Global demand for minerals is growing rapidly, driven by rapid population growth, urbanisation and an increasingly diverse range of technical applications. Global material supply chains linking the extraction, transport and processing stages of raw materials have become increasingly complex and today involve multiple players and product components. An interactive platform that provides transparency about existing approaches and information gaps concerning global material flows is needed to understand these global supply chains; developing this capability is critical for maintaining competitiveness in the European economy. Against this backdrop, the proposed MinFuture project aims to identify, integrate, and develop expertise for global material flow analysis and scenario modelling. Specific activities include: • the analysis of barriers and gateways for delivering more transparent and interoperable materials information • the assessment of existing model approaches for global material flow analysis, including the demand- supply forecasting methods • the delivery of a ‘common methodology’ which integrates mineral data, information and knowledge across national boundaries and between governmental and non-governmental organisations; • the development of recommendations for a roadmap to implement the ‘common methodology’ at international level; • the creation of a web-portal to provide a central access point for material flow information, including links to existing data sources, models, tools and analysis; MinFuture brings together 16 international partners from across universities, public organisations and companies, to deliver new insight, strategic intelligence and a clear roadmap for enabling effective access to global material information.

SYMBIOSIS is a pioneering interdisciplinary initiative in biodiversity, aligning with the UN's vision for responsible land use and the European Green Deal. It will build a community of practice between transport infrastructure, energy distribution and production, and biodiversity, while addressing the role of strategic planning in climate change and building resilient infrastructure. The collaborative approach will accelerate action, seamlessly integrating diverse stakeholders within the CSA framework and the EU-Rail Master Plan. SYMBIOSIS offers a holistic approach integrating biodiversity consideration through the entire lifecycle of infrastructure projects. Introducing an impact assessment tool for linear infrastructure, it promotes digitalisation, contributing to a unified European biodiversity baseline through standardised data collection, monitoring and mapping in transport and energy projects. Committed to nature-based solutions for climate-resilient infrastructure, SYMBIOSIS establishes a methodology contributing to the "theory of change", guiding decisions and facilitating information exchange for "no net loss" and "net gain" biodiversity objectives. Building on the momentum created in projects such as the EU-funded BISON project, SYMBIOSIS envisions the coexistence of sustainable infrastructure with thriving biodiversity, advocating for social, economic and environmental well-being. It provides guidance for regulatory changes in biodiversity standardisation globally, acts as a cornerstone for science-based decision-making, similar to the SOURCE platform, and will contribute to a unified European biodiversity baseline, including processes such as CSRD and supply chain management. SYMBIOSIS provides recommendations for biodiversity-related research and innovation, guiding decision-makers and investors on pathways leading to a sustainable, biodiverse future. It showcases transformative change through cross-disciplinary efforts for harmonious coexistence.

SUSTAINable Offshore Wind (SUSTAINOW) develops innovative, open-access tools for sustainable site identification and holistic design for Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) across their entire life cycle with improved marine data accessibility. To achieve the European Green Deal and REPowerEU Plan, Europe aims for 300 GW offshore wind capacity by 2050. However, existing planning tools for floating and fixed-bottom OWFs face challenges due to data gaps and methodological shortcomings. SUSTAINOW addresses these gaps by developing three prototypes: 1. Cross-border marine data space targeted OWF - Improving data accessibility and compatibility. 2. Evidence-based OWF siting tool – Optimizing site selection for sustainability and feasibility. 3. Informed OWF project design tool – Supporting holistic design and planning by predicting and managing project impacts. SUSTAINOW builds on established decision-support tools such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Impact Assessment (SIA), and Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA). These tools facilitate "de-risking" strategies for OWFs by incorporating environmental, social, and economic considerations into planning and implementation, ensuring regulatory compliance and sustainability. The North Sea serves as the primary development basin for pioneering prototypes and establishing strategic roadmaps for implementation across other European sea basins. The project is executed by a multidisciplinary consortium of 11 partners from 8 countries, including academic institutions, industry leaders, and impact assessment specialists. By incorporating a holistic sustainability approach—covering life cycle stages, integration of socio-environmental aspects with economic costs and life-cycle impacts, impact management, and floating and fixed-bottom OWF designs—SUSTAINOW ensures a transparent, inclusive, and efficient pathway for offshore wind energy expansion.

HIGFLY will develop the next generation of technologies for the production of advanced bio jet fuels from abundant and sustainable biomass feedstocks. In a nutshell, HIGFLY: 1. Utilises abundant and sustainable feedstocks (e.g. second-generation biomass and macroalgae), focusing on feedstock flexibility and synergies across the bioenergy sector. 2. Develops innovative, highly-efficient and scalable reactor and separation technologies to produce advanced bio jet fuels in a resource, energy and cost-effective manner. 3. Develops new and robust catalytic materials and sustainable solvents for the renewable energy sector. 4. Advances the knowledge of its innovative technologies by evaluation of the entire value chain (from feedstock(s) to bio jet fuel) to demonstrate the environmental, social and techno-economic performance of HIGFLY technologies and the prospect of regulatory compliance of HIGFLY’s bio jet fuel. HIGFLY will develop and demonstrate in a step-wise approach and under industrially relevant conditions (at TRL3-4) innovative and highly efficient conversion technologies and integrative approaches to valorise abundant and sustainable feedstocks in a resource-, energy- and cost-effective manner. This has the unique potential to increase the total share of advanced biofuels in the EU jet fuel market. In this way, HIGFLY addresses EU priorities for decarbonizing the transport sector through the key actions of the EU SET Plan, specifically: i) by sustaining technological leadership through development of highly performant renewable technologies and their integration in the EU energy system; ii) by reducing the cost of key technologies through maximizing resource and energy efficiency; and iii) by strengthening market uptake through intensive early-stage cooperation between key end-users, policy advisors and technology developers. The HIGFLY consortium combines experts along the entire value chain, from research to end users, to accelerate market uptake.