replication, as each ecosystem has a particular level of maturity.

Enhancement of Thermal Conductivity of Paraffin PCM with Metal Foams

Paraffin PCMs (Phase Change Materials) are widely used for thermal energy storage due to their homogeneity and stability. However, one of their main drawbacks lies in their poor thermal conductivity, usually around 0.2 W·m−1·K−1. In the context of the Horizon Europe project “ECHO” (Efficient Compact Modular Thermal Energy Storage System), the integration of metal foams within paraffin PCM was investigated in order to increase the overall thermal conductivity, thus speeding up the melting and solidification phases. Tests were carried out in a thermostatic bath using at first pure aluminum foam. Then, considering the consistent price these materials usually have, other commercial and much cheaper foams were also tested, namely a stainless-steel foam and a brass one. As expected, pure aluminum had the best performance among the three foams. However, the behavior of the brass foam was quite close to that of pure aluminum, which means that interesting improvements can be achieved even with low-cost materials. As regards the stainless-steel foam, barely any improvement is observed.

Multi-Benefit Decision-Making Process for Historic Buildings: Validation of the CALECHE HUB Conceptual Model Through a Literature Review

The CALECHE project, fundSby Horizon Europe, is pioneering sustainable renovation practices for historic buildings that balance energy efficiency with heritage conservation. While this study primarily focuses on energy efficiency in the context of historic building renovation, it also considers aspects of holistic sustainability, such as the use of sustainable materials and adaptive reuse strategies. Through a comprehensive literature review, this study validates the CALECHE HUB conceptual model, emphasising multi-benefit decision-making processes. Key areas of focus includes the assessment of cultural and social values, economic benefits, and environmental sustainability. The analysis explores adaptive reuse strategies and decision support systems (DSSs) to harmonise heritage conservation with energy retrofitting. Using four European demonstration sites as a proof of concept, the findings highlight the need for holistic approaches that respect historic integrity while promoting contemporary functionality. The study underlines the urgency of bridging research gaps, particularly in the integration of new technologies and LCA, to ensure that historic buildings remain vibrant, sustainable, and socially inclusive assets for future generations.

Casilda Iturrizar: A Case of Overcoming the Invisibilization of Women Relevant for Their Religiosity

Feminist studies have increasingly highlighted the contributions of women from various backgrounds; however, a gap remains in the research on conservative religious women. This article presents findings on Casilda Iturrizar, a bourgeois and religiously conservative woman who significantly influenced 19th-century Bilbao. Three surveys with 442 participants and five communicative interviews with educators were conducted using a communicative methodology, which has pioneered the current criteria for social impact and cocreation in the Horizon Europe scientific program. The results revealed that most people in Bilbao were unaware of Casilda’s contributions, with feminists and institutions neglecting her achievements. The findings from the communicative interviews suggested that Casilda’s contributions have been overlooked, contradicting recent efforts in education to address the invisibility of notable women. Such findings potentially have social impact by opening feminism to all women, including those made invisible for having conservative religious thinking.

Climate proofing of public procurement: a gap to be filled

There is a lack of operable methods, criteria and tools that enable public authorities to purchase goods, services and works that contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation. Based on our experience as coordinators of 8 public procurement procedures within an ongoing Horizon Europe project, we suggest a new approach to climate proofing of public procurement, identify urgent research developments and recommend the amendment of public procurement policies to incorporate new criteria.

Genomic findings with familial implications: agenda setting in light of mainstreaming

An international workshop was held in Leuven, Belgium, on June 19–20, 2023, to discuss the communication of genetic risk information within families in the context of personalized prevention. Organized as part of the Horizon Europe project PROPHET (PeRsOnalised Prevention roadmap for the future HEalThcare in Europe), the event gathered interdisciplinary stakeholders to explore the benefits and challenges of various policy approaches for returning genetic test results with implications for family members. Five key themes emerged from the discussions: (1) recognizing family communication as an ongoing process, (2) adopting a family-centered approach rather than an individual one, (3) clarifying roles and responsibilities in the communication process, (4) addressing the lack of clear guidelines and policies, and (5) ensuring sufficient resources. To enhance family communication of genetic risk information, participants emphasized the importance of improving pre-test counseling and follow-up procedures, implementing policies to clarify roles and responsibilities, and providing training for healthcare professionals both within and outside genetic services.

