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Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: National Critical Mineral Mission

    Source: Government of India

    National Critical Mineral Mission

    Powering India’s Clean Energy Future

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 6:33PM by PIB Delhi

    Introduction

    The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. Under this mission, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31.

    A committee formed by the Ministry of Mines in November 2022 identified 30 critical minerals, with 24 included in Part D of Schedule I of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, 1957 (MMDR Act, 1957). The inclusion of 24 critical minerals in Part D of the First Schedule of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) means that the Central Government now has the exclusive authority to auction mining leases and composite licenses for these specific minerals.

    It also recommended setting up a Centre of Excellence on Critical Minerals (CECM) to regularly update the mineral list and guide strategy.

    Critical minerals are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, India launched the NCMM to ensure their long-term availability and processing.

    Critical minerals are essential for a country’s economic development and national security, and their lack of availability or concentration in a few geographical locations can lead to supply chain vulnerabilities.

     

    Usage of Critical Minerals

    Critical minerals are essential components of various clean energy technologies and industries. Their importance can be highlighted across different sectors:

    1. Solar energy

    • Critical minerals such as silicon, tellurium, indium, and gallium are vital for the production of photovoltaic (PV) cells used in solar panels.
    • India’s current solar capacity of 64 GW is heavily dependent on these minerals.

    2. Wind energy

    • Rare earth elements like dysprosium and neodymium are used in permanent magnets for wind turbines.
    • India aims to increase its wind energy capacity from 42 GW to 140 GW by 2030, necessitating a stable supply of these minerals.

    3. Electric vehicles (EVs)

    • Lithium, nickel, and cobalt are key materials used in lithium-ion batteries.
    • Under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), India plans to deploy 6–7 million EVs by 2024, leading to increased demand for these critical minerals.

    4. Energy storage

    • Lithium-ion batteries used in advanced energy storage systems depend on lithium, cobalt, and nickel.

     

    Objectives of NCMM

    1. To secure India’s critical mineral supply chain by ensuring mineral availability from domestic and foreign sources.
    2. Strengthening the value chains by enhancing technological, regulatory, and financial ecosystems to foster innovation, skill development, and global competitiveness in mineral exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing, and recycling.

     

    Mission Output

     

    Mission Objectives

    Key Heads

    Target (2024-25 to 2030-31)

    Securing Domestic and Foreign Sourcing

    Domestic Critical Mineral Exploration Projects-Projects aimed at identifying and evaluating domestic reserves of critical minerals.

    1200

    Foreign Critical Mineral Mines – PSUs

    Exploration and acquisition of overseas mineral assets by Public Sector Undertakings.

    26

    Foreign Critical Mineral Mines – Private Entities-Facilitation and support for private firms to acquire critical mineral assets abroad.

    24

    Incentive Scheme for Recycling (kt)

    Scheme to promote recovery of critical minerals from secondary sources like scrap and waste

    400

    Strengthening Value Chains

    Patents in Critical Mineral Value Chain

    Encouraging innovation through development of patents across the critical mineral lifecycle.

    1000

    Skill Development

    Training and upskilling workforce to support activities in mining, processing, and R&D.

    10000

    Mineral Processing Parks

    Dedicated zones for processing critical minerals with modern infrastructure and facilities.

    4

    Centre of Excellence

    Institutions established for advanced research and technological development in the sector.

    3

    Mineral Stockpile (Cumulative)

    Strategic reserves maintained to ensure uninterrupted supply of critical minerals.

    5

     

     

    Components of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)

    India’s exploration efforts

    Under NCMM mission, GSI has intensified its exploration programs. In the 2024-25 field season, GSI has taken up 195 projects, including 35 in Rajasthan, focused on identifying and assessing critical mineral deposits. The mission seeks to minimize import dependency by enhancing domestic exploration and mining efforts. More than 100 critical mineral blocks are set to be auctioned, and exploration will be expanded to offshore regions rich in polymetallic nodules containing cobalt, rare earth elements (REEs), nickel, and manganese.

    The Geological Survey of India (GSI), under the Ministry of Mines, follows the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) classification and Minerals (Evidence of Mineral Contents) (MEMC) Rules, 2015, to carry out exploration activities for critical minerals. Earlier in 2021-22 and 2022-23, GSI conducted reconnaissance surveys for rare earth elements (REEs) including neodymium in Sirohi and Bhilwara districts of Rajasthan. Additionally, the Department of Atomic Energy discovered around 1,11,845 tonnes of in-situ Rare Earth Elements Oxide (REO) in Balotra, Rajasthan.

    To speed up projects, a fast-track regulatory approval system will be introduced. A new Exploration Licence (EL) will encourage private sector participation. Recovery of minerals from secondary sources like fly ash, tailings, and red mud will be promoted through relaxed rules and incentives. Efforts will also focus on trace mineral assessment, development of processing parks, and increased involvement of state governments and PSUs in the critical mineral value chain.

    Acquisition of assets abroad

    India will invest in exploring and acquiring critical mineral assets in resource-rich countries. PSUs and private firms will be supported through funding, guidelines, and inter-ministerial coordination. Public-private partnerships will be promoted, and infrastructure support will be ensured with MEA’s help.

    Key International Initiatives

    • KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) signed an agreement with CAMYEN SE, a state-owned enterprise in Catamarca, Argentina, on 15th January 2024 for lithium exploration covering 15,703 hectares.
    • KABIL also signed an MoU with the Critical Mineral Office (CMO), Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISER), Government of Australia, in March 2022.
    • Due diligence is underway for selection of lithium and cobalt projects in Australia for strategic investments through off-take arrangements.

    IREL (India) Limited

    With a processing capacity of 6 lakh tons per annum, IREL produces key minerals like ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite, and garnet. It also operates a Rare Earth Extraction Plant in Chatrapur, Odisha and a Rare Earth Refining Unit at Aluva, Kerala. The company has been making profit consistently since 1997-98, with a peak turnover of over ₹14,625 million in 2021-22, including ₹7,000 million in exports.

    IREL is focused on expanding its production capacity, supporting value chain industries, and advancing R&D through its facility in Kollam, Kerala.

    Conclusion

    India aims to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 (from 2005 levels), achieve 50% of its electric power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030, and reach net-zero emissions by 2070. To achieve these climate goals, the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) plays a vital role by building a resilient and self-reliant ecosystem for critical minerals. The mission focuses on boosting domestic production, encouraging private sector participation, strengthening international partnerships, and streamlining regulations to ensure a steady supply of minerals essential for clean energy technologies.

    References

    Click here to see PDF

    Santosh Kumar/ Sarla Meena/ Anchal Patiyal

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scientists map unprecedented detail of connections and visual perception in the mouse brain

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    Media Advisory
    Wednesday, April 9, 2025

    NIH-funded project helps unraveling the brain’s wiring, giving clues to how we see the world.

    What
    In a massive scientific effort funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), hundreds of researchers have helped to map the connections between hundreds of thousands of neurons in the mouse brain and then overlayed their firing patterns in response to visual stimuli. This breakthrough is a critical piece of foundational science to build toward understanding how our brains process visual information to reconstruct the images we see every day.
    Information processing in the human brain occurs via electrical firing of 86 billion neurons that make trillions of connections with each other. The secrets of how our brain enable us to think, feel, and act lie hidden in the complexity of its wiring diagram and the barrage of electrical signals that move across it in millisecond time frames. While the current findings focus on a tiny fraction of the brain, they reveal the complex connections between the cells and show how those connections are wired to produce functional responses. This information, which was previously beyond our reach, could help us understand how the brain functions normally and offer a guide to what goes wrong as the result of various disorders or injuries.  
    To carry out the study, researchers presented video clips to mice genetically engineered for their neurons to emit light when they fire. The neuron firing patterns in areas on the brain surface that are associated with vision were optically recorded across a cubic millimeter – about the size of a grain of sand. Within this deceptively small amount of tissue lies remarkable complexity: four kilometers of axons, the processes that nerve cells use to communicate with each other, intertwined to make more than 524 million connections called synapses across more than 200,000 cells.
    To map these connections teams worked 12-hour shifts for 12 straight days to carefully cut and image ultra-thin slices of the brain tissue using electron microscopes (EM). Reconstruction was the most challenging next step, as it required accurate stitching together almost 28,000 EM images to align the connections that cross the volume of brain tissue. This was followed by months of tracing the connections using deep learning algorithms followed by manual, and automated proofreading. Deep learning predictive models that explain visual information processing in the cortex were constructed and validated. In total, the sheer amount of data collected to create this tiny map comes out to 1.6 petabytes, roughly the equivalent of 22 years of continuous HD video.
    These results come at a time when maps of neurons and their connections are increasingly revealing the mysteries of the brain. In 2023, research funded by the National Institutes of Health Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® Initiative, or The NIH BRAIN Initiative®, produced the first complete cell atlas of the mouse brain, including the types and locations surveyed from more than 32 million cells. Last year, the NIH BRAIN Initiative “Flywire” project led to the complete mapping of the common fruit fly brain, demonstrating the unique value of mapping the whole brain in its entirety.
    Funding for this project was provided through the Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS) Program of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity and the NIH BRAIN Initiative. The findings, published in a package of 10 papers published in the Nature family of journals, represent more than seven years of work performed by more than 150 scientists around the world.
    The mouse connectome data detailed in this press release can be visualized online using the MICrONS Explorer resource.
    Who
    John Ngai, Ph.D., director of The NIH BRAIN Initiative, is available for comment.
    Article
    The MICrONS Consortium et al. papers can be found here.  
    The NIH BRAIN Initiative, a multidisciplinary collaboration across 10 NIH Institutes and Centers, is uniquely positioned for cross-cutting discoveries in neuroscience to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain. By accelerating the development and application of innovative neurotechnologies, The BRAIN Initiative® is enabling researchers to understand the brain at unprecedented levels of detail in both health and disease, improving how we treat, prevent, and cure brain disorders. The BRAIN Initiative involves a multidisciplinary network of federal and non-federal partners whose missions and current research portfolios complement the goals of the NIH BRAIN Initiative. 
    About the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): NINDS is the nation’s leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev: The Siberian Federal District is of strategic importance for strengthening Russia’s industrial potential

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Dmitry Patrushev held the kick-off meeting of Incident 62, dedicated to the development of the Siberian Federal District.

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a kick-off meeting for incident #62, dedicated to the development of the Siberian Federal District. The choice of this format of interdepartmental cooperation was initiated by the Deputy Prime Minister as the district’s curator and supported by the Prime Minister. The incident will allow for the aggregation of activities of all regional development programs and the maximum synergistic effect from their implementation.

    “The Siberian Federal District is of strategic importance for further strengthening the industrial potential of Russia. Huge reserves of natural resources are concentrated here, including precious metals, copper, nickel, coal, oil, and gas. In addition, the largest hydropower facilities in Russia operate on the territory of the district. A base for training qualified specialists has also been formed in Siberia – leading educational and scientific centers are working to strengthen human resources,” said Dmitry Patrushev.

    As part of the incident, federal and regional authorities, state corporations and businesses, as well as representatives of the scientific community, will have to identify points of economic growth for the district’s subjects and create conditions for their implementation.

    The progress of implementation was reviewed at the kick-off meeting development strategies for Siberia, which affects such areas as rare earth and precious metals, forestry, aluminum processing, tourism, agriculture and processing, oil and gas and coal industries. Following the meeting, the Ministry of Economic Development will ensure accelerated revision of the plan for implementing the strategy for the development of Siberia.

    During the incident, Dmitry Patrushev noted that the explored reserves of rare earth metals in Siberia make up 18% of the total Russian reserves, and the district’s subsoil contains significant volumes of rare metals. The Deputy Prime Minister added that the issue of creating a corresponding cluster in the Siberian District is currently being worked out to develop deep processing of rare earth metals. In the long term, this will allow Russia to ensure independence from imports of the corresponding products and reach a new technological level.

    Following the meeting, Dmitry Patrushev instructed to form an expert group, which will include representatives of interested federal departments, the Analytical Center under the Government, regions, as well as the business community, the Russian Academy of Sciences, industry scientific and educational institutions. The group will determine the long-term need of the economy for rare and rare earth metals and develop a list of products, the production of which can be organized in Siberia.

    Incident No. 62 “Implementation of measures for the development of the Siberian Federal District” was created on the initiative of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev for effective interdepartmental cooperation aimed at the comprehensive development of Siberia. In particular, the republics of Altai, Tyva and Khakassia, Altai and Krasnoyarsk Krais, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk Oblasts.

    When working in the incident format, a special project management system is used, which is deployed on the basis of the Government Coordination Center. It allows for prompt coordination of the actions of participants and monitoring of project implementation in real time.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: PMDD: social media users claim antihistamines help symptoms – here’s what the evidence says

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Milli Raizada, Senior Clinical lecturer in Primary care academia, Lancaster University

    Some social media users claims anti-allergy medications have helped their PMDD symptoms. antoniodiaz/ Shutterstock

    A number of videos have surfaced recently on social media with women claiming that common medications used to treat allergies and heartburn have helped them manage symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). But is there any science behind this claim?

    Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a long-term condition which causes severe psychological distress in the week or two before a woman’s period begins. PMDD symptoms can be varied and vast – with physical symptoms ranging from difficulty sleeping, migraines, bloating and breast tenderness. Psychological symptoms include rage, anger, anxiety, low mood and feeling overwhelmed.

    All of these symptoms can have a severe impact on a woman’s social, home and work life. Women with PMDD are seven times more likely to attempt suicide due to the mood symptoms they suffer with making them more vulnerable.

    PMDD affects 3-8% of the population but is still widely under-recognised and undiagnosed. Some women have to wait years before getting a diagnosis.

    It’s not fully known what causes PMDD. It’s thought to be due to many factors.

    One theory is that the condition occurs due to variations in genes that activate hormones and their receptors. Other theories suggest the brain’s emotional circuits (limbic system), which are densely populated with hormone receptors, react differently in those with PMDD.

    For example, a widespread theory posits that when oestrogen fluctuates up and down in the two weeks before a woman’s period, this has a negative impact on serotonin (the so-called happy hormone). If this is true, it would explain why selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants can be effective for some women as these drugs aim to increase serotonin levels.



    Read more:
    Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: the frightening psychological condition suffered by Dixie D’Amelio

    Another theory relates to faults in the progesterone pathway and its breakdown product called allopregnenalone (a steroid). Allopregnenalone normally stimulates a calming chemical called GABA in the brain, which acts as a natural anti-anxiety substance.

    Fluctuations and altered sensitivity of allopregnenalone on the GABA system is thought to be why some women suffer with PMDD. This can explain why some women typically have no symptoms of PMDD during pregnancy due to the lack of fluctuation in the hormone progesterone.

