Illustration Photo: Fresno almond farmer Simon Sihota checks the moisture reading on his digital soil moisture content display. (credits: USDA NRCS / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Fresno almond farmer Simon Sihota checks the moisture reading on his digital soil moisture content display. (credits: USDA NRCS / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Space Exploration Masters winners. From space-friendly crops to high-tech propulsion systems, the Space Exploration Masters competition awarded disruptive ideas with prizes worth more than €500 000. Europe’s first and only space exploration competition welcomed new players to boost business and innovation beyond Earth’s orbit. The prizes were handed over at NewSpace Europe, an event focused on space industry and the economic opportunity of space held on 16 November 2017 in Luxembourg. Copyright Dominique Gaul / ESA

Illustration Photo: Space Exploration Masters winners. From space-friendly crops to high-tech propulsion systems, the Space Exploration Masters competition awarded disruptive ideas with prizes worth more than €500 000. Europe’s first and only space exploration competition welcomed new players to boost business and innovation beyond Earth’s orbit. The prizes were handed over at NewSpace Europe, an event focused on space industry and the economic opportunity of space held on 16 November 2017 in Luxembourg. Copyright Dominique Gaul / ESA

Photo d'illustration: Les lauréats des Masters de l'exploration spatiale. De la culture spatiale au système de propulsion high-tech, le concours Space Exploration Masters a récompensé des idées innovantes avec des prix de plus de 500 000 euros. Le premier et unique concours européen d'exploration spatiale a accueilli de nouveaux acteurs pour stimuler les affaires et l'innovation au-delà de l'orbite terrestre. Les prix ont été remis à NewSpace Europe, un événement axé sur l'industrie spatiale et l'opportunité économique de l'espace qui s'est tenu le 16 novembre 2017 à Luxembourg. Copyright Dominique Gaul / ESA

Illustration Photo: Blockchain (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Blockchain (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Solar panels power a water pump to bring irrigation water 68 meters from the river to the fields. (credits: Satyam Joshi / USAID / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Solar panels power a water pump to bring irrigation water 68 meters from the river to the fields. (credits: Satyam Joshi / USAID / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Transport control room (credits: IanVisits / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Transport control room (credits: IanVisits / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Aircraft (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Aircraft (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Environment (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Environment (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Mobile internet (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Mobile internet (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: A green laser shoots skyward as part of Sandia’s Laser Applications (LAZAP) project. LAZAP uses high-powered laser beams as part of a process to calibrate optical sensors on GPS and DSP satellites. (credits: Randy Montoya / Sandia Labs / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: A green laser shoots skyward as part of Sandia’s Laser Applications (LAZAP) project. LAZAP uses high-powered laser beams as part of a process to calibrate optical sensors on GPS and DSP satellites. (credits: Randy Montoya / Sandia Labs / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: SŽDC Balabenka Train Traffic Control Centre in Prague. (credits: IRITS Events Ltd. Photo: Richard Hadley / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Illustration Photo: SŽDC Balabenka Train Traffic Control Centre in Prague. (credits: IRITS Events Ltd. Photo: Richard Hadley / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Big Data (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Big Data (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Wooden building in China (credits: shankar s. / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Wooden building in China (credits: shankar s. / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Auditor D. Michael Ingram from Green Collar Crew uses a digital micromanometer to check airflow from a gas water heater, as part of a home energy audit. (credits: Andy Harper / EE Image Database / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Auditor D. Michael Ingram from Green Collar Crew uses a digital micromanometer to check airflow from a gas water heater, as part of a home energy audit. (credits: Andy Harper / EE Image Database / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: e-payment (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: e-payment (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Delivery Status Widget for keeping track of the packages coming in AND the packages sent out. (credits: criana / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Delivery Status Widget for keeping track of the packages coming in AND the packages sent out. (credits: criana / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Voting session at the European Parliament. The EU is a community of 27 countries, whose unity and diversity is expressed via 23 official languages, as well as plethora of other national, regional and local languages. For 2006 the cost of translation in all EU institutions is estimated at €800 million, in 2005: the total cost of interpretation was almost €190 million. (credits: European Parliament / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CreativeCommons licenses)

Illustration Photo: Voting session at the European Parliament. The EU is a community of 27 countries, whose unity and diversity is expressed via 23 official languages, as well as plethora of other national, regional and local languages. For 2006 the cost of translation in all EU institutions is estimated at €800 million, in 2005: the total cost of interpretation was almost €190 million. (credits: European Parliament / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CreativeCommons licenses)

Illustration Photo: Open data (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Open data (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: National Grid's Control Room (credits: National Grid / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: National Grid's Control Room (credits: National Grid / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: First qbee satellite from Open Cosmos, the qb01 currently in orbit. Open Cosmos is a start-up from ESA Business incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Harwell providing a one-stop-shop to put a nanosatellite in orbit. Copyright Open Cosmos

