Italian authorities have exposed a vast web of phony research projects that stole more than 
50 million from the European Commission. The projects, which ran across seven EU countries, covered a wide range of different topics, from road safety to healthcare.
A total of 22 projects are now under investigation for receiving EC funds fraudulently. The authorities have uncovered a network of companies and organisations, many of which turned out to be fictitious, based in the UK, France, Greece, Austria, Sweden, Slovenia and Poland.