    Histamine link?

    Some women online are now claiming that high histamine levels may also be the cause of PMDD symptoms – and that taking over-the-counter drugs which block the effects of histamines has helped to alleviate their symptoms.

    Histamine is a chemical the body naturally produces which plays a role in allergies, digestion, inflammation, brain function and hormone balance.

    There is currently no evidence that antihistamines can help with PMDD symptoms.
    MDV Edwards/ Shutterstock

    There is currently no published research which has investigated the link between PMDD symptoms and histamine levels. However, we do know from other areas of research that histamine activity varies throughout the menstrual cycle.

    One study found that in the two weeks before a period, immune cells called mast cells, which release histamine, are more likely to be activated due to oestrogen levels being high. It’s suggested that these changing oestrogen levels – which cause high histamine – may explain why PMDD symptoms occur. If this theory is true, it would also explain why antihistamines would help with PMDD symptoms, as these drugs block the release of histamines.

    There are many potential reasons why oestrogen levels may be particularly high in some women – particularly those with PMDD. This so-called oestrogen dominance may be due to many factors, such as excess toxin exposure in the environment from plastics and issues with people unable to detoxify oestrogen from the body efficiently due to poor liver and gut health. All this can potentially add to the oestrogen bucket, which has a knock-on effect on histamine levels, which can further stimulate oestrogen – leading to a vicious cycle.

    But the histamine intolerance and oestrogen dominance theories are both still controversial and not fully recognised in the mainstream medical community. There are no scientific, clinical studies that exist on the topic of PMDD, oestrogen dominance and histamine as yet to show whether they are linked to PMDD or not – or whether antihistamines are effective for PMDD.

    Yet, many people with PMDD are turning to antihistamines, as well as famotidine – a histamine receptor antagonist which blocks histamine production in the stomach – to reduce PMDD symptoms. Many of these women are reporting they’re seeing improvement, so there may well be some validity behind these claims. However, there is no research to back the use of these drugs just yet.

    Lifestyle changes – such as eating fewer inflammatory, processed foods, exercising and talking therapies (such as cognitive therapy) – have all shown small but positive benefits in people with PMDD.

    Prescription drugs such as antidepressants (SSRIs) and contraceptive pills containing a synthetic progestin called drospirenone are also shown to be effective for people with PMDD. These options may be better for women in the meantime until more research in this area has been done.

    Disclosure: Dr Milli Raizada, a GP, is the medical director, founder and works in of Dr Milli health clinics. She is a Senior Clinical Lecturer at Lancaster University. She is affiliated as a trustee and ambassador of the first and only UK PMDD charity: The PMDD project. She is a GMC associate where she gets paid as her role as chief invigilator, PLAB Part 2 examiner and Part 1 station management group member. She also delivers paid corporate talks on primary care topics and is an paid expert content creator for Clinical Knowledge skills.

    – ref. PMDD: social media users claim antihistamines help symptoms – here’s what the evidence says – https://theconversation.com/pmdd-social-media-users-claim-antihistamines-help-symptoms-heres-what-the-evidence-says-253587

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Earth’s oceans once turned green – and they could change again

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cédric M. John, Professor and Head of Data Science for the Environment and Sustainability, Queen Mary University of London

    Were Earth’s oceans once green? 100Y Design/Shutterstock

    Nearly three fourths of Earth is covered by oceans, making the planet look like a pale blue dot from space. But Japanese researchers have made a compelling case that Earth’s oceans were once green, in a study published in Nature.

    The reason Earth’s oceans may have looked different in the ancient past is to do with their chemistry and the evolution of photosynthesis. As a geology undergraduate student, I was taught about the importance of a type of rock deposit known as the banded iron formation in recording the planet’s history.

    Banded iron formations were deposited in the Archean and Paleoproterozoic eons, roughly between 3.8 and 1.8 billion years ago. Life back then was confined to one cell organisms in the oceans. The continents were a barren landscape of grey, brown and black rocks and sediments.

    Rain falling on continental rocks dissolved iron which was then carried to the oceans by rivers. Other sources of iron were volcanoes on the ocean floor. This iron will become important later.

    Cross section of banded iron formation in Karijini National park, in the Hamersley Range, Western Australia.
    Hans Wismeijer/Shutterstock

    The Archaean eon was a time when Earth’s atmosphere and ocean were devoid of gaseous oxygen, but also when the first organisms to generate energy from sunlight evolved. These organisms used anaerobic photosynthesis, meaning they can do photosynthesis in the absence of oxygen.

    It triggered important changes as a byproduct of anaerobic photosynthesis is oxygen gas. Oxygen gas bound to iron in seawater. Oxygen only existed as a gas in the atmosphere once the seawater iron could neutralise no more oxygen.

    Eventually, early photosynthesis led to the “great oxidation event”, a major ecological turning point that made complex life on Earth possible. It marked the transition from a largely oxygen free Earth to one with large amounts of oxygen in the ocean and atmosphere.

    The “bands” of different colours in banded iron formations record this shift with an alternation between deposits of iron deposited in the absence of oxygen and red oxidised iron.

    The case for green oceans

    The recent paper’s case for green oceans in the Archaean eon starts with an observation: waters around the Japanese volcanic island of Iwo Jima have a greenish hue linked to a form of oxidised iron – Fe(III). Blue-green algae thrive in the green waters surrounding the island.

    Despite their name, blue-green algae are primitive bacteria and not true algae. In the Archaean eon, the ancestors of modern blue-green algae evolved alongside other bacteria that use ferrous iron instead of water as the source of electrons for photosynthesis. This points to high levels of iron in the ocean.

    The ocean around Iwo Jima has a greenish hue.
    Phan Lee McCaskill/US Navy

    Photosynthetic organisms use pigments (mostly chlorophyll) in their cells to transform CO₂ into sugars using the energy of the sun. Chlorophyll gives plants their green colour. Blue-green algae are peculiar because they carry the common chlorophyll pigment, but also a second pigment called phycoerythrobilin (PEB).

    In their paper, the researchers found that genetically engineered modern blue-green algae with PEB grow better in green waters. Although chlorophyll is great for photosynthesis in the spectra of light visible to us, PEB seems to be superior in green-light conditions.

    Before the rise of photosynthesis and oxygen, Earth’s oceans contained dissolved reduced iron (iron deposited in the absence of oxygen). Oxygen released by the rise of photosynthesis in the Archean eon then led to oxidised iron in seawater. The paper’s computer simulations also found oxygen released by early photosynthesis led to a high enough concentration of oxidised iron particles to turn the surface water green.

    Once all iron in the ocean was oxidised, free oxygen (0₂) existed in Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. So a major implication of the study is that pale-green dot worlds viewed from space are good candidates planets to harbour early photosynthetic life.

    The changes in ocean chemistry were gradual. The Archaean period lasted 1.5 billion years. This is more than half of Earth’s history. By comparison, the entire history of the rise and evolution of complex life represents about an eighth of Earth’s history.

    Almost certainly, the colour of the oceans changed gradually during this period and potentially oscillated. This could explain why blue-green algae evolved both forms of photosynthetic pigments. Chlorophyll is best for white light which is the type of sunlight we have today. Taking advantage of green and white light would have been an evolutionary advantage.

    Could oceans change colour again?

    The lesson from the recent Japanese paper is that the colour of our oceans are linked to water chemistry and the influence of life. We can imagine different ocean colours without borrowing too much from science fiction.

    Purple oceans would be possible on Earth if the levels of sulphur were high. This could be linked to intense volcanic activity and low oxygen content in the atmosphere, which would lead to the dominance of purple sulphur bacteria.

    Red oceans are also theoretically possible under intense tropical climates when red oxidised iron forms from the decay of rocks on the land and is carried to the oceans by rivers or winds. Or if a type of algae linked to “red tides” came to dominate the surface oceans.

    These red algae are common in areas with intense concentration of fertiliser such as nitrogen. In the modern oceans, this tends to happen in coastline close to sewers.

    As our sun ages, it will first become brighter leading to increased surface evaporation and intense UV light. This may favour purple sulphur bacteria living in deep waters without oxygen.

    It will lead to more purple, brown, or green hues in coastal or stratified areas, with less deep blue colour in water as phytoplankton decline. Eventually, oceans will evaporate completely as the sun expands to encompass the orbit of Earth.

    At geological timescales nothing is permanent and changes in the colour of our oceans are therefore inevitable.

    Cedric John receives funding from the UKRI.

    – ref. Earth’s oceans once turned green – and they could change again – https://theconversation.com/earths-oceans-once-turned-green-and-they-could-change-again-253460

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pingree Leads 86 Lawmakers in Demanding Restoration of Manufacturing Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

    Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Sarah McBride (D-Del.) led more than 80 of their House colleagues in calling on the Trump-Vance Administration to reverse its abrupt and harmful decision to eliminate federal funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers in ten states—including Maine.

    In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Acting Under Secretary Craig Burkhardt, Pingree and her colleagues pressed the administration to restore MEP funding that Congress already authorized and appropriated. These centers provide small and mid-sized manufacturers with the tools they need to modernize, grow, and compete in a global economy—supporting good-paying jobs and local economies across the country.

    “Given the Trump Administration’s goals to revive and advance American manufacturing, we believe funding MEP centers remains essential. If we want to build at home, we must equip American manufacturers of all sizes with the tools, funding, and technology to compete and thrive,” Pingree and her colleagues wrote.

    “Simply put, to manufacture at home we must support American manufacturers. Denying American workers and small businesses from the resources they need to develop their talents, modernize their operations, and grow their business is counterproductive,” the lawmakers continued. “At a time when we must harness the power of technology to be effective and competitive producers, we must continue to fund MEPs and provide American businesses with the tools they need. We call on the Administration to reverse course, renew funding for the ten MEP centers that lapsed April 1st, and continue to support the MEP program to advance American manufacturing.”

    The full text of the letter is available here and copied below.

    The Maine MEP has a direct and powerful impact on Maine’s economy. In 2024 alone, Maine MEP supported $60.5 million in new investments, generated $95.5 million in new and retained sales, and helped create and retain more than 1,100 manufacturing jobs. Eliminating federal funding and access to the national MEP network threatens Maine MEP’s ability to continue delivering these critical services.

    Congress recently appropriated $175 million for the MEP program through the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, maintaining the levels enacted in FY2024. Despite this, on April 1st, the Department of Commerce informed MEP centers in Delaware and nine other states that it would not renew their funding—circumventing both the intent of Congress and the statutory guardrails on transferring or impounding funds.

    Since 1988, MEP centers have worked with over 150,000 manufacturers and helped create and retain more than 1.6 million jobs. Every federal dollar invested in the program generates more than $27 in new client investment and nearly $25 in new sales growth for small manufacturers.

    The letter also asks the administration to clarify whether it plans to shutter the entire MEP program and demands transparency around the decision-making process, including whether any impact assessments or stakeholder consultations were conducted.

    +++

    Dear Secretary Lutnick and Acting Under Secretary Burkhardt,

    We are writing to express support for continued funding of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. Recently, MEP centers in Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming, were notified by the U.S. Department of Commerce that it would not renew their funding — despite Congress authorizing and appropriating funding for this purpose.Given the Trump Administration’s goals to revive and advance American manufacturing, we believe funding MEP centers remains essential. If we want to build at home, we must equip American manufacturers of all sizes with the tools, funding, and technology to compete and thrive.

    The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership was established by Congress in 1988 in response to a growing concern over the loss of manufacturing jobs and a decline in industrial productivity. A public-private partnership, MEPs continue to evolve and to provide U.S. manufacturers with timely and dynamic support. Today there are 51 centers across the United States. This robust network provides small and medium-sized manufacturers with the tools, training, and expertise they need to improve their processes, increase their manufacturing capacity, and bolster their workforce development, cybersecurity, technology adoption, and supply chain management activities.

    Since 1988, MEPs have worked with more than 154,000 manufacturers and helped create and retain more than 1.6 million jobs. The network has over 1,440 trusted advisors and experts across 460 MEP Center service locations nationwide. MEPs have also helped create $148.7 billion in sales and $31.6 billion in cost savings. Furthermore, the return on investment for American taxpayers is indisputable – for every federal dollar invested in FY 2023, MEP generated more than $27 in new client investment and nearly $25 in new sales growth for small and medium-sized manufacturers.

    The Administration has talked about bringing manufacturing and supply chains back to the United States. To reach this goal, it is crucial that decision-makers have access to accurate information about supply chain dynamics across the country. Through the Supply Chain Optimization Intelligence Network, authorized by the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, the MEP program has collected insightful data and nurtured relationships to help the Commerce Department make strategic decisions affecting the supply chain. The MEP program also uses this information to help small and medium-sized companies respond to supply chain shocks from regional and global events, like severe weather events or fluctuations in trade.

    Finally, the Administration cited a refocus on “agency science and technology priorities” as the reason for the funding cuts. It is crucial that MEPs remain funded to ensure this very priority is met. Through MEP, small and medium-sized manufacturers have access to the MEP-Assisted Technology and Technical resource (MATTR) Program. This program provides small and medium-sized manufacturers with access to “laboratory’s core scientific and engineering capabilities, in advanced manufacturing technology, collaborative robotics, additive manufacturing, materials design and characterization, nanotechnology, information and communications technology, quantum information, biosciences, industrial standards, cybersecurity, and other fields.” This effort is proven to move the results of science and technology out of the lab and into use to the benefit of the U.S. economy.

    Simply put, to manufacture at home we must support American manufacturers. Denying American workers and small businesses from the resources they need to develop their talents, modernize their operations, and grow their business is counterproductive. At a time when we must harness the power of technology to be effective and competitive producers, we must continue to fund MEPs and provide American businesses with the tools they need. We call on the Administration to reverse course, renew funding for the ten MEP centers that lapsed April 1st, and continue to support the MEP program to advance American manufacturing.

    As the Administration continues to evaluate funding for MEPs across the country, we ask that you provide the following information:

    • Has the Administration assessed how closing the MEP centers will affect small and medium-sized manufacturers across the 10 states, including those in rural communities? If so, please provide the analysis.
    • Is the Administration planning to shutter the entire MEP program? If so, has the Administration assessed how ending the MEP program will affect small and medium-sized manufacturers across the country, including those in rural communities? If so, please provide the analysis.
    • In making this decision, has the Administration consulted with the MEP centers, the MEP advisory committee, businesses who use these centers, or other relevant stakeholders? If so, please elaborate.

    We request your prompt and detailed response to the questions outlined above no later than April 11, 2025.

    Sincerely,

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Minister Burke announces €17 million for innovative Cancer and neonatal treatments

    Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation

    9th April 2025

    Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke, and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless, today announced funding of €17 million for two additional projects under Call 7 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).

