Category: 3. Business

[Paris, France, October 22, 2025] At the annual Network X awards ceremony, China Mobile Shandong and Huawei were honored with the “Most Innovative Telco AI Deployment” award for their co-developed Intelligent Network Change Management Platform (INCMP). The platform stood out for its pioneering simulation technology and deep integration with real-world practices, showcasing the partners’ extraordinary collaboration and remarkable achievement in network digitalization and setting a new benchmark for intelligent transformation in global network services.

Network X is a global event in the communications industry, convening leading operators, innovators, and decision makers. Its awards celebrate groundbreaking achievements across the sector, honoring the projects that redefine the industry’s future and also guiding the industry’s continued growth.

China Mobile Shandong operates an IP network serving over 100 million users in Shandong province across mobile Internet, home broadband, enterprise private lines, and IPTV services. As the network expands and service complexity increases, managing configuration changes has become increasingly challenging. Since 2024, the company has executed over 1,500 network changes. Traditional manual configuration verification, which relies heavily on human experience, is prone to errors and omissions, posing risks to network reliability and stability.

To address these challenges, China Mobile Shandong partnered with Huawei to integrate Huawei’s next-generation Centralized Model-Operation Simulation (CMOS) algorithm from iMaster NCE into the INCMP. Together, they built a “zero-error” autonomous network, delivering three major improvements:

• Pre-change predictive simulation: The INCMP simulates network states and performance after configuration changes, and automatically marks anomalies to proactively mitigate risks.
• In-change precise control: The INCMP supports batch configuration delivery and policy combination verification to minimize impact on users.
• Post-change visualized traceability: The INCMP records the entire configuration change process and compares simulation results with actual network changes, reducing fault locating time from hours to minutes.

Operation statistics have confirmed the platform’s remarkable improvements: major incidents have been prevented, network migration efficiency has improved by nearly 60%, and user complaints have dropped to near zero. China Mobile Shandong has also incorporated the change simulation pass rate into the operation workflows of several critical network change scenarios, driving the province-wide standardization of network operations and maintenance.

At present, the INCMP covers over 1,000 network devices, and supports configuration change verification for tens of millions of home broadband users and millions of enterprise and government clients. It is now the most extensively deployed communication network simulation system in Shandong province.

This deployment has significantly boosted the network change success rate and ensured high continuity and availability of network operations, laying a solid foundation for China Mobile Shandong’s journey toward Level 4 autonomous networks. It also marks a major milestone in the company’s digital transformation and offers a replicable model for the broader communications industry.

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Heineken reported a significant drop in beer sales in the third quarter on the back of a “challenging” quarter in which economic volatility weighed on consumer sentiment.

The volume of beer the Dutch brewing giant sold in the three months to September fell 4.3 per cent, a deeper decline than the previous quarter, driven by weakening consumer demand and “trade uncertainties” in North and South America, and continued slow growth in Europe. 

It also warned annual profits would be at the lower end of its forecast range of 4 to 8 per cent.

“Macroeconomic volatility persisted as anticipated and became more pronounced in the third quarter, creating a challenging environment, resulting in a mixed performance,” said chief executive Dolf van den Brink. 

Brewing majors AB InBev and Carlsberg, which report next week, are also forecast to announce falling beer sales, as consumers around the world cut back on spending.

Heineken, which brews Amstel, Birra Moretti and Cruzcampo, said revenues fell 1.4 per cent on an organic basis to €8.7bn, although net revenue fell 0.3 per cent to €7.3bn, a lower than expected decline.

The brewer’s results come ahead of its capital markets day on Thursday, when the company is expected to present a plan to reboot its faltering sales.

Commenting on the news that inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages stood at 4.5% in September, Chris Jaccarini, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “Food price inflation remained above the headline rate, as the impacts of extreme weather at home and abroad continue to feed through to consumers. UK farmers faced one of the worst harvests ever this year [1], following the hottest summer and spring on record. Although weather is only part of the story, climate change is playing a clear role and farmers are worried [2].
 
“Europe is the fastest warming continent [3], and climate-impacted foods are responsible for around 40% of food price inflation [4], pushing up all our food bills. Extreme weather has driven up the cost of British staples like milk and butter, as well as imports such as coffee, cocoa and olive oil.
 
“Climate change poses a systemic threat to our health, living standards and food security. Central banks may be tasked with controlling inflation, but they can’t avoid climate-driven food price spikes — only cutting emissions to net zero and restoring climate balance can.” 
 
