Climate change and environmental degradation have been challenging Europe and the whole world. The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 is a comprehensive, ambitious and long-term plan to preserve nature and reverse the ecosystem degradation. Grapevine (Vitis spp.) is one of the major fruit crops worldwide, and although viticulture is a leading sector of the EU agro-industrial economy, it is the cropping system with the highest use of agrochemicals and with a high risk of biodiversity loss. SHIELD4GRAPE (S4G) will adopt sustainable agroecological approaches addressed to improve the resilience of the viticultural system against pest diseases in a context of climate change. The S4G consortium brings together the best excellences in the sector; it is multi- and interdisciplinary, collaborative and well representative of different EU biogeographical regions. S4G will i) exploit grapevine biodiversity and identify new resilience traits; ii) implement breeding activities, including new breeding techniques and mutagenesis, iii) introduce safer and more sustainable strategies against pathogens. Demonstration fields will be set up in all the most important EU regions interested in viticulture to improve the efficacy of applied integrated pest management protocols in combination with the new resilient genotypes. S4G aims to support farmers and researchers, to provide advisory services and actors in value chains by establishing an interrelated community that will facilitate exchange of knowledge and of the best practices at different levels and socio-economic resilience. S4G impacts will add value to the wine heritage of the EU regions by reducing chemical treatments (at least by 50%), using strategies that are less hazardous to the environment and favouring beneficial organisms. S4G will contribute to safeguard the territory (particularly those areas with a high concentration of vineyards), human health, farmers, the population living in grape-growing areas and consumers

EMPHASIS is a participatory research project addressing native and alien pests threats (insect pests, pathogens, weeds) for a range of both natural ecosystems and farming systems (field crops, protected crops, forestry, orchards and amenity plants). The overall goal is to ensure a European food security system and the protection of biodiversity and of ecosystems services while developing integrated mechanisms of response measures (practical solutions) to predict, to prevent and to protect agriculture and forestry systems from native and alien pests threats. The specific objectives are the following: 1.Predict, Prioritize and Planning: pest management challenges and opportunities will be evaluated according to stakeholder-focused criteria and through pathway analysis; 2.Prevent: practical solutions for surveillance in different pathways to enhance preparedness will be provided to end-users, and monitoring tools following outbreaks and eradication will be developed; 3.Protect: practical solutions for managing native and alien pests in agriculture, horticulture and forestry will be developed, their technical and economic feasibility will be demonstrated and their market uptake will be enhanced. 4.Promote: a mutual learning process with end-users will be developed, and the solutions identified by the project will be promoted through training and dissemination. The project is in line with EU policy framework (Plant Health Dir. 2000/29/EC, EU Biodiversity strategy to 2020, Dir. 2009/128/EC on sustainable use of pesticides, Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe) and its future developments (Reg. on protective measures against pests of plants, Reg. on Invasive Alien Species). The project is not focused on a single management systems but the plant/pest ecosystems dealt with are treated with a multi-method approach to design true IPM methodology that will be developed for key systems with portability to other similar systems, thereby having a large impact.

ECONUTRI is a consortium of scientific experts and researchers from different disciplines, private companies, farmers’ associations, and stakeholders. ECONUTRI is partnering with six Chinese Institutions, four from public research and two from industry, to complement activities and to strengthen the scientific collaboration between Europe and China. The project will scientifically support the EU’s Green Deal in its target to reduce fertiliser use by least 20% by 2030, thereby reducing by 50% losses of nutrients associated with negative environmental impacts. More specifically, ECONUTRI will address water pollution caused by NO3 and P leaching and run-off from cultivated soils, manure/slurry and plant residues, as well as greenhouse gas (N2O, CO2, CH4) and NH3 emissions from cultivated soils, barns, and organic biomass during storage, composting, and land application. ECONUTRI will optimise, validate, and demonstrate 24 innovative technologies that currently have a TRL of 4-6, and will increase their TRL to 7-8. These technologies are integrated parts of a holistic concept based on recycling of nutrients and organic material, novel machinery and fertilisers, novel decision support systems (DSS), and novel nutrient management plans incorporating nature-based solutions to reduce nutrient losses and to increase nutrient use efficiency. The expected results include hyperspectral analysis algorithms, advanced on-line DSS platforms to develop smart nutrient management plans for organic and conventional crops, protocols for circular cropping systems in open field and greenhouses, advanced emission monitoring feedback systems, novel manure spreaders, variable rate technologies for precision fertilisation, smart fertilisers, and biostimulants increasing N use efficiency. ECONUTRI will establish eight demonstration sites and deploy a comprehensive range of dissemination, communication, and exploitation activities to maximise the impact of the expected results and technologies.

DEMETRA aims to demonstrate the feasibility of delivering early EGNSS timing services to end users by utilising an operational demonstrator and conducting tests with pilot applications. Based on the current practice of national metrological laboratories, DEMETRA will define and develop a prototype of a European time disseminator, based on EGNSS., An array of important service features that are necessary for a wide variety of users will be added. These will include: high accuracy calibrated time transfer to a monitored and certified remote time stamping. Nine different time services are proposed for demonstration by consortium partners. These will be established at INRIM premises for two validation test campaigns: a closed loop test, aiming to validate the performances and the second test will be with user terminals located in a real user environment, integrated into the user application to test the real advantages and feasibility of the new proposed services. Envisaged end users are telecoms, power transmission, banks, and TV broadcasting networks. The DEMETRA partnership, including Scientific Institutions, GNSS Industries, and a service provider cover the different facets of the project, including an analysis of commercial potential in terms of market and business development. DEMETRA fits perfectly the objectives of the work program in relation to: innovation, demonstration of pilot applications, use of EGNOS and Galileo Early Services, intention to commercialise the developed service, certification, legal and societal acceptance fostering EGNSS adoption and Long term potential to set common standards in the field of GNSS applications. The proposed services could become the basis for European timing standards, facilitating the independence from GPS for the timing of critical European infrastructure and fostering the dissemination through Europe of common standardised time services, based on EGNSS.