With 27 million works accessible free of charge on the web, Europeana is Europe’s major digital library. The National Library of Luxembourg is the main partner of this project in Luxembourg. By working on the issues of the rights and metadata related to these works, the BnL is facilitating the exchange of digital works and knowledge via this catalyst for innovation.

It is not only cinemagoers who find it irritating to have to wear 3D glasses to see the latest blockbuster. Doctors performing laparoscopic surgery find them even more frustrating. Realising the severity of the problem, Luxembourg-based Neo Medical Systems’ CEO François Scalais accepted the challenge: develop a system that provides 3D laparoscopic images in operating rooms without the drawbacks of traditional 3D glasses.

While the physicists operating the particle accelerator at CERN may be dominating the headlines, scientists at the University of Luxembourg are doing research that will have a more immediate impact on our everyday lives. From creating algorithms that describe the desired properties of plastics to developing cheaper and more eco-friendly cells for solar panels, researchers in the Grand Duchy are working with materials that have a real potential to change our world.

When asked about electric vehicles, most people think of electric cars such as the Peugeot iOn or the Nissan Leaf or the Chevrolet Volt. Or perhaps they are familiar with the hybrid buses used in the City of Luxembourg. However, e-vehicles cover a much broader range of transport, including boats, trains, planes, trams and scooters, in addition to cars, buses and trucks. The essential component of these vehicles is their battery, which is where Luxembourg-based company Cleancarb and its CEO Peter Dooley are working to improve performance and sustainability.

Agilis Engineering s’est établie il y a 3 ans quand 3 entrepreneurs ont identifié un potentiel pour le nettoyage de pièces en graphite de machines haute-température telles que des fourneaux. Cette approche limite le besoin d’acquérir de nouveaux composants et sous-tend

DuPont de Nemours has been running a broad range of activities from Luxembourg for 50 years, developing and producing polyester films and elastomer polymers as well as non-woven and spunbonded products. The company creates sustainable solutions used in home construction, electronics, chemical protection, medical packaging, transportation, road construction and landscaping, to name just a few of its key markets. It is the fourth industrial player in Luxembourg, and it continues to hone its competitive edge through ongoing innovation and research.

Yappoint, one of the winners in the 1, 2, 3 GO innovation contest in 2011, has developed an interactive, multilingual appointments management platform. Selected last summer by the Ministry of the Economy and Foreign Trade within the partnership set up with the business accelerator Plug and Play, the start-up was offered a three month stay in California in the heart of Silicon Valley. A unique experience which has allowed the young company to redefine its priorities.

“Nearly anyone can make float glass. However, we have the technology to give it new properties so that it can be used in increasingly diverse ways.” It is the job of Hubert Kopf, Sales and Marketing Director for Guardian Europe, to showcase the R&D work that is conducted in Luxembourg: taking the base technologies developed by the US parent company and adapting them, notably to address the challenges of the local market. This formula has been working well since 1989, the year when the group opened its only R&D centre outside the United States.

Learning to understand the ebb and flow of proteins within a patient would revolutionise medical science. Luxembourg may not have the financial clout to match the billions being invested in proteomics research around the world, but the country’s mixture of openness and flexibility are unique. Renowned specialist Bruno Domon was recruited to exploit the Grand Duchy’s exciting research opportunities by founding the Luxembourg Clinical Proteomics (LCP) Initiative in 2010.

Specialising in the manufacture of plastic parts by rotational moulding since 2003, the Luxembourg company Rotomade has been growing rapidly since 2010. The secret of its success? The manufacture in collaboration with a sewerage and waste water treatment expert of a septic tank which is right now the most efficient on the market. The company markets it around the world through its subsidiary Biorock.