Scale2Connect aims to enhance Europe's innovation ecosystems by expanding and adapting the successful Skills2Scale model to new regions, with a particular focus on deep tech fields. The project aims to bridge the gap between well-connected innovation hubs and emerging ecosystems, fostering balanced regional development and strengthening academia-enterprise collaborations across Europe and beyond. The genesis of Scale2Connect lies in the recognition of the growing disparities in innovation capacities across European regions, particularly in the realm of deep tech. While some areas boast flourishing innovation hubs with strong academia-industry links, others struggle to build the necessary ecosystem to support deep tech innovation and entrepreneurship. This imbalance not only hinders the overall competitiveness of Europe in the global innovation landscape but also exacerbates regional economic disparities. The project builds upon the achievements of Skills2Scale, which has demonstrated significant impact in empowering Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the field of deep tech and Beyond 5G technologies. Skills2Scale successfully established a model for enhancing the innovation and entrepreneurial capacities of HEIs, fostering closer ties with industry, and supporting the development of cutting-edge technologies. Scale2Connect seeks to extend this success to other regions and deep tech domains, recognizing the potential for transformative impact across a broader European landscape.

RInnoValleys is a project that aims to address the challenges and disparities faced by EU regions in accessing the European Innovation Council (EIC) and fully leveraging its benefits for their innovation ecosystems. The project focuses on creating a transnational joint action plan to enhance the capabilities of these regions to connect with the EIC ecosystem and foster inclusive, gender-diverse, and connected innovation ecosystems in line with the New European Innovation Agenda. The project adopts the Quadruple Helix Model, the participatory approach, peer learning and best practice sharing, joint transnational action plan development, capacity building, and implementation support, communication, and dissemination to achieve its objectives. The project will engage stakeholders from government, academia, industry, and civil society in each region and cover 5 EU countries, including rural areas, ensuring gender equality objectives. The project's methodology aims to ensure that the solutions developed are relevant, inclusive, and responsive to the unique needs and priorities of the participating regions. By combining these concepts, models, and assumptions, the RInnoValleys project methodology aims to address the challenges faced by EU regions in accessing the EIC, foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, and enhance the innovation capabilities of the regions. Ultimately, the project seeks to create a more cohesive, connected, and balanced innovation ecosystem within the European Union, ensuring that all regions can more equally thrive and prosper in the global innovation landscape.

DeepTechSeeds addresses the critical need for a highly skilled and adaptable research workforce in Europe's deep tech sectors. As global competition intensifies in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, and advanced materials, the project aims to create a dynamic and interconnected talent ecosystem that seamlessly bridges academia, industry, and the public sector. The project's core objective is to reshape the landscape of early research careers in deep tech fields by implementing a comprehensive framework based on the new Charter for Researchers. This framework will guide participating organizations through a process of structural change, creating more attractive and sustainable career pathways for Early Career Researchers (ECRs). DeepTechSeeds will: 1. Develop and implement a tailored DeepTech Framework for applying the Charter for Researchers in deep tech sectors. 2. Enhance ECR competencies through targeted training modules and open innovation programs, training at least 500 researchers. 3. Facilitate balanced talent circulation across sectors and regions, establishing at least 10 new cross-sector collaborations. 4. Create a digital DeepTech Talent Ecosystem Platform to facilitate networking, knowledge exchange, and career opportunities. 5. Organize open innovation challenges to foster collaboration between ECRs and industry partners. 6. Provide evidence-based policy recommendations for scaling the talent ecosystem model across the European Research Area. DeepTechSeeds serves as a comprehensive effort to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that nurtures talent, drives innovation, and strengthens Europe's position in critical deep tech fields. By addressing the challenges faced by ECRs holistically – from working conditions and skills development to cross-sector mobility and open innovation – the project aims to transform the nature of research careers in Europe.

