The water sector needs improved climate prediction and downscaling based on consistent grounds (IPCC 5th Assessment Report, 2013). There is also a need for near future weather scenarios and anticipation of their impacts in the water cycle together with risk management strategies. BINGO will provide demand-driven solutions for a number of specific climate-related challenges in particular for highly vulnerable water resources of strategic importance. Water managers and other stakeholders will then be provided with information on specific climate scenarios at the space/time resolution fitting their needs, enabling them to act at various geographical levels (local, regional and European). BINGO aims at reducing the uncertainty of climate predictions and developing response strategies to help society manage that uncertainty. An innovative approach consists of enrolling end-users from the start, identifying specific vulnerabilities, needs and concerns about future climate. BINGO is built around 7 research sites in Northern and Southern Europe, covering a representative range of climatic conditions as well as combinations of water systems and water pressures. They illustrate a variety of water cycles at local/regional scales in Europe over various timescales, as well as common problems, including floods and droughts; water quality pressured by CSO, agriculture and competing demands for water (urban/tourism; agriculture/food security; hydropower). To guarantee sound management strategies for future weather challenges, BINGO will develop and validate all solutions built by strong dynamic interaction of researchers with end-users and decision makers throughout the project. By creating such knowledge alliances, water managers and other stakeholders can share awareness of climate challenges, thus increasing the possibilities of collaboration in order to manage and better cope with future climate challenges.

The hydrogen fuel cell (FC) bus is one of very few options for the elimination of harmful local emissions and the decarbonisation of public transport. Its performance has been validated in Europe in recent years through various demonstration projects, however, a number of actions are required to allow the commercialisation of FC buses. These include addressing the high ownership costs relative to conventional buses, ensuring the FC buses can meet the high availability levels demanded by public transport, developing the refuelling infrastructure to provide reliable, low-cost hydrogen and improving the understanding of the potential of FC buses for zero emission public transport. JIVE will pave the way to commercialisation by addressing these issues through the deployment of 142 fuel cell buses across 8 locations, more than doubling the number of FC buses operating in Europe. JIVE will use coordinated procurement activities to unlock the economies of scale which are required to reduce the cost of the buses. They will operate in large fleets of 10-30 buses, reducing the overhead costs per bus, as well as allowing more efficient supply chains and maintenance operations compared to previous deployments. By working at this scale and with bus OEMs with proven vehicles, JIVE will ensure reliability at the level required for commercialisation. JIVE will also test new hydrogen refuelling stations with the required capacity to serve fleets in excess of 20 buses. This will not only reduce the costs of hydrogen and increase the availability of equipment but will also test the ability to offer >99% reliability, which is required for the commercialisation of FC buses. A dissemination campaign will use the project results to demonstrate the technical readiness of FC buses to bus operators and the economic viability of hydrogen as a zero emission bus fuel to policy makers will help to catalyse the future development and expansion of the hydrogen bus sector.

Europe is facing major economic challenges that require an ambitious economic policy for the 21st century. The EU has set out its vision for Europe's social market economy in the Europe 2020 strategy, which aims at confronting our structural weaknesses through progress in three mutually reinforcing priorities : • smart growth, based on knowledge and innovation, • sustainable growth, promoting a more resource efficient, greener and competitive economy, • inclusive growth, fostering a high employment economy delivering economic, social and territorial cohesion. MANUNET III, as a continuation of MANUNET II, is aligned with the European priorities and pretends to create a smart sustainable growth in the European manufacturing sector by coordinating the research and innovation efforts in the field of advanced manufacturing with a special focus in the key areas of new production processes, adaptive manufacturing systems and technologies for the factory of the future. The project will also reinforce the territorial cohesion through an extended collaboration network. The consortium pretends to respond to the actual economic crisis by promoting the transnational research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the industrial sector, especially in the SMEs, which are the backbone of Europe's economy. Through this strategic and integrated approach to innovation in advanced manufacturing, MANUNET III pretends to maximise European, national and regional research and innovation potential.