The reproductive tract microbiome in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and across different menstrual cycle phases.

Do polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menstrual cycle phases, and ovulatory status affect reproductive tract (RT) microbiome profiles? We identified microbial features associated with menstrual cycle phases in the upper and lower RT microbiome, but only two specific differences in the upper RT according to PCOS status. The vaginal and uterine microbiome profiles vary throughout the menstrual cycle. Studies have reported alterations in the vaginal microbiome among women diagnosed with PCOS. This prospective case-control study included a cohort of 37 healthy control women and 52 women diagnosed with PCOS. Microbiome samples were collected from the vagina as vaginal swabs (VS) and from the uterus as endometrial flushing (EF) aspirate samples, and compared according to PCOS diagnosis, the menstrual cycle phases, and ovulatory status, at Oulu University Hospital (Oulu, Finland) from January 2017 to March 2020. A total of 83 VS samples and 80 EF samples were collected. Age and body mass index (BMI) were matched between women with and without PCOS. Clinical characteristics were assessed using blood samples collected between cycle days 2 and 8, and microbial DNA was sequenced on the Ion Torrent platform. Microbial alpha diversity (i.e. the observed number of unique genera and Shannon diversity index) was analysed across sample types, PCOS diagnosis and menstrual cycle phases. Linear mixed-effects models were utilised to identify microbial features in relation to PCOS and the menstrual cycle phases. Associations between the beta diversity of the RT microbiome and PCOS- and cycle-related clinical features were calculated using PERMANOVA. Microbial alpha diversity showed no difference with PCOS (VS: Pobserved feature = 0.836, Pshannon = 0.998; EF: Pobserved feature = 0.366, Pshannon = 0.185), but varied with menstrual cycle phases (VS: Pobserved feature = 0.001, Pshannon = 0.882; EF: Pobserved feature = 0.026, Pshannon = 0.048). No difference was observed in beta diversity based on either PCOS or the menstrual cycle phases (VS: PPCOS = 0.280, Pcycle = 0.115; EF: PPCOS = 0.234, Pcycle = 0.088). In the endometrial flushing samples, we identified two novel microbial features, characterised by the ratio of differential abundance of two genera, associated with PCOS (FDR ≤ 0.1) and 13 novel features associated with the menstrual cycle phases (FDR ≤ 0.1). Although this was the first study to simultaneously analyse, the lower and upper RT microbiome in women with and without PCOS, the limited sample size of anovulatory cases may hinder the detection of differences related to PCOS and ovulatory status. The main finding suggests that PCOS and the menstrual cycle phases are associated with specific microbial features in the upper RT, indicating that the analysis of the upper RT microbiome can potentially identify biomarkers for both PCOS and menstrual cycle phases. This research was funded by the Research Council of Finland (grants no. 315921, 321763, 336449), the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation (grant no. NNF21OC0070372), and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant (MATER, grant no. 813707). This research was also funded by the Estonian Research Council (grants no. PRG1076, PRG1414), the Horizon Europe grant (NESTOR, grant no. 101120075) of the European Commission, and EMBO Installation Grant (grant no. 3573). The funders did not participate in any processes of the study. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. N/A.

