Projects

The key element to ensure efficient use of HPC infrastructures is to optimize the performance and efficiency of the applications. The Centre of Excellence on Performance Optimization and Productivity (POP CoE, www.pop-coe.eu) was initiated in October 2015 with the fundamental purpose of assisting a broad community of HPC application developers and users in both science and industry domains helping them to understand the performance-related issues of their applications and thus improve their efficiency and productivity. This fundamental purpose is reached by externally and objectively auditing the performance of the codes to all interested users, by providing not only qualitative but also quantitative analysis through the use of POP tools and methodology. The current proposal, Performance Optimization and Productivity 3 (POP3), is articulated in 3 main pillars: services, users, and co-design. POP services mainly focus on performance assessments with the goal to evaluate code performance and scaling, identifying the main sources of inefficiency and providing some insight and recommendation about how to improve it. POP3 also provides second level services that have been extended and include proof of concepts, energy efficiency and advisory studies. Although POP3 will continue targeting all scales and types of users, with this proposal we will focus our efforts on larger scales, assessing the execution on the EuroHPC sites of some of the European flagship HPC applications for other CoEs. However, POP3 will still provide services to prescribers and SMEs to promote an efficient usage of the computing resources. The co-design will be covered in two dimensions. Internally in POP3 we will co-design the tools and methodology to be able to analyse the applications on the selected platform at the selected scale. Externally, POP3 will identify best practices and kernels that will be offered to other European projects as well as the wide audience of parallel applications.

The Energy-oriented Centre of Excellence for exascale HPC applications (EoCoE-III) applies cutting-edge computational methods in its mission to foster the transition to decarbonized energy in Europe. EoCoE-III is anchored both in the High Performance Computing (HPC) community and in the energy field. It will demonstrate the benefit of HPC for the net-zero energy transition for research institutes and also for key industry in the energy sector. The present project will draw the experience of two successful previous projects EoCoE-I and EoCoE-II, where a set of diverse computer applications from four energy domains achieved significant efficiency gains thanks to its multidisciplinary expertise in applied mathematics and supercomputing. During this 3rd round, EoCoE-III will channel its efforts into 5 exascale lighthouse applications covering the key domains of Energy Materials, Water, Wind and Fusion. A world-class consortium of 18 complementary partners from 6 countries will form a unique network of expertise in energy science, scientific computing and HPC, including 3 leading European supercomputing centres. This multidisciplinary effort will harness innovations in computer science and mathematical algorithms within a tightly integrated co-design approach to overcome performance bottlenecks, to deploy the lighthouse applications on the coming European exascale infrastructure and to anticipate future HPC hardware developments. New modelling capabilities will be created at unprecedented scale, demonstrating the potential benefits to the energy industry, such as accelerated design of photovoltaic devices, high-resolution wind farm modelling over complex terrains and quantitative understanding of plasma core-edge interactions in ITER-scale tokamaks. These lighthouse applications will provide a high-visibility platform for high-performance computational energy science, cross-fertilized through close working connections to the EERA consortium.

SPADES’ mission is to develop, test and implement soil-inclusive spatial planning strategies to support the transition towards soil health in Europe. Soil health is highly under pressure and the soil’s ability to perform essential ecosystem services should be improved to cope with pressures such as climate change and need such as a healthy living environment. Spatial planning and design are practices that, when enriched by soil care, can enhance the current status of soils and support societal challenges and needs, while avoiding unwanted trade-offs towards other areas, generations or functions. SPADES will therefor provide a comprehensive state of the art on both planning and design practices, as on soil instruments. To be able to make a transition in spatial planning and design towards healthy soils a fundamental understanding of the current mechanisms is key. SPADES will develop integrative instruments and improve the information basis and brokerage to bring the spatial planning and design field and soil sector together. This will contribute to the methodological basis. SPADES will work in 17 pilots in 10 member states, covering a broad range of land uses (urban, peri-urban and rural areas), time and spatial scales, and soil and planning challenges. This is done together with local practitioners and policy makers to develop fit-for-purpose soil-inclusive spatial strategies to support different goals such as land degradation neutrality and no net land take. The SPADES instruments will be presented in such a way (manual and navigator) so that they can be found by the right user, at the right phase of the planning and design process, and for the right purpose. SPADES supports soil literacy (by capacity building and communication, dissemination and exploitation activities) to a broad range of target groups to enable current practice to improve. To make this most effective, SPADES case partners are involved in these CDE and training activities.

III-nitride semiconductors (GaN/AlGaN) are strategic materials for photodetection in a broad spectral range from deep ultraviolet to far infrared. These domains can be addressed thanks to interband and intersubband transitions respectively, which cover wavelengths inaccessible to standard III-V semiconductors. Heterogeneous integration of III-N nanowires (NWs) on 2D materials at the same time opens new technological opportunities for advanced optoelectronics and presents fundamental interest to elucidate the physics of van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE). Available research on epitaxial growth of GaN NWs on 2D graphene has demonstrated its promise; however, the scope for improvement remains limited. A number of questions with fundamental significance e.g. the influence of the 2D material in NW growth, controlling factors for NW size/size-distribution, and generalized understanding of vdWE with experimental authentication remain open. INTEGRASION proposes to address these open questions and to achieve a general understanding of vdWE of nitrides on 2D materials for advanced optoelectronic devices. To reach this goal, GaN/AlGaN NWs will be grown on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (WS2) and comparative analysis will be performed with growth on graphene. The fundamentals of growth process will be assessed experimentally and theoretically emphasizing the impact of 2D materials on the NW growth which is pivotal for heterojunction formation. GaN/AlGaN heterojunctions in multi-quantum well structure will be grown on 2D platforms to demonstrate interband UV photodetection as well as intersubband photodetection in mid- and far-infrared domains. Besides, heterogeneous integration of GaN NWs on 2D platforms will facilitate the post-growth transfer of III-N NWs to flexible substrates where monolithic integration is not possible. INTEGRASION will address these three key aspects: (i) heterogenous growth, (ii) interband/intersubband photodetection and (iii) hybrid integration.