Today’s figures come a day after new analysis from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) showed that the price of foods hit by extreme weather are rising over four times faster than others in the average shop. The analysis finds that although these items –  butter, beef, milk, coffee and chocolate- make up just 11% of the average shopping basket, they account for nearly 40% of all food price inflation [4]. These items remained the food types with the highest rate of inflation in September, as climate shocks continue to reduce discretionary income.

ENDS

Notes to editors: 

1. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2025/england-has-second-worst-harvest-on-record-comment

2. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2025/farmer-confidence-battered-by-climate-change-new-research

3. https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/european-state-of-climate-extreme-events-warmest-year-record

4. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2025/why-food-prices-are-still-rising-butter-beef-and-milk-to-blame 

For more information or for interview requests:

George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: 07894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net

Philippine Manufacturing Co. of Murata, Inc. (Batangas, Philippines), a manufacturing subsidiary of Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., has completed a new production building that had been under construction since August 2023, and a ceremony to celebrate its completion was held on Wednesday, October 22. The completion of the new building strengthens our global production capabilities as we respond to the medium to long term increase in demand for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) driven by the expected future growth of the mobility market.

Scene from the completion ceremony (October 22, 2025)

Overview of the completion ceremony

Overview of the new production building

Philippine Manufacturing Co. of Murata, Inc.

We are building a framework that enables us to respond flexibly to market changes and demand growth by distributing MLCC production bases across Japan, ASEAN, and China to ensure balanced capacity expansion. Below is the schedule for the construction of MLCC-related buildings that were completed, or are planned to be completed, in 2023 and thereafter.

GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) today announced positive phase III data from its clinical programme to develop a next-generation version of its metered dose inhaler (MDI), Ventolin (salbutamol). Data confirm that the formulation of salbutamol MDI containing an innovative low carbon propellant HFA-152a shows therapeutic equivalence and is comparable in safety to salbutamol MDI containing the current propellant, HFA-134a.

The findings will support regulatory submissions for the next-generation version, with launch expected from 2026, an important advance to bringing a more sustainable option to patients with respiratory disease.

Nearly half a billion people are affected by asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) around the world⁴ and approximately 300 million salbutamol MDIs are sold globally every year^1,2. Used during an exacerbation, or “attack”, salbutamol in an MDI can help by immediately treating a sudden onset of respiratory symptoms, such as breathlessness.

Kaivan Khavandi, SVP, Global Head, Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation R&D, GSK, said: “Healthy air is essential for healthy lungs, and our next-generation salbutamol has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 92%³ per inhaler. Almost six decades after its first development, this medicine remains highly valued by patients and healthcare professionals and is a key component of our respiratory portfolio. Today, we are one step closer to a reliever MDI that we believe will continue to help patients for many decades to come.”

Due to the scale of volume and worldwide use, GSK’s salbutamol MDI currently accounts for close to half (45%)⁵ of the company’s total global carbon footprint. GSK has partnered to use cutting-edge propellant technologies to develop a next-generation low-carbon version and has added advanced manufacturing technologies to support launch of this inhaler.

Prof. Ashley Woodcock, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester, said: “While low carbon alternatives already exist, such as dry powder and soft mist inhalers, we know that many patients worldwide with both asthma and COPD prefer a salbutamol MDI to relieve their symptoms. These data should enable patients to use their preferred inhaler choice. This is a crucial advance to help global healthcare systems meet their climate targets at the same time as optimising the care of patients.”

About inhaled medicines

Inhaled medicines are administered to the lungs using an inhaler device. There are two main types of devices, metered dose inhalers (MDIs) and dry power inhalers (DPIs). All MDIs use a propellant to administer the medicine from the inhaler into the patient’s lungs. DPIs are propellant free, as the medicine is administered by the patients breathing in the powder, and therefore have a lower carbon impact compared to MDIs still using high global warming potential (GWP) propellants.

Eurostar is to start running doubledecker trains through the Channel tunnel to meet growing demand for international rail travel from the UK.

The rail operator announced it had signed a €2bn (£1.7bn) deal for at least 30 – and up to 50 – new trains from the manufacturer Alstom.

The doubledeckers will start operating from 2031, with each able to carry more than 1,000 passengers.

Eurostar said the Celestia trains, the first doubledeckers to run on the UK mainland, would have about 20% more seats than its biggest existing trains. Some of the extra space would be taken up by stairs, but it would also be used for wheelchairs, bicycles, additional legroom and “surprises”, it said.

The SNCF-owned operator plans to maintain the entire fleet at the Temple Mills depot in north-east London, which it hopes to redevelop with a further €80m investment, creating 350 jobs.

The announcement comes as the UK regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, is preparing to announce a critical decision on whether Eurostar should make space at Temple Mills for a competitor.