    The announcement took place in the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), Co. Dublin.  NIBRT is a partner in the “Can-Vas” project which has been awarded €10.7m

    This first of its kind in-human study treats infants with a type of brain damage, as well as expanding the pipeline of cell and gene therapies for rare and seriously debilitating diseases. NIBRT are working with three other partners on this project – Deantusaiocht Slainte HiTech Teoranta, University College Cork, INFANT Research Centre and the lead partner, HAON Life Sciences.

    An additional project – LOTUS – has been awarded €6.4m which will develop a complete smart system to facilitate at-home anti-cancer treatment (SACT) with monitoring, enabling cancer patients to self-administer treatment in their own home.  Representatives of the consortium comprised of Luminate Medical – the lead partner, Gentian Health, University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin were also in attendance at today’s event.

    Announcing today’s projects, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke said: 

    “I am delighted to announce awards of over €17 million to two exciting and hugely innovative projects under Call 7 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. These two projects demonstrate the importance of the fund in leveraging emerging technologies for the well-being of our citizens. The technology in these projects will provide life-changing solutions for patients undergoing cancer treatment and for new and expectant parents where the safety and well-being of their unborn child is paramount. By funding these projects, the Government is maintaining its commitment to investing in cutting-edge technologies, with consequent benefits for the health care sector and other national research priority areas.

    Since the Fund launch in 2018, my Department has awarded over €393 million in funding to 107 collaborative DTIF projects. Importantly, the fund is giving enterprises and research institutions opportunities to engage and connect with some of the brightest minds in Ireland, to conceive ideas, build relationships and foster knowledge-sharing for the benefit of all.”

    James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science added:

    “It is great to see projects with a strong potential to deliver impactful health care solutions becoming recipients of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund.  We are now financing 404 project partners from our enterprise and research sectors which are bringing forward novel and innovative ideas that will not only benefit our health services but focus on tackling wider sectoral and economic challenges associated with demands emerging around developments with Artificial Intelligence, sustainability and digitalisation. What makes this Fund unique is its ability to foster collaborative research that builds strong relationships that will benefit our citizens, our economy and generating high quality jobs for our graduates.”

    The projects announced today bring the total number awarded to 107. This is no small feat. It underscores the critical role of disruptive technologies, on a national scale, and recognises the Government’s continued commitment to advancing and supporting the development of these transformative and lifechanging technologies.”

    Kevin Sherry, interim CEO, Enterprise Ireland said:

    “Enterprise Ireland is proud to support the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, which continues to drive impactful collaborations between Ireland’s leading enterprises and research institutions. These newly funded projects exemplify the power of innovation in addressing critical healthcare challenges, from advancing cancer treatment solutions to pioneering life-saving therapies for newborns. By investing in cutting-edge technologies, we are strengthening Ireland’s position as a global leader in innovation, fostering high-value job creation, and delivering real-world benefits for patients and society. We look forward to seeing these transformative projects progress and make a lasting impact.”

    DTIF Call 7 remains open for project applications which can be submitted at any time up to the closing date of 30 April 2025.

    Note to Editors

    The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a €500 million fund established under the National Development Plan (NDP) in 2018. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment manages the DTIF with administrative support from Enterprise Ireland.

    The purpose of the Fund is to drive collaboration between Ireland’s world-class research base and industry as well as facilitating enterprises to compete directly for funding in support of the development and adoption of these technologies. The aim is to support investment in the development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis.

    DTIF Call 7 applications are assessed by panels of international experts against four criteria – quality of the disruptive technology, excellence of overall approach, economic impact and sustainability, and strength of the collaboration.

    Since the Fund was launched in 2018, a total of 107 projects have been awarded funding of over €393m. The 404 project partners involved are operating in every region across the country, with 60% of those partners located outside of Dublin.

    Prospective applicants can obtain detailed information on the Fund and on the application process through enterprise.gov.ie/DTIF. 

    Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) Call 7 Award Details 

    Project Description

    Consortium Members

    Research Priority Area

    Regional Location

    Total DTIF Award 

    Can-Vas Cell Therapy Platform: Unlocking life-changing treatments for neonatal brain injury

    1. HAON Life Sciences   

    2. Deantusaiocht Slainte HiTech Teoranta 

    3. NIBRT

    4. University College Cork (INFANT)

    Health & Wellbeing

    Dublin, Galway and Cork

    €10.7m

    A technology breakthrough to enable At Home cancer care in oncology patients

    1. Luminate Medical

    2. Gentian Health

    3. University of Galway

    4. Trinity College Dublin

    Health & Wellbeing

    Dublin, Clare and Galway

    €6.4m

    ENDS

    Back to Department News

    Back to Top

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Next generation computer chips could process data at the speed of light – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Demosthenes Koutsogeorgis, Associate Professor of Photonic Technologies, School of Science & Technology, Nottingham Trent University

    3dartists / Shutterstock

    Electronic microchips are at the heart of the modern world. They’re found in our laptops, our smartphones, our cars and our household appliances. For years, manufacturers have been making them more powerful and efficient, which increases the performance of our electronic devices.

    But that trend is now faltering because of the increased cost and complexity of manufacturing chips, as well as performance limits set by the laws of physics. This is happening just as there’s a need for increased computing power because of the boom in artificial intelligence (AI).

    An alternative to the electronic microchips we currently use are photonic chips. These use light instead of electricity to achieve higher performance. However, photonic chips have not yet taken off due to a number of hurdles. Now, two papers published in Nature address some of these roadblocks, offering essential stepping stones to achieving the computing power required by complex artificial intelligence systems.

    By using light (photons) instead of electricity (electrons) for the transport and processing of information, photonic computing promises higher speeds and greater bandwidths with greater efficiency. This is because it does not suffer from the loss of electrical current due to a phenomenon known as resistance, as well as unwanted heat loss from electrical components.

    Photonic computing is also particularly suited for performing what are known as matrix multiplications – mathematical operations that are fundamental to AI.

    Those are some of the benefits. The challenges, however, are not trivial. In the past, the performance of photonic chips has generally been studied in isolation. But because of the dominance of electronics in modern technology, photonic hardware will need to be integrated with those electronic systems.

    However, converting photons into electrical signals can slow down processing times since light operates at higher speeds. Photonic computing is also based around analogue operations rather than digital ones. This can reduce precision and limit the type of computing tasks that can be carried out.

    It’s also difficult to scale them up from small prototypes because large-scale photonic circuits cannot currently be fabricated with sufficient accuracy. Photonic computing will require its own software and algorithms, compounding the challenges of integration and compatibility with other technology.

    Photonic chips would need to be integrated with electronic hardware.
    IM Imagery / Shutterstock

    The two new papers in Nature address many of these hurdles. Bo Peng, from Singapore-based company Lightelligence, and colleagues demonstrate a new type of processor for photonic computing called a Photonic Arithmetic Computing Engine (Pace). This processor has a low latency, which means that there is a minimal delay between an input or command and the corresponding response or action by the computer.

    The large-scale Pace processor, which has more than 16,000 photonic components, can solve difficult computing tasks, demonstrating the feasibility of the system for real world applications. The processor shows how integration of photonic and electronic hardware, accuracy, and the need for different software and algorithms can be resolved. It also demonstrates that the technology can be scaled up.

    This marks a significant development, despite some speed limitations of the current hardware.

    In a separate paper, Nicholas Harris, from California-based company Lightmatter, and colleagues describe a photonic processor that was able to run two AI systems with accuracy similar to those of conventional electronic processors. The authors demonstrated the effectiveness of their photonic processor through generating Shakespeare-like text, accurately classifying movie reviews and playing classic Atari computer games such as Pac-Man.

    The platform is also potentially scalable, though in this case limitations of the materials and engineering used curtailed one measure of the processor’s speed and its overall computational capabilities.

    Both teams suggest that their photonic systems can be part of scalable next generation hardware that can support the use of AI. This would finally make photonics viable, though further refinements will be needed. These will involve the use of more effective materials or designs.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Next generation computer chips could process data at the speed of light – new research – https://theconversation.com/next-generation-computer-chips-could-process-data-at-the-speed-of-light-new-research-254104

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Sec Kennedy: “I’m not going to take people’s vaccines away from them.”

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    HHS Secretary Kennedy: “I’ve always said during my campaign and every public statement I’ve made, I’m not going to take people’s vaccines away from them. What I’m going to do is make sure that we have good science so people can make an informed choice.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=825YlRXgSAQ

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI: SCOR successfully sponsors a new catastrophe bond, Atlas Capital DAC Series 2025-1

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press release
    09 April 2025 – N° 07

    SCOR successfully sponsors a new catastrophe bond, Atlas Capital DAC Series 2025-1

    SCOR has successfully sponsored a new catastrophe bond (“cat bond”), Atlas Capital DAC Series 2025-1, which will provide the Group with multi-year risk transfer capacity of USD 240 million to protect itself against named storms in the US and the Caribbean, earthquakes in the US and Canada, and European windstorms. The risk period for Atlas Capital DAC Series 2025-1 will run from 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2028. The transaction has received the approval of the Irish regulatory authorities. The cat bond offering integrates ESG-related considerations to support investors’ due diligence.

    The cat bond was priced on 3 April 2025 with an interest spread of 7.25% and was issued on 9 April 2025. Atlas Capital DAC Series 2025-1 was well received and benefited from high investor demand. GC Securities1 acted as Sole Structuring Agent and Sole Bookrunner for the deal. Willkie Farr and Walkers advised SCOR as legal counsels.

    Atlas Capital DAC Series 2025-1 is an aggregate, index-based trigger cat bond issued by Atlas Capital DAC, a multi-arrangement special purpose vehicle approved in Ireland under Solvency II. This vehicle was created in 2023 for the Series 2023-1 cat bond issuance, and it may be utilized by the Group to sponsor cat bonds covering various perils in both L&H and P&C. The benefits of this vehicle were again visible this year, as it allowed for a fast and cost-effective issuance process. In particular, the transaction was offered to investors around two months in advance of the start of the risk period, allowing SCOR to benefit from the currently favorable conditions in the cat bond market.

    The size of the Series 2025-1 issuance is in line with the Group’s cat exposures and with its retrocession strategy under the Forward 2026 strategic plan, which identifies risk partnerships – including capital market solutions like cat bonds – as one of the Group’s levers for value creation.

    François de Varenne, Group CFO and Deputy CEO of SCOR, comments: “SCOR is pleased to sponsor a new cat bond this year, securing multi-year protection against peak natural perils from the ILS market at favorable pricing conditions. SCOR has been a regular sponsor of cat bonds over the last 25 years, and we are delighted by the strong and continued investor demand, as cat bonds remain an integral part of our risk partnerships strategy under the Forward 2026 plan. We are also very pleased with the efficiency gains made by reusing Atlas Capital DAC for a third year.”

    *

    *            *

    SCOR, a leading global reinsurer

    As a leading global reinsurer, SCOR offers its clients a diversified and innovative range of reinsurance and insurance solutions and services to control and manage risk. Applying “The Art & Science of Risk”, SCOR uses its industry-recognized expertise and cutting-edge financial solutions to serve its clients and contribute to the welfare and resilience of society.

    The Group generated premiums of EUR 20.1 billion in 2024 and serves clients in more than 150 countries from its 37 offices worldwide.

    For more information, visit: www.scor.com

    		 Media Relations
    Alexandre Garcia
    media@scor.com

    Investor Relations

    Thomas Fossard
    InvestorRelations@scor.com

    Follow us on LinkedIn
     

    All content published by the SCOR group since January 1, 2024, is certified with Wiztrust. You can check the authenticity of this content at wiztrust.com.

    Forward-looking statements

    This press release may include forward-looking statements, assumptions, and information about SCOR’s financial condition, results, business, strategy, plans and objectives, including in relation to SCOR’s current or future projects.

    These statements are sometimes identified by the use of the future tense or conditional mode, or terms such as “estimate”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “have the objective”, “intend to”, “plan”, “result in”, “should”, and other similar expressions.

    It should be noted that the achievement of these objectives, forward-looking statements, assumptions and information is dependent on circumstances and facts that arise in the future.

    No guarantee can be given regarding the achievement of these forward-looking statements, assumptions and information. These forward-looking statements, assumptions and information are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements, assumptions and information (including on objectives) may be impacted by known or unknown risks, identified or unidentified uncertainties and other factors that may significantly alter the future results, performance and accomplishments planned or expected by SCOR.

    In particular, it should be noted that the full impact of the inflation and geopolitical risks including but not limited to the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine on SCOR’s business and results cannot be accurately assessed.

    Therefore, any assessments, any assumptions and, more generally, any figures presented in this press release will necessarily be estimates based on evolving analyses, and encompass a wide range of theoretical hypotheses, which are highly evolutive.

    These points of attention on forward-looking statements are all the more essential that the adoption of IFRS 17, which is a new accounting standard, results in significant accounting changes for SCOR.

    Information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect SCOR’s business is set forth in the 2024 Universal Registration Document filed on 20 March 2025, under number D.25-0124 with the French Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) posted on SCOR’s website www.scor.com.

    In addition, such forward-looking statements, assumptions and information are not “profit forecasts” within the meaning of Article 1 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/980.

    SCOR has no intention and does not undertake to complete, update, revise or change these forward-looking statements, assumptions and information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Disclaimer

    This communication does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for the securities mentioned herein in any jurisdiction. The securities mentioned herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act, and may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Atlas Capital DAC and the securities mentioned are not and will not be registered under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

    Rule 144A offerings are offerings of securities conducted on a private placement basis for the purposes of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and that limit initial distribution and secondary sales of the securities to entities that are Qualified Institutional Buyers as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The offering of securities in a Rule 144A offering does not require registration of the issuer or the securities with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission.

    Catastrophe bond transactions provide sponsoring insurers and reinsurers protection against catastrophe risks through the release to the sponsor of a portion or the whole principal amount upon the occurrence of pre-defined events (namely triggers). Triggers can be determined in different ways: an industry loss trigger provides for payment once the losses to the industry generated by specific natural events (typically) are higher than a certain specified amount provided for in the terms of the transaction.

    1 GC Securities is a division of MMC Securities LLC, a US registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA/NFA/SIPC.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Capgemini expands strategic partnership with Google Cloud to revolutionize CX across industries with agentic AI

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press contact:
    Mollie Mellows
    Tel.: + 44 (0) 7342 709384
    E-mail: mollie.mellows@capgemini.com

    Capgemini expands strategic partnership with Google Cloud to revolutionize CX across industries with agentic AI

    Paris, April 9, 2025 – Capgemini today announced a strategic agentic AI initiative with Google Cloud to transform customer experience (CX) into a key value driver for clients. Building on its existing partnership, Capgemini will create industry-specific agentic AI solutions designed to handle customer requests across all communication channels (web, social, phone etc.) and improve employee productivity. Underpinned by Google Cloud’s AI technology, Capgemini will develop bespoke solutions designed to enhance customer services with intelligent automation and deep customer insights, enabling organizations to deliver more personalized, efficient, and effective CX to elevate brand perception, increase loyalty, and drive revenue growth. 