Practices of Open Science Ecosystem Building in the EU

The development of open science in the EU is designed to promote the global integration of scientific research, and increase its transparency and accessibility for faster knowledge exchange and its growth. A single open science ecosystem should be formed through effective data management, interdisciplinary cooperation, and compliance with modern, sustainable global development goals. This study considers approaches to adapting successful EU practices to the scientific sphere of other regions outside the EU, particularly Ukraine. The article aims to generalize the logic of the formation of the open science ecosystem in the EU and analyze its main characteristics: transparency, openness, and cooperation for disseminating such practices in the field of research in Ukraine. Using the methods of systematization, comparison, and visualization, a graphic diagram of the open science ecosystem in the EU is presented. Its main subsystems are identified: legislative initiatives and regulatory mechanisms, technical infrastructure, tools and platforms, training and development, monitoring, evaluation, and stimulation. Thanks to the use of the case method, ecosystem elements were identified that contribute to the formation and development of open science in various areas of research: Horizon Europe Open Access Mandate, Science Europe Open Access Services, European Data Strategy, FAIR Principles, European Open Science Cloud, OpenAIRE, Copernicus Data Store, Zenodo, D4Science, PLoS Open Science, SELFIE Tool, Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment, and others. Barriers to the development of this ecosystem were identified: technical (insufficient infrastructure, lack of unified standards), legal (data confidentiality, copyright), and social (resistance to changes in society, lack of competencies among researchers). The results of the study have practical value. For Ukraine, implementing open science elements can contribute to integration into the European scientific space and increase the level of research through innovative platforms and policies. Prospects for further scientific research include assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of the open science ecosystem, as well as studying the specifics of the implementation of open science in EU countries with different levels of economic and social development. By type of research, the article is theoretical.

Large-scale reservoir modeling of the Vendenheim geothermal site (France)

Abstract. During the Vendenheim deep geothermal project (Strasbourg Eurometropole, France), large induced seismic events led to the arrest of the project. Two important features of the induced seismicity were unexpected: the large distance to the wells of a cluster of seismic events (4–5 km) and the occurrence of the largest event Mlv3. 9 at the bottom of the wells, six months after shut-in. To better understand the natural hydro-thermal conditions at the Vendenheim site, we develop within the framework of the DT-GEO project (Horizon Europe) a simplified large-scale model (8 km × 8 km × 6 km) of the area. We aim at performing in-silico experimentation to reproduce the natural hydrothermal state of the geothermal reservoir related to the heat flow (conductive/convective) within the model. We first test our methods by solving 2D and 3D benchmarks related to the convective regime in saturated porous media. Our model is based on the MOOSE/GOLEM framework (finite element approach) and integrate the public regional geological model GEORG that includes major lithologies. We present the coarse-grained simulations of the natural fluid circulation.

Quantifying Plasmodium vivax radical cure efficacy: a modelling study integrating clinical trial data and transmission dynamics.

Plasmodium vivax forms dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) that can reactivate weeks to months after primary infection. Radical cure requires a combination of antimalarial drugs to kill both the blood-stage and liver-stage parasites. Hypnozoiticidal efficacy of the liver-stage drugs primaquine and tafenoquine cannot be estimated directly because hypnozoites are undetectable. We aimed to estimate hypnozoiticidal efficacy from clinical trial data, and quantify the community-level impact of implementing case management with radical cure. We calibrated a novel P vivax Recurrence Model to publicly available data from prospective clinical trials to estimate the hypnozoiticidal efficacy of different supervised primaquine (3·5 mg/kg or 7 mg/kg over 7 or 14 days) and tafenoquine (5 mg/kg or 7·5 mg/kg single dose) regimens in patients with normal glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity. We used an existing P vivax Individual-Based Model to quantify the 5-year impact of case management with unsupervised primaquine or tafenoquine regimens across various transmission settings. We estimated median hypnozoiticidal efficacies of 99·1% (95% credible interval 96·0-100) for primaquine 7 mg/kg over 14 days; 96·3% (90·8-99·7) for primaquine 7 mg/kg over 7 days; 72·3% (68·1-76·3) for primaquine 3·5 mg/kg over 7 or 14 days; 62·4% (49·1-76·3) for tafenoquine 5 mg/kg single dose; and 87·5% (62·1-99·3) for tafenoquine 7·5 mg/kg single dose. 5 years of community-level tafenoquine case management was estimated to reduce P vivax transmission by 74-79% where pre-intervention prevalence as measured by PCR was low (<2%) and by 17-20% where prevalence as measured by PCR was high (around 35%). Similar 5-year reductions were estimated with primaquine case management only when adherence to the primaquine regimen was above 50%. Substantial reductions in prevalence as measured by PCR were predicted with primaquine and tafenoquine regimens if these could be implemented with high coverage and adherence. The benefits of preventing P vivax relapses need to be balanced against the risks of inducing severe haemolysis in patients with G6PD deficiency. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Horizon Europe.

