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2019
TIPS: Europe finally gets its own payment system
The European Central Bank is offering a payment system to compete with digital services and credit card companies. European start-ups could benefit from it.
A new way of mapping
Artisense develops a 3D-vision technology for autonomous cars and robots to navigate effectively.
Circular economy: still a long way to go
Recycling and refurbishment are still rare in Europe’s economies. Platforms like Refurbed offer a first contact to a more sustainable approach.
Watch out for
e-scooters!
They’re cheap, quick and convenient – but will the business model for e-scooter sharing hold up?
5 “green cities” lead the way
Searching for smart and sustainable solutions, they show how to curb energy use, reduce carbon emissions and create more livable spaces.
“We can revolutionise pest management”
A Danish start-up has created products that can replace chemical pesticides.
Start-ups: how to build a good prototype
To convince investors and customers, start-ups need to build a good prototype. How best to tackle this important step?
2018
“Eindhoven is a clear hotspot for photonics”
How to expand an R&D company into production? The CEO of a photonics start-up explains.
Three hot hubs in Eastern Europe
Krakow, Vilnius and Moscow have become centres for dynamic starts. What do they offer?
Finding fraudsters using genomic analysis
The Swiss startup OrphAnalytics uses genomics to detect academic fraud and authenticate documents.
10 great African innovations
From fintech to health to the environment, clever inventions are improving the lives of millions of people.
Lagos, capital of fintech
Lagos recently hosted the African Fintech Summit for the first time. The Nigerian city has all the attributes needed to become a hotbed for African fintech.
How to make threads “green”
French start-up Hopaal has found a way to recycle textiles and even plastic bottles to manufacture environmentally friendly clothing.
Welcome to Silicon Savannah
Kenya is brimming with innovation, hoping to establish a truly circular economy.
Riding the EdTech wave
Start-ups are moving into educational technology. Some offer university courses while others advance company training by designing video games.
Fair phone vs. iPhone
The Fairphone is a smartphone built with “ethical” components. Now it hopes to compete with the iPhone.
Meet Celonis, Munich’s first unicorn
Munich-based start-up Celonis helps companies refine their everyday processes.
Getting in on the game
Increasingly, organisations are using entertaining ways to train and motivate their employees.
How AI threatens white-collar jobs
In the beginning, technology eliminated many clerical tasks. Now the danger is extending to positions that require a high level of skill.
The turbulent world of technological unemployment
Labour-saving advances usually increase both jobs and wages, but the unequal path of change can cause major friction.
At the cutting edge of language tech
European universities and start-ups are developing translation tools that have become popular the world over.
Europe’s battle for more innovation impact
How can European countries become leaders of innovation? Two experts discuss the continent’s weaknesses and possibilities.
Managing the new world of transport
Anticipating a decline in car ownership, start-ups like Bestmile and Amber plan to power seamless on-demand services.
In the driver’s seat for high-speed trains
Even as concepts like Hyperloop emerge, European leadership is not in danger.
Hyperloop: the doubts persist
Elon Musk’s dream of a train that can travel at 1,200 km/h faces serious unresolved engineering challenges.
Hyperloop: why it can work
Recent tests have shown the viability of the futuristic train. But does this mean we will have a new mode of transportation any time soon?
Making labour less laborious
Childbirth may be the most important event in a mother’s life, but it can also be the most traumatic. Technology can help.
The technology that helps women get pregnant
Swiss start-up Ava’s wristband collects data on fertility. The goal: to help couples have a baby.
Unicorns: still on the margin
Lagging behind Germany, France has produced only three start-ups valued at more than $1 billion. But it is starting to catch up.
France leads a new revolution
Will the US and China dominate the development of AI? President Macron has ideas that can keep Europe in the game.
Fun and games in Finland
Formerly home to industry giant Nokia, the country is now a leading player in mobile phone game apps. Here’s a look at what it will take to keep winning.
Munich: the new hub for digital cars
Germany’s auto industry is embracing the hottest technologies. The capital of Bavaria is driving the shift.
Making the blue greener
From an environmental standpoint, marine exploitation has been a catastrophe. Innovation is showing the way towards sustainable oceans.
Using 3D printers to build houses
Digital technologies can save time and money in construction, but the complexity of the processes will make automation difficult.
Fighting energy waste in buildings
Buildings accounts for a huge proportion of the world’s energy consumption. Zoom on some innovative solutions to cut the waste.
Sharing artfully
WeTransfer is a Dutch start-up expanding into the US and into mobiles, while remaining faithful to its user base: the creative scene. The new CEO explains his strategy.
2017
The return of French Tech
A new technophile President and the inauguration of the giant Station F incubator are providing France with the visibility it needs.
Barcelona: Costa del sport
The capital of Catalonia is a technology hub with a vibrant start-up environment. A celebrated football team’s innovation hub was the catalyst.
