MELIORA Consortium will jointly work with local actors at different levels for the realization of eight (8) in total tailor-made lifestyle intervention and behavioural modification studies, including Artificial intelligence and digital tools, to promote sustainable behavioural changes among three target populations: i) healthy women at risk of developing breast cancer, ii) breast cancer patients and iii) breast cancer survivors. The studies will take place across 4 different European countries (Greece, Sweden, Spain and Lithuania) and 6 piloting centres targeting 2000 women in urban and rural areas including participants throughout the socioeconomic spectrum. Primary health care centres, hospitals or patients’/survivors’ organisations will be used as entry points to the community. The goal of the MELIORA Virtual Coach interventions is to evaluate its effectiveness, through assessing the effect of multiple individual and contextual factors to the uptake and sustainability of behavioural changes. At the same time, identification of specific bottlenecks and barriers that prevent the uptake of sustainable behavioural change will support the development of approaches on how to best reach and involve disadvantaged socio-economic population groups, vulnerable groups, and people living in rural areas, and will provide best practices for behavioural intervention uptake and scale-up. Regular monitoring will be ongoing during the implementation to allow corrective actions and ensure effective adaptation and uptake. Based on the study outcomes, the health economic evaluation and budget impact analysis, and data deriving from the scalability assessment, national and European stakeholders will be invited to evaluate, through workshops, the potential for adoption of the MELIORA Virtual Coach Interventions in other regions or countries in Europe. This action is part of the Cancer Mission cluster of projects on “Prevention & early detection (behavioural change).

Only few patients respond to tumor treatment as desired. Treatment heavily relies on host tumor interactions, including exploiting the host immune response against the tumor. The underlying mechanisms of host tumor interaction are largely unknown, guidance on specific intervention is missing. To improve outcome, better understanding of tumor-host interaction is needed. Large numbers of molecular snapshots will provide increased phenotyping coverage and better represent tumor-host evolution over time. In an innovative approach, MULTIR aims at investigating not a single tumor entity, but at compiling data from melanoma, lung and bladder cancer (most drugs target specific molecular features, irrespective of the tumor origin) to identify with high power the critical elements in the tumor-host interaction responsible for therapy response. In a multi-disciplinary approach involving leading clinicians, immunologists, experts in omics, digital technologies, social sciences and patient representatives from 10 EU countries and beyond, and an extensive outreach plan to ensure rapid transfer of MULTIR output to society, MULTIR combines existing multi-layer (epidemiological, genetic, clinical, pathologic, imaging, molecular) data from major studies on these tumors, using AI-based approaches to unveil functional modules regulating tumor-host interactions followed by validation of findings in models and synthetic patients. Harmonization with major EU initiatives will maximize use of European resources. Impact on all scientific, technological and societal levels is expected, including increased understanding of tumor-host interactions, generation of a unique resource of harmonized data on three major cancer types available to the community in compliance to the legal and ethics framework, boost of drug discovery, and an AI-based predictor for treatment response. MULTIR outreach plan includes policymakers and regulators, to support prompt assessment and uptake into the health systems. This action is part of the Cancer Mission cluster of projects on “Understanding (tumour-host interactions)”.

The EU has experienced a surge in fixed border surveillance solutions, including physical barriers, covering 13% of external land borders. The BorderForce project responds to evolving threats by enhancing real-time surveillance capabilities. It introduces a dynamic system, featuring self-sufficient, transportable Command and Control (C2) Stations with configurable and extendable capabilities. These stations incorporate versatile surveillance towers with anti-drone features, integrating data from autonomous monitoring sensors and UAV systems. Dedicated satellite resources, including CubeSat, strategically positioned at high-risk spots, ensure frequent revisits to critical areas. To enable early threat assessment, BorderForce leverages Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), processing online data for border security threats. The project emphasizes ethical, legal, and social aspects, safeguarding fundamental rights in border surveillance capability development. BorderForce collaborates with EU and candidate country border authorities, customs, and Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) entities. It defines scenarios, gathers architecture feedback, and validates end user feedback. The project emphasizes data exchange, novel user interfaces (e.g., XR), and immersive training for collaborative threat assessment, promoting safety and security while upholding fundamental rights. This solution enhances resource sustainability by improving the coordination and deployment of reusable security measures. The BorderForce solution will be validated in 2 field trials to become TRL7. It ensures seamless operations in monitoring the flow of goods, people, and information. Addressing challenges like migration, smuggling, and geopolitical tensions, BorderForce contributes to regional stability, particularly in crises. Overall, it combines technological innovation and international collaboration to bolster border security, prioritizing fundamental rights and ethical considerations.