01 Oct Recommendations for an AI Strategy in Switzerland
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in - Classification of themes - All, - Member Academies - All, Biotechnologies, Communications to the Academy by its members, Ethics, Other, Research, Technologies, Innovation and Employment, Society and Technology, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)
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Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)
October 2019
Authors: Alessandro Curioni, Lukas Czornomaz, Joachim Buhmann, Ernst Hafen, Manuel Kugler, Hervé Bourlard, Jana Koehler, Matthias Kaiserswerth, Anika Schumann
Main themes: artificial intelligence
Digital transformation is radically reshaping almost every aspect of our society. The explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics applications is enabled by the extreme availability of data in combination with the substantial computing power of modern highly distributed computing infrastructures connected by high-speed networks. Machine learning technologies can be trained to perform specific tasks with an efficiency and an accuracy that can supplement and, in some cases, outperform that of humans. These systems provide deep insights by learning from data and interactions with users, which is already leading to a profound transformation of numerous industries, professions, and society at large. The current state of AI is, however, still far from delivering truly intelligent behaviour that is comparable to human intelligence. An AI research strategy should therefore carefully analyse AI’s history with its various waves of large promises and conceptual shortcomings. Leading Swiss experts in AI have published their recommendations for a Swiss AI strategy. They advocate more intensive use of the technology and the creation of national data platforms, as data is a prerequisite for powerful algorithms.
08 Août Factsheet Bioplastics
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in - Classification of publications - All, - Classification of themes - All, - Member Academies - All, Academy’s advice and position paper, Research, Technologies, Innovation and Employment, Society and Technology, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)
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Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)
August 2019
Authors: Roger Marti, Hans-Peter Meyer, Manfred Zinn
Main themes: plastic, bioplastic, biopolymers
Nature of publication: factsheet
The first plastic, invented in the second half of the 19th century, was celluloid, produced from nitrocellulose and camphor. Bakelite was the first plastic based on repeating and identical building blocks, so-called monomers. Due to its unrivalled characteristics, Bakelite quickly found use in the rapidly growing automotive and electrical industries. Since then, “plastic” has been a major success and is found in practically all aspects of human life and in high-tech applications. The problem of plastic is related to its advantage: durability. It does not degrade completely, instead breaking down into ever smaller micro- and nanoparticles whose fate and influence on ecosystems are not yet clear. Is bioplastic a solution? The first SATW Innovation Forum on “Biopolymers” took place in November 2018. Invited stakeholders from academic research institutions, industry and administration discussed the current situation and possible shortcomings in Switzerland and charted possible scenarios for development. The publication shows why plastic has become a problem, what bioplastics are, and whether it needs regulation.
16 Juil Making sense of science for policy under conditions of complexity and uncertainty
How can we provide good science advice to European Commission policymakers, based on available evidence, under conditions of scientific complexity and uncertainty?
15 Juil Transforming the future of ageing
What policies at the EU level could support the Member States in achieving inclusive, fair and sustainable systems of health and social care and promote the taking-up of innovation for ageing societies?
14 Juil A scientific perspective on microplastics in nature and society
The best available evidence suggests that microplastics and nanoplastics do not pose a widespread risk to humans or the environment, except in small pockets. But that evidence is limited, and the situation could change if pollution continues at the current rate.
13 Juil Authorisation for plant protection products in Europe
This report examines the methods and procedures for assessing potential harmful effects on human health from the use of plant protection products, and the ways in which the current authorisation processes could be improved from a scientific perspective.
12 Juil Novel carbon capture and utilisation technologies: research and climate aspects
CCU technologies extract CO2 from concentrated sources or directly from the air, and use it as a raw material. Key technological challenges must be tackled in collecting and purifying CO2 from different sources, in synthesising green-hydrogen, and in converting CO2 to fuels and chemicals.
11 Juil Food from oceans
According to the evidence, the only way to obtain significantly more food and biomass sustainably from the ocean is to harvest seafood from a lower trophic level (lower in the food chain) than we currently harvest.
09 Juil Proceedings of Seminaries (CREA Exhibition Verona, 21st October 2009 Streaming proceedings Bioenergy Expo, Verona 5 February 2010)
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CNR, INFN, ITT and Politecnico di Torino consortium 2010The aim of the European Parliament’s “climate-energy pack”, whose target is to increase up to 20% renewable energy consumptions within the 2020, attributes to biomass a basic role in the future energy scenarios. Therefore, the use of bioenergies represents, currently, an interesting opportunity not only for environmental and economic benefits, but also for a local development. The seminar illustrates the present opportunities to develop the three energy chains of wood biomass, biogas and liquid biofuels, as well as to illustrate some of the most interesting experiences realised in Regione Veneto. During the seminar, much time is devoted to the presentation of two softwares, realised by Itabia and CRPA, for the feasibility evaluation and the technical-economic analysis concerning the realisation of energy conversion plants, with particular attention to biogas. production.