"<< Background >>Key background elements are:•The value of fashion and food sectors for the EU economy, based on quality as a strategic lever•The cultural and economic impact on other sectors (tourism, art, cultural services) central for urban economies.•The impact on social, environmental and cultural sustainability of both the supply chains.•Several cases of convergence between practices of food&fashion production, retailing and consumption have emerged in the economies of European cities•The pervasive role of digitalization for supply chains transparency and traceability and for innovating communication strategies toward more sustainability•The wide gap between attitudes/intentions and purchases’ behaviour, alongside the increasing consumers’ interest for the green productsCombining the knowledge about the two sectors is very promising if we want to create new job opportunities in cultural/creative urban industries.The areas of contamination are typically cultural and can be summarized as follows:1. Growing attention to the aesthetic dimension in food; the culture of packaging, decor, the art of plating. The valorization of the chefs’ creativity, considered as celebrities, alike it happens in fashion and social media worlds.2. Growing attention by fashion toward the food sector that is master in communicating values like authenticity, conviviality, identity, traced back to traditionally cultivated raw materials and traditional preparation techniques.4. Both value materials, inspirations, and knowledge that are rooted in the territories.5. Companies and firms in both sectors are increasingly developing circular business models. Moreover, Pandemic is showing the importance of developing specific competencies, due to some emerging trends:-Reduction/conversion of fashion production -Growth of local and 0KM food request-Increase of sustainable oriented consumers, with a new balance between local and global-Increase of digital communication and commercialization.All this given, both sectors require the development of specific communication techniques and strategies, to convey the strong intertwining of business strategies, knowledge, aesthetics, ethical values.In Europe there are just HE courses dedicated to the two sectors separately. For food, more than 200 MA/BA and high-level training courses, mainly focused on Chemistry, Engineering, Biochemistry, issues related to legislation or brand communication. For fashion, more than 400 MA/BA and high-level training courses, focused on Business management, Communication, Marketing and Design of fashion and textiles. No European evidence of university programmes/courses focusing on the common ground of fashion&food has been found (except one UK case for journalists/teachers). UC and JU have recently launched two BA programme to fill the gap, but they still need further experimentation and innovative contents.All in all, we want to take the challenge of teaching in this space, combining a sociological critical approach to cultural industries with innovative ideas and skills for the near future.F&F4Sustainability responds to the target groups’ needs as follow:•HE students, in order to make them learn cutting-edge contents and develop new skills to drive the next joint development of the two sectors.•University teachers/researchers, providing them with a new vision of the sectors and sustainability challenges.•University teachers/researchers together with public and private sectors operators, who will directly experience the joint design and test of learning modules and materials, to meet labour market’s competence needs.•Professionals and their companies, to keep their competitive power in the fashion & food world sectors, updating them with the latest and new elements of convergence and the sustainable trends.•Public managers and urban policy makers, to help them with a cultural cross approach, updating their ability to analyse urban phenomena and develop urban policies.<< Objectives >>THE OBJECTIVES•Update competencies of BA/MA students to the actual and perspective needs of the fashion &food sectors and to their increasing convergence, concentrating on the key issue of circular economy, sustainability communication, and tools for digital media analysis and visual analysis, with a cultural and interdisciplinary approach.•Adapting university courses and teachers' practices to future trends of fashion&food synergies, with a quick response to skills' needs, including soft and digital skills.•Developing community competencies in the same fields, by transferring content, methods and tools to continuous training for various target (young entrepreneurs and start-uppers, public managers, professionals in local businesses, etc.).<< Implementation >>In 36 months, 8 partners (4 universities, 1 fair trade umbrella organisation, 1 employment and training non-profit organisation, 1 global entrepreneurship and innovation support organization, 1 public regional business promotion agency) from 6 EU countries, will develop the following activities:WP1 - Definition of course module contents. Collection and preparation of contents on sustainability models in the fashion&food cultural industries and their synergies, key issues selection, partners’ experience exchange, territory mapping, case studies, competence framework (including soft and digital skills).WP2 -Course modules design. Identification and choice of the most effective and innovative methods for university teaching about sustainability issues in fashion&food. Preparation of training and in-depth seminars on new modules for teachers and researchers.WP3 - International testing of the course modules taught in English (first phase). Preparation of 2 training modules for students. Intensive testing of modules with students of all partner universities. Observation by other partners. Local training experiments of partner trainers on target groups (teachers, researchers and first groups of students). Analysis of the results, systematisation, validation and results certification.WP4 – Testing of course modules (second phase) and fine-tuning. Preparation of other 4 new modules for testing. Translations of training materials into the partner languages to enable the implementation of modules. Diversified implementation of new modules for students in different courses in all partner universities. Validation and certification.WP5 - Training the community. Design of training