Illustration Photo: First qbee satellite from Open Cosmos, the qb01 currently in orbit. Open Cosmos is a start-up from ESA Business incubation Centre (ESA BIC) Harwell providing a one-stop-shop to put a nanosatellite in orbit. Copyright Open Cosmos

Illustration Photo: Drilling platform (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Drilling platform (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: TerraSentia, a new lightweight, low-cost agricultural robot (credits: Claire Benjamin / University of Illinois / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: TerraSentia, a new lightweight, low-cost agricultural robot (credits: Claire Benjamin / University of Illinois / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: HPC (credits: elenavataga / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: HPC (credits: elenavataga / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration of Flaperon device. Note that fittings are not included in the work package (credit: European Commission)

Illustration of Flaperon device. Note that fittings are not included in the work package (credit: European Commission)

Illustration Photo: Avionics (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Avionics (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Airplane's cockpit (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Airplane's cockpit (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Photo d'illustration: Le cockpit d'un avion (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Nestlé Japan is pioneering a new consumer engagement model using the robot ‘Pepper’, which responds to human emotions, to sell Nescafé products. (credits: Nestlé / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Nestlé Japan is pioneering a new consumer engagement model using the robot ‘Pepper’, which responds to human emotions, to sell Nescafé products. (credits: Nestlé / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Smart meter (credits: Lloyd DeGrane / Midwest Energy News / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Smart meter (credits: Lloyd DeGrane / Midwest Energy News / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: 5G Testbed at L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain (credits: Roberto Pla / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: 5G Testbed at L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain (credits: Roberto Pla / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Supercomputer in a datacenter (credits: Quinn Dombrowski / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Supercomputer in a datacenter (credits: Quinn Dombrowski / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Illustration Photo: RoboCup 2013 (credits: Jiuguang Wang http://www.robo.guru / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Illustration Photo: RoboCup 2013 (credits: Jiuguang Wang http://www.robo.guru / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Illustration Photo: 3D printed collar (credits: Jake Marsico / Madeline Gannon / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: 3D printed collar (credits: Jake Marsico / Madeline Gannon / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Photo d'illustration: Collier imprimé par l'impression 3D (credits: Jake Marsico / Madeline Gannon / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Light-weight bio-based structures (credits: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Light-weight bio-based structures (credits: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Biodegradable Packaging Kingdom Fresh Tomatoes (credits: Produce Marketing Association / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Biodegradable Packaging Kingdom Fresh Tomatoes (credits: Produce Marketing Association / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: AFEX-treated GLBRC corn stover before enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis is the breaking down of cellulose polymers into monomeric and oligomeric sugars using cellulase enzymes. (credits: Tyler Wittkopp / Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: AFEX-treated GLBRC corn stover before enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis is the breaking down of cellulose polymers into monomeric and oligomeric sugars using cellulase enzymes. (credits: Tyler Wittkopp / Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Microorganisms such as algae are among the world’s smallest chemical factories. They produce metabolites, which are valuable raw materials for the chemical industry. BASF already uses the algae Dunaliella salina in Australia to produce β-carotene for food additives. (credits: BASF / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Microorganisms such as algae are among the world’s smallest chemical factories. They produce metabolites, which are valuable raw materials for the chemical industry. BASF already uses the algae Dunaliella salina in Australia to produce β-carotene for food additives. (credits: BASF / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Bacteria to fight tooth decay (credits: BASF / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Bacteria to fight tooth decay (credits: BASF / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: When the Ashbya gossypii fungus was first described in 1926, the tiny filamentous fungus was regarded with suspicion: as a tropical plant pest. Cotton plants that it infested no longer grew properly and citrus fruits dried out. But Ashbya gossypii can also make a positive contribution to the health of humans and animals. If vegetable oil as well as other nutrients are added to it, it produces vitamin B2, which is of key importance for many animals. It helps the human and animal organism to convert proteins, fats and starches into energy. At BASF the vitamin is produced via fermentation in special stirred tank reactors made of stainless steel. Here the temperature, pH value and ventilation are adjusted to suit the fungus so that it produces as much vitamin B2 as possible. BASF produces more than 1,000 metric tons of the vitamin annually and processes it, for example, into the animal feed additive Lutavit® SG 80. (credits: BASF / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: When the Ashbya gossypii fungus was first described in 1926, the tiny filamentous fungus was regarded with suspicion: as a tropical plant pest. Cotton plants that it infested no longer grew properly and citrus fruits dried out. But Ashbya gossypii can also make a positive contribution to the health of humans and animals. If vegetable oil as well as other nutrients are added to it, it produces vitamin