    A recent report by the Capgemini Research Institute found that although customer service is considered strategically important, less than half of organizations feel prepared to integrate AI and generative AI into the function.1 Recognized as the Global Industry Solution Partner of the Year 2025 by Google Cloud, Capgemini will combine its deep industry expertise and technical capabilities to develop solutions powered by Google Agentspace and Customer Engagement Suite with Google AI. This will accelerate adoption of secure, trusted agentic AI capabilities that are interoperable with a client’s existing technology infrastructure and can support a variety of industry and regulatory needs. The agentic AI solutions will be designed to significantly optimize business processes and unlock commercial value by enhancing organizations’ own search capabilities, automating complex workflows, as well as understanding and proactively anticipating customer needs.

    “Capgemini is entering the next phase of its strategic partnership with Google Cloud and this new collaboration focuses on driving revenue for our clients by elevating customer service to a strategic value driver in industries where CX is paramount,” said Fernando Alvarez, Chief Strategy and Development Officer and Group Executive Board Member at Capgemini. “The customer service function is undergoing a transformative shift as business leaders increasingly recognize its importance in unlocking commercial potential. Agentic systems can play a key role in this, and the future of customer service will require a strategic blend of human and virtual agents, enhanced by generative and agentic AI. By understanding the potential of agentic AI and the business realities of our clients, we’re expertly placed to maximize its value and deliver genuine impact.”

    “Businesses require a combination of technical expertise and advanced technology to fully realize the benefits of agentic AI within their current IT infrastructure. Through Agentspace and our new Agent2Agent interoperability protocol, our partnership with Capgemini will provide clients with AI solutions that drive long-term value across industries,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Organization, Google Cloud.

    Primarily focused on telco, retail, and financial services, the partnership is intended to expand into further industries such as life sciences and utilities, with a goal of accelerating business outcomes by enabling customer services transformation. This includes areas such as:

    • Improving productivity in telco: New solutions to optimize call routing and resolution in contact centers by leveraging conversational AI to improve intent and understanding, increase call containment and assist agents. Organizations can benefit from reduced handling time and improved first-call resolution rates, while human agents are freed-up to focus on higher value tasks. Capgemini’s research finds that around 9 in 10 organizations using gen AI are already seeing improved first contact resolution rates or expecting to see this benefit in the future.1
    • Personalizing CX in retail: AI agents to help better personalize shopping experiences by using AI to analyze customer data and provide tailored product recommendations, promotions, and support interactions across all channels (online, in-store, mobile). 
    • Enhancing security in financial services Using Google Cloud’s AI, financial services clients can improve risk assessment and fraud detection with agents that analyze customer transactions and identify suspicious patterns, improving security and regulatory compliance.

    Google Cloud’s new Agent2Agent interoperability protocol will enable AI agents to successfully communicate with one another, safely exchange information, and coordinate actions no matter which platform they are running on or built on top of. As agentic AI becomes more widely adopted, this protocol will ensure agent functionality across diverse and separate data sources and applications.

    Google Cloud recognizes Capgemini as a trusted partner for driving clients’ large-scale transformation, with the company winning three Google Cloud Partner of the Year awards in 2025. The awards celebrate Capgemini’s expertise in creating compelling solutions that make an impact for joint clients worldwide:

    • Global Industry Solutions Partner of the Year
    • Global Industry Solutions Partner of the Year for Sustainability
    • Country Partner of the Year in Denmark

    About Capgemini
    Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner, helping organizations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over 55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading capabilities in AI, generative AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2024 global revenues of €22.1 billion.
    Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

    1 “Unleashing the value of customer service: The transformative impact of Gen AI and Agentic AI”, Capgemini Research Institute, March 2025

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Wild meat is eaten by millions, but puts billions at risk – how to manage the trade

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Delia Grace, Professor Food Safety Systems at the Natural Resources Institute (UK) and contributing scientist ILRI, International Livestock Research Institute

    One of the most pressing issues of our time is the wild meat trade. Why? Because it’s consumed by millions and puts billions at risk from emerging diseases. It provides food and income for some of the poorest and most remote communities in Africa and Asia, yet over-exploitation makes ecosystems unstable and threatens the destruction of endangered species.

    In Africa, wild meat hunting is driven mostly by protein and meat scarcity (“the poor man’s meat”). In some regions, like east and south-east Asia, it can be found in restaurants, offered as high-priced exotic delicacies (“the rich man’s status”).

    But consuming wild meat also poses great dangers and challenges. The global wild meat trade can drive biodiversity loss, fuel illegal markets and spread diseases. The wildlife trade and so-called wet markets, where wild animals and wild meat are often sold, are conducive to the emergence of diseases, such as Ebola and HIV, which can be transmitted from animals to people.

    These issues are the focus of a recently released landmark study. It takes a new approach to analysing wild animal exploitation: it focuses on consumption and consumers rather than wild animals or hunting communities.

    Most previous studies on wild meat have been by people who want to stop it, with a handful on its livelihood and nutrition benefits to poor people. Our study, with its focus on consumption, allows us to balance conservation, community development, animal welfare and plague prevention.

    We are specialists in livestock and sustainable development and authors of the report. We worked for over a year to analyse and synthesise wild meat trade with a focus on hotspots in Africa and Asia.

    We argue that, because the wild meat trade is here for the foreseeable future, policymakers and implementers should be looking at: better management of the global wild meat trade, reducing and managing the farming of wild animals, and providing alternatives to consumption of wild meat by poor people.

    We must find a way to balance the benefits and risks of wild meat consumption in a way that protects human health, wildlife welfare, and our environment.

    Importance of wild meat trade

    Drawing on previous studies and a systematic literature review, our report found that the global trade in wild meat is extensive. Annual revenues range from US$1 billion in Africa to US$8-11 billion from illegal trade in south-east Asia to US$74 billion from wildlife farming in China.

    The volume of wild meat consumed is also significant – and often much higher than that of livestock meat. On average, African foragers consume 38kg of wild meat and farmers 16kg per year. The average annual livestock meat consumption per person in Africa is about 16.7kg.

    We found that in at least 60 countries wildlife and wild-caught fish contribute at least 20% of the animal protein in rural household diets. Where poverty is high, wildlife abundant, and affordable domesticated meat and access to markets scarce, many households turn to hunting wild animals.

    Not being harvested sustainably

    Unlike domesticated meat, which comes from just 20 or so animal species, the wild meat trade involves hundreds of species. In Africa about 500 species are hunted, in south-east Asia about 300.

    Current rates of extraction of wild meat are unsustainable, except for some small and fast-reproducing species such as rodents. Ungulates (hoofed animals) generally tend to be the most frequently hunted, followed by large rodents and primates. Near human settlements, larger bodied animals have over time tended to be hunted out and replaced by smaller species (such as duikers and large rodents), which reproduce at faster rates and thus are more sustainably hunted.

    The illegal trade in wild meat is increasingly moving online, with Asia as both a major supplier and consumer. Smuggling intensifies hunting pressure, as wildlife is harvested not only for local needs but also for global markets. There is some evidence of declining extraction rates due to over-hunting, resulting in “empty forests”. While bans can reduce hunting, they may also drive the trade underground.

    Climate change is already driving an increase wild meat extraction by making it harder to grow plants and farm animals. Studies show that in some critical ecosystems, such as the Serengeti in Tanzania, there are rapid declines in wildlife linked to climate change and land-use change.

    Addressing the wild meat challenge

    Moving away from wild meat practices in poorer countries presents a complex challenge.

    Replacing wild protein sources with commercially raised livestock can be prohibitively expensive for low-income households and governments alike. Moreover, it’s estimated that increased livestock production to replace the loss of wild meat could increase deforestation and require some 124,000km² of additional agricultural land.

    Some solutions do exist – but these depend on the context.

    Where wild animal hunting is prevalent, such as the forest margins in Africa and Asia, alternative protein sources could reduce the demand for wild meat by providing sustainable and culturally accepted protein sources. Examples are cane rats, Nile tilapia and African catfish in west and central Africa, cavies (guinea pigs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and bamboo rats in south-east Asia. High-reproducing “mini livestock”, such as rabbits, cane rats, cavies, capybara and giant African snails, can provide household meat in a relatively short period. However, attempts to promote alternative animals have met with little success. We suggest paying people not to hunt or subsidising alternative meat may be more effective and feasible.

    Hundreds of thousands rely on hunting wild animals. Rather than criminalising hunters or trying to turn them into farmers in unsuitable lands, it may make more sense to pay them not to hunt by giving them free or subsidised livestock meat, which they may prefer.

    Promoting disgust triggered by wild meat can be a promising channel, too, for changing consumption behaviours. Societies often, and sometimes quickly, shift from finding “different” meats appealing to finding them appalling. In the UK, for example, offal was eaten by the poor before becoming a fashion-food for the English gentry during the early modern period. Behavioural science can be harnessed to nudge these mind shifts in the right direction.

    This study provides new insights into the wild meat trade. Deeply embedded in human culture, hunting wild animals is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. However, sustainable practices can balance human and ecosystem health and wildlife conservation, ensuring a future where both people and nature thrive.

    – Wild meat is eaten by millions, but puts billions at risk – how to manage the trade
    – https://theconversation.com/wild-meat-is-eaten-by-millions-but-puts-billions-at-risk-how-to-manage-the-trade-252226

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Wild meat is eaten by millions, but puts billions at risk – how to manage the trade

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Delia Grace, Professor Food Safety Systems at the Natural Resources Institute (UK) and contributing scientist ILRI, International Livestock Research Institute

    One of the most pressing issues of our time is the wild meat trade. Why? Because it’s consumed by millions and puts billions at risk from emerging diseases. It provides food and income for some of the poorest and most remote communities in Africa and Asia, yet over-exploitation makes ecosystems unstable and threatens the destruction of endangered species.

    In Africa, wild meat hunting is driven mostly by protein and meat scarcity (“the poor man’s meat”). In some regions, like east and south-east Asia, it can be found in restaurants, offered as high-priced exotic delicacies (“the rich man’s status”).

    But consuming wild meat also poses great dangers and challenges. The global wild meat trade can drive biodiversity loss, fuel illegal markets and spread diseases. The wildlife trade and so-called wet markets, where wild animals and wild meat are often sold, are conducive to the emergence of diseases, such as Ebola and HIV, which can be transmitted from animals to people.

    These issues are the focus of a recently released landmark study. It takes a new approach to analysing wild animal exploitation: it focuses on consumption and consumers rather than wild animals or hunting communities.

    Most previous studies on wild meat have been by people who want to stop it, with a handful on its livelihood and nutrition benefits to poor people. Our study, with its focus on consumption, allows us to balance conservation, community development, animal welfare and plague prevention.

    We are specialists in livestock and sustainable development and authors of the report. We worked for over a year to analyse and synthesise wild meat trade with a focus on hotspots in Africa and Asia.

    We argue that, because the wild meat trade is here for the foreseeable future, policymakers and implementers should be looking at: better management of the global wild meat trade, reducing and managing the farming of wild animals, and providing alternatives to consumption of wild meat by poor people.

    We must find a way to balance the benefits and risks of wild meat consumption in a way that protects human health, wildlife welfare, and our environment.

    Importance of wild meat trade

    Drawing on previous studies and a systematic literature review, our report found that the global trade in wild meat is extensive. Annual revenues range from US$1 billion in Africa to US$8-11 billion from illegal trade in south-east Asia to US$74 billion from wildlife farming in China.

    The volume of wild meat consumed is also significant – and often much higher than that of livestock meat. On average, African foragers consume 38kg of wild meat and farmers 16kg per year. The average annual livestock meat consumption per person in Africa is about 16.7kg.

    We found that in at least 60 countries wildlife and wild-caught fish contribute at least 20% of the animal protein in rural household diets. Where poverty is high, wildlife abundant, and affordable domesticated meat and access to markets scarce, many households turn to hunting wild animals.

    Not being harvested sustainably

    Unlike domesticated meat, which comes from just 20 or so animal species, the wild meat trade involves hundreds of species. In Africa about 500 species are hunted, in south-east Asia about 300.

    Current rates of extraction of wild meat are unsustainable, except for some small and fast-reproducing species such as rodents. Ungulates (hoofed animals) generally tend to be the most frequently hunted, followed by large rodents and primates. Near human settlements, larger bodied animals have over time tended to be hunted out and replaced by smaller species (such as duikers and large rodents), which reproduce at faster rates and thus are more sustainably hunted.

    The illegal trade in wild meat is increasingly moving online, with Asia as both a major supplier and consumer. Smuggling intensifies hunting pressure, as wildlife is harvested not only for local needs but also for global markets. There is some evidence of declining extraction rates due to over-hunting, resulting in “empty forests”. While bans can reduce hunting, they may also drive the trade underground.

    Climate change is already driving an increase wild meat extraction by making it harder to grow plants and farm animals. Studies show that in some critical ecosystems, such as the Serengeti in Tanzania, there are rapid declines in wildlife linked to climate change and land-use change.

    Addressing the wild meat challenge

    Moving away from wild meat practices in poorer countries presents a complex challenge.

    Replacing wild protein sources with commercially raised livestock can be prohibitively expensive for low-income households and governments alike. Moreover, it’s estimated that increased livestock production to replace the loss of wild meat could increase deforestation and require some 124,000km² of additional agricultural land.

    Some solutions do exist – but these depend on the context.

    Where wild animal hunting is prevalent, such as the forest margins in Africa and Asia, alternative protein sources could reduce the demand for wild meat by providing sustainable and culturally accepted protein sources. Examples are cane rats, Nile tilapia and African catfish in west and central Africa, cavies (guinea pigs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and bamboo rats in south-east Asia. High-reproducing “mini livestock”, such as rabbits, cane rats, cavies, capybara and giant African snails, can provide household meat in a relatively short period. However, attempts to promote alternative animals have met with little success. We suggest paying people not to hunt or subsidising alternative meat may be more effective and feasible.

    Hundreds of thousands rely on hunting wild animals. Rather than criminalising hunters or trying to turn them into farmers in unsuitable lands, it may make more sense to pay them not to hunt by giving them free or subsidised livestock meat, which they may prefer.

