As engineering, science\u00a0and technology continue\u00a0to push boundaries, the coming years could surprise us with self\u2011healing cities, robots that care and smarter defences against future pandemics. Here are five outlooks from some of Europe\u2019s leading researchers.<\/p>\n
Bio\u2011architecture \u2013 a return to nature<\/strong><\/p>\n Imagine a city where buildings are alive \u2013 structures that absorb pollution as people walk by and adapt through growth. Architect Phil Ayres believes this vision is within reach.<\/strong><\/p>\n He explains how recent advances in biohybrid architecture, from fungus\u2011based materials to climbing plants, are opening possibilities for sustainable design and reshaping our urban environments.<\/p>\n According to Ayres, a professor at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, our cities have largely been designed to serve a single species: humans. His work in biohybrid architecture points towards a future where other living organisms play an active role in the built environment, helping reconnect people with the natural world.<\/p>\n He has explored how organisms such as fungi (in the Fungateria and FUNGAR projects) and climbing plants (the flora robotica project) might function as architectural materials.<\/p>\n \u201cTraditional construction materials are usually mined, transported and processed at high temperatures before becoming durable building components,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe\u2019re investigating how living complexes could be leveraged as part of a building\u2019s fabric.\u201d<\/p>\n While fungal materials are not yet strong enough to replace concrete or steel, Ayres notes that buildings rely on many materials beyond these two.<\/p>\n If we begin to grow parts of our buildings \u2013 much like we grow trees \u2013 we could gain environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration and enhanced biodiversity. This approach could also extend beyond buildings to other forms of urban infrastructure.<\/p>\n Anybody walking through a modern city can see how small patches of greenery are overshadowed by vast expanses of concrete and steel.<\/p>\n Biohybrid architecture could also draw on forestry and agricultural waste, as well as byproducts from food and industrial processes, supporting a more circular economy. Living materials might even provide additional functions, such as filtering air or water, or repairing themselves when damaged.<\/p>\n As new materials emerge, we may need to rethink supply chains, construction methods and even the aesthetic possibilities of living, growing structures \u2013 ultimately creating spaces that reconnect us with the outdoors.<\/p>\n Prof Ayres acknowledges that the construction industry is cautious and slow to change; we have built in much the same way for a century. But research into living materials is advancing quickly.<\/p>\n Though these materials cannot yet serve as primary structural elements, future versions may offer the strength and durability needed to support entire buildings.<\/p>\n Quantum computing edges closer<\/strong><\/p>\n Quantum computing is moving steadily from the laboratory into everyday life. Italian electronics engineer Giulia Acconcia explains how European researchers are shifting from theory to practice \u2013 with major implications for data security and battery innovation.<\/strong><\/p>\n More companies in Europe are engaging with quantum technologies, a sign that quantum computers are edging closer to real\u2011world use, says Professor Giulia Acconcia of the Polytechnic University of Milan. She believes powerful quantum machines will soon tackle problems that today\u2019s supercomputers cannot.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past decade we\u2019ve seen real progress, but developments have accelerated in the last five years,\u201d she says. \u201cQuantum computers are poised to leave research labs and start influencing people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n In the EU\u2011funded QLASS project, her team is building a quantum computer using photons \u2013 tiny packets of light that travel faster than electrons and can encode more information.<\/p>\n \u201cThis lets us increase the amount of information transmitted inside the glass waveguides of a quantum computer,\u201d she explains. A photonic chip, she adds, looks like a miniature network of glass roads that photons race along.<\/p>\n One of the researchers\u2019 key goals is to use quantum computing to optimise battery design \u2013 a complex challenge involving many variables. Better optimisation could shorten electric vehicle charging times and enable cars to travel farther on smaller batteries.<\/p>\n Future users will not\u00a0need to operate quantum computers directly. Much like storing photos in the cloud, people will access quantum machines remotely and request complex calculations.<\/p>\n \u201cThese problems are so demanding that classical computers simply can\u2019t solve them within a reasonable time,\u201d says Prof Acconcia.<\/p>\n Hormone\u2011disrupting chemicals lurk everywhere<\/strong><\/p>\n Chemicals found in everyday products can quietly disrupt our bodies over time. Dutch toxicologist Majorie van Duursen, who studies risks to women\u2019s health, explains how better regulation \u2013 and smarter personal choices \u2013 could mitigate long\u2011term harm.<\/strong><\/p>\n Many chemicals can interfere with hormones and cause lasting health effects, warns van Duursen of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research in the EU\u2011funded FREIA initiative examined endocrine\u2011disrupting chemicals and their links to breast cancer, infertility, pregnancy complications, early menopause and endometriosis.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are gaining more insight into early life exposure to these chemicals. It\u2019s not always that \u2018the dose makes the poison\u2019, because it can matter more when you\u2019re exposed, even to very low doses. Hormones shape your body\u2019s blueprint and changing them can have long\u2011lasting effects.\u201d<\/p>\n Ongoing research is revealing the full extent of the problem, with studies showing that hormone disruption by chemicals leads to long\u2011term health issues, including conditions not recognised before, such as heart disease.