<< Objectives >>The objective is to involve European VET learners and trainers in the first international VET competition to explore innovative Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in order to solve a real-world challenge through VET education. The challenge is launched by the company Agbar, as how to mitigate the effects of floods & improve the retention of water within the invented imaginary city 'Metropolis', which combines features of a typical city like Viborg (Denmark), Leuven (Belgium) and Barcelona (Spain).<< Implementation >>Once Agbar launches the challenge, VET learners and tutors will gather in 3 mixed international groups of students to work together to generate creative ideas to address the challenge (Creative VET Lab in Leuven), to come up with a prototype (Protoype VET Lab in Viborg), to elaborate a business plan (Accelerator VET Lab, virtual) and to present their final innovative NbS in an Awards Ceremony in Barcelona before an international jury who will recognise and prize the most innovative NbS prototype<< Results >>The expected results will be (1) to increase interest of VET learners in the future of water management in European urban areas, (2) to train and develop transversal/21st century skills during the process of generation of NbS, (3) to increase visibility of talented VET students for the water companies as pools of future employees capable to respond to real challenges and (4) to contribute to integrate NbS in the VET curricula of European VET providers.

REHUBS addresses the issues of climate vulnerability in rural areas and small to medium-sized communities, which are particularly susceptible to climate risks such as droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and biodiversity loss. REHUBS’ goal is to enhance climate resiliency of these areas by developing an integrated framework of adaptation solutions, advanced digital tools, and participatory approaches, tailored to the specific needs of the rural communities. The project will design, implement and validate a Climate Risk Assessment model, an Advanced Early Warning System, Flood and Drought Modelling tools, Smart Irrigation Systems, a Circular Water Recovery Treatment, a Rapid Wildfire Detection System, as well as a Risk Assessment and Adaptation Platform that will recommend a list of cost-effective nature based solutions (NBS). REHUBS will promote knowledge transfer, enhance the adaptation capacity of local authorities, and upskill local actors through an online academy, an AI support chatbot and through fostering stakeholder collaboration through the project’s established Rural Micro Hubs (RMHs). The solutions developed in REHUBS will be implemented and validated across four Demonstration Cases, with replication in three additional Replication Cases, ensuring that they, not only address immediate climate risks, but also build long-term resilience by integrating climate adaptation strategies into local governance frameworks. Additionally, the project will introduce innovative financial instruments to support the sustainable implementation of these solutions, ensuring both their cost-effectiveness and replicability across different European regions. The project's outcomes will contribute significantly to enhancing the adaptive capacity of rural communities, supporting EU climate goals, and ensuring socio-economic and environmental sustainability in regions facing critical climate challenges.

Economic, digital and technological developments, as well as increasing energy efficiency and environmental demands, present the European (and global) Industry with many challenges, not least of which is to continuously update the qualification, knowledge and skill profile of the workforce. The aim of this project is to realise an industry driven and coordinated sustainable and cross-sectoral blueprint for the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE) addressing its recent and future challenges in immediate and enduring ways. A Blueprint strategy for human capital development through a Cross-Sector Skills Alliance on Energy Intensive Industries (EII) will be developed by involving a broad range of key stakeholders from the eight sectors of the SPIRE public-private partnership: Steel, Chemicals, Minerals, Non-ferrous Metals, Water, Engineering, Ceramics, and Cement. The alliance of related sector associations or technology platforms, training providers, and research partners is characterised by a huge competence based on a long list of projects for energy efficiency, industrial symbiosis (IS) and related Vocational Education and Training (VET). It will develop concrete and practical strategies and programmes (modules and tools) in anticipation of skills demands in a proactive and future oriented way, securing policy support and continous monitoring. Build on the already existing SPIRE coordination, projects and activities, a cross-sectoral industrial symbiosis approach, covering all the eight SPIRE energy intensive industry sectors and integration European, national, regional industrial symbiosis perspectives will improve “intercultural” exchange between the different industry sectors and the different qualification levels (blue and white collar, generational exchange, and green skills as overarching issue).