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Dutch venture capital fund manager LUMO Labs is launching a new €100mn fund for Europe’s impact-driven tech startups. Building on LUMO Lab’s existing investment strategy, the new Rise Fund will target startups that develop emerging technologies which align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The technologies include AI, blockchain, IoT, VR, and AR. Their application needs to serve LUMO Labs’s focus areas of SDGs: Good Health and Wellbeing, Quality Education, and Sustainable Cities & Communities, and Climate Action. The Rise Fund will also aim for more regional diversification beyond the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium where LUMO Labs is mostly…This story continues at The Next Web

Dutch venture capital fund manager LUMO Labs is launching a new €100mn fund for Europe’s impact-driven tech startups. Building on LUMO Lab’s existing investment strategy, the new Rise Fund will target startups that develop emerging technologies which align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The technologies include AI, blockchain, IoT, VR, and AR. Their application needs to serve LUMO Labs’s focus areas of SDGs: Good Health and Wellbeing, Quality Education, and Sustainable Cities & Communities, and Climate Action. The Rise Fund will also aim for more regional diversification beyond the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium where LUMO Labs is mostly…

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Europe is set to regain independent access to space tomorrow, July 9, when the long-awaited Ariane 6 rocket lifts off for the first time. The heavy-lift satellite launcher — commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) and made by ArianeGroup — was supposed to replace its predecessor, Ariane 5, right after its retirement a year ago. But a series of delays in developing Ariane 6, problems with the Vega-C small-lift launcher, and the loss of access to Russia’s Soyuz rockets following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, left Europe with no launch system of its own. As a result, for the…This story continues at The Next Web

Europe is set to regain independent access to space tomorrow, July 9, when the long-awaited Ariane 6 rocket lifts off for the first time. The heavy-lift satellite launcher — commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) and made by ArianeGroup — was supposed to replace its predecessor, Ariane 5, right after its retirement a year ago. But a series of delays in developing Ariane 6, problems with the Vega-C small-lift launcher, and the loss of access to Russia’s Soyuz rockets following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, left Europe with no launch system of its own. As a result, for the…

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ITER, set to be the world’s largest experimental fusion reactor, has been delayed yet again. The €25bn megaproject will only switch on in 2034, and start producing energy in 2039. That’s almost a decade later than originally planned.  Thirty-five nations including the UK, US, China, and Russia launched ITER in 2006 to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. But startups may end up beating them to it.  As private companies race to commercialise fusion energy, it’s increasingly clear that ITER will take on a more supporting role. But that doesn’t mean it’s obsolete. We chatted to some…This story continues at The Next Web

ITER, set to be the world’s largest experimental fusion reactor, has been delayed yet again. The €25bn megaproject will only switch on in 2034, and start producing energy in 2039. That’s almost a decade later than originally planned.  Thirty-five nations including the UK, US, China, and Russia launched ITER in 2006 to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. But startups may end up beating them to it.  As private companies race to commercialise fusion energy, it’s increasingly clear that ITER will take on a more supporting role. But that doesn’t mean it’s obsolete. We chatted to some…

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Amar Shar, the co-founder of British AI unicorn Wayve, has backed Oshen, a budding startup building miniature autonomous sailboats. The little robots could transform the way scientists monitor everything from ocean temperatures and waves to biodiversity. The Plymouth, UK-based startup was founded last year by Anahita Laverack and Ciaran Dowds, two young engineering graduates at Imperial College London.     The startup is building small solar-powered “seaborn satellites” that sail around the ocean gathering data. The little robots could make marine data acquisition more accessible than ever before.     “We want to do for the sea what smallsats did for space: revolutionise access…This story continues at The Next Web

Amar Shar, the co-founder of British AI unicorn Wayve, has backed Oshen, a budding startup building miniature autonomous sailboats. The little robots could transform the way scientists monitor everything from ocean temperatures and waves to biodiversity. The Plymouth, UK-based startup was founded last year by Anahita Laverack and Ciaran Dowds, two young engineering graduates at Imperial College London.     The startup is building small solar-powered “seaborn satellites” that sail around the ocean gathering data. The little robots could make marine data acquisition more accessible than ever before.     “We want to do for the sea what smallsats did for space: revolutionise access…

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Remember when during the 2017 crypto-craze a beverage company renamed itself  “Long Blockchain” and saw its stock price quintuple?  Today, much like back then, you’d be hard pressed to find a company that isn’t shouting from the rooftops about adopting the transformative technology du jour, i.e. artificial intelligence.  Those building AI tools and hardware are basking in investor and media attention, whereas those using them are quick to boast about driving evolution, optimisation, and productivity through cutting-edge technology.  In terms of impact on business and the world at large, AI is in a category of its own. Its seismic potential…This story continues at The Next Web

Remember when during the 2017 crypto-craze a beverage company renamed itself  “Long Blockchain” and saw its stock price quintuple?  Today, much like back then, you’d be hard pressed to find a company that isn’t shouting from the rooftops about adopting the transformative technology du jour, i.e. artificial intelligence.  Those building AI tools and hardware are basking in investor and media attention, whereas those using them are quick to boast about driving evolution, optimisation, and productivity through cutting-edge technology.  In terms of impact on business and the world at large, AI is in a category of its own. Its seismic potential…