<\/p>\n While it is impossible to avoid all chemicals, van Duursen stresses that individuals can still reduce their exposure. \u201cDon\u2019t buy cheap plastic toys online; they may come from countries with weaker regulations. Choose toys approved in the EU,\u201d she advises. \u201cDon\u2019t put plastic cookware in the microwave. And look for personal care products with fewer additives \u2013 we should ask which chemicals are truly needed.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 16,000 chemicals have been identified in plastics alone, highlighting the trade\u2011off between convenience and health. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to ban all chemicals \u2013 many are genuinely useful,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we lack crucial information about a large number of them, even in Europe. Current tests don\u2019t capture all health effects, so we need stronger regulation and safer material design from the start, instead of discovering problems only when it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n Home bots step closer to reality<\/strong><\/p>\n Picture a robot that helps an elderly person prepare meals, lifts heavy objects, or safely dismantles old gadgets. Slovenian robotics scientist Ale\u0161 Ude believes these scenarios may be closer than we think \u2013 but key challenges remain, such as equipping robots with the right levels of empathy and common sense.<\/strong><\/p>\n General\u2011purpose robots that assist at home or in hospitals may be possible within a decade, says Dr\u00a0Ude of the Jo\u017eef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, thanks largely to rapid advances in AI.<\/p>\n In the ReconCycle initiative, Dr Ude explored how robots could take apart a wide range of electronic devices for recycling.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost nobody except the rich has 24\u2011hour domestic help. Many people would pay considerably for such a robot,\u201d he says. Some pilot projects already use robots to support elderly patients in hospitals.<\/p>\n To operate in these environments, notes Dr Ude, robots will likely need a humanoid form: hospitals are built around human anatomy, and legs allow access to places wheeled robots cannot reach. They must also be extremely reliable, safe and robust enough to survive inevitable mishaps.<\/p>\n Traditional pre\u2011programming, which works for industrial robots, is unsuitable for the messy, unpredictable home environment. What robots lack is common sense \u2013 the ability to respond appropriately to unexpected events and avoid dangerous errors. Generative AI and neural networks, inspired by the human brain, are helping robots better navigate such uncertainty.<\/p>\n Dr Ude\u2019s team is also researching human\u2013robot collaboration. Communication has improved dramatically with large language models, but domestic or hospital robots will need to anticipate a person\u2019s intentions through their neural networks.<\/p>\n And if they are to care for sick or elderly people, a degree of empathy will be essential \u2013 something that remains an open challenge.<\/p>\n Robotic vacuum cleaners may be common today, but a useful domestic humanoid robot will need to handle many different tasks. What these robots will be capable of in 10 years is uncertain, says Dr Ude. But once the technology matures, widespread adoption in homes and hospitals is likely to follow quickly.<\/p>\n The next pandemic: Expect the unexpected<\/strong><\/p>\n What\u2019s next after Covid\u201119? Dutch virologist\u00a0Marion\u00a0Koopmans argues that vigilance, data and citizen science should drive Europe\u2019s fight against future outbreaks\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and explains why pandemics are seldom predictable.<\/strong><\/p>\n Another pandemic is inevitable, says Professor\u00a0Koopmans of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam.\u00a0We don\u2019t know when it will happen, where it will start or what form it will take \u2013 but we can still prepare.<\/p>\n Pandemics begin in uncertainty: in the earliest days, it is often unclear who becomes infected, how a pathogen spreads and how fast it moves. But\u00a0good data,\u00a0AI and contributions from ordinary citizens can help scientists and clinicians act earlier and more effectively.<\/p>\n When Covid\u201119 hit, Prof Koopmans was leading the\u00a0Versatile Infectious Diseases Observatory\u00a0(VEO), a project to design a future\u2011proof surveillance\u00a0system for emerging diseases.<\/p>\n \u201cCovid\u201119 was a high\u2011impact pandemic,\u00a0although\u00a0it could have been worse.\u00a0The start was messy because responding to a new disease is like building a ship while sailing it,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u201cIt takes time to get answers from studies, but rapid action is crucial.\u00a0As outbreaks are accelerating globally,\u00a0we need to stay alert and strengthen early warning systems.\u201d<\/p>\n Recent developments show why. \u201cWe\u2019ve just\u00a0seen an mpox outbreak emerge in a forested mining region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.\u00a0Outbreaks can start anywhere, and it\u2019s unrealistic to expect clinicians to test for every possible pathogen.\u00a0We need to get better at spotting anything unusual that warrants immediate investigation \u2013 especially in areas where risk is rising.\u201d<\/p>\n Those risks increase where humans come into contact with animals, creating opportunities for spillover.\u00a0VEO explored such scenarios by combining different types of data, for example, where migratory bird routes overlap with areas of dense poultry farming.<\/p>\n One big lesson from recent years, she says, is to expect the unexpected: the 2009 swine flu pandemic, for instance, emerged not in Asia, as widely assumed, but in South America.<\/p>\n \u201cOur studies have highlighted several possible pathways for emergence, ranging from bird flu and West Nile virus to diseases linked to melting permafrost, and infections that could spread rapidly through major cities.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Prof Koopmans hopes to see a global, integrated data repository drawing on scientific studies, public health surveillance and large\u2011scale environmental monitoring.\u00a0Citizens too can play a role by reporting unusual findings, such as dead birds or new mosquito sightings.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0also\u00a0exploring how\u00a0AI might flag potential signals from these sources, and how\u00a0broad genetic detection tools could uncover new\u00a0viruses in wildlife or livestock that may pose future risks.\u201d<\/p>\n