The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2016 was jointly awarded to three European researchers: Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa for the design and synthesis of molecular machines. From 2005 to 2008, Jean-Pierre Sauvage participated in the MOLDYNLOGIC project funded by the Future & Emerging Technologies (FET) programme.

The 2016 Nobel Prize laureates in Chemistry have shaped the world's smallest machines by developing molecules with controllable movements taking chemistry to a new dimension.

The Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Open scheme supports the early stages of the science and technology research and innovation around new ideas towards radically new future technologies. How many participants does a typical FET Open project have? Which disciplines receive funding? What is the SME involvement in FET Open projects? This and other information on the first FET Open call 2014-15 is now available.

Which of today’s emerging technologies have a chance at solving a big problem and opening up new opportunities?

The 10 Breakthrough Technologies on this list, published in the MIT Technology Review, all reached an impressive milestone in the past year or are on the verge of reaching one.

FET Open continues to foster early-stage research for radically new technological possibilities. It supports promising novel ideas from all technological areas without prescribing any theme. Funding is available for Research and Innovation Actions as well as for Coordination and Support Actions.

The online consultations on FET Proactive, FET Flagships and Mathematics are closed and the results are now available. What's next?

The public online consultation on future FET Proactive initiatives was held in spring 2016. It is one of the inputs for the preparation of the next work programme for FET, covering the last three years of Horizon 2020 (2018-2020). To get there, the future FET Proactive lines of research will be fixed by the end of 2016, with a work programme text to be finalised before summer 2017. The consultation thus provides a timely snapshot of what is 'hot' and upcoming in terms of future technologies.