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The Energy & Water Agency, The Malta Chamber, and The Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology (MCAST), as part of the Mediterranean Island Cleantech Innovation Ecosystem (MICIE) project, have co-published a Research & Innovation Action Plan for Malta to help guide towards better coordination and growth of R&I in the face of local climate and energy challenges. This plan has been developed within the context of this project and shall now seek financial support and endorsement from the Maltese government. The MICIE Project was created with the aim of strengthening the contribution of R&I in achieving the climate and energy targets of Malta and Cyprus as defined in their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP).

NECPs are long-term plans that outline how EU member states intend to…

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The MCST- TÜBİTAK funded UNIMED research project invites Plumtri readers to join in its Second Community of Practice Workshop in Malta. The event will take place at the Esplora Science Centre on 8 February 2024, starting at 14:00 till 15:30 pm. Participation is free of charge, but we kindly invite your advance registration using this link. The event is being run in conjunction with the PRIMA Collaborate Event, uniting med researchers in Malta for innovation.

The ‘UNIfied framework to cope with droughts under MEDiterranean climate change conditions’, UNIMED, is aimed at the methodological development of a Survivability-of-Droughts…

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Tell the world about your research in a 1-minute video and be eligible to win €5,000.

The challenge

  • Tell the world about your research in a 1 minute video. What are you doing and why does it matter?
  • Be as creative as you like, as long as the science is accurate - don't be afraid to show your personality.
  • There’s no need for specialist kit or sophisticated software. Videos can be shot on a smartphone. We’ve created some tips to help you get your video right.
  • Every clear, accurate, and engaging video will be added to the Science in Shorts video library and shared with the public, globally.
  • Our favourite videos will each win a prize of €5000 - up to 10 videos will be selected.
  • Join in. Help us show that research…

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The Malta Council for Science and Technology announces the launch of an Expression of Interest among Research Managers (RMAs)* to participate in a three-day Study Visit to the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (Fundació Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya – IBEC) between 14-16 February 2024.

The thematic areas targeted for this Study Visit are:

  • Nano-Medicine
  • Cell Engineering
  • Mechnanobiology
  • ICT for Health

More details can be found in a dedicated page to this study visit in the NCP_WIDERA.net project website. Please read carefully the Expression of Interest and use the application form in the same page.

MCST will cover costs of flights, accommodation (up to 150EUR per…

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Nineteen projects are selected for funding in response to the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership’s first co-funded call ‘The way forward: a thriving sustainable blue economy for a brighter future.’

“With the selection of the first projects, the Partnership family is extended and on track to deliver on our ambitious objectives,” says Margherita Cappelletto, the Partnership Coordinator at the Italian Ministry of Research and Universities.   

Collectively, the 19 selected projects address all the five Priority Areas of the call. Priority Area 3 “Climate-neutral, environmentally sustainable, and resource-efficient blue food and feed” had mobilised the strongest response, accounting for 12 of the 19 projects selected.  

Project partners come from 21 different countries, including EU Member States,…

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Wishing you a New Year filled with connections and research endeavours!

All the best from plumtri.org Team

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Professor Yu Ding and Dr La Xiang from Harbin Engineering University (HEU), Marine Engineering, College of Power and Energy Engineering, visited Malta, as part of the collaborative research project entitled “Dual Fuel Engine Technology and Dynamic Behaviour Improvement for Marine Application” - BIMA.

Project BIMA received funding from the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) and the Ministry for Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MOST), through the Sino-Malta Fund 2021 (Science and Technology Cooperation).

Together with the academic institutions of HEU and UM, this project also includes two industrial partners, namely Gozo Channel Ltd. and Henan Diesel Engines.  The research is on the application of Dual Fuel (diesel and Liquified Natural Gas LNG) in marine engines and looks into the combustion stability and…

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The “M-Gov Award” and the “GovTech Prize” are annual awards managed by the Emirates Government Service Excellence Program (EGSEP) at the UAE Prime Minister’s Office. These awards are designed to encourage pioneering students, researchers, government agencies & institutions, private sector companies and startups to develop innovative solutions and explore new opportunities for a better future for humanity.