EBRAINS is a collaborative European Research Infrastructure designed to advance and accelerate progress in neuroscience and brain health. This innovative infrastructure, a legacy of the Human Brain Project (HBP), is an ecosystem where researchers, clinicians and experts from various disciplines converge to explore and analyze brain complexity – from molecular and cellular levels to the functioning of the entire organ. Therefore, the project aims to create a new standard for brain atlases from the micro- to the macro-scale, link foundational multi-level data and connectomes in the healthy and pathological brain with atlases and models, create digital twins through modelling and simulation as well as unique, excellent, and preferred services for FAIR neuroscience data. The overarching goal of EBRAINS 2.0 is to foster a deeper understanding of brain structure and function with dedicated and mature software tools, to facilitate the development of more effective treatments, new drugs, diagnostics and preventive measures for neuro-psychiatric disorders. We expect that EBRAINS 2.0 catalyzes progress in the field of large-scale models running on HPC towards Exascale and leads to innovative solutions for neuro-inspired computing, and cognitive technologies such as neurorobotics and AI. Sophisticated digital modeling and data analytics capabilities will benefit communities beyond neuroscience, such as biomedicine. We will advance EBRAINS technology, platform services and the base infrastructure roadmap, educate and train a new community of users and developers from academia, industry and SMEs, and ensure knowledge transfer. EBRAINS 2.0 will become the neuroscience hub in the European infrastructure landscape, through building strong links with the European data spaces, EOSC and EuroHPC JU, centers of excellences and other initiatives. Globally, EBRAINS 2.0 will make a strong contribution to the new era of digital neuroscience and foster European leadership in this field.

A century after its discovery, the atomic nucleus remains a subtle organization of protons and neutrons interacting through QCD. Its properties are the driving mechanism of cataclysmic events in the cosmos like those leading to the synthesis of medium-to-heavy elements. Unfortunately, precise, fundamental nuclear data, which are essential both to the sustainability of our civilization through technological applications, and to our understanding of the universe, are still a considerable undertaking to measure or to compute. Our objective is to unlock the applicability of ab initio predictions of nuclear collisions, which have been, so far, lagging behind that of static properties of nuclei. To reach this goal we aim: 1) To develop perturbation theory to ab initio reaction modeling, and by this means to open up to reacting systems above the p-shell; 2) To exploit the aforementioned development in the context of strict effective field theory for nucleons. We expect these achievements to allow us to contribute to the understanding of the detailed balance between nucleons that will be uncovered at the edges of nuclear stability at facilities like Spiral2 in France and FAIR in Germany. The experience researcher (ER) will bring to the host group its know-how in perturbative methods, of which he has been a practitioner in nuclear structure, and, in doing so, he will boost the applicability of the host ab initio reaction tools. In turn, he will benefit from the supervisor’s expertise in reaction theory and effective field theoretical tools thereby acquiring a strong and valuable portfolio aiming to perform nuclear evaluation of data and predictions for supporting both theoretical and experimental nuclear astrophysics needs. In conclusion, this project is mutually beneficial to the host group and the ER. It will increase the ER visibility both at the EU and international levels, ready his managerial and mentoring skills for future career opportunities in academia or industry.

An exciting area of research in quantum condensed matter physics involves the exploration of Majorana bound states (MBS) to create topologically protected qubits for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In the quest for experimental evidence of these quasiparticles, the most frequently observed indication of MBS is considered as a peak in the differential conductance spectra at zero bias voltage. While this observation could be easily detected in scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy experiments, it does not serve as a piece of conclusive evidence for the Majorana nature of a state as other topologically trivial bound states, such as Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states, can also exhibit the same zero-bias conductance peak. In this direction, recent theoretical investigations have extensively examined how shot noise at atomic could serve as a distinctive tool to differentiate between MBS and trivial bound states in vortex matter and nanowires. However, experimental verification of these theories has not been feasible so far due to the underlying challenge of measuring shot noise with high enough sensitivity at a nanometer resolution. Although experimentally challenging, in this project we will combine atomically resolved differential conductance and shot noise together by using a home-built shot-noise scanning tunneling microscope (SN-STM). The unprecedented power of this technique will be exploited to measure shot noise which provides direct evidence to distinguish the MBS from any conventional in-gap mode. We propose to investigate a couple of different scenarios such as single atomic impurities and vortex cores in a variety of iron-based superconducting quantum material, magnetic nanostructure (1D chains) coupled to an s-wave superconductor.

Brain tumors strike people in the prime of life. Surgical resection is the initial treatment for nearly all brain tumors and aims at maximizing the extent of tumor resection while preserving the patient's cognitive function. To optimize this tradeoff, neuronavigation systems have been developed to provide intraoperative guidance to surgeons. These systems allow for the visualization of the position of surgeons' surgical tools relative to the tumor and critical brain areas visible in preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging. However, these systems become inaccurate as the surgery progresses since they do not account for brain deformation and tissue resection occurring during surgery. In an interdisciplinary effort, project SafeREG combines the researcher's background to the expertise of computational scientists from INRIA and clinicians from Parisian hospitals. Its objective is to invent a novel image registration methodology with intraoperative ultrasound that is rich enough to capture complex deformations occurring at the tumor and resection cavity boundaries, fast enough to be employable clinically, and interpretable enough for informed decision-making by neurosurgeons. This will be accomplished by pushing the envelope of scientific knowledge in (1) cross-modality domain adaptation for weakly- and unsupervised image segmentation; (2) modality-invariance representation learning using contrastive learning; (3) non-rigid registration with discrete probabilistic methods; (4) simulated-based variational inference for registration uncertainty quantification that leverages biomechanical knowledge. This research has the potential to deliver accurate and informed image-guided surgery, conferring a lower risk of new neurologic deficits and improved patient prognosis. Beyond neurosurgery, it has broad applications to additional areas of image-guided therapy, including spine, liver, and prostate surgery.