Leaders in cybersecurity
Europe is often at the forefront in the fields of digital safety, antivirus protection and encryption. Here are three examples.
Is big business gobbling up public funds?
A quarter of European research money goes to companies. As the EU drafts the next iteration of its Horizon 2020 programme, experts discuss the pros and cons.
“Encouraging impact thinking”
An expert in technological change discusses the EU’s research programme and identifies the next challenges for innovation in Europe.
The next frontier: quantum cryptography
As familiar encryption systems reach their limits, the strange world of particle physics offers new solutions.
Europe’s new research élite
Eight success stories show how European scientists are shaping tomorrow’s world.
”Only 2.5% scale up successfully”
After testing its business model, a start-up has to begin producing regular income. This is a tricky step, and few are successful.
Six lessons from the Start-up Nation
With its 2,000 new high-tech companies, Israel has become the Silicon Valley of the Middle East.
Energy efficiency: greening the bottom line
Contrary to popular belief, sustainable solutions can be good for business. A look at some of Europe’s most innovative efforts.
When robots steal our jobs
A universal basic income would mitigate the negative effects of automation. But it might be more effective if combined with apprenticeships.
The missing link in primate paralysis
A wireless brain-spine interface allows monkeys to walk again.
Avoiding the sound of silence
With Europe’s ageing population, hearing loss will become a major concern for public health. A new generation of technologies can slow the process.
Galileo puts Prague on the cosmic map
Long known for its scientific creativity and skilled workforce, the Czech capital is redefining itself as a hub for space technology.
Successful and resolutely European
Not every start-up wants to move to America. Here are four that have remained loyal to their home turf.
Keeping innovators at home
The European Commission turns its attention to four key aspects of the problem.
A new frontier for artificial intelligence
Using algorithms to process sound is a booming field. Here are four promising innovations.
Sound from all directions
The latest innovations provide listening experiences that are more immersive than ever. Some technologies even use bones to transmit sound.
The electronic biped
Humanoid robots are finally learning to charm us. Can French-founded SoftBank Robotics stay ahead of the competition after a decade at the forefront?
Where have all the start-ups gone?
America is all too attractive for Europe’s innovative technology, but there are ways to stop the haemorrhage.
Europeans who have returned
Home is not just where the heart is – increasingly, it’s also where you find the innovators, the money and the quality of life.
Flying the “big science” flag
Europe is once again on the hunt for emerging research and development trends that will spawn radical social and economic rewards in years to come. Discover three of the candidate projects.
The architecture of sound
Towards a more intimate musical experience: Hamburg and Paris introduce innovative acoustics to their spectacular new concert halls.
A new genetic revolution
The ability to modify sequences of DNA with pinpoint precision promises new drugs, healthier livestock and better crops.
Speaking of algorithms
Artificial intelligence raises thorny questions that will be keeping human brains very busy.
Focus on Russia
Russia has produced an array of new tech companies since the late 2000s. But these start-ups remain virtually unknown outside the country’s borders.
The double-edged promise of AI
Some people fret that artificial intelligence will end civilization as we know it, others believe it can solve every problem.
Grandma’s mixer gets fancy
Cooking blenders are invading European kitchens, with the promise of healthy and fresh nutrition without time wasted on cutting and stirring.
Artificial intelligence: where it all began
With its leading research institutes and ground-breaking innovations, Europe plays a major role in the field of AI.
Construction: back to the roots
Wood has seen a slow-paced renaissance since the early 1990s, but ambitious proposals for timber structures now seem to appear.
2016
The inevitability of free papers
Scientists are making headway in challenging the traditional publishing model for research papers. The big winners may include ordinary citizens.
Buildings that live and breathe
From London to Hamburg to Singapore, architects draw inspiration from living organisms to design energy-efficient buildings.
Why open science?
The birth of a movement in four main questions.
MOOCS: this revolution will wait
They’re more and more exclusive And they’re often full of already highly qualified students. Are Massive Open Online Courses failing to democratise education?
All eyes on Eindhoven
Once dominated by light-bulb manufacturer Philips, the Dutch city is now home to a dynamic university and its circle of start-ups.
“Children should learn to code without realising it”
Technology Will Save Us teaches programming using toys in a whole new way.
The Impossible Project: Giving a second life in a digital world
Polaroid enthusiasts have recreated instant film that can be used in old cameras and developed a new camera as well.
The circular economy: a boost for growth
How Europe is shifting towards a more sustainable system by reusing, remanufacturing and recycling.
Turning nature into a factory
How a salamander inspired a robot, a protein became a sensor and a molecule helped design a water purifier.
Insects in the spotlight
Beetles, butterflies and spiders are some of the bugs that inspire engineers. What makes these insects so prone to imitation?