In its 9th edition, As part of the World Governments Summit 2024, “The GovTech Prize” is presented to government entities, central or local, worldwide to recognize creative and innovative solutions that address pressing challenges and/or create exceptional government service experiences. The award aims to recognize solutions that adopt novel approaches and techniques efficiently leveraging technology to solve problems affecting a large segment of the population and provide tangible benefits with the ability…

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TRAILS stands for Youth for sustainable mobility and inclusion. Funded by EIT Urban Mobility, TRAILS aims to foster entrepreneurship and innovation capacity which will contribute to an advanced education curricula and support the young generation to further develop their skills in the field of the electro mobility. The project is being implemented in Bulgaria by Cleantech Bulgaria and in Malta by Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology. 

The project consortium conducted an online survey to assess skill gaps in the field of electro mobility ‘Gaps and needs in the electro mobility sector’. In total, the survey was distributed to more than 1000 stakeholders representing the industry, NGOs, VTCs, HEIs, Higher Professional Schools etc.

The respondents in Malta and Bulgaria consider as most important skills needed in the electro-mobility sector:

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Destination Earth (DestinE) is a flagship initiative of the European Commission to develop a highly-accurate digital model of the Earth (a digital twin of the Earth) to model, monitor and simulate natural phenomena, hazards and the related human activities. These groundbreaking features assist users in designing accurate and actionable adaptation strategies and mitigation measures.

DestinE unlocks the potential of digital modelling of the Earth system at a level that represents a real breakthrough in terms of accuracy, local detail, access-to-information speed and interactivity.

By pushing the limits of computing and climate sciences, DestinE is an essential pillar of the European Commission’s efforts towards the Green Deal and …

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Callie Seaman was 16 when she started smoking cannabis to control her epilepsy. The seizures that had started two years earlier were affecting her ability to function and, while she’d excelled at school until her diagnosis, her studies were now suffering.

That was back in 1997, when cannabis was still illegal throughout Europe even for medical use. Anyone who wanted to acquire some was forced to do business with a street dealer or rely on someone else to do so.

Reassuring changes

‘I never took it for the euphoric high,’ said Seaman, who lives near Sheffield in the UK. ‘I took it to give me a good night’s sleep – not getting enough sleep is a huge trigger for a seizure – and it worked.’

Seaman continues to be a daily consumer of cannabis and, since 2018, key compounds from the Cannabis sativa…

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This is a Call for Expression of Interest for the provision of advisory support to beneficiaries of the FUSION R&I funding programme, specifically the Commercialisation Voucher Programme and the newly introduced FUSION add-ons, in preparation for the commercialisation of their innovative ideas within the local and/or foreign markets, This expression of interest is open to Service Providers specialising in the following areas:

  • Intellectual Property
  • Commercial Viability Test
  • Intellectual Property Right Registration
  • Business Plan
  • Investor-engagement pitch

Interested parties should have a proven track record and will be expected to work under their own initiative and in dialogue with the Council. Reimbursement to the beneficiary will only be…

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The Joint Research Centre has launched 7 NEW calls for accessing its Research Infrastructures:

  • Actinide User Laboratories (ACTUSLAB, Karlsruhe - DE)
  • Environmental and mechanical materials assessment (EMMA, Petten - NL)
  • Hopkinson bar for structural assessments (ELSA, Ispra - IT)

Below are the links to the calls:

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Packaging in the consumer product landscape might seem like gloss and glitter, but it serves an essential function: it presents the product to the consumer and safeguards it from harm. However, packaging is often quickly discarded and raises concerns regarding sustainability. Because of this, in the quest for more sustainable packaging solutions, the principles of circular economy are gaining prominence.