The European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA) aims to improve the health and well-being of the 30 million people living with a rare disease in Europe, by making Europe a world leader in Rare Disease (RD) research and innovation, to support concrete health benefits to rare disease patients, through better prevention, diagnosis and treatment. This Partnership will deliver a RD ecosystem that builds on the successes of previous programmes by supporting robust patient need-led research, developing new diagnostic methods and pathways, spearheading the digital transformational change connecting the dots between care, patient data and research, while ensuring strong alignment of strategies in RD research across countries and regions. Structuring goal-oriented public-private collaborations targeted at interventions all along the R&D value chain will ensure that the journey from knowledge to patient impact is expedited, thereby optimising EU innovation potential in RD. To support its ambition and missions ERDERA has been designed as a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem of which structure can be compared to an institute encompassing three main parts: (i) funding, (ii) internal (in house) Clinical Research Network that implements research activities targeting clinical trial readiness of RDs and accelerating diagnosis and translation of research discovery into improved patient care, and (iii) related supporting services (Data, Expertise, Education and Training) as well as an acceleration hub that serve external and internal RD community, all supported by all-embracing coordination and strategy and foundational (inter)national alignment.

LANDFEED will focus on creating value from under-utilised waste from the agro-food industry, forestry, urban and natural waste, implementing circular and local solutions that allow waste to be valorised by placing it in a circular framework, and producing innovative biofertilisers to improve Europe's self-sufficiency. In addition to optimising and implementing innovative nutrient recovery technologies, work will be carried out on a new generation of coatings for these bio-based fertilisers, capable of improving their efficiency through controlled nutrient release mechanisms. In this way LANDFEED will contribute to a better management of the fertiliser provided, we will contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions and a reduced impact on the environment's water resources. LANDFEED will ensure that the solutions and results of the project are locally driven through the different use cases. The use cases will consider all links in the value chain that will participate as lighthouses, serving as demonstrators and disseminators of the technologies, results and applications developed during the project. These use cases will also contribute to the objectives of the Soil Strategy by enabling the restoration of soil health through the enhancement of its specific and functional biodiversity. At the global level, the business model will be defined in its entirety, with the aim of maximising the replicability of these Use Cases and facilitating their implementation in other European areas and regions.

ASCLEPIUS’s overall aim is to boost the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of Giorgi Eliava Institute of Bacteriophagy, Microbiology and Virology (Eliava) and its high-quality Twinning partners - l’Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, Universidade do Minho and Intelligentsia Consultants Sarl – to expand their insights in phage therapy for treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. To achieve this aim, ASCLEPIUS will implement a research and innovation strategy over three years based upon five objectives: Objective 1: Conduct exploratory research on phage therapy for treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Objective 2: Transfer knowledge between experienced researchers of Eliava and the Twinning partners. Objective 3: Enhance career prospects of early-stage researchers of Eliava and the Twinning partners. Objective 4: Improve Eliava’s management and administrative capacity for European R&D programmes. Objective 5: Raise the research profile of Eliava and the Twinning partners.

VASSAL project focuses on leveraging the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of the consortium in the field of software engineering to support safety and security of digitised economies and societies. The key objective is to bring together expertise of the consortium in specific domains to enhance and create a new knowledge for robust and resilient SW engineering through scientific strategy combining model-based design, formal methods and economics for source-codes and systems. As SW becomes more complex, ensuring its safety and security (vulnerabilities free) becomes increasingly challenging and vital, not only in safety-critical systems but across various operation systems and IoT as well. Formal methods and model-based design are taking an increasingly significant role, building upon its already widespread use in safety-critical applications, such as automotive or aerospace. As basic building blocks in engineering process, they enable to build robust and resilient SW and HW systems (security-/safe-by-design) ensuring the reliability and correctness, leveraging cybersecurity, and improving the development life-cycle, that lead to savings in operational costs of systems. The economic assessment and implications of advanced SW engineering tools are not commonly available. VASSAL will deliver a rare opportunity to explore and document the potential benefits of and challenges in deployment in order to leverage the awareness and make inroads to broader exploitation by end-users (especially SMEs) in segments, where these issues are being overlooked due to the alleged non-returnability of the investment.

PRIVIDEMA represents an industry-driven initiative to advance privacy-preserving technologies in the application areas of cyber threat intelligence, data protection, and identity management. This multifaceted project operates across various research and innovation maturity levels, with the overarching goal of introducing more robust, user-friendly and scalable privacy and security technologies for the European ecosystem. Key components of PRIVIDEMA include: 1. Development of open-source tools, hosting networking events, and initiation of capacity-building efforts to democratize technology access and empower cybersecurity professionals. 2. Advancement of homomorphic encryption capabilities, implementation of hardware acceleration methods, and improvement of Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) usability. 3. Creation and demonstration of a prototype European identity wallet featuring issuer and relaying party functionalities. 4. Development and demonstration of a prototype European privacy-preserving cyber threat data processing system, with real-world testing and validation of innovative technologies. Aligned with the objectives of Horizon Europe, PRIVIDEMA actively contributes to increased cybersecurity, data and network protection, and the establishment of robust digital infrastructures. The project distinguishes itself through its commitment to supporting SMEs as well as promoting open-source development, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and privacy-by-design principles. The solution-oriented approach positions PRIVIDEMA as a pivotal force in advancing cyber-resilient digitalization and the data economy in Europe. PRIVIDEMA's connection to various European strategic initiatives underscores its relevance, with a clear emphasis on real-world applications, innovation beyond the state-of-the-art, and a strategic trajectory toward market-ready solutions.

