ECHO delivers an organized and coordinated approach to improve proactive cyber defence of the European Union, through effective and efficient multi-sector collaboration. The Partners will execute on a 48-month work plan to develop, model and demonstrate a network of cyber research and competence centres, with a central competence at the hub. The Central Competence Hub serves as the focal point for the ECHO Multi-sector Assessment Framework enabling multi-sector dependencies management, provision of an ECHO Early Warning System, an ECHO Federation of Cyber Ranges and management of an expanding collection of Partner Engagements. The ECHO Multi-sector Assessment Framework refers to the analysis of challenges and opportunities derived from sector specific use cases, transversal cybersecurity needs analysis and development of inter-sector Technology Roadmaps involving horizontal cybersecurity disciplines. The Early Warning System, Federation of Cyber Ranges and Inter-sector Technology Roadmaps will then be subject of Demonstration Cases incorporating relevant involvement of inter-dependent industrial sectors. The ECHO Cyber-skills Framework provides the foundation for development of cybersecurity education and training programmes including a common definition of transversal and inter-sector skills and qualifications needed by cybersecurity practitioners. The ECHO Cybersecurity Certification Scheme provides a sector specific and inter-sector process for cybersecurity certification testing of new technologies and products resulting from the proposed technology roadmaps. The project will develop and operate under an ECHO Governance Model, by which the efforts across the EU Network of Cybersecurity Competence Centres can be coordinated and optimized to provide lasting and sustainable excellence in cybersecurity skills development; research and experimentation; technology roadmaps delivery; and certified security products for improved cybersecurity resilience.

The POSEIDON project aims to facilitate the use of e-methanol as e-fuel in shipping by demonstrating innovative solutions along the value chain steps: 1. two complementary CO2 valorisation routes – biogenic CO2 from a biogas plant and industrial plant from a lime plant will be investigated, 2. A new hybrid TRL7 power-to-e-methanol technology will be built and demonstrated within a test platform allowing to re-create real case studies conditions, 3. The produced e-fuel will be tested in 2- and 4-stroke engines at testing facilities and in a pilot boat in open sea to confirm its applicability. The project will also pave the way for the future implementation of e-methanol value chains in the port areas of Valencia and Thessaloniki. Communities of practice gathering project partners and external local stakeholders interested in the e-fuel transition will be created. These communities will strengthen collaboration, raise awareness of the potentials and benefits of renewable e-fuels, help members share their vision and discuss requirements and challenges. This will be supported by detailed case study assessment: extensive tests will be performed in a Power-to-X test platform and simulations enabling to evaluate environmental, economic and social mid-term to long-term impacts will be carried out. Market studies and business modelling activities will be done to have a clear view of the deployment potential at EU level. To foster market uptake, an EU deployment roadmap and a replication tool allowing external stakeholders to conduct their own pre-feasibility assessment will be developed. A public project guidebook outlining the main key exploitable results and policy recommendations will be published. To achieve all these results, the project will build upon the wide expertise of its 19 partners. The consortium consists of a well-balanced team of industrial partners (8), research partners (5), business support organisations (2), ports (2), an association and a public agency.