Client: Zukunftsfonds Steiermark

Projekt-Leader: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Kurt Zatloukal (MUG)

Partner: Medical University of Graz

Duration: 2017- 2018

Content: The centerpiece of the project is the design of a health avatar that can model the health of a person. In the future, such a "health twin" could be used to simulate biophysiological processes on the basis of medical parameters, environmental conditions and behavioral variables.

As an interface technology, health avatars create a new basis for medical action. A variety of parameters, including data from sensors, clinical data, molecular data, etc., can be evaluated integrally, the efficacy of treatments can be tested, and possible risk reports can be displayed for a targeted disease prevention. The potential of this technology is enormous and is developed and analyzed in this project in the context of "Healthy Ageing and Assisted Living".

The vision of comprehensive medical modeling through complex information technologies is a large-scale innovation project and also involves sensitive areas of life and privacy. Within the scope of the project, expert profiles and scenario workshops are used to characterize user profiles and to identify acceptance potentials as well as critically reflect them. On the basis of this, national and international R & D strategies are developed and innovation targets are formulated for Styrian companies. Through the interdisciplinary collaboration of social sciences and natural sciences, a knowledge base is to be provided, on the basis of which comprehensive medical modeling in silico can be tackled.

Further Information: http://modelling-health.at/

Contact:  Bernhard Wieser

Partner: Medical University of Graz, Graz University of Technology

Duration: 2012-2014

Content: 200 tumor tissues samples are analysed to determine whether a tumor is a homogeneous cluster of cells or a mosaic of different highly-differentiated tumor cells. For this purpose new sensory analysis and visualiziation techniques are applied. According to Karl Kashofer from the Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, the goal is „to predict the response to therapy in a better way“.

IFZ contributes with its interdisziplinary expertise. In such a way different perspectives of pathologists, oncologists and patients should be brought together to promote mutual understanding.

The project is funded by the Styrian funding line „Human – Technology – Interface: Sensor for Medical Application“. Results will be available within two years. 

Contact: Bernhard Wieser

More information

Sponsor: European Commission, 7^th Framework Programme

Duration: 4/2014-3/2018

Partner: Roger Alison Ltd (UK), Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) (Spain), LIS CONSULT (The Netherlands), Julius Kühn-Institut (Germany), University of Bratislava (Slovakia), SDLO-RIKILT Wageningen UR (The Netherlands), University of Veterinary Medicine (Germany).

Content: G-TwYST aims at developing guidance for conducting and interpreting long-term animal toxicity studies with genetically modified maize (NK603, MON810) and analyses the relevance and scientific value of such studies for the risk assessment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Animal studies in GMO risk assessment have been at the heart of several controversies within and outside the scientific domain. Although normally a purely scientific endeavour, these studies will, therefore, be opened for stakeholder scrutiny and input by making available to all interested parties research plans, draft results and conclusions, as well as raw data and by engaging stakeholder and external experts in planning and interpreting these studies and in drawing general conclusions. G-TwYST will, moreover, investigate the normative issues linked to the science in these conflicts and will use these results as inputs in the participation process.

The project is coordinated by the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover; STS is Work Package Leader for the participation process and Task Leader for the analysis of the conflicts on animal studies.

G-TwYST is linked to other FP7 projects presently ongoing at STS. GRACE conducts toxicity studies on animals in a participative setting, whereas PreSto develops a research agenda and implementation plan for a multinational research programme in the field of GMO risk assessment. This research programme will be implemented as an ERA-Net in the context of Horizon 2020.

Contact: Armin Spök

Duration: 9/2013-8/2014

Client: European Commission, FP7 (CSA)

Partners: ABI – Agrobioinstitute (Bulgaria), ANCS – The National Authority for Scientific Research (Romania), ANSES – Agence Nationale de Sécurite Sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail (France), BMBF – Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany), BMLFUW – Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (Austria), CRAG – Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (Spain), DLO – Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek (The Netherlands), ENEA – National agency for new technologies, Energy and sustainable economic development (Italy), EVD – Eidgenössisches Volkswirtschaftsdepartement – ART Reckenholz-Taenikon (Switzerland), FERA (The Food and Environment Research Agency) (United Kingdom), FORMAS – The Swedish Research Council (Sweden), Genius GmbH – Biotechnologie Beratung und Kommunikation (Germany), IHAR – The Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, National Research Institute (Poland), INRA – Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (France), JKI – Julius Kühn-Institut Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen, Institute for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology (Germany), JKI – Julius Kühn-Institut Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen, Data Processing Unit (Germany), JÜLICH – Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (Germany), TUBITAK – The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Turkey), UCSC – Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy), UNEW – University of Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom), UNIPR – Universita degli studi di Parma (Italy), UNOTT – The University of Nottingham (United Kingdom), VURV – Crop Research Institute (Czech Republic).