Technology advancements enhance everyday life, but they also provide numerous opportunities for the proliferation of advanced cybercrimes, which, via innovative tactics and techniques, pose serious security and financial risks to EU and beyond. ENSEMBLE aims to provide a well-rounded response to the fight against (cross-border) cybercriminal activities, at the nexus of advanced AI-based technological solutions, (multi-stakeholder) investigations processes, training, and awareness in order to detect and prevent cybercrime-related activities, with particular focus on ransomware, cyber fraud, data theft and extortion as well as unauthorised access and crypto-jackings. This will be achieved via a three-pillar approach. ENSEMBLE will develop a modular AI-based, forensically sound investigation toolbox based on user centric criteria, to assist Police Authorities in detecting, extracting, processing, and analysing online information relevant to cybercrime activities, thus fighting sophisticated cyber-threats, capitalising also in joint multi-stakeholder operations both at national and cross border level and in secure data and information sharing mechanisms. Police Authorities, prosecutors, and judicial actors involved in such investigations will be offered innovative training curricula and methods as well as synchronous and/or asynchronous learning methodologies that will be aligned to their needs and improve their current capacity, taking into consideration the technological, procedural, operational, legal/multi-jurisdictional dimensions. Finally, public awareness and engagement with relevant actors for early identification and prevention of cybercrimes will be cultivated through targeted awareness raising campaigns and specific policy recommendations. Having brough together a multidisciplinary team of five LEAs, seven research/academic institutions and six industry partners (including five SMEs) with a wide range of expertise in the field, ENSEMBLE provides a compelling

Understanding the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter is crucial for unravelling the internal structure and processes of materials. Electromagnetic waves exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behaviour, with the quantized nature of light becoming apparent in the realm of quantum technologies. The QU-ATTO network aims to merge the fields of quantum optics and quantum information science with attosecond physics. This involves focusing on experimental campaigns to highlight quantum aspects in the interaction of intense laser fields with matter and advancing theoretical descriptions for a comprehensive understanding of the quantum state of light associated with intense laser fields. Traditionally, attosecond pulses have been generated using table-top femtosecond lasers. However, recent experiments performed at free-electron lasers (FELs) have demonstrated the production of isolated attosecond pulses and precise control of attosecond waveforms for pulse trains, leading to remarkable advancements in attosecond science. The network also aims to leverage recent advances in seeded FELs and high-intensity high-harmonic generation (HHG)-based attosecond sources to demonstrate the coherent control of electronic dynamics in systems of increasing complexity. The QU-ATTO network represents a comprehensive effort to advance the understanding and control of the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter, with a specific focus on merging quantum optics, quantum information science, attosecond physics, and free-electron laser science. The doctoral candidates (DCs) in the network will receive multifaceted scientific training encompassing experimental and theoretical aspects of quantum information science, strong-field physics, and soft X-ray and X-ray science, as well as extensive training in transferable skills and self-management techniques.

Radiotherapy (RT) is a mainstay of modern cancer treatment. Conventionally, RT is delivered to the patient lying on a treatment couch, while a beam steering device (gantry) aims the radiation from any angle around the target. Positioning the patients in upright body posture (upRT) instead enables to orient the patient arbitrarily toward a fixed beam. This enables smaller facility footprint and reduced treatment cost, placing upRT in the core of the UN sustainable development goals, and opening global access to advanced treatment options: 80% of cancer patients live in countries which host only 5% of the world’s RT resources. Moreover, upRT improves patient comfort and is associated with anatomical and physiological advantages, such as reduced breathing motion. It therefore comes as no surprise that, with new upright patient positioning & imaging solutions entering the market, upRT is enjoying a surge in interest. Yet, key scientific questions remain, international guidelines for upRT are lacking, and existing RT workflows are geared to lying patients. As the first clinics adopt new upRT technologies, there is a global need for trained professionals in industry, clinics and academia, to reach the promised benefits for patient care. UPLIFT builds this next generation of experts by addressing key research questions related to: treatment planning, clinical workflow and equipment design. Leveraging latest upRT technology available through our world-class consortium, UPLIFT propels Europe to the forefront of the upRT paradigm shift. UPLIFT focuses on: Learning (through its academic and clinical centres of excellence); Innovation (through its leading industrial partners); Fellowship & Training (through an outstanding cross-sector programme of workshops, secondments & mentoring). Input from patient advocacy groups and an internationally renowned advisory board will maximise its impact. UPLIFT will revolutionize modern RT, making it more human, accessible and sustainable.

Organisms that inhabit the surface of the Earth have evolved an endogenous 24 hour clock that infiltrates every level of biological organisation from the molecular to the ecological. This biological timer is a critical adaptation to living on a rotating planet with predictable daily and seasonal cycles of light and dark, warmth and cold. The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster has provided the model system by which the highly conserved genetic and molecular basis of animal rhythmicity was initially dissected, winning a Nobel Prize in 2017 to its discoverers. Our network INCITE (INsect Clock Initial Training Experience) will provide state-of-the-art doctoral training to doctoral candidates (DCs) in insect molecular chronobiology using a comparative approach in which the circadian clock will be studied from a variety of perspectives. These will include the recruitment of the clock for i) insect seasonal ‘hibernation’ or diapause, a critical life-history feature that has important implications for range expansion under global warming, ii) in pollination, ii) in pest control, iv) in optimising the development of insects mass-reared as a protein source for human/animal consumption – asustainable model for agriculture and vi) in fundamental circadian biology of the model insect, D. melanogaster. In addition to their research projects, DCs will be seconded to partners both academic and industrial within the network and be further exposed to a variety of successful well-defined and time-tested courses that supplement those already offered at their local institutions, and will enhance and develop their scientific, entrepreneurial and transferable skills. INCITE will generate highly-trained, mobile and employable graduates that will be welcomed both in academia and industry.

The HINA project proposes to consider the hybrid integration of alkaline niobate-tantalate thin films (materials with the highest known experimentally measured electro-optic, nonlinear, piezoelectric, elasto-optic coefficients) in photonic and acoustic devices for advanced semiconductor photonics platforms. The final goal of the project is to develop a thin film technology not only offering the state-of-the-art performances but also with reasonable price and viable for real industrial applications in order to stimulate the transfer of newly developed products and technologies by the industry and to help enterprises to withstand global competitive pressures. The HINA project links world-leading research groups at Academia and Industry to give a combined, integrated approach of synthesis/fabrication, characterization, modeling/theory linked to concepts for materials integration in devices and systems. Such a science-supported total engineering approach will lead towards highly efficient electro-active and nonlinear materials designed towards integrated device needs and viable for industry. Doctoral Candidates will focus on this common research objective, applying a multidisciplinary bottom-up approach, which can be summarized by: "engineered molecule- advanced material- designed device - smart system". The HINA project also seeks to intensify the relationship between academic and private sectors, and to train highly skilled young researchers for new materials and device technologies. Both are essential to provide a strong European lead over the rest of the world in this highly competitive technologies.