All Eyes on Ireland
Dublin’s “Silicon Docks” may be known as a welcome destination for U.S. tech giants, but the Emerald Isle has plenty of native innovation to shout about .
Rail safety: back in the spotlight
Trains are particularly safe. But IT bugs and problems with the signalling systems represent a constant security threat.
New materials for new records
Aluminium, carbon and even bamboo: sport results today depend highly on the materials.
Ending the pain
Computer simulations and data analysis can now help prevent injuries, while individual prostheses hasten the recovery process.
Innovation from the East
What if your fuse box could talk to you? Created in the midst of Ukrainian turmoil, Ecoisme can analyse home energy consumption in real time.
Driverless trains: the difficult next step
Will autonomous locomotives one day operate outside urban areas?
“The tech community can save lives”
A journalist explains how start-ups can improve the day-to-day existence of refugees and help make their dreams a reality.
Electricity’s bright future
Petrol power helped shape the 20th century, but its decline may define the 21st. So how will the future of urban transport look?
The beauty of waves
A Dutch innovator offers a visible view of an invisible world.
Going with the flow
The fight against congestion is getting some new tools: mobile phones and complex algorithms.
“Our developers work better in Bali than in Copenhagen”
A young Danish entrepreneur chose to leave Europe for an exotic location.
Self-driving cars? Don’t hold your breath
Safely mimicking all foibles in software and hardware of driving will take at least another decade, if not longer.
Urban Mobility: is Europe too timid?
There are bright ideas for how to make our cities more fluid, but they won’t do much good unless decision-makers show more vision and courage.
From games to health
Smart glass and phone apps may have been developed for gamers, but now they are among the many technologies crossing over into the healthcare field.
Blockchain: on the verge of revolutionising society
The technology behind Bitcoin holds immense potential that we’re just now beginning to fathom.
Zoom on Spain
Spain has become a technological leader in fields from mapping to aeronautics to graphene production.
“A start-up should solve a social problem”
Blitab co-founder Kristina Tsvetanova discusses the challenges of launching a social start-up.
Searching for the future Galileos and Keplers
Will Europe ever be able to compete with Silicon Valley? The answer lies not only in our universities and research parks but also in our primary and secondary schools.
2015
Life after Skype
Estonian programmer Jaan Tallinn helped create the file-sharing application Kazaa and then the famous video-call system. Now he wants to save the world.
From selfies to the fifth dimension
Rapidly evolving camera technology is changing our very notion of photography.
A revolution in lighting
Modern illumination is not only much more efficient, but increasingly responsive to the rhythms of human life.
The land of e-everything
From medical records to taxes to ID cards, Estonians rely on – and trust – information technology more than any other nation in the world.
“People underestimate Eastern Europe’s start-ups”
Part car, part plane, Aeromobil needs just a 200-m straightaway to deploy its wings and take off.
“It’s about dynamics, emotions and relationships”
Victor Henning and two business-school pals describe how they’ve accidentally made science fun.
Growing perfect grapes
Is France ready? One winery has taken the plunge, using real-time sap flow measurements to more accurately manage the irrigation of its vines.
Fields of innovation
To improve crop yields, the agricultural world is turning to such cutting-edge technologies as drones, robots and networked sensors.
Growing spinach where the sun doesn’t shine
Once seen as a “towering lunacy”, vertical farms are all the rage from the U.S. to Europe to Asia.
“Poland must be doing something right”
Daria Tataj, founder and CEO of the Warsaw-based consultancy Tataj Innovation, explains the reasons for Poland’s success.
2014
E-cigarettes: the burning question
They definitely help people stop smoking, but they may be just another ticking time bomb. Are they a positive solution or an unhealthy crutch?
Take it, use it, change it, create
You no longer need to be an electronics wizard to build sophisticated devices. “Makers” like the four profiled on these pages are unleashing their creativity thanks to Raspberry Pi and Arduino boards.
The audiophile
Four Danes have created award-winning upmarket headphones. One of them describes the challenges of fusing design and audio engineering.
Power from thin air
Mobile devices need energy – lots of it. Instead of focussing only on improving battery performance, some scientists are looking at the ambient energy that is all around us.
To frack or not to frack
Can America’s shale-gas revolution be repeated in Europe? The furore over earthquakes and chemicals has obscured more important issues.
Here comes the graphene revolution
The EU has committed €1 billion to this revolutionary new material. What are the challenges, what are the promises?
It’s food, but not as you know it
From lab-hatched eggs to caterpillar croquettes, the food of the future may not be familiar, but that doesn’t mean it won’t taste good.
The power of thought
An amazing project may enable paralysed humans to walk again, with the help of an exoskeleton controlled directly by their thoughts.
“New social norms will have to be accepted”
The latest portable technology will connect humans from head to toe. But it could also endanger both our safety and our social lives, warns Wijnand IJsselsteijn.