
The global food system, responsible for up to 37% of GHG emissions, requires urgent transformation due to challenges from urbanisation and unsustainable diets. Additionally, climate change and biodiversity loss exacerbate the vulnerability of European food systems, as seen in recent climate-related disasters like wildfires and droughts, compounded by disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite food abundance in Europe, food insecurity threatens millions of European citizens, necessitating a comprehensive approach encompassing knowledge, technologies, behaviours, and policies that promote healthier and more sustainable food systems. Given citizen science (CS) as a potent tool for achieving these goals, SPOON takes the innovative approach to food insecurity by employing CS to empower citizens in creating a more inclusive and sustainable food environment. SPOON’s four main aims are to: deepen scientific knowledge about food environments; increase capacity of policymakers in data-driven decision-making; foster cross-sector collaboration; increase agency of citizens to change their food consumption behaviour and local food environments; and foster more confidence in citizens in sharing personal food data. SPOON bridges the intention-action gap towards healthier and more sustainable diets by placing citizens at the forefront of transforming the food system through CS integration. SPOON's conceptual framework centres around six CS Labs in Europe, coordinated by local partners and utilising a multi-actor approach. Citizens engage as both researchers and subjects, testing and validating innovative digital tools to collect, analyse and interpret data on their food consumption behaviors and local food environments to then co-design and run small-scale behaviour change interventions together with other stakeholders. SPOON prioritises GDPR compliance and FAIR principles in its data management.
FOREMAST R&I activities are structured along 4 ambition Pillars: (P1) Selectable level of automation Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) architecture and interfaces and situational awareness model for interfacing GNC and sensory hardware and processing systems to efficiently solve the control problem unique to IWT. Combined with balanced human-autonomy collaboration (navigation, mooring, cargo handling, propulsion) and safety implications in mixed traffic utilising tailored Galileo/EGNOS services will lead to a Next-generation Remote Control Centre TRL 5 and Small Flexible Automated Zero-emission (SFAZ) autonomy control system TRL 5 protypes. (P2) Zero emission energy management solutions dynamically optimised for prevailing operating conditions. Hybrid Electric and Fuel Cell zero emission solutions will be evaluated against power and energy requirements, lifetime, costs and life-cycle emissions of alternative fuel/energy systems. (P3) Innovative Macro Designs for SFAZ vessels in intramodal & intermodal transport networks reflecting innovations from P1 and P2. Vessel design concepts, verified through simulation, will provide systematic evaluation of SFAZ designs for confined areas and shallow waters, providing an increased operational flexibility in terms of cargo capacity, types, and load units, tied with hydrodynamic and propulsion models and control architectures. (P4) A modelling simulation design and operational optimisation tools (Digital Twining Platform) enables both design and operational measurement and optimisation of Living Lab (LL) solutions, supporting solutions for European coastal and inland or congested urban regions, incorporating if needed third party innovative components, ensuring transferability and sustainability. 2 LLs in Ghent and Caen, that represent coastal and inland congested urban regions, will demonstrate the SFAZ Prototypes integrated through Automated Smart Terminals in optimised logistic networks. A 3rd virtual LL in Galati will demonstrate replicability.
PLANET addresses the challenges of assessing the impact of emerging global trade corridors on the TEN-T network and ensuring effective integration of the European to the Global Network by focusing in two key R&D pillars: • A Geo-economics approach, modelling and specifying the dynamics of new trade routes and its impacts on logistics infrastructure & operations, with specific reference to TEN-T, including peripheral regions and landlocked developing countries; • An EU-Global network enablement through disruptive concepts and technologies (IoT, Blockchain and PI, 5G, 3D printing, autonomous vehicles /automation, hyperloop) which can shape its future and address its shortcomings, aligned to the DTLF concept of a federated network of T&L platforms. PLANET goes beyond strategic transport studies, and ICT for transport research, by rigorously modelling, analysing, demonstrating & assessing their interactions and dynamics thus, providing a more realistic view of the emerging T&L environment. The project employs 3 EU-global real-world corridor Living Labs including sea and rail for intercontinental connection and provides the experimentation environment for designing and exploiting future PI-oriented Integrated Green EU-Global T&L Networks [EGTN]. To facilitate this process, PLANET delivers a Symbiotic Digital Clone for EGTNs, as an open collaborative planning tool for TEN-T Corridor participants, infrastructure planners, and industry/technology strategists. PLANET also delivers an Active Blueprint and Road Map, providing guidance and building public & private actor capacity towards the realisation of EGTNs, and facilitating the development of disadvantaged regions. The project engages major T&L stakeholders, contributing to both strategy and technology and (importantly) has the industry weight and influence to create industry momentum in Federated Logistics and TEN-T’s integration into the Global Network.