A number of other interested international high-speed rail operators, including Virgin, FS Italiane (Trenitalia, partnering with Spanish firm Evolyn) and Gemini have bid for the depot space, which Eurostar says is not feasible given its own expansion plans.

Last week, FS Italiane pledged its cross-Channel services would call at Ashford, Kent if successful, after ministers urged the ORR to favour bids that reopened disused UK high-speed stations.

Eurostar’s chief executive, Gwendoline Cazenave, said the timing of its train order announcement was a coincidence, as it continued to bounce back to growth after years of decline.

She said: “Placing this milestone order marks the concrete realisation of Eurostar’s ambitious growth strategy: to reach 30 million passengers by investing in a brand-new fleet. We’re particularly proud to bring doubledecker trains to the UK for the very first time.

“Customers can expect a very special new train with Eurostar Celestia, which will offer exceptional comfort, a unique Eurostar experience and new surprises to be revealed.”

The chief executive of manufacturer Alstom, Henri Poupart-Lafarge, said: “This new-generation train, designed to meet the demands of international very high-speed traffic, embodies our vision of sustainable and competitive European mobility.”

The trains will be able to operate throughout Eurostar’s network, including to its planned destinations of Frankfurt and Geneva. It will phase out its older trains, bar the 17 latest e320s, making its total fleet about 30% bigger once all 50 trains are delivered.

Cazenave said the order was long in the making, and Britain needed to increase its capacity for international rail, regardless of the imminent depot decision. She said: “Obviously, in the UK it’s a key milestone … but when I look at the demand, the way the market is pushing, what we are really pushing for is for the UK to find solutions for sustainable travel expansion between the UK and continent of Europe.

“You need private investment, as in the €2bn we’re putting on the table. But you also need a public transport policy, and investments in space. We need to find solutions for space for maintaining trains and we need also to find solutions for St Pancras,” the London passenger terminus.

Virgin has also signed a deal with Alstom, to buy 12 Avelia high-speed trains – a type currently in use in Italy and Sweden – should the regulator grant it depot space. The ORR is understood to have made a provisional decision at a board meeting on Tuesday, and is due to confirm it by 31 October.

• Cosentyx® (secukinumab) achieved statistically significant and clinically meaningful sustained remission vs placebo at Week 52¹
• Trial showed reduction in annual cumulative steroid dose vs placebo through Week 52; safety profile consistent with known profile of Cosentyx¹
• Data highlight potential of Cosentyx as novel targeted PMR treatment, second most common inflammatory disease in adults ≥50², with limited options available

Basel, October 22, 2025 – Novartis today announced that Cosentyx® (secukinumab) met the primary endpoint and all secondary endpoints in the Phase III REPLENISH trial¹. Cosentyx demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful sustained remission vs placebo at Week 52 in adults with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)¹. Data will be presented at an upcoming medical congress and submitted to health authorities in the first half of 2026.

“Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by bilateral pain of the neck, shoulders, or hips, morning stiffness, and fatigue. It tends to flare and significantly impact patients’ quality of life,” said Angelika Jahreis, Global Head, Immunology Development, Novartis. “These results highlight the potential of Cosentyx to help patients achieve and sustain disease remission and reduce corticosteroids, which can lead to significant side effects in this typically elderly patient population. Today’s results represent another breakthrough in transforming care in rheumatology.”

A key secondary endpoint of the REPLENISH trial was adjusted annual cumulative steroid dose through Week 52. Other secondary measures included complete sustained remission at Week 52, and time until patients needed additional treatment³.

About REPLENISH trial
The REPLENISH trial (NCT05767034) is a global Phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study conducted across 27 countries, evaluating the efficacy and safety of Cosentyx in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). Patients were randomized into three treatment arms: Cosentyx 300mg, Cosentyx 150mg, or placebo, all in combination with a 24-week steroid taper regimen. The primary endpoint of the trial is to assess whether secukinumab 300mg sc. plus a 24-week steroid taper is superior to placebo plus a 24-week steroid taper in achieving sustained remission at Week 52. Key secondary endpoints include the proportion of patients achieving complete sustained remission at Week 52, the adjusted annual cumulative steroid dose, and the time to first use of escape or rescue treatment through Week 52³.

About Cosentyx (secukinumab)
Cosentyx is a fully human biologic that directly inhibits interleukin-17A, an important cytokine involved in the inflammation underlying multiple immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. It is approved for use in adults with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PsO), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)^4–6, as well as in pediatric patients with PsO, enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA), and juvenile psoriatic arthritis (JPsA)^7–8.Cosentyx is supported by robust evidence and 10 years of real-world data demonstrating its long-term safety and sustained efficacy^9–14. Since its launch in 2015, it has been used to treat more than 1.8 million patients worldwide and is now approved in over 100 countries⁹.

About polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is the second most common inflammatory rheumatic disease in adults aged 50 years and older, typically characterized by acute pain and stiffness in the shoulders, neck, and hips². Relapses are frequent, affecting up to 40% of patients in the first year¹⁵, and long-term steroid use, the standard of care, carries significant risks including osteoporosis and diabetes¹⁶. Beyond physical complications, PMR substantially impairs quality of life through pain, fatigue, restricted mobility, and fear of relapse¹⁷.

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “potential,” “can,” “will,” “plan,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “look forward,” “believe,” “committed,” “investigational,” “pipeline,” “launch,” or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG’s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis 
Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach nearly 300 million people worldwide.

Reimagine medicine with us: Visit us at https://www.novartis.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram.

References

1. Novartis Data on File
2. Espígol-Frigolé G, et al. Lancet. 2023;402(10411):1459–72.
3. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT05767034. [Last accessed: October 2025].
4. Novartis Europharm Limited. Cosentyx® (secukinumab): Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/cosentyx-epar-product-information_en.pdf [Last accessed: October 2025].
5. Girolomoni G, Mrowietz U and Paul C. Psoriasis: rationale for targeting interleukin-17. Br J Dermatol 2012; 167: 717-724.
6. Novartis Cosentyx shows clinically meaningful symptom improvements in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa. [Press release]. Available at: https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-cosentyx-shows-clinically-meaningful-symptom-improvements-patients-hidradenitis-suppurativa-pivotal-phase-iii-trials [Last accessed: October 2025].
7. Novartis Cosentyx receives FDA approval for the treatment of children and adolescents with enthesitis-related arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. [Press release]. Available at: https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-cosentyx-receives-fda-approval-treatment-children-and-adolescents-enthesitis-related-arthritis-and-psoriatic-arthritis [Last accessed: October 2025].
8. Novartis Cosentyx receives positive CHMP opinion for expanded use in childhood arthritic conditions. [Press release]. Available at: https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-cosentyx-secukinumab-receives-positive-chmp-opinion-expanded-use-childhood-arthritic-conditions [Last accessed: October 2025].
9. Data on file_Cosentyx WW LTD patients Q1’25
10. Uta Kiltz et al. Secukinumab Retention and Effectiveness in Patients with PsA and Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis: 5-year Final Results of a Prospective Real-world Study. Abstract no:2344. ACR 2024 [Link]
11. Ippoliti et al. Long-Term Real-World Safety Profile of Secukinumab Assessed Through a 9-Year Experience in Patients Affected by Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis: Results From a Multicentric Retrospective Study. Dermatologic Therapy. 2025. Article Number: 9618241 [Link]
12. Mease PJ, Kavanaugh A, Reimold A, Tahir H, Rech J, Hall S, Geusens P, Pascale P, Delicha EM, Pricop L, Mpofu S. “Secukinumab Provides Sustained Improvements in the Signs and Symptoms in Psoriatic Arthritis: Final 5‑Year Efficacy and Safety Results from a Phase 3 Trial”. ACR/ARHP 2020 Annual Meeting Abstract. Presented in ACR Open Rheumatology (2020); CONCL‑00511 (Secukinumab Provides Sustained Improvements in the Signs and Symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis: Final 5-year Results from the Phase 3 FUTURE 1 Study – PubMed)
13. McInnes IB, Mease PJ, Kivitz AJ, Nash P, Rahman P, Rech J, Conaghan PG, Kirkham B, Navarra S, Belsare AD, Delicha EM, Pricop L, Mpofu S; FUTURE 2 Study Group. “Long‑term efficacy and safety of secukinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis: 5‑year (end‑of‑study) results from the phase III FUTURE 2 study.” Lancet Rheumatology. 2020; 2(4): e227–e235. (Long-term efficacy and safety of secukinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis: 5-year (end-of-study) results from the phase 3 FUTURE 2 study)
14. Bissonnette R, Luger T, Thaçi D, Toth D, Lacombe A, Xia S, Mazur R, Patekar M, Charef P, Milutinovic M, Leonardi C, Mrowietz U.Secukinumab demonstrates high sustained efficacy and a favourable safety profile in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis through 5 years of treatment (SCULPTURE Extension Study). J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2018 Sep;32(9):1507–1514. (Secukinumab demonstrates high sustained efficacy and a favourable safety profile in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis through 5 years of treatment (SCULPTURE Extension Study) – PubMed)
15. Floris A, et al. Clin Rheumatol. 2022;41(1):19–31.
16. Gabriel SE, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 1997;40(10):1873–8.
17. Hutchings A, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;57(5):803–9; Espígol-Frigolé G, et al. Lancet.2023;402(10411):1459–72; Twohig H, et al. Patient Educ Couns. 2015;98(5):645–50.

