Sustainability reporting is a critical component of corporate responsibility and accountability in today's business landscape. It involves the disclosure of an organization's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance to various stakeholders, including investors, customers, employees, and the public. To increase scrutiny of businesses’ sustainability performance and strategy, current legislative changes endorsed by the EC emphasize the shift from voluntary to mandatory ESG disclosure as a world effort to address climate change and social inequalities by having the same referential framework for sustainability information. Thus, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners should collaborate to drive progress in this critical area. Our proposal aims to create a transnational, cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary research network aiming to design and provide a comprehensive understanding of how cultural and contextual factors shape sustainability reporting practices i.e. corporate disclosure on ESG risks and opportunities. The research objectives are: O1. Investigate the cultural barriers and identify cultural enablers that facilitate high-quality non-financial disclosures of ESG–related matters. O2. Systematically collect and analyze the quality of information toward a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between cultural, regional, and industrial factors in sustainability reporting practices. O3. Define cutting-edge interdisciplinary models with culturally sensitive information and promote effective disclosure strategies for better sustainability reporting practices. The STAR project will move beyond the current debate over the quality of sustainability data and information and put forward robust research combining international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration to develop more effective and culturally sensitive reporting strategies as key means for greater transparency, accountability, and business resilience.

In spite of the huge number of pathogens and diseases, the number of “transmission channels” or “transport routes” for microorganisms to enter in a farm or any other Farm2Fork facility is indeed limited to just nine. Tracing or monitoring transport of a single or a few microorganisms using a particular channel will provide valuable information on the channel itself and therefore on the transport effectiveness for the whole set of microorganisms using that particular channel. HE-FARM will develop and validate a methodology -based on experimental assays and tests in lab & operational env- to assess and predict transport-channel resolved biosecurity and simultaneously increase maturity of several disruptive novel techs. A software/APP will be created to help with these procedures and proposed as a draft for a future EN standard. Prototypes of novel technologies for biosecurity will additionally be developed and validated in operational environment -including extensive and intensive cow, pig, chicken, turkey, sheep and snail farms, a slaughter and meat preparation plant and trucks: Fast Integrated air-borne virus smart detector (PRRS and Avian Flue but easily extendable to other virus with an enormous like African Swine Fever whose early detection in air in minutes will have an enormous impact) Sanitization by low-toxicity biocides & dynamic aggregation. Low-toxicity insecticides & repellents & dynamic aggregation application & Env-Friendly Insect and Arachnids barrier and prevention techs. Rapid Vehicle decon. station. Biosecure & Env-Friendly Hall & Heat Venting and Cooling. Portable Low-cost test-device for fast measuring microbiological metabolism. Cold plasma farm water sanitization. Usage and training procedures and manuals & assessment of performance method. Finally at least other 3 biosecure techs externally provided selected in an open call will be experimentally tested. Comm. & dissemination include liaising with authorities like EFSA and OIE.

The Universal Accessibility Suite represents a groundbreaking initiative that aims to revolutionize the accessibility and inclusivity of smart buildings and smart cities. By leveraging advanced technologies and innovative solutions like AI, BIM and GIS, AccesS aims to create barrier-free environments, facilitate smooth mobility, and enable equal access to essential services and facilities. AccesS aspires to deliver innovations supporting accessible and inclusive design by providing advanced analytics for life-cycle assessments, optimizing energy, environmental, and user comfort aspects, incorporating simulation-based testing and compliance with accessibility guidelines for designing user-friendly and safe products and built environments. The project aims also to explore the relationship between comfort and energy consumption to promote sustainable practices and incorporates virtual user models and simulation environments. Furthermore, AccesS aspires to deliver innovations supporting inclusive, adaptive and sustainable operation of the built environment in order to optimize building operations in an adaptive manner depending on the needs of its users and addresses e-mobility and micro-mobility to facilitate accessible and inclusive transportation options. A particularly important aspect is the development of an Accessibility Assessment Scheme to define clear and measurable criteria, guidelines, and performance indicators for assessing accessibility. The demonstrators have been grouped under 6 case studies, focused on 3 different types of buildings/ uses (cultural heritage buildings, people care facilities, public services buildings) and in 5 different locations in 5 European Smart Cities (Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Switzerland) in order to maximize impact and address numerous real-life situations. 22 partners from 9 European countries will collaborate and provide their expertise and resources within the 36 months of AccesS lifetime.

The NEO-CYCLE project aims to demonstrate at TRL6 the sustainable upcycling of spent NdFeB magnets comings from hard disks drives (HDDs), reaching high quality end products for 4 case studies: pharmaceutical, ammonia, fertilizers, and polymers industries; and will include necessary paths to reach the market uptake. To reach this aim, NEO-CYCLE involves all the relevant actors in the value chain, from public authorities to WEEE recycler companies, technology developers, associations, NGOs, SMEs and commercial companies in the targeted sectors. A summary of the main activities in provide below: 1) Demonstration of a Solid-State Chlorination, Electrochemical and Purification processes at TRL6 to separate Nd, Fe and B reaching market needed purities. 2) Demonstration of upcycling approaches for Nd, Fe, and B at TRL6 by developing industrial catalysts for the four case studies. 3) Validation of the quality and performance of final products by leading commercial companies 4) Including processes and products digitalisation: mathematical modelling and optimisation, monitoring and digital twins of plants, and digital product passports. 5) Sustainability assessments (LCA, LCC, s-LCA, circularity, risk and energy efficiency, green logistics and TEA) to demonstrate the techno-economic and social viability of solutions, including a guide to consider the gender dimension in the different project stages. 6) Paving the way to the market uptake by a) assessments of current legislations and future development, b) performing a standardisation roadmap, c) plan and develop communication, dissemination and exploitation activities including clustering with other projects and at least 13 stakeholder engagement events, d) creating new business models for at least 11 Key Expected Results, and e) development of 13 training courses targeting soft and technical skills to promote inclusion and new jobs in the value chains.