Electrification coupled with renewable electricity supply is a key pathway to achieve a deep decarbonization of our society and contribute to an energy transition in a sustainable way. The electric energy demand based on distributed renewable sources is going to be even more important and a more efficient, secure, flexible and affordable energy distribution should be envisaged for the next future. If these requirements are not met, the replacement of well-established solutions based on fossil fuels will be unfeasible. Consequently, apart from the evident environmental impacts, collateral effects could occur, such as great blackouts at national and continental level. In this scenario, SAFEPOWER first explores and investigates on essential digital, enabling, and emerging technologies to achieve a new generation of power converters for solar applications: i) capable of anticipating failures to prevent downtime using effective Condition and Health Monitoring (C&HM) solutions assisted by AI strategies, ii) based on more compactly-packaged, efficient, rugged and affordable Silicon Carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs, diodes and solid-state DC breakers with a more sustainable manufacturing, and iii) prospecting on Ga2O3-based emerging power devices (MESFETs, diodes and solid-state DC breakers) especially designed for this application. Leveraging these technologies, SAFEPOWER studies and proposes new converter topologies and control schemes to enhance their compactness, sustainability, competitiveness, and security. Additionally, these technologies streamline cost-effective maintenance through AI-assisted intervention plans and AI-enabled "limp mode" operation with derating strategies, which can be extended to offshore wind energy conversion. Therefore, the adoption of SAFEPOWER's technological solutions in the EU solar sector not only will establish a competitive advantage against non-EU power converter manufacturers, but also will enable their initial deployment within the EU.

Quantum computing can be thought of in multiple ways. Among those ways, it can be seen as a computational model of quantum mechanics. Studying this model may have implications for our understanding of physics. It can also be seen as a new computational paradigm, with implications for computation, algorithms, and logic. Additionally, it can be viewed as a computational device that requires programming. Therefore, it is necessary to design and study programming languages for this purpose. The study of the foundations of quantum programming languages, type theory, and logic through the Curry-Howard correspondence may shed light on our understanding of quantum mechanics. Furthermore, it may lead to the development of new logics or the understanding of new structures in classical logic. Lastly, implementing these languages will enhance the way we program the new computers when they become widely used. In this project, we propose to study these various aspects of quantum computing, specifically focusing on the foundations of programming languages.

SIROCO (SImple and RObust laser source with EU supply chain and Cavity and injection-free Optical parametric oscillator for spaceborne lidar) aims to reach EU independence for high-power lasers in the eye-safe region. A solution based on wavelength conversion from a 1µm laser will be matured, ensuring EU supply chain independence for power laser emission in the 1.5-3µm range. Such breakthrough laser will build the foundation of next greenhouse gases (GHG) spaceborne sensors by Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar (IPDA), by which GHG of interest can be probed in the 1.6μm or 2μm eye-safe regions. To meet the stringent spectral, spatial beam, and power properties required, efficient and versatile wavelength converters such as Optical Parametric Oscillators (OPOs) pumped by mature 1μm power lasers are key enabling technologies. This is also the approach in the European Methane Remote Sensing Lidar Mission (MERLIN). SIROCO will mature innovative critical optical space technologies to TRL6, including a hybrid fiber/bulk 1μm laser combined with a new Backward Wave OPO (BWOPO) concept. This will lead to a simplification shock compared to the state of the art, as no optical cavity is required (higher robustness and easier integration), nor any OPO seed source (higher compactness and simplicity in wavelength control). It will increase EU competitiveness by faster integrated, less risky, more sensitive future space IPDA. SIROCO will develop nonlinear crystals to ensure an EU supply chain, which are key components for various applications (general laser physics, IPDA emitters, quantum applications). Their exploitation path towards future space LIDAR and quantum communications will be delivered through two public technical roadmaps. SIROCO is a 4-year 3MEuros valued action, gathering renown research & academic organisations and SMEs, and supported by an Advisory Board with experts from the European Space research, Atmosphere Science and Quantum communities.

In today's Europe, software is pivotal for societal progress, deeply ingrained in our lives, and essential for the EU's competitiveness. The European Commission's Digital Strategy positions software at the heart of digital transformation, targeting a sustainable economy and broad digital tech benefits. This era underlines software engineering's crucial role in creating functional, reliable, and efficient software systems. The advent of AI, especially in robotics, poses new challenges, demanding a rethink of traditional software engineering. The engineering of robotics faces ongoing issues such as complex operational states, environmental unpredictabilities, and critical safety needs. These are amplified by the diversity in robots, use cases, AI technologies, and development settings, calling for a significant evolution in robotics software engineering. The rise of intelligent robots, with their ability to learn, adapt, and make independent decisions, highlights the need for improved engineering tools and methods. ASTIR aims to address these challenges by developing an AI-augmented engineering workbench for intelligent robotics software, supporting all lifecycle phases from requirements engineering to system maintenance. This workbench, leveraging trustworthy generative AI, aims to integrate with current engineering practices, enhancing collaboration and productivity. ASTIR will validate the technological offering in 3 novel and open-access use cases targeting diverse robotics markets, namely service robotics, manufacturing robotics, and drones.

