OffshoreMuster introduces as step-change in mustering and evacuation management in offshore platforms thanks to its unique features: continuous localisation and health monitoring of crew-members, detection of people at sea at distances of up to 1.5km and robust communication even in the events of massive data link breakdowns. Off-shore infrastructure has been growing steadily over the past years. To meet increasing demand, most future growth will have to come from fields that are more technically challenging and expensive to extract from than previously, such as deep- and ultra-deep-water offshore sites, This growing demand will drive investment in offshore oil & gas projects, and the increased activity in turn will drive an increase in demand for offshore assets to support these activities. This expansion comes at a great cost; upstream oil & gas has one of the highest severe-injury rates in the world, with a 2015–2016 rate of 148.9 injuries per 100,000 workers. This rate is unsurprising, considering the industry’s culture in which worker safeguards may not get the attention they deserve. Fatality rates are equally staggering: offshore workers face an average of 27.1 deaths per 100,000 employees. In every case with casualties, there were extensive shortcomings to the evacuation procedures. These are exacerbated by a lack of communication between the command structures and the platform’s crew, or the crew themselves. OffshoreMuster is based on the successful outcomes of previous R&D projects, during which the consortium partners successfully developed a system for safe mustering and evacuation in marine environments. Having demonstrated the technology, we aim to enhance the safety of personnel working in off-shore oil & gas installations and assets. By bringing the technology to the market, the consortium partners aim to generate €38m in revenue and €17m in profit within 5 years after entry in the market, while generating 77 jobs.

Metasurfaces, thin film planar, artificial structures, have recently enabled the realization of novel electromagnetic (EM) and optical components with engineered functionalities. These include total EM radiation absorption, filtering and steering of light and sound, as well as nano-antennas for sensors and implantable devices. Nonetheless, metasurfaces are presently non-adaptive and non-reusable, restricting their applicability to a single, static functionality per structure (e.g., steering light towards a fixed direction). Moreover, designing a metasurface remains a task for specialized researchers, limiting their accessibility from the broad engineering field. VISORSURF proposes a hardware platform-the HyperSurface-that can host metasurface functionalities described in software. The HyperSurface essentially merges existing metasurfaces with nanonetworks, acting as a reconfigurable metasurface whose properties can be changed via a software interface. This control is achieved by a network of miniaturized controllers, incorporated into the structure of the metasurface. The controllers receive programmatic directives and perform simple alterations on the metasurface structure, adjusting its EM behavior. The required end-functionality is described in well-defined, reusable software modules, adding the potential for hosting multiple functionalities concurrently and adaptively. VISORSURF will study in depth the novel and unexplored theoretical capabilities of the HyperSurface concept. Two experimental prototypes will be implemented: a switch-based fabric array as the control medium; and a Graphene based, making use of its exquisite properties to provide finer control. A real pilot-application will demonstrate the HyperSurface potential to adapt to changes in their environment, to interconnect to smart control loops and make use of Information Technology (IT) programming concepts and algorithms in crafting the EM behavior of materials.

The project will upgrade the Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center of The Cyprus Institute (CyI) into a Centre of Excellence in Simulation and Data Science (SIMDAS) in Cyprus by teaming it with the Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ). Local partners are three public institutions as holders and providers of key data, the Departments of Antiquities, and Meteorology, and the Nicosia General Hospital, and two SMEs, Hyperion Systems Engineering, and SignalGeneriX connecting the center directly to commercial applications. During Phase-1 a comprehensive business plan for the six-year development of the center will be prepared with a detailed research, innovation and educational roadmap, governance structure, outreach and sustainability plan. Outreach and dissemination activities will engage the research communities, governmental institutions, and industry. The long-term vision of the SIMDAS project to be realized in Phase-2 revolves around five themes: i) Simulation and data science fundamentals, tools and services: Develop methodologies, tools and services, including mathematical modeling, scalable data analytics and simulations algorithms, statistics, data management, mining, security and visualization, under a Transversal Lab. ii) Simulation and data-driven research: Enable scientific breakthroughs in the key areas of Digital Cultural Heritage, Health and Life Sciences, Solar Energy, Earth System Science and Physical Sciences. iii) Government and Industry: Pursue applications of tangible innovation potential in partnership with public and private institutions utilizing the industry expertise and structures of FZJ. iv) Education: Expand graduate educational and training programs in SIMDAS. v) Infrastructure: Design and build the knowledge environment and infrastructure for a sustainable operation and provisioning of computing and data-intensive services to the broader user communities, and promote the science hub role of CyI in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The MARITEC-X consortium aims to create a Marine and Maritime Research Innovation and Technology Centre of Excellence based in Cyprus to act as an enabler of scientific and business excellence in Marine and Maritime issues in the Eastern and broader South-eastern Mediterranean. The Centre will be aligned to the overall Smart Specialization Strategy for Cyprus (S3CY) and the European priorities on specific pillars with competitive advantages to the Cypriot economy. Focusing on key priority sectors identified within the Smart Specialization Strategy for Cyprus such as energy, tourism, transport and shipping, MARITEC-X Centre of Excellence will seek partnering relationships with well-known European institutions that will assist to the transfer of knowledge, co-develop sustainability and research programs, handover best practices and consult towards the creation of a critical mass of infrastructure and human capital in the region.