The BioINSouth project aims to support decision-makers to incorporate considerations of ecological limits into their regional bioeconomy strategies and roadmaps, when it comes to circular bio-based activities. The project aims to develop guidelines and digital tools, considering the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) assessment framework, to support the adoption of innovative methodologies to assess environmental impacts in multiple industrial bio-based systems, increasing regional competitiveness and innovation capacity, and contributing to the EU fair & green transition. The project will focus on Southern Mediterranean European Regions with particular attention to regions currently lagging behind, i.e. regions in widening Countries, such as Cyprus, Slovenia, Greece, and Portugal, while the project will see the wider participation of other Southern Mediterranean Countries, including Spain, France and Italy and international cooperation with Turkey and Argentina (in the advisory board). Thanks to the experience of the BIOEAST initiative that BIOEAST HUB CZ brings in, BioINSouth will reach the main objective by establishing regional HUBs bringing together a broad range of stakeholders, including policymakers and public authorities, expert voices, market actors (especially SMEs) and civil society (especially NGOs). The methodology will also seek the collaboration and exchange of best practices among the HUBs within a macro-regional BioINSouth Network and with international organisations. The concept will be demonstrated in 8 regions in the partners’ Countries, under a fully transferable case-study approach, that can be replicated throughout other Southern European Regions after the end of the project.

In the current world, there is a clear need of advanced multi-sensing systems capable of providing fast and quantitative detection of a huge range of hazards which could affect human health in our daily life. Sectors such as healthcare, food safety or environment control, among others, will require these tools to take fast and effective actions and prevent potential crisis impact. In this context, PHOTONGATE aims to develop an adaptable diagnostics solution, comprising Photonic cartridges and read-out platform, which allow to quantify multiple analytes of the same or different nature (biomolecules, chemicals, metals, bacteria, etc.) in a single test with levels of sensitivity and selectivity at/or over those offered by current commercial solutions. PHOTONGATE technology relies on a new sensing concept which combines two core technologies: a bio-chemical technology (molecular gates) which will confer the specificity and increased sensitivity to the system, and, on the other hand, a photonic technology (light interaction with Local Surface Plasmonic Resonance (LSPR) structures) working as transducers and allowing the quantification. PHOTONGATE consortium has been specifically designed for maximizing the project success since all the actors of the value chain are enrolled. In addition, the development and integration of the different PHOTONGATE components have been designed searching for the European autonomy by using European research, knowledge and fabrication networks as well as favoring European providers. PHOTONGATE goals will involve a significant progress beyond the State-of-the-Art in multi-sensing systems achieving faster and high sensitivity detection of multiples targets. A final validation of PHOTONGATE technology in relevant scenarios for health and food safety (TRL5) will be performed to demonstrate the system capabilities.

WATSON provides a methodological framework combined with a set of tools and systems that can detect and prevent fraudulent activities throughout the whole food chain thus accelerating the deployment of transparency solutions in the EU food systems. The proposed framework will improve sustainability of food chains by increasing food safety and reducing food fraud through systemic innovations that a) increase transparency in food supply chains through improved track-and-trace mechanisms containing accurate, time-relevant and untampered information for the food product throughout its whole journey, b) equip authorities and policy makers with data, knowledge and insights in order to have the complete situational awareness of the food chain and c) raise the consumer awareness on food safety and value, leading to the adoption of healthier lifestyles and the development of sustainable food ecosystems. WATSON implements an intelligence-based risk calculation approach to address the phenomenon of food fraud in a holistic way. The project includes three distinct pillars, namely, a) the identification of data gaps in the food chain, b) the provision of methods, processes and tools to detect and counter food fraud and c) the effective cross border collaboration of public authorities through accurate and trustworthy information sharing. WATSON will rely upon emerging technologies (AI, IoT, DLT, etc.) enabling transparency within supply chains through the development of a rigorous, traceability regime, and novel tools for rapid, non-invasive, on-the-spot analysis of food products. The results will be demonstrated in 6 use cases: a) prevention of counterfeit alcoholic beverages, b) preservation of the authenticity of PGI honey, c) on-site authenticity check and traceability of olive oil, d) the identification of possible manipulations at all stages of the meat chain, e) the improved traceability of high-value products in cereal and dairy chain, f) combat of salmon counterfeiting.

If food loss and waste (FLW) were a country, it would be the third leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. FLW also burdens waste management systems and exacerbates food insecurity, , contributing significantly to the three global crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. PRECIOUS, an transdisciplinary alliance of 20 entities from 11 EU countries, believes that reliable data on the environmental impacts of FLW is crucial for accelerating EU progress towards climate targets and reducing environmental impacts (including biodiversity) across the food supply chain. The project´s collective understanding is that the challenge goes beyond measuring the amount of food saved or CO2 emissions. When food is wasted, valuable and limited resources such as water, land use, and energy are lost, while 8.9% of the worldwide population is suffering from hunger accordingto FAO, therefore, depleting the planet's natural resources. It is critical to broaden our understanding of the issue to transform the food system and raise public awareness that motivate change. PRECIOUS aims to contribute to the transformation of food systems by addressing existing data gaps and developing a unified and openly accessible evaluation framework to quantify the economic, environmental, and social impacts of strategies to reduce FLW, taking into account potential rebound effects. The project will engage stakeholders from 2 Use Cases (Spain and Greece) and 3 Co-creation and Replication Nodes (Poland, Lithuania, Hungary) to address systemic causes across geographical boundaries. The project aims to induce a fundamental change in attitudes and behaviours towards food consumption and disposal through collaborative efforts and innovative methods, fostering a more just and sustainable EU food system.

Biofilms, i.e. communities of micro-organisms that attach and grow on a solid surface, cause about 80% of infections in humans and disinfectants rarely succeed in destroying them. They cost European economy billions of euro annually. The BREAK BIOFILMS Training Network aims to solve this issue by training the next generation leaders. They will understand the (bio)physicochemical mechanisms of biofilm formation, be able to produce technology for detecting and identifying biofilm formation with extreme sensitivity, and develop next generation biocides for preventing and destroying biofilms in industrial and biomedical areas. This integrated strategy from biofilm detection to destruction that builds on key innovations from the partner labs, is globally distinctive and promises significant progress. The network brings together world leaders in sensors, cell imaging, microbiology, interfacial engineering and nanoformulation from 6 universities, 9 companies, a research centre, and a Business and Innovation Centre. Thus, it is ideal to provide technical, industrial and business training to 15 ESRs and support the missions of the industry partners who will provide deep insights into the most pressing and impactful challenges. The graduates will be ideally placed to enter and support existing European industry across a number of different sectors (biomedical, food, antimicrobials). However, they will also be capable of creating new businesses thanks to a combination of in depth training in entrepreneurship and direct experience of establishing and running a virtual company as part of the training network. Beyond the trained researchers, this project will produce technologies that will enhance the productivity of European industry, create intellectual property with a strong probability of commercialization and improve the health and well-being of European citizens by minimizing infection rates and the inappropriate use of ineffective biocides that is leading to resistance.