Traditional packaging often follows a linear model: you buy something, make use of the product inside, and throw away the packaging without a second thought. However, there is more going on behind the scenes; raw materials are extracted from the environment and transformed into packaging components. For example, plastics, commonly used for packaging, are derived from petroleum, which is a finite fossil fuel resource. Glass packaging is manufactured from raw materials like silica and soda ash, while metals like…

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If waves of water, light, or sound were to impinge upon a hypothetical object called a perfect absorber, they would be neither reflected nor transmitted; they would simply vanish. Researchers have now demonstrated perfect absorption using ordinary water waves traveling down a narrow channel. The waves are canceled out by their own reflections from cavities built into the side of the channel. With further development, the researchers believe that the effect could be used to reduce erosion or protect sensitive structures by using an array of elements deployed near coastlines.

“We were motivated by the need to control or absorb waves in rivers or to protect coastlines,” says mathematical physicist Agnes Maurel of ESPCI Paris. “Completely absorbing wave energy is even better than redirecting it, and you can also imagine perhaps harvesting such energy.”

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The Malta Council for Science and Technology, with the support of the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth, Research and Innovation is reaching out to Maltese researchers working abroad to participate in a mapping exercise of Maltese researcher diasporas. This mapping exercise aims to lay the foundation for future initiatives in bridging together Malta’s domestic R&I ecosystem and leading Maltese scientists abroad.

Interested Maltese researchers conducting research in any given domain are invited to sign up to the Voluntary registration of Maltese Nationals of Value Living Abroad via this link: https://foreign.gov.mt/formv.

Information and image source:

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Do you want to inspire the international research agenda in the marine and maritime domain with your ideas for a new pan-European Joint Action? Just as the previous year, we offer interested stakeholders the opportunity to bring new ideas to the attention of our member countries.

JPI Oceans is an organization where member countries join forces and support research & innovation (R&I) activities for healthy and productive seas and oceans. We support a variety of ocean-related research themes by bringing together expert groups (Knowledge Hubs), pooling funds for research projects (Joint Calls), or connecting existing projects, infrastructures, and networks.

Each year we can explore 1-2 new topics for adoption as a Joint Action. Last year, two of the submitted ideas were selected as scoping actions: "European Marina Network" and "Offshore…

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The aim of the Antonio Feltrinelli Fund is to award national and international prizes to distinguished scholars in the various fields of science and the arts. The Fellows of the Accademia dei Lincei are not eligible for nomination. The International prizes may be awarded to both Italians and foreigners. The prizes are conferred annually, on a rotating basis in the following fields:

1. Humanities;

2. Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences;

3. Literature;

4. Arts;

5. Medicine.

An international prize shall be awarded annually in each of the above disciplines.

In addition, a prize for an exceptional enterprise of high moral and humanitarian value shall be awarded annually. 

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Gender-mainstreaming forms a crucial pillar of the EU’s approach to R&I (research and innovation). Hence, ensuring that opportunities for participation, advancement and decision-making in R&I are structured towards removing institutional barriers and facilitating an inclusive Maltese ecosystem will be vital in our research landscape’s evolution. The Malta Council for Science and Technology is fully committed to this endeavour and is participating in EU level discussions and EU-wide initiatives to unlock the necessary know-how, good practices and resources.

One such initiative is the Genderactionplus project which is working on many levels and on a range of themes to ensure that expertise and know how is exchanged among EU member states on gender mainstreaming and the implementation of Gender Equality Plans.  The project addresses the need for intersectional gender considerations to be included in R&I policy design, implementation and evaluation. There is a…

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The highly anticipated First Advanced School, a cornerstone event of the PROMISE project, kicked off on 6th November 2023, with great enthusiasm and promising prospects. This week-long event, running till 10th November has brought together experts and scholars from 21 different countries across the world to explore cutting-edge advancements in renewable energy and innovation. The inaugural day of the school was graced by the esteemed presence of Hon. Keith Azzopardi Tanti, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Research and Innovation, who officially opened the event.

The First Advanced School, hosted by The Foundation for Innovation and Research – Malta together with the PROMISE consortium, is set to make significant strides in the field of Photovoltaics (PV) research and technology. With participants from various renowned institutions, the event has already showcased a remarkable exchange of ideas and knowledge. The…

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