Development of a numerical model of CaCl2 hydration and dehydration reaction for thermochemical energy storage

Abstract Periodical variations experienced by buildings’ energy demand and supply might be tackled by means of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems. Among these, thermochemical heat storage (TCHS) by means of thermochemical material (TCM) is one of the most promising, allowing the greatest energy storage density per unit volume, negligible heat losses and long-term storage. As part of the Horizon Europe project “ECHO”, a preliminary 2D model of the TCHS system was developed with the software COMSOL Multiphysics as a tool to support the real-scale prototype design, anticipating the behaviour of the system, as well as the implementation of the control algorithm. The model was implemented to work in both charge (dehydration) and discharge (hydration) without having to change the reaction kinetics equation from time to time, only based on the instant-by-instant boundary conditions. This ability to switch from hydration to dehydration and vice versa at any time makes it possible to estimate the performance of the TCM even in the event of not being completely hydrated or dehydrated, and also to establish some relationship between the TCM charging and discharging times.

Developing a chatbot to support victim-survivors who are subjected to domestic abuse: considerations and ethical dilemmas

This Open Space piece discusses the implementation of a chatbot for victim-survivors who are subjected to domestic abuse. Being deployed as part of the ISEDA project (Innovative Solutions to Eliminate Domestic Abuse), a Horizon Europe project involving 15 partners from nine European countries, the chatbot will aim to provide women who are subjected to domestic abuse with information about domestic abuse, local support services, links to emergency services and potentially act as a place to store evidence that can be used in court. We discuss the ethical considerations surrounding the implementation of the chatbot within the project, and use of technology to support women within the domestic abuse sector in general. We highlight some of the positives alongside pitfalls of this way of working, and outline some of the considerations surrounding longevity of the chatbot in light of empowering under-funded women’s services.

A stratified treatment algorithm in psychiatry: a program on stratified pharmacogenomics in severe mental illness (Psych-STRATA): concept, objectives and methodologies of a multidisciplinary project funded by Horizon Europe.

Schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar (BD) and major depression disorder (MDD) are severe psychiatric disorders that are challenging to treat, often leading to treatment resistance (TR). It is crucial to develop effective methods to identify and treat patients at risk of TR at an early stage in a personalized manner, considering their biological basis, their clinical and psychosocial characteristics. Effective translation of theoretical knowledge into clinical practice is essential for achieving this goal. The Psych-STRATA consortium addresses this research gap through a seven-step approach. First, transdiagnostic biosignatures of SCZ, BD and MDD are identified by GWAS and multi-modal omics signatures associated with treatment outcome and TR (steps 1 and 2). In a next step (step 3), a randomized controlled intervention study is conducted to test the efficacy and safety of an early intensified pharmacological treatment. Following this RCT, a combined clinical and omics-based algorithm will be developed to estimate the risk for TR. This algorithm-based tool will be designed for early detection and management of TR (step 4). This algorithm will then be implemented into a framework of shared treatment decision-making with a novel mental health board (step 5). The final focus of the project is based on patient empowerment, dissemination and education (step 6) as well as the development of a software for fast, effective and individualized treatment decisions (step 7). The project has the potential to change the current trial and error treatment approach towards an evidence-based individualized treatment setting that takes TR risk into account at an early stage.

Justification of directions for improving the means of regulating innovative relations within the limits of the sustainable development policy in the European Union

The object of this study is existing regulatory approaches to determining the place and purpose of innovations within the economic system of the European Union (EU), in the context of the implemented policy of sustainable development. In the course of research and generalization of the sustainable development policy of the European Union, it was established that the purpose and role of innovations have not been properly identified. Only the absolute nature of innovation rights is registered while no restrictions in favor of meeting public interests are recorded. It has been proven that this does not meet the needs of the participants of innovative relations and negatively affects the scaling and implementation of innovations. The expediency of improving the existing normative concept of determining the place and role of innovations within the framework of the sustainable development policy of the European Union has been substantiated. Recommendations regarding areas of such improvement have been formed. As such recommendations, the need to formalize the definition of the normative construction of innovations on the basis of international recommendations "Oslo" is highlighted. The need to spread regulatory restrictions on the impact of innovations based on such criteria as industrial and man-made safety has been proven. The expediency of introducing additional guarantees for developers of innovations is also substantiated. The need to make changes to the provisions of such international treaties and agreements as the Horizon Europe Framework Program has been proven. The study is aimed at forming general theoretical foundations for improving the essence of regulatory techniques for identifying forms of technology transfer. The practical significance of the research results is that the generated results could be used in the formation of international normative acts, recommendations of international institutions, acts of national legislation, and serve as a basis for further scientific research on these issues