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The EU today confirmed huge new tariffs for EVs imported from China. From Friday, provisional charges of between 17.4% and 37.6% will be imposed on the vehicles. The lowest level will apply to BYD, an automaker based in Shenzhen. Geely, which owns Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus, faces duties of 19.9%. SAIC, a Chinese state-owned carmaker, will receive the maximum 37.6%. Other companies will be subject to new tariffs of 20.8%, the weighted average. These fees will come on top of a 10% duty that was already in place. As a result, prices of EVs in Europe could increase. Beijing may…This story continues at The Next Web

The EU today confirmed huge new tariffs for EVs imported from China. From Friday, provisional charges of between 17.4% and 37.6% will be imposed on the vehicles. The lowest level will apply to BYD, an automaker based in Shenzhen. Geely, which owns Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus, faces duties of 19.9%. SAIC, a Chinese state-owned carmaker, will receive the maximum 37.6%. Other companies will be subject to new tariffs of 20.8%, the weighted average. These fees will come on top of a 10% duty that was already in place. As a result, prices of EVs in Europe could increase. Beijing may…

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ITER — which is set to become the world’s biggest fusion reactor, and one of history’s most expensive science experiments — has reached a key milestone on its mission to create a mini Sun on Earth. But despite the apparent progress, the megaproject has also been hit by yet more delays and surging costs.   Nineteen giant magnetic coils — each measuring 17 metres tall and weighing 360 tonnes — have finally been delivered to southern France, where ITER is being constructed.  The magnets will form a cage around a donut-shaped chamber called a tokamak. Here they will create a magnetic…This story continues at The Next Web

ITER — which is set to become the world’s biggest fusion reactor, and one of history’s most expensive science experiments — has reached a key milestone on its mission to create a mini Sun on Earth. But despite the apparent progress, the megaproject has also been hit by yet more delays and surging costs.   Nineteen giant magnetic coils — each measuring 17 metres tall and weighing 360 tonnes — have finally been delivered to southern France, where ITER is being constructed.  The magnets will form a cage around a donut-shaped chamber called a tokamak. Here they will create a magnetic…

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A new EU project plans to expand adventures in the cosmos with a suitably space-age technology: lasers. The INPHOMIR initiative is developing the lasers to enhance spacecraft sensors. By emitting tiny pulses of light, the devices could improve the precision of satellite navigation. Their accuracy stems from their resistance to the harsh conditions of space. When vicious fog and dust descend upon satellites, traditional sensors are often impeded. These disruptions can have severe impacts. A tiny measurement error can cause chaos to space missions — and cost millions of euros. Lasers provide a promising safeguard. Their ability to function in…This story continues at The Next Web

A new EU project plans to expand adventures in the cosmos with a suitably space-age technology: lasers. The INPHOMIR initiative is developing the lasers to enhance spacecraft sensors. By emitting tiny pulses of light, the devices could improve the precision of satellite navigation. Their accuracy stems from their resistance to the harsh conditions of space. When vicious fog and dust descend upon satellites, traditional sensors are often impeded. These disruptions can have severe impacts. A tiny measurement error can cause chaos to space missions — and cost millions of euros. Lasers provide a promising safeguard. Their ability to function in…

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Cowboy has made the ebike industry’s first foray into gaming.  The Belgian ebike maker has launched three games — Race, Burn, and Push — that allow you to battle it out with other riders on a range of real-life challenges.    In Race, you compete against another rider in a 500-metre sprint. Your first dual will be against a stranger with similar stats. But with every win, your opponent gets a little bit tougher.  Burn is an intense one minute calorie-burner, while Push tests your ability to keep pedalpower above a certain threshold for 15 seconds straight.   Races are not live for…This story continues at The Next Web

Cowboy has made the ebike industry’s first foray into gaming.  The Belgian ebike maker has launched three games — Race, Burn, and Push — that allow you to battle it out with other riders on a range of real-life challenges.    In Race, you compete against another rider in a 500-metre sprint. Your first dual will be against a stranger with similar stats. But with every win, your opponent gets a little bit tougher.  Burn is an intense one minute calorie-burner, while Push tests your ability to keep pedalpower above a certain threshold for 15 seconds straight.   Races are not live for…

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The UK leads Europe for generative AI patent filings — but Germany is closing the gap. That’s according to new data from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a UN agency that tracks patents. WIPO today released a report on 54,000 GenAI inventions from the decade ending in 2023. Over 25% of them emerged in the last year alone. The findings show that China has built a wide lead in the field. Across the decade, over 38,000 GenAI patents were filed by the country. That’s a whopping six times more than the second-place US, which filed 6,276. Rounding out the…This story continues at The Next Web

The UK leads Europe for generative AI patent filings — but Germany is closing the gap. That’s according to new data from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a UN agency that tracks patents. WIPO today released a report on 54,000 GenAI inventions from the decade ending in 2023. Over 25% of them emerged in the last year alone. The findings show that China has built a wide lead in the field. Across the decade, over 38,000 GenAI patents were filed by the country. That’s a whopping six times more than the second-place US, which filed 6,276. Rounding out the…

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