AEROSUB will develop world-class robotic solutions for different wind energy operating scenarios – fixed and floating offshore wind farms, promoting innovations for operation and maintenance (O&M) procedures to foster the competitiveness and sustainability of renewable energy production in challenging environments. AEROSUB will demonstrate the added value of robotics deeply integrated with advanced AI and data analytics technologies and their potential of reducing the eCO2 emissions of O&M operations by up to 15M tonnes, enabling cost savings by 2,400€/MW/year and lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of offshore wind energy by 2.5%. By deploying an orchestration of multiple robotic platforms, including Uncrewed Fleet Carrier (UFC), Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), long endurance aerial drones (UAS), and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and optimizing human-robot and robot-robot collaboration, AEROSUB aims to reduce the on-site humans’ exposure to dangerous and strenuous environments. Large scale pilots related to monitoring, inspection, cleaning, and maintenance of structures below and above water line will be performed autonomously by AEROSUB solutions, which requires introducing AI-based features for enhancing perception and on-platform decision-making capabilities, improving collaborative navigation, manipulation, and mission planning. AEROSUB is proposing the first fully unmanned robotic solution for both aerial and underwater inspection and intervention, demonstrated in real offshore wind farm, to show an increased O&M operational efficiency of 40%, reducing of the associated downtime by 60% as well as the risk exposure of workers by 90%. Digital twin (DT) and AI solutions for automated information analysis of operational data, collected by remote robotic platforms in >30 operations, will increase the reactivity, responsiveness and intelligibility of the O&M operations: reducing the human burden by 80% to monitor

AI4SWEng represents an excellent chemistry of 15 Partners including experts and practitioners in Model-Drive Software Engineering and AI Engineering (particularly LLMs) from across Europe and USA with four use-cases from Software Development, Healthcare, Cyber-Physical System involving multi-architectural and resource-constrained systems and Next Generation Battery Management in EVs. The AI4SWEng mission is to significantly contribute to the transformation of agile software development into a sector turbocharged for design-by-contact high efficiency, reliability, and security-privacy compliant delivery. This is to exploit advanced AI-powered software development support to deliver high-quality reliable fast time-to-market solutions that are socially responsible, scalable, sustainable and lend themselves to audible ethical and regulatory compliance. AI4SWEng aims deliver AI-powered support to software developers to help reduce worker stress past the pain-points in agile SW development pipelines and higher productivity thus enhanced job satisfaction and creativity. Accordingly, the project will develop, deliver and validate, in 4 use-cases, a platform comprising a set of tools including AISysDev and Test Automation Tool to support the software lifecycle end-to-end for both functional and non-functional deliverables by supporting a host of tasks such as code generation, cross-compilation advanced debugging and dynamic slicing, adaptation, security-privacy by design, reliability, energy efficiency and adaptation as well as project management, process quality and maintenance support through data-driven insights for informed design decision-making and strategic software development planning Additionally with a commitment to advance user-centred design, it will provide structured design in advanced prompt engineering to support software developers team to best exploit to capabilities of the platform.

CAIPIRINH3A aims to overcome the technical barriers, hindering the uptake of ammonia as an alternative fuel, by developing and demonstrating an entirely novel technological concept: The Plasma Mist Ammonia (PlasMi-NH3) burner - a first of its kind, plasma-enabled, self-learning combustor, burning efficiently liquid ammonia with ultra-low NOx emissions. Leveraging detailed and accurate kinetic models, innovative injectors, non-equilibrium plasma systems for plasma assisted combustion and tailored combustion control strategies, CAIPIRINH3A will generate a truly vibrant and multiphase cocktail of chemical species which will activate multiple synergetic effects for enhanced combustion, in a smart framework. The targeted performance metrics are outstanding and go far beyond current paradigms: a) Thermal efficiency comparable to conventional diesel engines (~40%) b) Tier 4 NOx emissions (≤7.5 g/kWh). c) > 50% decrease in ignition delay and extension of the flammability limits by >20%. d) Near zero ammonia concentration in exhaust (<10 ppm). The technological feasibility and future potential of CAIPIRINH3A’s concept will be investigated through extensive testing at TRL4 and holistic impact assessment studies. Seamlessly integrated in a future clean ammonia economy and in line with strategic EU action plans (Fit for 55, Green Deal), CAIPIRINH3A holds promise for a sustainable future for our societies with vast environmental and socioeconomic impact in the power generation and all transportation sectors. During the project this promise will be fostered through targeted communication, and dissemination actions as well as the development of tailored business models for future exploitation. Hence, CAIPIRINH3A paves the way for a disruptive solution, which is eminent and urgent, towards the re-orientation of the energy conversion sector from fossil fuel-based to carbon free-based combustion systems and the ultimate goal of climate-neutral Europe by 2050.

Plants critically shape ecosystems and our societies by converting sunlight and CO2 into O2 and bio-mass while they grow. Understanding this growth process constitutes a major frontier in plant research. Growth is a multi-scale process. At a subcellular scale, it depends on the expansion of the cell walls, which involves changes in the chemistry and architecture of constituent polymer networks. Very little is known on the nature and the control of the cell wall changes that are critical for growth, in striking contrast to the, often detailed, knowledge of growth-regulating signaling networks. This is in part due to the lack of appropriate tools to study changes in the complex cell wall polymer assemblies that often occur at fast (~s) and small (<micrometer) scales. In this project, I propose firstly, to breach the spatial limits of the tools by using multi-target optical nanoscopy to visualize cell wall architecture and remodeling, and secondly, to overcome their temporal limits by using light-gated actuators and multiplexed intracellular biosensors to simultaneously perturb and monitor the system dynamics in vivo. In particular, I will address pectin remodeling, the role of which in plant growth was shown to be critical, but without clearly understanding the mechanism. My objectives are to (1) reveal the key changes in cell wall architecture and chemistry during growth, (2) understand the fast signaling by which cells perceive and coordinate wall remodeling, and (3) build a dynamic hybrid model to explain how plants coordinate wall expansion. This interdisciplinary project will provide new insights into the nanoscale organization of cell walls and propose a novel pectin-based mechanism for its active reorganization during growth. This will provide an essential framework, not only for understanding plant growth and morphogenesis but also for the study of life beyond the plasma membrane, for instance in relation to immunity, multicellularity, or symbiosis.