Why European Social Sciences and Humanities Advocacy Matters

Abstract This article highlights the importance of European scientists, particularly in the social sciences and humanities, in shaping global research policies through active advocacy in science policy. The European Union (EU) is a significant transnational research funder, largely through its multiannual Framework Programmes, such as Horizon Europe (2020–2027), which support collaboration between researchers worldwide. This funding drives innovation and societal benefit, influencing global standards on topics like sustainability, cultural heritage, and data protection. The EU’s openness to consultation makes it unique compared to countries like the United States and China, where funding decisions are decided top-down by governments and policymakers. Thus, European humanities and social science researchers have a unique opportunity to shape the political research agenda. To strengthen this advocacy, three practical steps await researchers: (1) understand national research narratives, (2) ensure research impacts policymaking, and (3) support international research organisations.

Mapping leadership and communities in EU-funded research through network analysis

Background Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe are flagship programs of the European Union aimed at supporting research and innovation, fostering collaboration among companies, academic institutions, and research organizations. Comprehensive data on projects, objectives, participants, funding details, and results of Horizon projects is available through the open access portal CORDIS (Community Research and Development Information Service). This paper introduces a novel methodology for utilizing CORDIS data to reveal collaborations, leadership roles, and their evolution over time. The case study focuses on the “hydrogen energy” sector, and specifically on the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project. Methods The methodology is based on network analysis. Data is downloaded from the CORDIS portal, enriched, segmented by year and transformed into weighted networks representing collaborations between organizations. Centrality measures are used to assess the influence of individual organizations, while community detection algorithms is used to identify stable collaborations. Temporal analysis tracks the evolution of these roles and communities over time. To ensure robust and reliable results, the methodology addresses challenges such as input-ordering bias and result variability, while the exploration of the solution space enhances the accuracy of identified collaboration patterns. Results A case study focusing on Horizon projects in the hydrogen energy sector demonstrates the application of this methodology, revealing the emergence of key leaders and stable communities, and highlighting significant collaboration within the sector. Conclusions The proposed methodology effectively identifies influential organizations and tracks the stability of research collaborations. The insights gained are valuable for policy-makers and organizations seeking to foster innovation through sustained partnerships. This approach can be extended to other sectors, offering a framework for understanding the impact of EU research funding on collaboration and leadership dynamics.

Pandora’s Problem with Combinatorial Cost

Pandora’s problem is a fundamental model in economics that studies optimal search strategies under costly inspection. In this paper, we initiate the study of Pandora’s problem with combinatorial costs, capturing applications where search cost is nonadditive. Weitzman’s celebrated algorithm (1979) demonstrates that for additive costs, the optimal search strategy is nonadaptive and computationally feasible. We inquire to which extent this structural and computational simplicity extends beyond additive costs. Our main result is that the class of submodular cost functions admits an optimal strategy that follows a fixed order, thus preserving the structural simplicity of additive costs. In contrast, for the more general class of subadditive (or even fractionally subadditive) cost functions, the optimal strategy may inevitably determine the search order adaptively. On the computational side, obtaining any approximation to the optimal utility requires superpolynomially many queries to the cost function, even for a strict subclass of submodular cost functions. Funding: B. Berger and M. Feldman are partially supported by the HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council [Grant 866132] and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation [Grant 2020788]. T. Ezra is supported by the Harvard University Center of Mathematical Sciences and Applications. F. Fusco is partially supported by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) by Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca [Project IR0000013-SoBigData.it] and the Future Artificial Intelligence Research project funded by the NextGenerationEU program within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Extended Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (PNRR-PE-AI) scheme [Grant M4C2, investment 1.3, line on Artificial Intelligence]. Additionally, this work was supported by Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca [Grant ALGADIMAR], the Israel Science Foundation [Grant 317/17], the Amazon Research Award, and the HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council [Grant 788893].