COOPERANT is at the forefront of advancing the next generation of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies by tackling typical limitations of conventional CSP facilities, such as operation at high temperatures, dispatchability, cost-effectiveness and sustainability. COOPERANT's innovations are paving the way for the uninterrupted generation of green solar power that is both dispatchable and economically viable, breaking the dependency on solar radiation. Working at high temperatures (~1000ºC) is crucial to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness; however, harsh operating conditions present significant challenges in terms of material availability, corrosion, system design and performance limitations. In alignment with the SET-Plan for CSP, the proposal incorporates three cutting-edge solutions at technological, digital and transference levels, that synergistically cooperate to address them: -COOPERANT CSP-TES system: a groundbreaking concept showcasing a high-performance volumetric solar receiver with custom-designed cellular morphology coupled with a hybrid packed-bed Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system. Enhanced phase-change materials and solid-state mixtures will be formulated and characterised to serve as high-temperature storage mediums. Heat transfer enhancement and containment techniques will be applied to ensure operation safety and long-lasting durability. -COOPERANT-AI TOOL: including real-time monitoring, reinforced learning-based control, scalability and replicability features. A holistic orchestration by sophisticated artificial intelligence digital tools to assist with feasibility, replicability, and scalability paths towards commercialisation. -COOPERANT-TRANSFER: a knowledge transference programme with a multi-stakeholder approach, engaging closely with the industrial sphere through the Stakeholder Replicability Board (SRB), enlisting key partners focused on dispatchable clean energy, solar fuels generation and industrial applications.

AMBITION: SUNSON proposes a breakthrough in the field of Solar to Heat to Power (S2H2P) generation. The SUNSON prototype will be designed, developed, and validated as a modular, ultra-compact and decentralised solution for dispatchable solar power generation with 10 times less volume than current concentration solar power (CSP) technologies that efficiently store solar energy as heat for electricity conversion on demand. It integrates within a unique solution, novel approaches for solar radiation conversion technology (flux splitting optics for beam-down concentrator), ultra-high temperature thermal energy storage (TES) above 1200ºC and solid-state conversion technology based on thermophotovoltaic (TPV) generators. OUTCOMES: on the one hand, a flagship prototype of the proposed technology (SUNSON-Box) integrating optics for beam down CSP technology, high-temperature latent heat storage and the TPV conversion will be demonstrated at TRL4. And on the other hand, SUNSON entails the development of smart digital tools (SUNSON-Tool) for design, management and replicability purposes based on multidisciplinary optimisation. In addition, it will provide a set of features usable for dissemination, exploitation, and communication actions within and beyond the project. VALUE PROPOSITION: the research is well aligned to the growing European and international interest in the integration of renewable energy sources (RES), solar energy conversion and thermal storage, to scale up and demonstrate novel technologies from research level, advancing within the market uptake roadmap. IMPACT: a revolutionary compact CSP and RES conversion technology to efficiently generate power with a modular approach, increasing its cost-effectiveness and spreading the application fields of conventional CSP (namely, industry, electrolysers and H2 production, building,). SUNSON will boost the EU economy by promoting net-zero emission electrification to put CSP back on track to meet the 2050 target.

DMaaST aims to enhance the manufacturing ecosystem's resiliency and capability of self-adaptation in response to external events. It is achieved through a Smart Manufacturing Platform comprising 4 layers: The data layer establishes a foundation for mapping manufacturing ecosystem information using ontologies and decentralized knowledge graphs, ensuring a trusted cross-organization real-time data integration. Next, a layer with a two-level cognitive digital twin is created, with the low-level DT modelling two use cases' manufacturing services production line; and the high-level DT modelling the main stages of use-cases’ sectors value chains. The resulting DTs will use human expertise-knowledge, data-driven algorithms and physical modelling to provide a reliable and robust DT of the manufacturing ecosystem. The next layer employs the data and modelling layer's information to present a multi-objective distributed decision support system algorithm combining multi-objective techniques and the latest trends in Federated Deep Learning. This makes DTs actionable models and provides the necessary information to make optimal production decisions. The fourth layer focuses on presenting the information in a user-friendly manner with timely scoreboards. Additionally, a dedicated module will assess the production's circularity and sustainability and considering products traceability through the EU-DPP. Therefore, the sustainability and remanufacturing opportunities of the production process will be improved. The project ensures scalability, providing information for replicating and trying new manufacturing processes thanks to the manufacturing services digital warehouse while assessing risks and opportunities for improvement. DMaaST innovations enable the manufacturing ecosystem to adopt the Manufacturing as a Service concept by smoothly evolving all the technologies from a TRL3 to a consolidated TRL6 in 2 use cases in key sectors, aerospace and electronics.

As Europe shifts to a bio-based circular economy, a plethora of new packaging restrictions have emerged. MAGNO seeks to improve packaging effectiveness, sustainability, efficient usage, end-of-life (reuse and recycling), and innovative business practices in EU food systems through revolutionary strategies shaped for the ecological transition required by the European Green Deal and EU 2030 climate target plan. These strategies will strengthen the EU food and packaging policy frameworks at a local and regional level. They will also increase social innovation, consumer participation and acceptance of new packaging designs and production models in cross-border food value chains through a web platform and a series of citizen science tools. At the beginning of the project, an overview of Europe’s ecosystems and value chains for different kinds of plastic packaging will be studied. A detailed quantification of impacts and solutions in terms of health, environment, raw materials, and sustainability will then be developed to set the basis of an Ecosystem Digital Twin software. The Digital Twin will be programmed to support the analysis of different scenarios which contributes by not only providing ground-breaking strategies for improving the packaging sector but also identifying the best options in terms of innovative business. The whole project will be supported by the active participation of food multi-actors (researchers, food business operators, food packaging producers, developers of sustainable packaging, packaging converters and recyclers, consumers, and local and regional authorities). Their contribution to the creation of results and validation of the final strategies will prevent and reduce plastic packaging pollution for the food and packaging sectors.

ONE4ALL aims to boost manufacturing plants’ transformation, especially SMEs, towards industry 5.0 (I5.0), reinforcing their resilience under unexpected changes in social needs. It is done through a human-and-sustainability-centred development of plug-and-produce reconfigurable cyber-physical production modules (RCPMs). Those will consist of self-reconfigurable mobile collaborative robots embedded with IIOT devices for real-time monitorisation and interconnectivity. In addition, the physical modules and the processes addressed by those will be replicated digitally through data-driven digital twins and controlled by a self-learning AI-based distributed and multidisciplinary decision support system (DSS). In addition, the open-source approaches will be promoted throughout the whole project to ease the interoperability of the components. All in all, interconnected and efficiently managed by an intelligent orchestration platform, with defined modules interfaces for the RCPM, production, product quality, sustainability aspects, business model, DSS and help desk to involve the end-user in everything that is going on across the whole supply chain, improve the understanding and assess the decision making. An adaptive training programme for digital upskilling will be implemented over the entire project to prepare the workforce for the I5.0 transformation and fully exploit the potential of the technologies. The resilience of manufacturing operations will be enhanced by better anticipating the demand changes and providing more flexibility to act, thanks to the digital tools and modular and flexible structure integrated within the whole system. The potential of ONE4ALL will be demonstrated in two relevant environments from different sectors (agri-food and pharmaceutical), both highly affected by disruption given their high and fluctuant demand and not fully impacted yet by I5.0 transformations. Consequently, it is expected to have a high impact and replicability opportunities.