Ecological or ecosystem-based approaches have emerged as an alternative to farming based on chemical inputs. Farming systems implementing such approaches (eco-functional intensification) are often defined as "low-input", but they generally require more knowledge and labour per hectare than those based on chemical inputs.
The European Research Area (ERA) priorities underline the importance of an open labour market for researchers. This includes the removal of barriers to researchers mobility, training, and attractive careers. Europe will need around 1 Mio more researchers in the coming years; students, and young researchers need to be better informed about European opportunities so that they continue their research career.
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century and its prevalence has increased at an alarming rate in the last decades. The main problem is that overweight and obese children are likely to remain obese in adulthood and more likely to develop noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. An integrated EU approach to help reduce the impact on health of poor nutrition, excess weight and obesity is a political objective.
In recent decades, sweeteners and sweetness (flavour) enhancers (S&SEs) have become key ingredients in food produced and consumed in the EU, and exported to and from it. Because of their diversity (natural/artificial, geographical origin, processing, caloric content, etc.), S&SEs are used in different foodstuffs and food processes and in different dosages. However, information is lacking about new and emerging S&SEs throughout the agri-food chain, (e.g.
With increasing urbanisation, massive daily flows of agricultural products, water and energy coming from rural/remote areas to cities generate high amounts of heat, CO2, waste water and other waste. In certain contexts, urban agriculture has been shown to improve food security and to bring economic, environmental and social benefits to cities.
Zika virus (ZIKV) disease is a mosquito-borne viral disease, similar to other diseases caused by Flaviviruses (such as dengue, yellow fever, West Nile) but until recently was believed to be more benign. However, the recent rapid spread of the virus in previously unaffected regions like South Pacific islands and Latin America has provided epidemiological evidence for the first time that it may be associated with neurological complications in adults and with a twentyfold increase in severe congenital brain malformations of newborns.
At present, the wide range of sectors, disciplines and actors involved in disaster risk management are not sufficiently interlinked, which prevents efficient response planning and the building of realistic multidisciplinary scenarios. Integrated tools need to be developed to support such actions. Stronger partnerships among research, policy, (research or monitoring) institutes, industry/SMEs communities and practitioners, in particular first responders, are required for better preparedness of societies to cope with complex crisis situations.
A major difficulty for civil protection actors to take proper, coordinated decisions for efficient actions (in relation with prevention, preparedness, surveillance, and in particular: response in times of crisis) results from insufficient situational awareness. This is even truer in the context of the EU Civil Protection mechanism: reinforced cooperation across borders calls for improved cross-border situational awareness.
The ESFRI roadmap, updated periodically, identifies the needs of the European scientific community in terms of research infrastructures. However, inclusion in the ESFRI roadmap does not guarantee that these needed infrastructures will be built.