CARINA is built on a multi-actor consortium and participative decision-making process through mutual learning, transparent communication, and inclusive multi-perspectives and transdisciplinary engagement. From the proposal clearly emerges the importance of social innovation as the nerve center for the evolution of the whole project. Nine Lighthouses, 5 Living Labs, and 9 Policy Innovation Labs will be established across Europe playing a leading role in the co-creation of CARINA innovation actions. CARINA focuses on new sustainable and diversified farming systems including 2 new oilseed crops, carinata and camelina, able to provide multiple low iLUC feedstocks for the bio-based economy. We firmly believe that a participatory approach is necessary for successfully scaling-up innovative farming systems. Engaging farmers and other stakeholders in jointly developing solutions under specific environmental, technical, and social conditions has been highly considered in CARINA. We estimate about 3M farmers being potentially reached by CARINA thanks to the direct cooperation with its partners. To find a broad consensus by primary producers, a new crop should enable to promote and harness biodiversity, be easy-to-grow, and technically feasible within current cropping systems. Carinata and camelina fully meet these requirements, able to successfully grow almost everywhere in Europe and in northern Africa. Carinata and camelina provide high quality oils that will be transformed into innovative bio-based products (bioherbicides, bioplastics). The co-product from oil extraction is a protein-rich cake, which will be valorized as animal feed, and in a multitude of high added-value products, exploiting the mucilage and glucosinolates contained within. CARINA capitalizes on a highly experienced team of 20 partners, +6 affiliated entities, from 13 EU and Associated Countries (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, UK, Serbia, Tunisia, Morocco, Switzerland).

CURE-FX aims to establish a multidisciplinary research program to answer the urgent need to improve prevention, early detection and control of Xylella fastidiosa (Xf). An appropriate approach to this emergency should include a coordination and multidisciplinary interaction between a plurality of competences and it can be facilitated by a more intense exchange and mobility of researchers.The objectives of CURE-FX are: To exchange the scientific capacities and novelties among the European Countries as well as between EU and third countries, in particular sensitive neighbor countries. To strengthen the knowledge and the know-how on Xf in third countries having intense exchange of plant material with Europe. To raise awareness in relation to Xf. These objectives will be acheived through: Strengthen preventive measures by consolidating expertise and awareness of plant health agencies, decision-makers and relevant stakeholders; Analyze Xf-hosts interaction and epidemiology; Develop advanced diagnostic tools for the detection and characterization of Xf and associated vectors; Consolidate innovative approaches for disease prevention, monitoring and control; Improving pest risk analysis, phytosanitary legislations and contingency measures for a safe plant material trade and Integrating with current platforms for adequate communication and dissemination ensuring an effective knowledge transfer among the various actors involved. The proposal involves partners from the following countries: Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Belgium, UK, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and Iran. Partner countries selected are differently involved in the study and management of quarantine pests, although each one with a different role, approach and competence. These countries can be divided into two groups: Group 1: countries where the disease is already present (Italy, France, Iran); Group 2: the other countries where the disease is currently absent, but the risk of its introduction is high

Tomatoes and cucurbits are among the major vegetables grown in the Mediterranean, ranking 2nd and 3rd after potatoes. Their intensive production, with year round crops and a limited number of cultivars expose them permanently to the emergence and invasions of pathogens including viruses. Geminiviruses are among the most worrying viruses of these crops due to their economic impact, the frequent introduction of new exotic species into the Mediterranean and the continuous emergence of potentially invasive and resistance breaking strains generated by recombination. Prevention and control of these viruses is the major objective of GeMed project. It will be tackled by virologists, entomologists, geneticists, breeders, biologists and computer scientists. The specific objectives are within the major challenges of topic 1.2.2, (i) broadening the knowledge of the ecology of new and potentially invasive geminiviruses with the involvement of partners located at the four cardinal points of the Mediterranean, (ii) understanding outbreak phenomena of invasive recombinant geminiviruses with field observations and analysis of plant-virus interaction using resistance-breaking viral clones and deep small RNA-ome and transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics (iii) diversifying integrated pest management solutions against insect vectors with plant derived metabolites and against viruses with RNA vaccination of crop plants. The innovation potential of GeMed is in the exploration of molecular mechanisms underpinning an outbreak phenomenon, the search of new resistance genes, and validation of exogenous RNAi based plant protection approaches. Stakeholder knowledge and the potential of exploitation and dissemination of the result is embedded in the consortium with full participation of two seed companies and the association with various professional organisations interested in GeMed. Larger dissemination will be done via International plant protection organisations (EPPO, ProMED).

The current changes in climatic conditions including recurrent droughts in Mediterranean countries become a huge threat to the sustainability of grape production, food security and farmers’ incomes in this region. In addition, the majority of the grown grapevine cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.) is susceptible to fungal diseases requiring use of chemical pesticides that are harmful to human health and the environment. A true challenge is currently the evolution towards production systems combining sustainability, economic viability, and more eco-friendly practices. Using and managing functional microbial diversity (FMD) with beneficial viticultural practices is among the most promising and innovative levers in farming system. Manipulation of plant microbiome has great potential in reducing disease incidences, promoting plant growth and fitness and increasing productivity even under stress conditions. MiDiVine project aimed at developing knowledge, tools and integrated approaches based on grapevine genetic resources and agricultural practices promoting functional microbial diversity (FMD) to better improve grapevine production and resistance against the main foliar and trunk diseases (grey mold, downy mildew and esca) under drought stress conditions, thereby reducing pesticide use in vineyards. The project will focus on the characterization of FMD and the identification of beneficial microbes from traditional cultivated/elite cultivars with different practices and indigenous vines for improving grapevine health and productivity in open vineyards under water shortage conditions. MiDiVine project will analyze the impact of plant genotype, soil type and agricultural practices including the use of covers and service plants, on FMD and the efficiency of beneficial microbes against diseases under stress conditions. The proposal will therefore provide innovative and sustainable solution to improve agroecosystem services by managing soil microbiome and intercropping in Mediterranean countries in order to reduce dependency on agro-chemical pesticides in vineyards, These objectives might be achieved through the development of instruments, such as innovation partnerships, to promote innovation in viticulture by bridging the existing gap between research and farming practices and facilitating communication and cooperation among stakeholders. The project will especially focus on (i) the valorization of local/elite grapevine genotypes and indigenous varieties to characterize FMD to increase sustainability and resilience of farming systems; (ii) understanding the genetic and physiological bases of grapevine adaptation to abiotic stress and resistance to pathogenic oomycete and fungi and development of new protection strategies through multi-factorial approaches, based mainly on the promotion of beneficial FMD; (iii) identifying beneficial microbes and managing FMD in vineyard systems as an innovative strategy for restoring soil functionality, avoiding water scarcity, ensuring sustainable grapevine protection against diseases, and thus improving profitability and (iv) disseminating practical experiences within Mediterranean regions with local cultural practices in which the actors will develop, test and validate the new tools and strategies integrating FMD for effective resilience to drought as well as integrated disease management in new farming systems.