    Promoting disgust triggered by wild meat can be a promising channel, too, for changing consumption behaviours. Societies often, and sometimes quickly, shift from finding “different” meats appealing to finding them appalling. In the UK, for example, offal was eaten by the poor before becoming a fashion-food for the English gentry during the early modern period. Behavioural science can be harnessed to nudge these mind shifts in the right direction.

    This study provides new insights into the wild meat trade. Deeply embedded in human culture, hunting wild animals is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. However, sustainable practices can balance human and ecosystem health and wildlife conservation, ensuring a future where both people and nature thrive.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Wild meat is eaten by millions, but puts billions at risk – how to manage the trade – https://theconversation.com/wild-meat-is-eaten-by-millions-but-puts-billions-at-risk-how-to-manage-the-trade-252226

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Changing the Eurocentric narrative about the history of science – why multiculturalism matters

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Karen K. Christensen-Dalsgaard, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, MacEwan University

    An illustration by the medieval Islamic scholar Abu Rayhan al-Biruni depicting the phases of the moon in relation to the Sun. (Wikimedia Commons)
    The medieval Islamic mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn al Haytham (965 – c. 1040) lived in Cairo, Egypt, during the Islamic golden Age and is considered the father of optics.
    (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY

    In the 11th century in Cairo, the foundations for modern science were laid through the detention of an innocent man.

    The mathematician Abu Ali al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham had been tasked with regulating the flow of the Nile, but when he saw the river that had shaped 4,000 years of human civilization, the hubris of the task became all too obvious.

    To avoid the wrath of the Fatimid caliph in Egypt, Ibn al-Haytham supposedly feigned madness and was placed under house arrest, giving him time to focus on optics.

    In doing so, he developed a scientific method based on controlled, reproducible experiments and mathematics. This would not only change humanity’s understanding of optics and how our eyes actually see, but also later lay the foundations for empirical science in Europe.

    When I started teaching the history of biology, the importance of this pivotal period of scientific history was often diminished in western analysis of science history. Studying the contributions of non-western scholars has shown me what history can teach us about the value of multiculturalism.

    A video from The Smithsonian explaining Ibn al-Haytham’s experiments with light.



    Read more:
    Explainer: what Western civilisation owes to Islamic cultures

    A Eurocentric version of history

    The story typically told in the West is that science was invented in ancient Greece and then, following close to a millennium of intellectual darkness, developed in Western Europe over the past 500 years.

    Other cultures might have contributed a clever trick here or there, like inventing paper or creating our modern number system, but science as we know it was developed almost entirely by white men. As such it becomes a story of superiority, one that demands gratitude.

    The scars of this way of thinking are all over our geopolitical landscape. It shapes how many western leaders interact with other cultures, apparently entitling them to share their intellectual authority without needing to listen to others. It is a mindset that belittles other civilizations and led to centuries of colonial violence.

    This Eurocentric version of scientific history omits some of the most important events that shaped modern thinking. Science was not developed so much by individuals but by a highly complex global process that brought together ideas, lived experiences and approaches from all major civilizations.

    The Plimpton 322 clay tablet, with each row of the table relating to a Pythagorean triple, is believed to have been written in Babylonia around 1800 BCE, around 1,000 years before the Greek mathematician Pythagoras was born.
    (Wikimedia Commons)



    Read more:
    What was the first thing scientists discovered? A historian makes the case for Babylonian astronomy

    Ancient Greek scholarship, for instance, was indeed instrumental in developing science, but it was not inherently western. The Greek empire spanned much of the Mediterranean region and the Black Sea. Scholars travelled extensively, and the centres of scholarship drifted over time from Ionia in present-day Turkey, for example, to Athens to Alexandria in Egypt.

    Greek natural philosophy was influenced by the mathematical and astronomical achievements of the Babylonians and the medical traditions of the Egyptians. Later, Alexandrian scholars made great advances in human anatomy when they overcame the Greek aversion to dissections, likely because of Egyptian influences. Natural philosophy was born from the merger of these scholarly traditions.



    Read more:
    Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

    Importance of testing ideas

    Similarly, Ibn al-Haytham was one of thousands of scholars who, during the golden age of Islam, were engaged in the immense task of translating, combining and developing the world’s knowledge into great encyclopedic texts. They admired Indian and Chinese scholarship and technology but revered the ancient Greeks.

    While the Greeks had an impressive greatness of mind, they had largely shunned the idea of experiments and believed that developing instruments was the job of slaves.

    Many Arab scholars, on the other hand, emphasized the importance of experimentally testing ideas and developed scientific and surgical instruments that allowed for significant advances.

    The opening page from Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine.
    (Yale University Medical Historical Library)

    Arguably, Arab scholars built the foundations for modern science by developing a method for controlled experimentation and applying it to Greek scholarship combined with knowledge and technologies from all accessible parts of the world.

    Later, Latin translations of the Arabic texts would allow science to grow in the West from the intellectual ashes of medieval Catholicism. Texts like Ibn Sina’s Qānūn fī al-ṭibb (Canon of medicine) would become standard textbooks throughout Europe for hundreds of years.

    Ibn Al-Haytham inspired scholars like Roger Bacon to work toward European implementation of the scientific method. This would ultimately lead to Europe’s scientific revolution.



    Read more:
    Avicenna: the Persian polymath who shaped modern science, medicine and philosophy

    Importance of intercultural exchange

    Great civilizations existed all over the world in the beginning of the 16th century, in Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and East Asia. Most had scholarship that was superior to the West’s in at least some respects. Arguably, the most valuable thing Europeans took from the rest of the world was knowledge.

    The first vaccine, for instance, was based on variolation techniques developed in China, India and the Islamic world. People were inoculated against smallpox by blowing powdered scabs up their noses or rubbing pus into shallow cuts.

    Europeans believed that diseases were caused by bad air (miasma) and so did not initially trust this technique. It only became widespread in Europe and North America after English aristocrat Lady Montagu saw its efficacy firsthand in Constantinople in the early 18th century and advocated that it be tested in England.

    A vaccine developed by English physician Edward Jenner 80 years later was simply the well-known variolation technique made much safer by inoculating with cowpox instead.

    The importance of intercultural exchanges should not be surprising. Scientific data and observations are ideally objective, but the questions we ask and the conclusions we draw will always be subjective, shaped by our prior knowledge, beliefs and past experiences. Different cultures can help each other see beyond their inherent biases and grow beyond the intellectual constraints of individual approaches.

    In her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, Potawatomi botanist and writer Robin Wall Kimmerer gives a beautiful example of this in the context of how Indigenous approaches can inform modern science.

    One of Canada’s greatest gifts is our diversity. Here, cultures from across the world come together, forming a multiplicity of minds that is well positioned to solve the problems of our world. However, this only has value if we can connect and learn from each other. When we advocate for a diversity of ideas in curricula, both nationally and abroad, we are promoting a future built on the knowledge of people and cultures from around the world.

    There is nothing more intimately personal than the thoughts in your head, and yet you did not conceive them. They are a continuation of knowledge and ideas that for thousands of years have travelled the globe, shaped by countless minds from all civilizations. In a time of seemingly growing division, that is a thought that ought to bring us all together.

    Karen K. Christensen-Dalsgaard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Changing the Eurocentric narrative about the history of science – why multiculturalism matters – https://theconversation.com/changing-the-eurocentric-narrative-about-the-history-of-science-why-multiculturalism-matters-252884

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Valadao’s Legislation to Combat Romance Scams Passes Out of House Committee on Energy and Commerce

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G. Valadao (California)

    WASHINGTON – Today, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced H.R. 2481, the Romance Scam Prevention Act, out of a full committee markup. The Romance Scam Prevention Act is a bipartisan bill introduced by Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) and Reps. Brittany Petterson (CO-07), Tom Suozzi (NY-03), and Craig Goldman (TX-12). This legislation would require dating apps and services to issue fraud ban notifications to users who have interacted with a person removed from the app for fraudulent activity.

    Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the companion bill in the Senate, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on March 12, 2025.

    “Millions of Americans use online dating services to make connections, making them the perfect platform for romance scammers to target their victims,” said Congressman Valadao. “Alerting users that they have been in contact with someone who has been banned for fraud is a basic security feature that will save Americans billions, and I’m proud to lead this effort alongside my Congressional colleagues. I want to thank Chairman Brett Guthrie and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for their attention to this critical issue.”

    Background:

    Over 60 million Americans used an online dating service in 2023, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that romance scams resulted in victims losing over $1.1 billion. Criminals use false names and stories to lure individuals into conversation before manipulating them to give up sensitive information. When an online dating service provider becomes aware of a user committing fraudulent activity, like illegally obtaining money, the online dating service provider immediately deactivates the fraudulent user’s account. However, individuals who meet online often take their conversations to other communication platforms, so even when a fraudulent account is removed, an individual might not know they are still communicating with someone who was banned from the platform.

    If you or someone you know has seen a suspicious profile on an online dating service, please file a report with the FTC on their website.

    Read a one-pager on the bill here.

    Read the full bill here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell, Moran Reintroduce Bill to Help U.S. Host Cities Bolster Local Infrastructure Ahead of 2026 World Cup, 2028 & 2034 Olympics

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    04.09.25

    Cantwell, Moran Reintroduce Bill to Help U.S. Host Cities Bolster Local Infrastructure Ahead of 2026 World Cup, 2028 & 2034 Olympics

    Cantwell: “With less than 500 days until Seattle hosts its first 2026 World Cup game, we need the Department of Transportation to get in the game and support host cities”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Finance Committee, and Jerry Moran (R-KS), a member of the Commerce Committee, reintroduced the Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Cities Act to provide federal funding for local communities to prepare for transportation demands and ensure the successful movement of fans, workers, and goods during the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics, and the 2034 Winter Olympics that will all be held in the United States.

    “With less than 500 days until Seattle hosts its first 2026 World Cup game, we need the Department of Transportation to get in the game and support host cities as they work to showcase the best of American innovation and hospitality,” said Sen. Cantwell. “This bill will help ensure the hundreds of thousands of fans visiting Seattle can get to and from games safely and efficiently by improving coordinated transportation planning across the Pacific Northwest.”

    “It was a tremendous feat to secure a spot as a host city during the 2026 World Cup, and I have no doubt that Kansas City will be a welcoming community for hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from around the world,” said Sen. Moran. “Preparations are already underway for the games, and this legislation will support local community and agency efforts to improve infrastructure to connect fans with businesses, hotels, the airport and other host cities during the World Cup.”

    The United States, Canada, and Mexico were selected to host the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, and 11 U.S. cities are preparing to host World Cup matches, including Kansas City, Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Transportation demands will increase greatly as host cities and surrounding communities are expecting hundreds of thousands of additional visitors from across the globe during the games. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics and Salt Lake City was selected to host the 2034 Winter Olympics.

    This legislation would create a grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide host cities with funding for projects that improve transportation in the region during World Cup or Olympic games. Grants would support permanent transportation projects – building new roads, expanding light rail, purchasing new buses, creating bike lanes, improving existing roads or highways, or making airport terminal improvements. 

    The Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Cities Act would:

    • Provide resources to host cities through grant funding for projects that improve transportation in the region during World Cup or Olympic games, which could include acquiring buses, improving airports, or building roads.
    • Allow DOT to provide technical and planning assistance to host cities, states, and tribes within 100 miles of a World Cup or Olympic event to help improve coordination and prepare regional transportation systems for the influx of fans.
    • Allow DOT to facilitate sharing public transportation equipment, such as buses, between host cities and other cities, helping reduce costs while meeting transportation demand.
    • Direct the Department of Commerce to study the economic impact hosting the World Cup and the Olympics has on travel and tourism in the United States

    “The USOPC strongly supports the Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Host Cities Act, and we thank Senators Moran and Cantwell for their leadership on this issue. This legislation is crucial to ensuring the United States is prepared to host the decade of sport ahead, from the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City. This bill will make it possible for cities to enhance their infrastructure and provide a seamless experience for athletes and fans alike. The essential transportation assistance set forward in this bill will help make these global events a success and demonstrate American excellence on the world stage.” – The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

    “We are excited for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup to take place in the United States,” said Cindy Parlow Cone, U.S. Soccer Federation President. “We appreciate Senators Moran and Cantwell for introducing legislation to provide the 11 U.S. cities hosting World Cup matches, and the dozens more cities hosting team base camps, fan fests and other events and activities, with the resources they will need to welcome the hundreds of thousands of people that will travel here from around the world.”

    “From ferries to trains, buses to highways, the World Cup will undoubtedly put Washington state’s transportation system to the test,” said Peter Tomozawa, CEO, Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 Organizing Committee. “We appreciate Senator Cantwell’s leadership to provide transportation agencies the support they need so we’re ready to showcase Washington to the world in 2026.”

    “We are pleased to see this important transportation assistance legislation introduced in support of Kansas City’s World Cup efforts,” said Pam Kramer, Chief Executive Officer of KC2026. “Senator Moran continues to be a leader in transportation, mobility, safety and security in the Kansas City region. This legislation will give much needed support to our efforts to ensure safe and efficient transportation of people and goods throughout the region during the World Cup. More importantly, these investments and support will help us create sustained and lasting impact beyond the World Cup, improving mobility in the region well beyond 2026.”

    “On behalf of the KCATA, we are grateful that Senator Jerry Moran is demonstrating his foresight and leadership by introducing bipartisan legislation that will help us, and other host cities effectively host these games and move people to where they need to be,” said Frank White III, President and CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). “The Senator’s outreach and understanding of our needs to serve both visitors and residents will help us with effective planning and preparation to host sizable crowds on our transit systems next summer.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ASRU operational newsletter, April 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    ASRU operational newsletter, April 2025

    Newsletter issued by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit.

    Documents

    ASRU operational newsletter, April 2025

    HTML

    Details

    Operational newsletter which includes information on:

    • fees
    • standard condition 18 notifications
    • licensing
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    Updates to this page

    Published 9 April 2025

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: SAIC Appoints Kathleen McCarthy as New Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RESTON, Va., April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Science Applications International Corp. (NASDAQ: SAIC), a premier mission integrator driving our nation’s digital transformation across the defense, space, civilian and intelligence markets, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathleen McCarthy as the company’s new Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, effective May 12, 2025.

    In this role, McCarthy will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Toni Townes-Whitley and will spearhead all human resources initiatives, employee engagement strategies and talent acquisition operations at SAIC. She will focus on evolving the workforce strategy to deliver the brightest talent, with the highest capabilities to our government customers to help them achieve their missions.

    “Kathleen brings a great depth of experience in cultivating and inspiring exceptional talent which is pivotal in driving both substantial business value and innovation,” said Toni Townes-Whitley, CEO of SAIC. “Her proven track record of leadership and strategic foresight position her well to further enhance our employee engagement initiatives and lead our efforts in upskilling and developing critical skills within our workforce. I am delighted to welcome Kathleen to SAIC, where her insights and expertise will be invaluable to ensuring we continue to meet the evolving needs of our industry.”

