Press Release: 3 excellent European projects share EUR 1m Descartes Prize for research

Three research projects financed by the European Commission were awarded a share of the €1m Descartes prize for Research at a ceremony in Brussels on 7 March 2007. The High Energy Stereoscopic System is a telescope system that has revolutionised existing astronomical observation techniques and increased our knowledge and understanding of the Milky Way and beyond. The Hydrosol project has developed a method of producing hydrogen from water-splitting, using the energy of the sun, which could lead to environmentally friendly production of hydrogen for energy purposes. The third project, APOPTOSIS, has made great strides in our understanding of apoptosis (programmed cell death), which will lead to new developments in future treatment of cancer and AIDS. The awards were given at a ceremony in Brussels, attended by the German Federal Minister for Education and Research, Dr Annette Schavan and European Science and Research Commissioner, Dr Janez Potocnik. The ceremony coincides with celebrations of the contribution of research to the European Union over the last 50 years.

European Commission: DG Communication: SPEECH/07/127 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/127&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr

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