# # #

What if the key to cleaner, cheaper fuel wasn’t waiting for tomorrow’s technology but was already here? 

In 2021, the State of Nebraska rolled out a fleet of 50 vehicles — Dodge Avengers and Chargers and Ford Fusions — for a trial, swapping regular gasoline for E30, a 30% ethanol blend. 

The goal was to answer a question for the future of clean energy: Can standard cars run reliably on higher-ethanol fuel without modification? If these workhorses within the state motor pool could handle higher-ethanol fuel without trouble, it could change what drivers everywhere put in their tanks.

And, it could have a positive ripple effect throughout the state.

“Nebraska’s bioeconomy isn’t abstract; it’s embodied in this study,” said Rajib Saha, Richard L. and Carol S. McNeel Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, who led the study alongside graduate researcher Adil Alsiyabi and undergraduate student Seth Stroh. “It’s about corn farmers seeking new markets, rural towns gaining value and policymakers finally having concrete evidence that small tweaks could yield big wins — for the state, the climate and the bottom line.

“This project was not the work of an industry lobby or an outside consultant. It began in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, co-funded by the Nebraska Corn Board and the Nebraska Ethanol Board, and it’s indicative of the innovative, practical and high-impact research that has become synonymous with this department.” 

Each vehicle was outfitted with onboard diagnostic (OBD) trackers. Over the span of a year, the cars drove the Cornhusker state’s backroads and highways, and the trackers collected millions of data points.

The results were shared in a report:

• There were no observable negative effects on engine performance, despite the higher oxygen content in E30 fuel.
• Fuel efficiency dipped only modestly, but E30’s 2.5% price advantage made it economically equal, or better.
• A statewide shift from E15 to E30 fuel in fleet vehicles meant 66,000 more gallons of ethanol consumed annually and 529 tons fewer CO₂ emissions.
• If 10% of Nebraska’s non-flex-fuel vehicles switched, that would translate into 18.5 million gallons of additional ethanol use and 64,000 fewer tons of CO₂ — a genuinely monumental impact.

This work also was published in a peer-reviewed journal, and ethanol and energy publications called it a breakthrough, according to Saha. The Nebraska Ethanol Board championed the results as proof that E30 could work in everyday vehicles.  

Saha also noted that it provided empirical evidence that higher ethanol blends could deliver both savings and sustainability through modest MPG changes and big cost savings; no hardware failures or check-engine nightmares; and data-driven environmental benefits tied directly to corn-based ethanol.

Phase II launched in 2023, and as of mid‑2025, nearly 94 state vehicles have logged hundreds of thousands of miles on E30.

“E30 is safe, effective and economically viable,” Saha said. “The results of this project are reinforcing the idea that higher ethanol blends aren’t fringe — they’re practical and scalable.” 

The data could reshape Nebraska’s economy.

“Nebraska’s bioeconomy isn’t abstract — it’s about corn farmers seeking new markets, rural towns gaining value and policymakers finally having concrete evidence that small tweaks could yield big wins: for the state, the climate and the bottom line,” Saha said. “This isn’t just about fuel. It’s about leadership and about a department not asking, ‘Could this work?’ but ‘Why couldn’t it work?’ This team transformed every day vehicles into agents of change — bridging cornfields with cutting-edge data science.”

As part of the core project team, Loren Isom, associate director of the University of Nebraska Industrial Agricultural Products Center, emphasized that fuel economy should be viewed through the lens that matters most to drivers: cost per mile. Interim data from the Phase II study confirms that vehicles operating on E30 fuel blends are delivering savings, with the 2003–2019 vehicle group recording a 20% lower operating cost or 16 cents per mile on E30 versus 20 cents on E10.

That kind of evidence is why the Nebraska Ethanol Board views the effort as more than an experiment.

“The E30 demonstration is a terrific project for Nebraska,” said Ben Rhodes, director of the board. “This is one-of-a-kind research that is adding real value to the state. We’re showing that mid-level blends of homegrown ethanol are safe and effective across the entire US light-duty fleet, as well as demonstrating that E30 is viable under real-world market conditions.”

So far, the State of Nebraska has utilized more than 600,000 gallons of E30 fuel in the study, saving more than $300,000 in fuel costs and adding nearly $400,000 in value to Nebraska’s ethanol producers.

“It’s clear this is moving in the right direction toward the long-term goal of widespread E30 adoption and use,” Rhodes said.