    McCarthy joins SAIC from GE Aerospace, where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer for the Defense & Systems business. Prior to that, she was Chief Human Resources Officer for GE Aviation and earlier in her GE tenure, she served as Chief Human Resources Officer of GE Digital, leading the business to profitability and defining its vision around the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

    Her career also includes executive roles at American Express as SVP and Chief Talent Officer, where she led global workforce strategy, and at Thomson Reuters where she led talent management and acquisition. McCarthy began her career at Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company, later heading HR at the tech startup eFinanceWorks.

    Recognized as a leader in her field, McCarthy is a member of World 50, G100, and The Learning Forum’s Executive Council Network. She has also served on the advisory board for CEB Talent Management, now part of Gartner for HR, and is a frequent speaker on talent development and HR best practices.

    About SAIC 
    SAIC is a premier Fortune 500® mission integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian and intelligence markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives.  

    We are approximately 24,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.4 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom. 

    Media Contact: 
    Kara Ross
    703-362-6046 kara.g.ross@saic.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c839c88d-e8ea-41cf-9351-0dea869ef8c3

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: Guangdong’s industrial robot output exceeds 240,000 units in 2024

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Guangdong’s industrial robot output exceeds 240,000 units in 2024

    Updated: April 9, 2025 21:22 Xinhua
    An educational robot is pictured during a display at the tech company UBTECH in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 26, 2025. Guangdong’s industrial robot output exceeded 240,000 units in 2024 with a year-on-year increase of 31.2 percent, ranking first in the country for five consecutive years, according to the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An industrial robot is pictured during a test at a manufacture base of Guangdong Topstar Technology Co., Ltd. in Dongguan, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An industrial robot for car manufacturing is displayed at Midea-Kuka Intelligent Manufacturing Science and Technology Park in Foshan, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Visitors learn about humanoid robots at the tech company UBTECH in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A staff member introduces a robot at the tech company UBTECH in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A production line of industrial robots is pictured at Midea-Kuka Intelligent Manufacturing Science and Technology Park in Foshan, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A staff member synchronizes robot actions at Leju Robotics in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 27, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A humanoid robot interacts with people at the tech company DIGIT in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 27, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Zhou Renyi, a member of humanoid robot research team, interacts with GoMate, a humanoid robot, at GAC R&D Center in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 18, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    GoMate, a humanoid robot, shakes hands with Zhou Renyi, a member of humanoid robot research team at GAC R&D Center in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, March 18, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First Digital and STEM Bursary students graduate

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    First Digital and STEM Bursary students graduate

    100 talented young people from Lancashire complete Strategic Command’s Bursary programme, helping to develop valuable cyber capabilities for the UK.

    Claire Fry presents a student with their certificate. MOD Crown Copyright

    At a recognition ceremony, students from four Lancashire colleges graduated from the programme, each receiving a certificate acknowledging their hard work and newly acquired expertise, marking an important step in their journey toward cyber careers. 

    Kerry Harrison, Lead for the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership, part of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub, said:

    This bursary has opened doors for 100 young Lancashire students to careers they hadn’t imagined. By working with Strategic Command, local colleges and industry, we’ve helped these talented young people gain valuable technical cyber and wider work ready skills that benefit both our regional economy and national security. Their success shows what we can achieve when government, education and business collaborating to tackle the digital skills gap.

    MOD Crown Copyright

    The celebration event featured career-focussed activities for students to explore their future options, including a jobs marketplace showcasing apprenticeships and internships, networking training and activities with the armed forces esports teams. Representatives from the National Cyber Force spoke about real-world cyber opportunities, putting the students at the centre of conversations about their potential careers. 

    Every student received a certificate detailing the activities they completed and the valuable work-ready skills they acquired through the Work Ready Lancashire project. Some students received additional recognition for their achievements. From each college, one student received the Immersive Labs Top Student Award for dedicating the most hours to their training, while two students earned Spotlight Awards for outstanding dedication throughout the programme. 

    Strategic Command’s Chief Information Officer Charlie Forte and Director Functional Integration Claire Fry personally presented these awards, taking time to listen to students’ stories, celebrate their successes and see the students’ progress firsthand. 

    Claire Fry, Director Functional Integration, said:

    Witnessing the journey of these students from day one to now has been truly inspiring and eye opening. They have grown not just their cyber and digital skills but as human beings, and this programme has enabled them to truly flourish as young adults. Collaboration between Digital Skills for Defence, Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub and industry partners has been critical in giving these students a real advantage for their potential career in a cyber and digital role in defence.

    Launched in 2024 for 16-18 year olds studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects, the bursary provides practical cyber training, mentoring and financial support to students across four Lancashire colleges. Strategic Command’s work with the Lancashire Cyber Partnership, which includes the National Cyber Force, is part of a drive to build cyber talent, with the northwest serving as an ideal venue to nurture these skills. This location serves as a launchpad for promising students to enter government departments, defence organisations and businesses working in the cyber sector. 

    The programme’s success stems from partnerships with the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub, local colleges, and industry partners who provide students with hands-on experience tackling real cyber challenges. The Digital Bursary is part of Strategic Command’s wider work to build cyber talent, which includes the Cyber Direct Entry programme. By bringing together education, industry and government, Strategic Command is building the diverse and skilled workforce needed to protect the UK’s digital future.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Further Prosperity Funding to benefit Winchester district organisations

    Source: City of Winchester

    Winchester City Council has been awarded a further £327,000 under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and £223,500 under the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) following the UK Government’s decision to extend both funds for an extra year.

    Micheldever Village Store owner Rajeev Sangroula recently installed new solar panels on his shop with help from Prosperity funding

    Businesses and not-for-profit organisations are being invited to apply for UKSPF grants between 10 April and 25 May, with the REPF opening a little later in April until early June.

    Through the funds, organisations can apply for between £25,000 and £50,000, with commercial businesses required to match-fund their projects. Larger or smaller sums may be considered at the council’s discretion and projects must be completed before 28 February 2026.

    Eligible projects must meet at least one of the government’s key themes of Community and Place, Local Business Support and People and Skills.

    In the last three years, the city council has used the funding to support 60 projects that are helping to make a lasting impact on the health, wealth and look of the district.

    Some of the projects that have already been supported include new exhibits at Marwell Wildlife and the Winchester Science Centre as well as equipment for a local stonemason and ceramicist and an extensive programme of solar panelling that is expected to save around 50 tonnes of CO2 per year

    For more information about the funding, including priority areas for investment, timing and other considerations can be found on Winchester City Council’s website  www.winchester.gov.uk/UKSPF-REPF.

    New solar panels on Micheldever Village Store

    Any business or organisation, including not-for-profit and community groups with a project they want to discuss, can contact prosperity@winchester.gov.uk for advice and information on how to apply. 

    Image captions: Rajeev Sangroula, owner of Micheldever Village Store, received a grant to install new solar panels on his shop.

    More information about projects that have already been supported, including quotes from businesses and organisations that have received funding, can be found on the Winchester City Council website at www.winchester.gov.uk/UKSPF-REPF.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trahan, Blumenthal Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Strengthen Research & Treatment Development for Brain Cancers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the Bolstering Research and Innovation Now (BRAIN) Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen research and treatment development for brain tumors and to improve the accessibility of brain tumor health care. U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), John Barrasso (R-WY) and Mike Rounds (R-SD), as well as Representatives Kim Schrier (D-WA-08), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-08) and John Joyce (R-PA-13) joined Trahan and Blumenthal in introducing the bicameral legislation.
    “Too many families across our communities have faced the devastating reality of a brain tumor diagnosis. With more than a million Americans currently battling malignant brain tumors, we must act with urgency and purpose,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “The bipartisan BRAIN Act will accelerate life-saving research, drive innovation in treatment, and expand support for survivors – offering hope to patients and their loved ones.”
    Today, more than one million people in the United States are living with a primary brain tumor. Another 94,000 more will likely be diagnosed in 2025, in addition to hundreds of thousands of Americans diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer. Despite major improvements made in the treatment of other cancers in recent years, incidence and survival rates for malignant brain tumors have remained stagnant for 45 years, with a five-year relative survival rate of only 35.7%.
    “Our son Will was a remarkable and driven young man—accomplishing so much, including earning two master’s degrees while undergoing treatment for a brain tumor,” said Arlene Gluck, a Concord, Massachusetts resident. “Sadly, there is still no cure for brain tumors. That’s why we’re thankful to Representative Lori Trahan for sponsoring the BRAIN Act, which supports innovative, collaborative research and enhanced survivorship care among its key initiatives. We remain hopeful that our advocacy will help bring meaningful change for those who face this devastating disease in the future.”
    “Our bipartisan, bicameral legislation promotes research and development for brain cancer treatment to help Americans suffering from this viscous form of cancer,” said Senator Blumenthal. “Stagnant incidence and survival rates that have persisted for decades make it all the more clear—we must redouble our efforts to defeat brain tumors once and for all.”
    “A brain tumor diagnosis is devastating news for too many American families, and the federal government needs to step up to help find a cure and better diagnostics and treatment. The BRAIN Act is about saving lives, changing lives, and improving health outcomes. It would help fast-track scientific discovery and breakthroughs by improving access to clinical trials for patients and advancing innovative new treatments. It would also make it easier for researchers to access biospecimens for new research on brain tumors and fund more clinical trials for the most aggressive, hard-to-treat brain tumors,” said Senator Reed. “This bipartisan bill would also establish new programs and research for brain tumor survivors to improve quality of life and ensure appropriate follow up care over the long term.”
    “After losing my wife, Bobbi, to glioblastoma, I know firsthand how tragic a brain tumor diagnosis can be for patients and their families. Raising awareness and supporting efforts to find a cure is a personal priority for me,” said Senator Barrasso. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation to advance treatments and support research to find a cure for these deadly diagnoses.”
    “For me, the fight against cancer is personal. When my late wife Jean was courageously battling cancer a few years ago, we were already seeing encouraging progress in the development of new treatments for many cancers,” said Senator Rounds. “I firmly believe we are years, not decades, away from seeing cures to many of the most deadly cancers. The BRAIN Act will allow us to continue capitalizing on the progress we have made so far by implementing programs and funding that will advance research and treatments for brain tumors. I am glad to be joining a bipartisan group of my colleagues on this legislation.”
    “As a pediatrician, I know brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer related deaths in children. That’s why we need the BRAIN Act signed into law – to invest in brain cancer research, provide new treatment options and hope for families, and ensure transparency in this public health investment.” said Congresswoman Schrier, M.D. 
    “The BRAIN Act marks a major leap forward in the fight against brain tumors and rare cancers,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “For too long, patients and families have faced these devastating diagnoses with limited options. This bipartisan bill drives innovation, strengthens collaboration, and ensures greater transparency and support for those affected. By investing in research and accelerating progress, the BRAIN Act brings us closer to breakthroughs—and ultimately, a cure.”
    “Thousands of Americans are diagnosed with fatal brain tumors every year, yet there are very few treatments available,” said Congressman John Joyce, M.D. “Like so many throughout the country, I have experienced firsthand the pain these brain tumors can cause for families and patients alike, and as a physician, I understand how critical medical innovations are to give patients hope and to save American lives. I am proud to join the BRAIN Act, which will encourage further advancements in the treatment of cancerous brain tumors, giving hope to so many patients.”
    In order to reduce mortality rates and make meaningful progress against brain tumors, better-funded and collaborative research is needed. The BRAIN Act takes a comprehensive, complementary approach to meet this need and further advance research for these aggressive, hard-to-treat cancers.
    Specifically, the BRAIN Act:

    Increases transparency of federally-funded biobank collections so that researchers are aware of others who possess samples that might be shared to enable important research.
    Sufficiently resources the National Cancer Institute’s Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network, so that it can realize its promise of vetting treatments and completing innovative early-phase clinical trials. 
    Enables team science to advance immunotherapy research (CAR-T) engineered to attack brain cancer cells.
    Directs the Centers for Disease Control to conduct a public education campaign around the importance of clinical trials and biomarker testing in cancer treatment.
    Augments and expands funding to develop innovative systems of care models for brain tumor survivors.
    Directs FDA to issue guidance to ensure brain tumor and other rare and recalcitrant cancer patient access to clinical trials evaluating treatments for other diseases.

    “This is a landmark bill for the brain tumor community,” said David Arons, President & Chief Executive Officer of the National Brain Tumor Society. “As far as we know, the BRAIN Act represents the first piece of legislation introduced in Congress specifically designed to target policy solutions at the many barriers impeding progress for brain and other rare and difficult-to-treat cancers. We thank Senators Blumenthal, Barrasso, Reed, and Rounds, as well as Representatives Trahan, Fitzpatrick, Schrier, and Joyce, for realizing the major unmet needs of this community and championing policies that support brain tumor patients, survivors, families, and the research poised for breakthroughs ahead.”
    “In my 12-year career as a practicing neuro-oncologist and clinical researcher, I’ve seen first-hand the devastating toll that brain tumors take on patients and families,” said Nicholas Blondin, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine. “I’ve also witnessed transformative changes in the way we treat other cancers, such as breast cancer, lung cancer and melanoma. Unfortunately, we have not experienced the same level of progress in the tools and treatment options for patients with malignant brain tumors. More concerted policies to adequately fund cutting-edge research, paired with initiatives to raise awareness about the advances that are currently happening in diagnostics and clinical trials, are essential. New models for addressing the challenges patients face in their brain tumor journey will greatly benefit efforts in the field of neuro-oncology to catch up to the progress we have seen in treating other cancers.”
    A section by section for the BRAIN Act is available HERE and a one-page summary of the bill is available HERE.
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Building a Team for Growth: The Bank of Glen Burnie Promotes Jonathan Shearin to Chief Lending Officer and Names Jeff Welch Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GLEN BURNIE, Md., April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Bank of Glen Burnie®, a wholly owned subsidiary of Glen Burnie Bancorp (NASDAQ: GLBZ), announced today the expansion of its lending team to position the Bank to carry out its growth strategy focused on growing the commercial banking and lending portfolios. Jonathan Shearin, who previously served in the role of vice president and director of commercial banking, was promoted to the role of chief lending officer effective March 13, 2025. Jeff Welch was named executive vice president and chief credit officer effective March 31, 2025.