B2, which is of key importance for many animals. It helps the human and animal organism to convert proteins, fats and starches into energy. At BASF the vitamin is produced via fermentation in special stirred tank reactors made of stainless steel. Here the temperature, pH value and ventilation are adjusted to suit the fungus so that it produces as much vitamin B2 as possible. BASF produces more than 1,000 metric tons of the vitamin annually and processes it, for example, into the animal feed additive Lutavit® SG 80. (credits: BASF / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Lobster processing plant in Cervantes, Western Australia, Australia (credits: Kristina D.C. Hoeppner / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Lobster processing plant in Cervantes, Western Australia, Australia (credits: Kristina D.C. Hoeppner / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Small Holder coffee farmer José Alonso Benítez, 40, treats his coffee waste waters with ashes to make them usable for irrigation or to make foliar fertilizers for his coffee farm located at El Zarzal community, Intibucá, Honduras. (credits: Maren Barbee / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Small Holder coffee farmer José Alonso Benítez, 40, treats his coffee waste waters with ashes to make them usable for irrigation or to make foliar fertilizers for his coffee farm located at El Zarzal community, Intibucá, Honduras. (credits: Maren Barbee / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: The Center for Nano- and Micro-Manufacturing provides the campus community with a full spectrum of state-of-the-art micro-nanofabrication technologies, processes, and services. Specifically, the Center enables nanometer-scale lithography, deposition, etching, and characterization capabilities for leading-edge research in advanced materials, electronics, optics and biomedical devices. (credits: UC Davis College of Engineering / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: The Center for Nano- and Micro-Manufacturing provides the campus community with a full spectrum of state-of-the-art micro-nanofabrication technologies, processes, and services. Specifically, the Center enables nanometer-scale lithography, deposition, etching, and characterization capabilities for leading-edge research in advanced materials, electronics, optics and biomedical devices. (credits: UC Davis College of Engineering / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers help reduce food waste by developing new ways to extend food shelf life and by creating new food products, biobased plastics, and animal feed from food waste. (credits: USDA photo by Stephen Ausmus. / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers help reduce food waste by developing new ways to extend food shelf life and by creating new food products, biobased plastics, and animal feed from food waste. (credits: USDA photo by Stephen Ausmus. / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Malyn banknote paper factory (credits: Julia Berezovska / Press office National Bank Of Ukraine / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Malyn banknote paper factory (credits: Julia Berezovska / Press office National Bank Of Ukraine / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Cold storage facilities for potatoes in Bamyan (Afghanistan) has provided extra income for farmers allowing them to purchase solar power panels to bring light and connectivity into their homes. (credits: Asian Development Bank / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Cold storage facilities for potatoes in Bamyan (Afghanistan) has provided extra income for farmers allowing them to purchase solar power panels to bring light and connectivity into their homes. (credits: Asian Development Bank / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Drop of water (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Drop of water (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: A Wafer of the Latest D-Wave Quantum Computers (credits: Steve Jurvetson / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: A Wafer of the Latest D-Wave Quantum Computers (credits: Steve Jurvetson / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Drone uses in Life saving Operation (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Drone uses in Life saving Operation (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Brookhaven’s Dmitry Polyansky is examining a vial containing a specialized catalyst designed to help convert solar energy into fuel. Producing clean-burning hydrogen fuel from just sunlight and water requires custom-built catalysts for water oxidation—the part of the water-splitting process that generates oxygen atoms. A tiny amount of the solid catalyst, developed in collaboration with the University of Houston, dissolves and turns the water that lovely shade of blue. The hardware behind Polyansky includes lasers used to study and later improve the catalytic process in these promising materials. (credits: Brookhaven National Laboratory / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Brookhaven’s Dmitry Polyansky is examining a vial containing a specialized catalyst designed to help convert solar energy into fuel. Producing clean-burning hydrogen fuel from just sunlight and water requires custom-built catalysts for water oxidation—the part of the water-splitting process that generates oxygen atoms. A tiny amount of the solid catalyst, developed in collaboration with the University of Houston, dissolves and turns the water that lovely shade of blue. The hardware behind Polyansky includes lasers used to study and later improve the catalytic process in these promising materials. (credits: Brookhaven National Laboratory / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Truman Fellow Anne Ruffing looks at a flask of cyanobacteria with precipitated fatty acid floating on top. She has engineered two strains of cyanobacteria to produce free fatty acids, a precursor to fuels, as she studies the direct conversion of carbon dioxide into biofuels by photosynthetic organisms. (credits: Sandia Labs / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Truman Fellow Anne Ruffing looks at a flask of cyanobacteria with precipitated fatty acid floating on top. She has engineered two strains of cyanobacteria to produce free fatty acids, a precursor to fuels, as she studies the direct conversion of carbon dioxide into biofuels by photosynthetic organisms. (credits: Sandia Labs / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Marine Plastic Pollution (credits: vaidehi shah / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))