As climate change accelerates, EU-funded researchers have mobilised to safeguard Europe’s underwater and coastal heritage with innovative methods and cutting-edge technology. By Gareth Willmer Forty metres beneath the sea off north-western Italy lies one of the country’s best-preserved World War II shipwrecks. The Equa, an Italian cannon-equipped submarine chaser, sank with no casualties after being … Read more
Researchers are exploring how short-term accommodation projects can bring new life to empty buildings while inspiring more inclusive and sustainable city living. By Gareth Willmer Italian architect and researcher Dr Chiara Mazzarella has long been captivated by the idea of finding better ways to use empty buildings. Across Europe, millions of homes and commercial buildings … Read more
EU-funded researchers are exploring how Europe’s film industry is taking a different path from Hollywood, focusing on cultural diversity, collaboration and storytelling to boost global competitiveness and cultural influence. By Ali Jones In March 2025, a low-budget independent animation made history by becoming the first Latvian film to win an Oscar. Flow took home the award for … Read more
From Dutch dairy farms to Spanish forests, women are showing how rural Europe can thrive when their ideas and leadership are recognised. By Maria Vlastara What if the biggest untapped resource in European agriculture is not technology or funding – but the women already working in the sector? At 34, Albertine Ekkels from the Netherlands … Read more
EU-backed researchers are working with communities in overlooked regions to create tourism strategies that promote heritage while ensuring long-term sustainability. By Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro Europe’s most popular travel destinations are feeling the strain of their own success. From Paris to Dubrovnik, mass tourism brings overcrowding and pollution. Yet just beyond these hotspots lie regions eager … Read more
New EU-funded research, sparked by a 17th-century shipwreck, reveals how centuries of trans-Pacific trade shaped medicine, shipbuilding and geographical knowledge, and built cross-cultural connections still relevant today. By Gareth Willmer In 1609, the Spanish galleon San Francisco sank off Japan after sailing through storms and hurricanes en route from the Philippines to Acapulco in Mexico. The shipwreck … Read more