AI

Europe’s pharmaceutical industry has a big prescription to fulfil – it needs to lower its emissions while remaining efficient and innovative. To address this challenge, the organisations participating in the i‑GREENPHARM project are working together to develop eco-friendly pharmaceutical production. They are focusing on what is called hot-melt extrusion as an innovative production method for drugs. This heats medical powders or pellets into liquid, mixes them as they move through a rotating screw, and shapes them as they exit through a mould. The material then cools and hardens into its final form. This process can use less heat energy and less solvent than traditional manufacturing methods. The project is using new artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to optimise the process. To achieve this, the project brings together a diverse group of research and innovation organisations, including a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Greece, a data modelling company in Serbia and a research institute in Thailand. The partners are combining their expertise to compare four machine learning models to identify which can best predict new pharmaceutical formulations using hot-melt extrusion. The project aims to deliver a proof of concept for greener pharmaceutical production.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly impacting our lives, affecting everything from healthcare to mobility, advanced manufacturing and city design. However, even though AI-supported decisions affect so many aspects of our lives, it is often difficult to know how it reaches its conclusions. That’s where the TUAI project comes in. It has assembled leading universities and research institutions from Italy, Norway, Poland and Spain to create a European research and training network ready to adapt to a rapidly evolving digital landscape. A key focus of the project is to develop responsible and trustworthy AI. The doctoral researchers participating in the project are working on ways to make the decisions behind AI results understandable and transparent. This is known as ‘explainable AI’. Their expertise covers everything from mathematics to data science and engineering, meaning that they are bringing diverse perspectives to this pressing problem. They are also working closely with industrial partners to make sure that AI is being designed to meet the real needs of society.

Batteries are crucial technologies for the energy transition: they are the most expensive component of an electric vehicle, and they are important to stabilise a grid powered by solar panels and windmills. Yet so many questions are still being challenged: how can we reduce the amount of critical raw materials in a battery? How can we improve their performance and their safety? How can we best optimise their manufacturing process and how should they be recycled? Over the past five years, the DESTINY project has been training 50 PhD candidates in frontier battery innovation. This includes rethinking how we discover and engineer battery materials, developing new uses for smart batteries, and working out how to best apply them in industry. The training doesn’t stop at technology. The PhD candidates also learn about personal effectiveness, research management and entrepreneurship. The project’s goals fit with the European Union’s strategic efforts to strengthen Europe’s battery sector, as reflected in initiatives such as the European Battery Alliance. The innovations developed by this next generation of battery researchers and engineers will help to reduce the production costs of Europe’s battery industry and create new job opportunities.