seminars/webinars. Adaptation of previous results into training contents for city managers and young professionals or future entrepreneurs. Implementation and testing of new seminars/webinars for entrepreneurs and/or public managers. Validation and fine-tuning of seminars/webinars. Creation of an online group (social media to be defined) to support and consolidate communication with stakeholders.The activities include transnational trainings (one in presence and 3 online - C) supporting the work packages implementation, local testing of course modules and seminars/webinars, 7 Transnational partners’ meeting (TMP) and 10 multiplier events (E).The project will involve (minimum estimated number):1.200 students who will participate in the testing of modules and materials, at international and local level;2.20 teachers, researchers and trainers who will participate in the testing of the modules;3.24 people of partners’ staff who will participate in any of the project activities;4.30 people of partners’ staff who will participate in local activities in their own countries;5.15 people of the staff of associated partner and other stakeholders who will participate in the trainings;6.50 people between personnel of enterprises, public bodies and other organisations who will contribute to the contents collection and modules testing;7.100 young entrepreneurs, public managers and professionals for the testing of the seminars/webinars.<< Results >>The project aims to increase knowledge about the intersection and cross fertilisation of fashion&food as cultural industries. The main concrete RESULTS will be as follows:R1. New contents to communicate sustainability in fashion&food. Collection and comparison of teaching experiences, workshops, research results focused on sustainability, in order to develop a new vocabulary to go beyond the term ""sustainability"" and specify the concrete different processes and dimensions which sustainability is made of. The word “sustainability” is overused and risks losing its meaning. It indicates actions linked to very different fields (environment, working conditions, cultural differences, etc.). It is time to go towards a new vocabulary able to express each of those dimensions and create awareness and advocacy among citizens and consumers.R2. New training guidelines for teachers. Reference tool for teachers and researchers to adopt new training modules in courses for students. The guidelines will collect tested experience, with attention to continuous teaching and learning evaluation.R3 New course modules for University degrees. Creation of tested brand-new contents for HE university students (BA/MA). The learning content will be organized in modular units that can be implemented in a flexible waySome ideas have been preliminary discussed with partners and will be developed, integrated and selected in WP1, such as:•MediaDataLab for collaborative development, refinement and use of data-driven tools for media analysis, with a focus on the analysis of visual data;•""Wardrobes and Cupboards”, to empirically study the role of material culture of f&f in everyday life;•Transparency and traceability of processes and products in the fashion and food supply chains;•Cultural sustainability (e.g. appropriation, inclusion, diversity etc.);•…R4. Training modules for the community. Training modules for professionals and adults for their lifelong learning, based on the university ones (R3). The learning materials will be suitable for e-learning and or blended learning. The foreseen activities develop further qualitative results:-University programmes (and their e-learning platforms) enriched with sharable international modules.-Students and professionals trained in new competences during the testing.-A group teachers of the partners HEI able to use the new contents and training materials, both on site and online.-The partnership staff trained as a team in the content collection/selection and technically and methodologically trained to produce learning materials, with attention to multimedia.-A 1st nucleus of a network of public and private organisations interested in the convergent development of the two sectors.The OUTCOMES will be:1. Improvement of the HE offer through:a.The development of competencies coherent with the latest trend in f&f and their synergiesb.The development of competencies that embed the digital turn as a facilitating condition for a sustainable transition.c.Experiential and participated learning methods2. The deepening of a humanities approach to the study of the cross-fertilization between fashion&food.3. Thanks to the type of partnership, where the University approach is faced with other learning approaches (adult education and continuous training AM, AL, SFG, EE), the outputs will be suitable for a number of potential targets, preserving a high-level standard, and available for partners and any other organisation interested in using them.4. An increase in the knowledge and skills of teachers, researchers, tutors, and students involved in the project.5. Strengthening of collaboration between universities dedicated teaching and research about sustainability.6. New connections among project partners and stakeholders’ organizations, at the private as well as at the public level.7. Promoting the transfer of the obtained results to other countries in which our partners’ networks operate, thus valorsing them."

The journey towards tangible sustainability outcomes necessitates a fusion of technological advancements with strategic experimentation. In this pursuit, 6G-VERSUS emerges as a pioneering initiative, leveraging cutting-edge 6G research facilities across Europe to explore the frontiers of sustainable technology. Through meticulously designed trials and pilots, 6G-VERSUS addresses pressing challenges in 5 environmentally conscious vertical industries. In this regard, 6G-VERSUS introduces a novel methodology, transforming existing use cases into 6G applications, comprising Vertical App (V-App), Network App (N-App), and AI-assisted App (AI-App). This triadic structure optimizes the data and control planes of 6G systems, facilitating seamless information flow and decision-making processes. With the support of six (Stream C) 6G platforms spanning across Europe, 6G-VERSUS aims to demonstrate the profound sustainable, economic and societal impact of 6G technology, propelling towards a more sustainable and prosperous society.