Content: The objective of the PreSto GMO ERA-Net project is to map out the steps needed to create and successfully implement an ERA-Net that will coordinate transnational research on human and animal health, environmental, techno-economic, and socio-economic impacts of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The focus will be on GMOs intentionally released into the environment and/or used immediately in feed and food applications. PreSto GMO ERA-Net brings together ministries, agencies, and funding bodies from different Members States and the scientific community to jointly prepare a strategic plan and roadmap for the implementation of the ERA-Net. In addition, the ERA-Net will explicitly take into account the wider views of a diversity of stakeholders and end-users (e. g. industry, farming organisations, civil society organisations, EU and national competent authorities, funding organisations, academia). This is intended to strengthen ownership of the ERA-Net among stakeholders in order to encourage participation of different scientific communities in the future joint transnational calls, to enhance collaboration between actors and to increase the accountability of research trajectories and outcomes.

The results of the project will form the basis for a robust ERA-Net proposal. In achieving this the project work will promote the accessibility of existing scientific information to interested stakeholders and end-users, lead to the harmonisation of research requirements and capacity building within Europe, complement international developments, contribute to a more efficient use of research funds internationally and identify how strategic collaboration can be used to respond to these future research and training needs through enhancement of durable partnerships.

The Graz unit of Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt is involved in two workpackages. It will lead a workpackage on stakeholder engagement and engage in another workpackage which will develop an implementation plan.

Contact: Armin Spök

Client: European Commission, FP7, large-scale collaborative project

Duration: 2012-2015

Partner: Aarhus Universitet (Denmark), Agrobioinstitute (Bulgaria), Centre de Recerca Agrigenòmica Consorci (CRAG) (Spain), Centre for European Policy Studies (Belgium), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (South Africa), Eidgenössisches Volkswirtschaftsdepartment (Switzerland), Freie Universität Berlin (Germany), Genius GmbH (Germany), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) (France), International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) (Italy), Julius Kühn-Institut (Germany), PERSEUS BVBA (Belgium), Slovenska Zdravotnicka Univerzita v Bratislave (Slovakia), Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek (SDLO-RIKILT) (Netherlands), Sweet Environmental Consultant (UK), Technische Universität München (Germany), United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) (USA).

Content: GRACE pursues two key research objectives: Firstly, it aims to provide comprehensive reviews of the existing evidence on the health, environmental and socio-economic impacts of GM plants – considering both risks and possible benefits. GRACE’s review strategy will go beyond what has been done before. Reviews will be conducted in a systematic, transparent and inclusive way based on procedures originally developed for evidence-based medicine (systematic reviews). The results will be made accessible to the public via an open access database and other channels.

Secondly, GRACE will test various types of animal feeding trials and alternative methods without the use of animals in order to determine how suitable they are and what useful scientific information they provide for health risk assessments of GM food and feed. At present there are different views at the EU level and between Member States on the need for and scientific value of such studies. The project will also check whether extended feeding trials can improve risk assessments compared to in-vitro, in-silico and omics methods available today.

Transparency and user and stakeholder involvement and scrutiny are key features of GRACE. The project will be working closely with representatives from a broad range of stakeholder organisations as well as with professional risk assessors and risk managers. This includes planning and preparing the research activities as well as discussing the results and drawing conclusions. For this purpose, the GRACE project will organise workshops and conduct interviews and surveys and prepare feed-back reports to ensure that the information and the views of stakeholders can feed into this project.

IFZ is leading the work package for user and stakeholder involvement and will also work on the core review process.

For more and updated information see GRACE-Website

Contact: Armin Spök

Simulating and Evaluating of better Regulation of Converging Technologies (SEBEROC)

Assessing Socioeconomic Impacts of GMOs – Issues to Consider for Policy Development

Client: Federal Ministry for Health, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment & Water Management

Duration: 2009-2010

Content: Market authorisation in the EU of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and derived food and feed is essentially informed by a scientific risk assessment. There appears to be regulatory leeway to consider other “legitimate factors” beyond human health and environmental risks, though, these issues have not yet been addressed in the decision making process. In November 2008 the EU Council of Environment Ministers agreed to further explore the possibility to explicitly consider socioeconomic issues.