    “Jonathan hit the ground running and has made a significant impact to our loan portfolio since joining the bank in 2024,” said Mark C. Hanna, President and CEO. “Jonathan is out in our community every day building relationships in Anne Arundel County and the surrounding areas while constantly looking for opportunities to help local businesses obtain the financial expertise and tools they need to grow their own businesses. His energy and leadership, combined with his early success, made him a natural fit to assume the role of chief lending officer. In his new role, Shearin will be focused on driving sales and revenue to maximize return on capital invested in loans and achieve profitability. He will be tasked with helping to develop the Bank’s lending strategy, building relationships, supervising our commercial lending team, and overseeing loan production and growth objectives.”

    “I’m honored to step into this role and lead our lending team as we continue to support the businesses and communities we serve,” said Shearin. “Our focus remains on building strong client relationships, providing tailored financing strategies, and driving sustainable growth for the businesses and communities we serve. I look forward to working alongside our team to strengthen our market position and create new opportunities for long-term success.”

    As the Bank builds out its leadership team tasked with growing commercial loans and deposits, Jeff Welch joins The Bank of Glen Burnie in the newly created role of chief credit officer and will also serve as executive vice president. A seasoned banking executive, Welch brings more than 40 years of progressive risk management, lending, and sales management experience to lead efforts to effectively manage credit risk and help ensure the soundness of the Bank’s loan portfolio. His responsibilities as chief credit officer will include evaluating loan applications, regulatory compliance related to credit risk, and overseeing credit administration.

    Welch most recently served as executive vice president and chief credit officer at Burke & Herbert Bank, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, where he was responsible for the Credit Risk Management and Loan Administration Divisions. Welch has spent the entirety of his banking career in progressive leadership roles at financial institutions located in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. corridor, bringing a wealth of expertise about the banking environment, the economy and the credit needs of the area.

    Welch holds a Master of Business Administration in finance from Marymount University and is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in operations management.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Jeff to The Bank of Glen Burnie,” remarked Hanna. “His proven track record in developing and implementing strategic plans at all levels combined with his relationship building skills will prove invaluable to us as we look to grow and thrive as we set the pace for growth during our next 75 years of community banking in Anne Arundel County. Jeff’s recent retirement from Burke & Herbert Bank presented us with an opportunity to recruit a highly experienced chief credit officer with extensive experience in credit policy and risk management/portfolio oversight in addition to sales management, financial analysis, and project management expertise. Jeff is well suited to help shape The Bank of Glen Burnie’s strategic direction. We have built a stellar lending team, and I am confident that together Jonathan and Jeff will lead this team to new heights and help The Bank of Glen Burnie significantly expand our loan portfolio while successfully managing risk.”

    “I am excited to join The Bank of Glen Burnie at a time when we are poised to execute our strategic planning lending objectives focused on growing our loan portfolio,” said Welch. “We have an outstanding lending team, and I look forward to working together to build new relationships in the community and to meet the credit needs of local business owners in our market.”

    About Glen Burnie Bancorp

    Glen Burnie Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Founded in 1949, The Bank of Glen Burnie® is a locally owned community bank with seven Anne Arundel County branches. The Bank is engaged in commercial and retail banking, including accepting demand and time deposits and originating loans to individuals, associations, partnerships, and corporations. The Bank’s real estate financing consists of residential first and second mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit and commercial mortgage loans. The Bank also originates automobile loans through arrangements with local automobile dealers. Additional information is available at thebankofglenburnie.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    The statements contained herein that are not historical financial information may be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause the company’s actual results in the future to differ materially from its historical results and those presently anticipated or projected. These statements are evidenced by terms such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” and similar expressions. Although these statements reflect management’s good faith beliefs and projections, they are not guarantees of future performance and they may not prove true. For a more complete discussion of these and other risk factors, please see the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Quark Publishing Platform NextGen Now Available in Microsoft Azure Marketplace

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quark Software, the global provider of content automation, intelligence and design software, today announced the availability of Quark Publishing Platform (QPP) NextGen in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. Quark customers can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform, with streamlined deployment and management.

    This solution gives global organizations access to a comprehensive and complete set of AI-powered content technology tools to manage each phase of the content lifecycle for highly regulated documentation, from creation to publishing, and everything in between. QPP NextGen’s SaaS platform enables organizations to easily adopt Quark’s purpose-built solutions in the cloud anywhere, any time, and accelerate time-to-value while optimizing enterprise content strategies.

    “We recognize that enterprises trust the secure, scalable, and standardized products and services from Microsoft to fuel their business,” said Martin Owen, CEO at Quark. “QPP NextGen is fully integrated with Microsoft Office 365 and the wider Microsoft ecosystem, making it simple for content teams to modernize their content creation and publishing processes without having to change the way they work. Today, we’re reinforcing our commitment to our journey with Microsoft in the Azure Marketplace, and as AI adoption takes center stage for many organizations, we will support their investment with Azure AI tools and help them understand how AI can enhance their content strategy objectives.”

    Jake Zborowski, General Manager, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp., said, “We welcome Quark Publishing Platform NextGen to Azure Marketplace, where global customers can find, try, and buy from among thousands of partner solutions. Thanks to trusted partners like Quark, Azure Marketplace is part of a cloud marketplace landscape offering flexibility and economic value while transacting tens of billions of dollars a year in revenues.”

    The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use.

    Learn more about Quark Publishing Platform NextGen and get it now by visiting its page in the Azure Marketplace.

    About Quark
    Quark knows content. We have a long history in delivering tools that help global industries in life sciences, financial services, and manufacturing modernize their content operations infrastructure and win in their target markets. We took our 40+ years of understanding content complexity and infused it into Quark Publishing Platform NextGen. This platform automates complex content management processes so organizations in any regulated or complex industry can achieve their most important objectives – from digital transformation and customer satisfaction to regulatory compliance and revenue growth. Deep investments in AI enable enterprises to automate key areas of the enterprise content lifecycle journey: from accurate creation, collaboration, and assembly to delivering personalized, compliance-controlled content and measuring content consumption.

    For more information, press only:
    Emerson Welch
    VP Global Marketing, Quark
    ewelch@quark.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Science and Technology report identifies trends shaping the future of science, defence and security for the next 20 years

    Source: NATO

    On Wednesday (9 April), The NATO Science & Technology Organization (STO) released its Science & Technology Macro Trends Report 2025–2045.

    The report identifies six key trends that are important for NATO: evolving competition areas; the race for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum superiority; biotechnology revolution; resource divide; fragmenting public trust; and technology integration and dependencies.

    The report assesses that, as global strategic competition intensifies, advances in science and technology will transform how nations compete. It predicts that AI and quantum technologies will be at the centre of such competition and continue to revolutionise industries, including in the defence and security sectors. Advances in synthetic biology and related areas will raise issues about research security and health regulations.

    NATO Chief Scientist and Chair of the NATO Science & Technology Board (STB), Dr Bryan Wells, stressed in the report that these trends will “empower NATO and Allies’ decision-makers to consider the choices before them and how they can best prepare the Alliance today to face future challenges”. “Continued knowledge-building and investment in science & technology will strengthen NATO’s and Allies’ ability to outperform the competitors of today and tomorrow and ensure that we remain robust, resilient, and ready to respond to any threat”, he concluded.

    Read the full report.

    For further enquiries, please contact techtrends@sto.nato.int

    Follow us:
    on X: @NATO_STO_OCS
    on LinkedIn: NATO Office of the Chief Scientist (STO-OCS), NATO Science & Technology Organization (STO)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Shark AI uses fossil shark teeth to get middle school kids interested in paleontology and computer vision

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christine Wusylko, Postdoctoral Fellow in Educational Technology, University of Florida

    A student creates their model using Google Teachable Machine. Christine Wusylko, CC BY-ND

    Most kids have a natural curiosity about sharks − especially their sharp and abundant teeth. Our team had the idea to use the appeal of this charismatic apex predator to teach how scientists use artificial intelligence.

    We are researchers in AI literacy and STEM education who helped create a series of lessons that use fossil shark teeth to demonstrate the power and pitfalls of AI.

    The curriculum guides middle school students and teachers through building and evaluating computer vision models that can reliably classify fossil shark teeth. Computer vision is a type of artificial intelligence that uses algorithms and a lot of image data to classify and identify objects. It’s the same technology that enables Google Lens to identify plant species in photographs or self-driving cars to recognize people, cars and bicycles.

    Our free Shark AI curriculum has five modules, which are aligned with national and state science education standards. These standards outline the key knowledge and skills students should learn at each grade level. The lessons are designed to cultivate students’ interest in AI, data science, paleontology and the nature of science.

    Students learn about the different types of shark teeth and what they look like.
    Department of Education, University of Florida, CC BY-ND
    Shark AI students analyze various types of shark teeth.
    Bruce MacFadden photo composite, CC BY-ND

    The overall objective of Shark AI is to show that one does not have to be a computer scientist to use, teach or learn AI. We believe all teachers can and should be prepared to teach about AI in order to facilitate the technology’s meaningful integration into K-12 education.

    Teaching science with AI

    AI is already transforming our lives at a dizzying pace.

    To help prepare kids to live and work in an AI world, it is important for them to learn about the technology in school. Most of the resources available to teach AI in K-12 classrooms focus on the technology itself. As a result, these lessons may be offered only in specialty classes such as computer science and engineering, which may not be offered to all students at all schools.

    Systematic integration of AI in education is relatively new, so many teacher preparation programs are just beginning to incorporate it. There’s a need for professional learning opportunities for teachers already working in schools to learn about AI.

    Our research shows science teachers have a variety of preconceptions about AI. Additionally, many teachers are worried about teaching something they have little experience with. Nearly half of educators told EdWeek in a survey that “they’re uncomfortable with AI technology,” suggesting they are unlikely to add AI lessons to their already packed curriculum.

    Sorting sharks’ teeth

    To break down that unfamiliarity, the curriculum starts by introducing the various types of AI, such as natural language processing, automated speech recognition and computer vision. Students then get to work with fossil kits containing 15 real fossil shark teeth and one 3D-printed megalodon tooth. Megalodons were behemoth sharks that roamed the waters starting 20 million years ago and are now extinct. Students sort teeth in any way they want – such as by size, color or shape. Then, they learn how scientists typically classify fossils and practice sorting the teeth by species of shark and by what it eats.

    A student examines the features of a shark tooth fossil.
    Christine Wusylko, CC BY-ND

    After this, students use Google Teachable Machine, a free, online tool that uses the powerful TensorFlow.js machine learning model trained on millions of images. That creates their own computer vision model to classify fossil shark teeth. The data they use can be pictures they take of the real teeth in their kits or pictures they upload from databases such as the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History paleobiology digital collection or iDigBio.

    The models occasionally misclassify teeth, which creates an opportunity for teachers to discuss bias and limitations of computer vision, such as why it is important to train AI on lots of high-quality and diverse images.

    The Shark AI curriculum concludes with students creating, showcasing and discussing their own computer vision models.

    Different ways students classify fossils.
    Christine Wusylko, CC BY-ND

    Through these activities, students learn about AI concepts such as the strengths and weaknesses of AI compared with human intelligence along with paleontology concepts such as the fossil record or the information that can be learned about the history of life on Earth by studying fossils.

    Teachers have the flexibility to modify the activities, sequence and time they want to spend on the curriculum. This allows them to highlight the aspects that make most sense for their instructional needs and goals.

    To prepare teachers to use Shark AI, we host a weeklong professional learning session in which teachers learn how AI is used in science. They also practice doing the activities in the curriculum, and we leave plenty of time for discussion to demystify the technology.

    An important component of the training is to create a community for the teachers. They have opportunities to check in, brainstorm and troubleshoot together throughout the year.

    The Shark AI staff also checks in frequently with teachers individually to provide personalized support, usually troubleshooting questions about Google Teachable Machine. The teachers meet as a group once every few months to build community.

    Instructors work with Shark AI teachers during the weeklong professional learning session.
    Photos courtesy of the UF College of Education., CC BY-ND

    With these supports, we have found that teachers can change their understanding and beliefs about AI, and feel comfortable and prepared to teach science with AI methods.

    Christine Wusylko works for the University of Florida and receives funding from the NSF.

    Pavlo Antonenko works for the University of Florida and receives funding from the NSF.

    – ref. Shark AI uses fossil shark teeth to get middle school kids interested in paleontology and computer vision – https://theconversation.com/shark-ai-uses-fossil-shark-teeth-to-get-middle-school-kids-interested-in-paleontology-and-computer-vision-251125

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Fideres Announces Affiliation of Leading Financial Economist Dr. Matthew D. Cain

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fideres, a global economic consultancy renowned for supporting complex financial litigation for its law firm clients, is proud to announce the affiliation of Dr. Matthew D. Cain.

    Under this agreement, Dr. Cain will serve as a testifying expert and lead Fideres’ expanding securities litigation practice in the United States.

    One of the most prominent testifying experts in U.S. securities litigation, Dr. Cain has provided expert analysis in more than 60 major securities and regulatory enforcement matters, including numerous headline cases brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    “This is a game-changing move for Fideres and our clients in the plaintiff bar,” said Alberto Thomas, co-founder and managing partner at Fideres USA. “Matt’s partnership with us signals our deep commitment to supporting our clients’ most challenging and impactful cases.”

    This partnership will enable Fideres’s clients to pursue high-stakes, complex litigation with best-in-class economic analysis and support.

    “Working directly with Fideres affords me the ability to focus and lend my experience to an organization with a rich history of affecting change through securities litigation, rooted in academic rigor, innovative economic analysis, and strategic execution,” said Dr. Cain.

    Dr. Cain has held senior academic appointments at the New York University School of Law and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He also served as a Financial Economist in the SEC’s Office of Litigation Economics and as an advisor to SEC Commissioner Robert J. Jackson, Jr. His research has been widely published in leading academic and legal journals, with a focus on securities litigation, disclosure, and corporate governance. Dr. Cain holds a Ph.D. in Finance from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Grove City College.

    About Fideres
    Founded in 2009, Fideres is a consultancy specializing in economic analysis and expert witness services for complex litigation, particularly in the areas of antitrust, financial markets, and consumer protection. The firm has advised claimants in some of the most significant economic and antitrust cases globally and maintains offices in New York and other major jurisdictions worldwide.

    For more information click here.

    Media Contact:
    Mark Firmani
    mark@firmani.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0306a3cf-81d8-4a84-9c34-0246e55e8900

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Wevr Unveils Groundbreaking Immersive Experience, Catch the Wave at the Malta Pavilion at World Expo 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LOS ANGELES, April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wevr, a creative development and production studio specializing in interactive and immersive experiences, today revealed its visionary design for the Malta Pavilion Experience at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The immersive installation will welcome global visitors from April 13, 2025 through October 13, 2025, showcasing Malta’s rich heritage and bold aspirations at the prestigious international event held once every four years. Titled “Catch the Wave,” the multi-sensory experience is being created in partnership with Malta Enterprise under the direction of Wevr’s cofounder and CEO Neville Spiteri. 