The packaging industry is responsible of around 60% of post-consumer SUP wastes and most likely to become litter in natural environments. While factors such as fast consumption patterns, safety concerns or compact size, hinder effective packaging waste recycling, the need for safe alternative biodegradable solutions is mandatory. E-OILÉ will address safe and sustainable biodegradable packaging solutions close to the market by: a) demonstrating at TRL 7 cost effective production of biodegradable materials based on novel biopolyesters and polysaccharides, engineered to enhance barrier and mechanical performance, to replace Polyolefin materials (PP and PE) and PET in monodose packaging solutions ecodesigned as biodegradable monomaterial structures or combination with coating technologies and following the SSbD framework ; b) implementing a circular business model, food and cosmetic products, through 4 Uses Cases (UC): Olive oil- UC1; oily sauces- UC2; Body oil- UC3 and Oil serum- UC4); c) validating the packaging performance, shelf life, safety and sustainability along the whole supply chain (from material producers to end users) and demonstrating complete biodegradability following relevant standards and in environmentally relevant conditions and, therefore, sustainable End-of-Life (EoL) pathways for the new packaging solutions in combination with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced modelling mechanisms for digitally-assisted accurate prediction of degradation processes. The consortium is integrated by 15 partners of the whole supply chain: large companies, SMEs and Start-up as materials producers (2) to the end-users of food and cosmetic sectors (2) through the packaging producers (3). Partnership will also involve supporting RTOs and other non-profit organizations with expertise in disciplines such as compounding, SSbD, biodegradation testing, packaging and product validation, exploitation, SSH for consumer engagement and digital technologies
Water critical infrastructures (CIs) are essential for human society, life and health and they can be endangered by physical/cyber threats with severe societal consequences. To address this, STOP-IT assembles a team of major Water Utilities, industrial technology developers, high tech SMEs and top EU R&D providers. It organizes communities of practice for water systems protection to identify current and future risk landscapes and to co-develop an all-hazards risk management framework for the physical and cyber protection of water CIs. Prevention, Detection, Response and Mitigation of relevant risks at strategic, tactical and operational levels of planning will be taken into account to generate modular solutions (technologies, tools and guidelines) and an integrated software platform. STOP-IT solutions are based on: a) mature technologies improved via their combination and embedment (incl. public warning systems, smart locks) and b) novel technologies whose TRL will be increased (incl. cyber threat incident services, secure wireless sensor communications modules, context-aware anomaly detection technologies; fault-tolerant control strategies for SCADA integrated sensors, high-volume real-time sensor data protection via blockchain schemes; authorization engines; irregular human detection using new computer vision methods and WiFi and efficient water contamination detection algorithms). STOP-IT solutions are demonstrated through a front-runner/follower approach where 4 advanced utilities, Aigües de Barcelona (ES), Berliner Wasserbetriebe (DE), MEKOROT (IL) and Oslo VAV (NO) are twinned with 4 less advanced, but ambitious ones, to stimulate mutual learning, transfer and uptake. Building on this solid basis STOP-IT delivers high impact through the creation of hands-on training, best practice guidelines, support for certification and standardization as well as by fostering market opportunities, also leveraging the EU water technology platform's multi-stakeholder network.