GATHERING EUROPEAN INNOVATORS

Sometimes, the most meaningful innovations begin with a quiet question rather than a grand plan. A moment of reflection, a sense that the tools you already have could be used for something more important.

What if damaged nerves could be guided to heal, rather than left to struggle on their own? What if materials could speak to cells using electrical signals, structure and chemistry? These reflections stayed with Paula Marques for years, quietly shaping the idea that would eventually become NeuroStimSpinal, a European project aimed at rethinking how spinal cord repair might one day be possible.

Single system that both captures and transforms CO₂ into useful fuels is an environmental and energy challenge win-win. A European innovation in ‘double active’ membranes could redefine how waste carbon emissions can be turned into energy.

What does it mean for a machine to be aware? For Luc Steels, it is not just a philosophical question, but a practical challenge that shapes the very future of artificial intelligence.