Professor of Theoretical Physics Risto Paatelainen from the University of Turku in Finland has spent nearly ten years working on a single unanswered question in particle physics. He aims to find out whether so-called quark matter can form under the extreme densities found in neutron stars. The answer is getting close.

Operations underground, for example in underground stations, tunnels or mines, are risky and difficult for rescue teams. This is especially true if the technical infrastructure has collapsed due to explosions or fire, and there are no mobile phone signals, electricity, light, Wi-Fi or GNSS, while smoke, debris and damaged paths make orientation even more difficult. In the NIKE MATE project, funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), a research team consisting of Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), the University of Leoben, the Federal Ministry of Defence, OHB Austria and the Laabmayr Engineering Office has developed a system for such missions. It combines sensor data from robots and rescue teams with a self-built UWB (ultra-wideband) network. This creates a dynamic map of the environment in which the team can locate and coordinate itself.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville neuroscientist Keerthi Krishnan studies how genes, especially MECP2, shape brain plasticity across development and disease. Using cellular, behavioral, and machine learning tools, her lab examines how disrupted communication among diverse brain cells contributes to disorders like Rett syndrome, aiming to preserve or restore plasticity and improve neurological outcomes.

The Versatile Neutron Imaging Instrument (VENUS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source has officially opened to users, demonstrating major advances in fast, high‑precision 3D neutron imaging. Early experiments led by Stuart Miller and Dayakar Penumadu validated a new dual‑camera system and transparent scintillator technology that boosts detection efficiency by 10–100× and sharply improves spatial resolution. Their results mark a milestone for neutron imaging, enabling clearer insights into materials—from composites to complex engineered systems—and underscoring VENUS’s role as a next‑generation tool for researchers across science and engineering.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP Power) have jointly developed a smart “Generator Inspection Robot”. By integrating robotics with fibre-optic sensing technology for generator inspections, the project overcomes traditional manual inspection limitations, significantly enhancing the efficiency of inspections and operational safety. The project won a Gold Medal and a special prize—Best International Invention & Innovation, from the National Research Council of Thailand—at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. This international recognition testifies to the achievements of PolyU and CLP Power in fostering industry-academia-research collaboration, injecting momentum into Hong Kong’s development in innovative technology and research talent.

Kaisa Huhta has been appointed Professor of Energy Law at the University of Eastern Finland.

The Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM, President Seog-Hyeon Ryu) has expanded international joint research in carbon-free energy technologies and reliability engineering through cooperation with leading research institutions in Germany, a global powerhouse in manufacturing technology, while strengthening its global research collaboration network across Europe and laying the foundation for future cooperation in advanced machinery technologies.