    “What better way to illustrate Malta’s forward-thinking future than by using immersive technology to surround visitors with the sights and sounds of Malta’s rich history in the Mediterranean, alongside our ambitious vision for tomorrow,” said Malta Enterprise CEO George Gregory. “Wevr’s creative vision and mastery of next-generation technologies made them the natural choice to showcase all that Malta offers in terms of heritage, industry and innovation.”

    With a focus on sustainability and technological advancement, the pavilion seamlessly integrates art, science, technology, culture, and the natural world. Key features include:

    • Dynamic Exterior Canvas: A spectacular 16m × 5m high-resolution LED screen envelops approaching visitors in the breathtaking Mediterranean environment. Digital twins capture the singular beauty of Malta’s iconic structures, from Megalithic temples to the old medieval city of Mdina and the UNESCO world heritage Valletta entrance, weaving a tapestry from past to present, each frame alive with the shifting light of the time of day. Ambient music intertwines with the imagery casting reflections that ripple on the dramatic fountain entrance. 
    • Immersive Time Portal: Inside the pavilion, a 9m x 3m surround screen creates a portal through Maltese history which surrounds visitors in a 180-degree storyscape, unfurling an 8,000-year saga in the Mediterranean Sea cradling the island of Malta. This captivating narrative journey, woven with spatial audio, dramatic lighting, and state of the art 3D and AI technology, traces the island’s metamorphosis from an ancient Mediterranean crossroads to a luminous hub of future innovation.
    • Multi-modal Storytelling: Through collaboration with the Heritage Malta, Wevr utilized state of the art 3D photogrammetry and proprietary Generative AI technology to faithfully bring to life key moments from Malta’s past with unprecedented detail and authenticity. And with the guidance of Malta Enterprise, visualizing an innovative and future extending to renewable energy and the metaverse.  

    “The Malta pavilion experience weaves an immersive journey that envelops visitors in the beauty and essence of Malta,” said Neville Spiteri, CEO of Wevr who directed and produced the experience. “By bringing key historic moments to life and offering glimpses into the future using our R&D in Generative AI and real-time 3D Unreal workflows, we’re demonstrating what tomorrow’s business and entertainment experiences look and feel like.”

    Wevr’s global virtual studio, composed of multiple creative teams across multiple continents, collaborated with Maltese historians, artists and domain experts at the center. The design leverages Wevr’s decade of expertise creating stories and environments with Epic’s Unreal Engine, now enhanced with proprietary Generative AI tools developed specifically for creating spectacular immersive content for forward-thinking clients like the Malta Government. 

    About Wevr

    Wevr is a leading creative immersive studio. We collaborate with artists, brands and IP to co-create immersive experiences and spatial applications. Wevr’s expertise includes Interactive real-time 3D, Spatial/XR, Simulations, Immersive video and Generative AI. Wevr was recognized on Fast Company’s list of “Top 10 Most Innovative companies in AR/VR.” Wevr’s world class leadership team is composed of repeat successful technology entrepreneurs, veteran AAA game developers, and award-winning designers, artists and storytellers. Investors include HTC and Epic Games. 

    Contact:
    Amanda Orr for Wevr
    amanda@wevr.com
    202-459-1304

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4bfb9631-df39-4ca8-a0a0-2ff2816e620d

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Solid or liquid? Scientists accurately predict complex tissue changes in fruit fly embryos

    Source: US Government research organizations

    Using techniques from early work in artificial intelligence, a model showed how certain fruit fly embryo tissue remains solid during development instead of liquefying

    Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, scientists have accurately modeled particular cellular changes in Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly, during embryonic development. When certain tissue shrinks dramatically to close a gap during the fruit fly embryo’s growth, the cells remain elastically solid rather than turning into a liquid form as expected. The model created by the researchers shows how this phenomenon happens and may lead to a new form of condensed matter physics with potential applications in neuroscience, biology and artificial intelligence.

    The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also revealed a surprising connection to the work that earned the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics.

    “During the dorsal closure process, tissue, called amnioserosa, is shrinking like mad, and by all accounts, it should turn into a fluid,” says Andrea Liu, University of Pennsylvania theoretical physicist and author on the research. “But it doesn’t. The cells stay locked in place with their neighbors, and we wanted to understand why.”

    Time-lapse video of fruit fly dorsal closure

    Credit: I. Tah, D. Haertter, J.M. Crawford, D.P. Kiehart, C.F. Schmidt, A.J. Liu, PNAS.

    Time-lapse video showing the microscopic dorsal closure process in a fruit fly embryo. The superimposed yellow dots represent the cellular movements predicted by the researchers’ model.

    The researchers used a method introduced by John Hopfield, who shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics with Geoffrey Hinton for their work developing computer technologies that mimic an organic brain’s ability to process information.

    “Hopfield, essentially, applied physics to neuroscience and created a subfield of the discipline, as well as the basis of neural networks,” Liu says about the seminal work that laid the foundation for artificial intelligence. “He showed that by allowing the interactions between neurons to be individually adjustable, you could build a model of how the brain learns. So, we introduced tunable interactions among cells to see how a tissue of cells might remain rigid.”

    By incorporating this concept into their novel model of fruit fly tissue, the team was able to predict changes in cell shape, orientation and other properties that were later confirmed through additional experimentation. Liu believes this work points to a new category of condensed matter, one in which interactions between particles or cells are individually tunable rather than fixed.

    “In conventional condensed matter physics, you can’t and don’t change interactions. They are what they are,” Liu says. “But in biological systems, interactions are dynamic.”

    “In systems with tunable interactions, scaling up can produce entirely new, emergent properties. The behavior of a system with a million interacting units can be vastly different from one with thousands.”

    “This work beautifully combines features of biology, artificial intelligence and condensed matter physics to address a fascinating problem at the interface of biology and materials research,” says Daryl Hess, program director in the NSF Division of Materials Research.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Jan Frait: Monetary policy analysis at the crossroads – insights from central banks’ reviews

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Introductory remarks for the Panel Discussion

    It is a great honour for me to chair the second panel today, in which we move further towards research and academic thinking. In particular, we will focus on the analytical and modelling frameworks used by central banks to support monetary policy decision-making.

    Before we do so, I’d like to start by introducing myself as a monetary policymaker with some personal statistics. I have attended more than 200 monetary policy meetings in one capacity or another. As a board member, I have voted 93 times – 31 times for a cut and only twice for a hike. That looks pretty dovish, for sure. On the other hand, for 87% of the time I’ve been voting on interest rates, the relevant monetary policy rate has been higher than headline inflation. This appears more hawkish. Well, things are really state-dependent.

    No matter how long or how many times I’ve done this, I still consider myself a young apprentice, caught between Scylla and Charybdis – to borrow a lyric from one of my favourite bands, The Police. I approach decision-making with plenty of humility. In other words, even after all these years, much of what goes on in the economy remains to some extent a mystery to me. I don’t feel I understand macroeconomic dynamics much better than I did 20 years ago.

    When I was a student, macroeconomics and monetary theory textbooks described monetary policy as more of an art than a science. By the time I joined the Czech National Bank at the beginning of the century, it was a different story. Monetary policy had been operating under the then-new inflation-targeting regime for two years. Decision-making was increasingly based on a modelling framework derived from New Keynesian macroeconomics, which had gained the status of a fully-fledged science. Whether or not it actually deserved it was never discussed at the time.

    One of the key aspects of this new paradigm was the belief that vague monetary policy objectives such as “sound money”, “monetary stability”, and “macroeconomic stability” should be replaced by the more concrete objective of price stability – ideally in the form of a specific numerical inflation target expressed as growth in the consumer price index.

    After more than a quarter of a century of experience with this approach, I’m inclined to think that, as usual, we romantically overestimated its capacity. The primary monetary policy objective started to be viewed too narrowly. The focus on a specific number was opportunistically misused to maintain extremely low interest rates and highly supportive monetary policy in times of positive supply shocks, even when there weren’t always strong macroeconomic grounds for doing so.

    In many countries, monetary policy became rather asymmetric. A regime designed to prevent time inconsistency in monetary policy often ended up fostering it. I constantly heard the argument, “It doesn’t matter that inflation is currently above the target. It’ll soon return to it thanks to anchored expectations.” Yet as soon as inflation dropped below the target, the rhetoric changed to, “There’s a threat of deflation. We need to have extremely low rates or use other instruments to ease monetary and financial conditions.”

    This was despite – or maybe even because of – the fact that monetary policy in developed countries had become a very powerful tool of economic policy. A tool on which hopes are pinned whenever sentiment worsens and economic activity slows. The models we use to assess and forecast macroeconomic developments undoubtedly encourage such hopes.

    In the summer of 2002, the Czech National Bank introduced a small-scale, semi-structural, gap-based model called the Quarterly Projection Model (QPM) for forecasting and analysis. QPM was a big step forward. It taught experts and board members to apply a model-consistent approach to macroeconomic policy. In a converging economy with a nominally appreciating currency and a rapidly developing financial sector, it was, of course, difficult for the model to explain everything that was happening. Frustration with the model outcomes began to mount when global macroeconomic volatility surged in 2007 amid large financial imbalances.

    I was no longer at the monetary policy coalface at that time, as between 2007 and 2022, I worked in financial stability and macroprudential policy. My only monetary policy-related legacy from this period can be seen on the webpage about “the mandate of the Czech National Bank”, which states: “Through the joint action of monetary policy and macroprudential policy, we contribute to maintaining confidence in the value of the Czech koruna and safeguarding the stability of the macroeconomic environment.” We keep doing so.

    Frustration with predictions probably drove the decision to switch hastily to a New Keynesian DSGE model in the summer of 2008. Maybe there were other reasons, but the Czech National Bank’s representatives did not expand on them at the time. Then the Global Financial Crisis erupted, and there was no longer any time for such discussions.

    It’s no secret that I never considered it beneficial to replace the semi-structural model with the DSGE model as the sole approach for macroeconomic forecasting. Not because I dislike one theory or model over another, but because theories and models are valuable to a central bank only to the extent that they facilitate an informed and sufficiently comprehensive debate – one that helps us understand the evolving economic story in the short, medium, and long run.

    Basing monetary policy decision-making solely on the microeconomically consistent but economically limited New Keynesian DSGE model ultimately narrowed the debate. The process became more automatic, and the decision-making appeared easier. The dilemmas that board members typically face became less visible. They were obscured by the standard linearization around the inflation target, which is typical of New Keynesian models. We tended to overestimate the impact of short-term interest rate changes while underestimating the effects of our powerful communication on long-term interest rates and asset markets. Paradoxically, this more “scientific” approach resulted in greater discretion in decision-making – and in sizeable unintended effects.

    Today, in 2025, we are a little more enlightened. The recent wave of inflation was a kind of blessing in disguise. It reminded us that monetary policy is still an art as well as a science. It taught us that the primary purpose of macroeconomic analysis is to distinguish fundamental trends from temporary fluctuations, local peculiarities from global phenomena, and supply shocks from demand shifts. It helps monetary policymakers be principled yet flexible in challenging times, especially during geopolitical and economic turbulence.

    In this context, it’s only natural that many inflation-targeting central banks are considering changes to their monetary policy frameworks. More than a year ago, the CNB also decided to undertake an external review of its monetary policy analytical and modelling framework – the first such review in its history. We commissioned three independent reviews to gain a comprehensive perspective. And we got it. Two of the three reviewers accepted our invitation to join this panel.

    Before I introduce the panellists, I’d like to make another musical analogy. I belong to a generation where many were briefly fascinated by jazz-rock – virtuoso musicians playing a lot of notes very fast. Amazing at first listen, still entertaining at the third, but for most of us, boring by the tenth – because the music lacked variation in mood, timbre, and rhythm. Then bands like The Police came along – jazz-trained musicians playing simple yet original songs in a technically brilliant yet energetic way, capturing the zeitgeist. With stops and double stops. Leaving plenty of space for the imagination.

    I’d be glad if this approach became more widespread in the modelling we do to support monetary policy decision-making. We need analyses that are technically rigorous yet responsive to economic, social, and political dynamics – driven by emotion and belief, scepticism and conviction, avarice and altruism. To achieve this, we must diversify our thinking, remain open to adjusting our mindsets when major shifts occur, and invest in people who can develop alternative models and implement fresh ideas from academic research. We should be open to semi-structural, DSGE, agent-based, and other sorts of models, and use them in a way that improves our understanding of sometimes enigmatic developments in the economy.

    Now I will truly hand over the mic to the power trio here today, who – except for one member – also happened to fly in from Britain. They all pay great attention to similar issues while differing in their methodological approaches.

    John Muellbauer is a Senior Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Professor of Economics, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.

    He earned his undergraduate degree from Cambridge University and his doctorate from the University of California. John has collaborated with legendary macroeconomists and econometrists such as Charles Goodhart, David Hendry, Peter Sinclair, and Adrian Pagan. He has also served as a consultant for the Bank of England, HM Treasury, the South African Reserve Bank, and, more recently, the Czech National Bank. In 2024, he conducted a review of the Czech National Bank’s analytical framework for policy analysis and forecasting, assessing its core and satellite models as part of an integrated approach to monetary policymaking.

    Roman Šustek is a Reader in Economics at Queen Mary University of London and a Research Associate at the Centre for Macroeconomics at the London School of Economics. His research focuses on housing, mortgage finance, monetary policy, and the term structure of interest rates. He transitioned to academia after five years as an economist in the Monetary Assessment and Strategy Division of the Bank of England. He earned his PhD from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, following an earlier role as an economist at the Czech National Bank in Prague. As part of the 2024 Czech National Bank monetary policy review, Roman contributed to the assessment of macroeconomic forecasting models and processes used in policy analysis. In his research and writings, Roman often focuses on the same topics as John, in particular on the links between household consumption, house prices, and mortgage regulation. These are ultimately the topics that were viewed as rather important by the BIS economists under our keynote speaker-Claudio Borio.

    Jakub Matějů is the Deputy Executive Director of the Monetary Department at the Czech National Bank and the Acting Director of the department’s Macroeconomic Forecasting Division. He is also temporarily heading the Monetary Department. His research and policy work focuses on macroeconomic forecasting and monetary policy. Before his current role, he worked as an economist in the CNB’s Monetary Department. He later joined the European Central Bank and served as a senior economist in the analytical team of Komerční banka. In 2019, he returned to the CNB as an adviser to the Bank Board and has been the Deputy Executive Director of the Monetary Department since 2023. Jakub has received several Czech Economic Society Young Economist awards and the CNB’s Economic Research Award for his research. He earned his PhD in Economics from CERGE-EI, following his studies at the Institute of Economic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University.

    MIL OSI Economics –