The possible assessment of socioeconomic impacts in the GMO decision making process is a new issue which has neither been explored in the scientific literature nor in policy documents. Thus, the project aimed at supporting policy development in this area in Austria by identifying and characterising key issues associated to the topic. The study investigated the role of socioeconomic considerations in national GMO regulations and international law as well as the possibilities and limitations for establishing socioeconomic assessment at the EU level. By employing and extending on concepts of risk governance the study identified and investigated possible ‘set screws’ in a socioeconomic assessment process and thereby highlighted the importance of an explicit and agreed ‘impact assessment policy’. As a particular challenge, socioeconomic impacts and the normative basis applied in the assessment process as well as derived criteria, are likely to be specific for geographical, socio-cultural and economic regions. This is illustrated by highlighting some specific characteristic of the Austrian context. Based on these investigations conclusions are drawn and recommendations for policy development in Austria are provided.

Contact: Armin Spök

Doing ELSA: an empirical study of ELSA research in practice

Client: European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technology Studies (IPTS), Seville

Duration: 2007

In plant molecular farming (PMF) plants are genetically modified for the production of single substances, mostly biopharmaceuticals but also other substances of industrial interests such as food supplements, food and feed additives, diagnostics, fine chemicals.

PMF offers production of pharmaceuticals that would be needed in high-volumes at lower costs than presently used production systems applying mammalian cell lines and microbial fermentation. The fact that economic benefits would be greatest if using food crops in the open field cultivation has sparked a fierce debate in the USA and Canada. In recent years a considerable increase in R & D activities and interest in this technology could be observed in the EU.

The study will review technical, policy and socio-economic aspects of PMF. It will identify the companies active and the products in the pipeline, drivers of and possible obstacles to plant molecular farming will be investigated. The scope of the study is not limited to but focussing on R & D and policy activities in the USA, Canada and the EU.

Research report: ftp://ftp.jrc.es/pub/EURdoc/JRC43873.pdf

Contact: Armin Spök

MIKROREIN: Ökologische, gesundheitliche und rechtliche Aspekte von Reinigungsmitteln mit Mikroorganismen als Wirkprinzip (mikrobiologische Reiniger)

Empowering Women Engineers Careers in Industrial and Academic Research 

Client: 6^th Framework Programme, “Science & Society” Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP)

Partners: CDEFI – Conférence des Directeurs d’Ecoles et Formations d’Ingénieurs (Frankreich, Projekt-Koordination), Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan (Frankreich), INSA – Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (Frankreich), Bergische Universität Wuppertal (BRD), Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt – IFF/IFZ (Österreich), Technicka Univerzita Kosiciach (Slovakei), Edinburgh University (UK), Helsingin Yliopisto (Finnland), Centre d’Estudis Dona I Societat (Spanien), University of the Aegean (Griechenland), Uppsala Universitet (Schweden), Siauliu Universitetas (Litauen), Mihailo Pupin Institute (Serbien und Montenegro), Orel State Technical University (Russland), Centro de Estudios de la Mujer (Chile), Egalité des Chances dans les Etudes et la Profession d’Ingénieur en Europe (Frankreich), Consulting Engineers Hoeborn (BRD), Schlumberger Ltd. (Frankreich)

Duration: 2005-2007

Content: The aim of PROMETEA is to develop a better understanding of gender issues in engineering and technology research settings, in order to propose effective measures and recommendations to empower women engineers careers in academic and industrial research in Europe. A technological and economical sustainable development depends on the ability to promote a diverse and creative research sector, which is a key issue both in the European and in national research policies. This project will combine existing knowledge with new in-depth pilot studies on women engineers career progression linked to qualitative research work on the experiences of both women and men working in engineering and technology research, using cross-comparison as a research strategy and a longitudinal perspective. It will bring new perspectives on engineering and technology research in itself, with a focus on:

• Gender dynamics of male and female careers, comparisons between different fields of engineering and their interrelations, recruitment, full-time and part-time, survival curves and tenure, vertical segregation, pay gap, school to work transitions, work-life balance, double careers patterns.
• Differential effect of organisational cultures on male and female careers.
• Recognition of excellence in engineering and technology research, impact on female and male careers: the gate-keepers and gate-keeping in research funding committees, women’s and men’s success rates in research funding, analysis of scientific publishing and publicity, patents, experiences of “excellent women” at the top of technological research, prizes and awards in technology and engineering.
• Identification and evaluation of good practice.

The results will inform the funding bodies, scientific and technological societies, industrial R&D departments and other stakeholders towards greater gender awareness and fairness in recognizing scientific excellence in engineering and technology.

Contact: Christine Wächter

Client: GD Joint Research Centres, Institute for Prospective Technology Studies, Seville within the European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO)  

Partner: Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex; Biotechnology Policy Group, Open University, Milton Keynes; Women’s University Kyoto

Duration: 2005-2006

Contact: Armin Spök