SCI's Daily Digest: your one-stop shop for all of the day's news in science based industry
In today's Daily Digest, the UKRI is providing £10 million in funding for research into antimicrobial resistance, Syngenta has released a hybrid winter feed barley variety, and more.
Innovation
The UK government’s Frontier AI Taskforce is setting up an AI safety research team to assess risks in cutting edge AI development. The research which will be carried out in partnership will be presented at the government’s AI Safety Summit taking place in November.
According to a study from the EPO and the EUIPO, European startups applying for patents and/or patents during their initial seed or early-stage growth are up to 10.2 time more likely to secure funding from investors.
Environment
The UK government has used a speech at the Carbon Capture & Storage Association Annual Conference to say that the UK can lead the world in safely capturing and storing carbon dioxide. Secretary of State Claire Coutinho added that the government will be publishing a vision for the CCUS sector later this year.
The European Investment Bank is providing €6.6 billion in funding to support investment in energy and climate action. Amongst other things the funds will support the construction of two photovoltaic plants in Spain, as well as the upgrade of water networks and wastewater treatment in Italy and the Czech Republic.
Health
UKRI is providing £10 million in funding, over two stages, for research into antimicrobial resistance. The initial funding of £3 million will allow research groups to set up transdisciplinary networks which can look at issues such as the impact of climate change on AMR, and development of new technologies or common frameworks for data collection.
The WHO has released a publication listing key regulatory consideration on AI for health. It emphasises the importance of establishing the safety of AI systems and fostering dialogue among stakeholders.
Energy
Earlier this month the International Energy Agency convened a workshop on low emissions transport fuels to decarbonise shipping and aviation. Participants discussed key priorities for scaling up production of low emissions fuels and ensuring sustainability of supply chains on a life cycle basis.
Fischer Tropsch technology jointly developed by BP and Johnson Matthey has been selected for EDL HyKero power-to-liquids sustainable aviation fuel plant being built in Leipzig, Germany. The facility will have a capacity of 50 000 tpa.
Agriscience
Syngenta has launched a hybrid winter feed barley variety, available for planting this autumn, which provides enhanced defence against winter barley diseases.
Other news
The European Commission has carried out unannounced antitrust inspections at the premises of companies active in the construction chemicals sector across several Member States. The Commission has concerns that the inspected companies may have violated EU anti-trust that prohibit cartels and restricted practices. The inspections were carried out in collaboration with a number of authorities including the UK Competition and Markets Authority.