In solid-state physics, all the properties determined by the atoms' position are susceptible to be modified by acoustic phonons. Acoustic phonons are usually seen as a primary source of unwanted effects in electronics, optoelectronics, and quantum technologies based on solid-state platforms. This project proposes a series of tunable nanodevices where acoustic-phonons constitute, instead, a central resource to unveil wavelength conversion phenomena, transfer information, and simulate systems difficult or impossible to study in optics and electronics. The current trend in nanophononics is to engineer acoustic nanodevices to shape the local acoustic density of states, tailor the light-matter interaction, or enhance the interactions with other systems based on static and predetermined fixed-function nanostructures. This project takes a radically different direction by incorporating responsive materials that change their elastic properties under external stimuli. GeSbTe compounds and vanadium dioxide present phase transitions that can be triggered thermally, optically, or electrically and have associated ultrafast changes in their elastic properties. These materials, widely used in active photonics and electronics, will be integrated into nanophononic semiconductor and oxide-based resonators working in the GHz-THz range. The project is organized around three major challenges: i) To develop hybrid tunable acoustic-phonon resonators and transducers based on materials presenting structural phase transitions. ii) To develop reconfigurable nanophononic lattices (i.e. artificial graphene) formed by coupled resonators. And iii) To demonstrate novel acoustic-phonon wavelength conversion phenomena, simulate time-dependent Hamiltonians, and develop dynamical acoustic phonon devices. Using dynamical structures to control acoustic phonons in the GHz-THz range will enable a new dimension in the solid-state physics toolbox.

NEHO will develop a novel photonic integrated circuit platform that enables ultrafast and low-energy consumption neuromorphic information processes by means of a newly developed nonlinear photon-plasmon semiconductor technology at mid-infrared wavelengths (8-12 μm). NEHO vision will be achieved by unconventional use of semiconductors to optimize and control plasmonic effects that will provide the optical nonlinearity required to implement the functionalities of an artificial neuron. NEHO's optical neuron will be the building block for the realization of ultrafast optical neural networks. We will combine the flexibility of field-effect devices realized on semiconductors with the nanoscale nature of plasmonic processes so to enable the reconfigurability of the nonlinear optical coefficient at each node of the network, simply obtained by controlling DC electric potential levels. At the heart of NEHO is the idea of exploiting the rich electron dynamics of semiconductors. Doped semiconductors undergo an interesting transition from the size-quantization regime to the classical regime of plasmon oscillations. This transition region can exhibit strong nonlocal and nonlinear optical response due to a large variety of electron-electron interactions. The decrease in electron density induced on the semiconductor surface by an external bias can be used to modulate the nonlinear response strength. This unprecedented feature will be used to leverage the hardware implementation of a neural network into the development of new machine learning optimization techniques, including the optimization of the nonlinear activation function to different tasks. This extra degree of freedom will offer tremendous benefits for a large variety of machine learning applications.

Many physical systems in nature must be described using a huge number of coupled degrees of freedom. Treating these problems on a classical computer leads to computation times growing exponentially with the system size. Analog simulators are well-controlled systems to which a complex problem can be mapped, and from which the physics can be experimentally readout. Here, we want to develop powerful analog simulators based on semiconductor cavity polaritons, light-matter quasi-particles that have appeared as a versatile platform to explore the physics of bosonic open systems. Using the fine control we now have in polariton lattices, ANAPOLIS opens the door to the simulation of a large class of systems subject to external drive and dissipation, a regime hardly explored in other platforms. Out-of-equilibrium condensation, giant Kerr non-linearity, optical driving of steady-states are the ingredients we will use in ANAPOLIS to explore three scientific objectives: 1.We will study phase fluctuations in polariton condensates and map the system to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation, which describes many dynamical nonlinear systems. In 2D, solving this equation is a challenge raising open questions that no experimental platform has addressed so far. 2.We will resonantly drive polariton lattices with elaborate phase patterns to simulate the physics of charged particles in a magnetic field. Optically inducing complex valued hoppings, we will tailor topological properties for the Bogoliubov excitations, and explore non-linear physics on top of a topological superfluid. 3.We will use cavity lattices under quadratic drive to emulate the physics of the quantum transverse Ising model in a driven-dissipative context. We will use this simulator to find the steady state of the system and explore quantum magnetism and dissipative phase transitions. ANAPOLIS will provide unique opportunities to address stochastic phenomena, nonlinear and many body physics in a driven-dissipative context.

Electron and Ion beams have become indispensable tools in surface and materials science. Many applications rely on extreme miniaturization, like in nanostructuring and doping, which imposes to control the energy, the number and the locations of electrons or ions at the nanometric level. The CITRON project aims at achieving breakthroughs in focused ion and electron beams, exploiting monochromaticity in the low-energy domain (eV-keV) to reach such a fine level of control of the sources of charged particles. In contrast with standard tools, the proposed developments rely on the ionization of a neutral atomic species and on the simultaneous production, detection and control of both the ion and the electron. Such a detection in coincidence yields correlated information on both particles that can be used to improve the beam properties, like the deterministic knowledge of the creation of the charged particles, and the correction of their trajectories in real time. Using this novel technique, which I have recently demonstrated the feasibility with my group, I propose to develop three innovative prototypes: • 1) A focused ion beam using feedback control with unprecedented focused properties. I will used it to realize semiconductor circuit-editing at the (sub-)nm scale. • 2) A deterministic source of (potentially) any type of ion for controlled implantation at the nm level. I will use it for on-demand doping of quantum devices. • 3) A high-resolution electron-energy-loss microscope with precise knowledge of the electron energy and the position on the sample. I will use it to realize both imaging and vibrational spectroscopy for surface analysis. The synergy between the three prototypes is based on atomic beam laser excitation to create a monoenergetic beam of charged particles, with energy and position controlled by correlation between oppositely charged particles. All will require dedicated optical columns designs and fast time and position sensitive detectors.

European consumers are expressing a clear demand for healthier and more sustainable food. Fermented foods (FFs) have the potential to meet these expectations but there is a need to demonstrate their health impacts scientifically, while developing innovative strategies to tackle both sustainability and nutritional health. In this frame, DOMINO will investigate the health impacts of FF-based diet on a healthy population and a cohort suffering from metabolic syndrome to better focus on health biomarkers. We will provide tailor-made microbial solutions using an integrated ‘omics’ strategy and computational biology modelling to address the challenges associated with sustainable food production and healthy nutrition. In six food case studies, selected as representative of the wide diversity of plant-based FF prototypes, we will involve key stakeholders in a multi-actor approach. These objectives will lead to key results: the characterization of the health effect of milk kefir; the application of diagnosis tools based on healthy microbiome/human biomarkers to inform dietary recommendations based on FF for people with metabolic syndrome; the development of an open access database and new computational tools for profiling food microbiomes metabolic interaction during food fermentation and their overlap with the healthy gut microbiome; the delivery of a research and innovation workflow to facilitate the smart design of functional healthy FF, bio-waste valorisation, sustainable processes on plant-based food case studies using the leverage of food microbiomes’ biodiversity; all supported by a federation of key stakeholders and citizens through several living labs and a tailored dissemination strategy. Together we will develop and move towards a vision of the future of FFs in Europe while enhancing the trust of citizens in the food value chain through their involvement and genuine integration of their perspectives, paving the way for citizen-friendly innovation.

The recent development of broadband coherent extreme ultraviolet sources makes it possible to measure dynamics with attosecond resolution (1 attosecond = 10-18 s). This time scale is associated with the electron dynamics and more particularly to the electronic correlation in various systems, from atoms and molecules to solids. Generating and controlling processes on this time scale then gives the opportunity to develop new promising applications in chemistry and biology that can have high impact in society. TD-PICO-MF aims at studying electronic correlation through the measurement of the photoemission delay of core-orbital electrons in a laser-controlled molecular system. For this purpose, TD-PICO-MF brings together advanced technologies from the attosecond interferometry field and laser-induced alignment field, in order to resolve both spatially and temporally the photoemission process. In particular, the research project proposes to study, as a prototype, the photoemission from the 4d core-orbitals of the iodine atom in iodine monochloride (ICl) molecules in gas phase. The measurements will be realized during different laser controlled configurations of the molecular system e.g., during its alignment, orientation and dissociation. The expected impact is to gain a global picture of the influence of the molecular cationic potential during a chemical reaction and to evidence the role of electronic correlation through the measurement of 3D-scattering phase maps in the molecular frame. TD-PICO-MF will utilize existing, and forge new, international collaborations between experiment, theory and academia in order to tackle this complex problematic. The results of our work will be made globally available and presented to the general public. The post doctoral fellow will bring to the host his expertise on laser control of molecular systems and will be trained to the attosecond science and technologies, enlarging his scientific experience and employability.

This work focuses on the evaluation of integrals encountered in Post-Minkowskian perturbative expansion of gravitational observables, using the modern scattering amplitude techniques. In particular, we encounter integrals having a very complicated analytic structure in the form of integrals containing elliptic curves. These integrals are one of the main bottlenecks in the present computations. The aim is to utilise studies from collider physics to evaluate these integrals.

Increasing evidence shows that disinformation spreading has non-negligible impact on our society at individual and collective levels. From public health to climate change, it is of paramount importance to timely identify emerging disinformation signals such as content from known unreliable sources and new narratives, especially from online social media, to provide media professionals and policy makers with trustworthy elements to extinguish disinformation outbreaks before they run out of control. However, monitoring and analyzing large volumes of online content is well beyond the capacity of human ability only. In fact, regardless of the socio-psychological and behavioral reasons behind information forging, the rate at which disinformation is produced is much larger than the rate at which it can be analyzed and its effects adequately mitigated. AI4TRUST will provide a hybrid system, where machines cooperate with humans, relying on advanced AI solutions against advanced disinformation techniques to support media professionals and policy makers. Our system will monitor, in nearly real time, multiple online social platforms, filtering out social noise and analyzing multimodal (text, audio, visual) content in multiple languages (up to 70% of coverage in EU) with novel AI algorithms, while cooperating in an automated way with an international network of human fact-checkers who will be periodically triggered and who will frequently provide validated data to update our algorithms. The resulting quantitative indicators, including infodemic risk, will be inspected under the lens of social and computational social sciences, to build the trustworthy elements required by media professionals to create customizable and reliable data reports. We expect that the AI4TRUST's system, based on a human-centred approach to technology development that is aligned with European social and ethical values, will be integrated in the standard toolbox of data analysts working on disinformation.

Photonics plays a key role in many applications, such as a detection of environmental or toxic gases, analyses of food or health-related products. Those applications depend on the development of highly advanced photonic components working in the mid-infrared (MIR) wavelength range. These components have always been difficult and expensive to make, as they are not compatible with standard microelectronic or photonic fabrication processes. LASTSTEP ambitions to address this issue by developing the world-first all-Group-IV photonic platform using silicon-germanium-tin alloys (SiGeSn). Focusing on the MIR 2-5 µm region essential for sensing of chemical species, the project aims to ensure a wide scale adoption of the developed technology by offering a fully monolithic solution compatible with standard state-of-the-art 200mm CMOS manufacturing processes. The approach will enable cost-effective solutions for sensing, but also for autonomous navigation or consumer products. To achieve this objective, LASTSTEP gathers a world class consortium composed of 3 academic partners, 2 RTOs and 3 industrials. The partners are: -leaders of a CMOS compatible technology for growth and processing of GeSn direct bandgap alloys in an industry-relevant environment - two SMEs well-established on the markets of gas and liquid sensing - world leading PIC design and test-house company to ensure further exploitation of results. LASTSTEP will develop four prototypes based on the fully-group-IV photonic platform for two use-cases. Prototypes will first be assembled from discrete components, then integrated on PICs. LASTSTEP aims to secure for Europe an outstanding position in development and economic exploitation of Si photonics, thereby anticipating maximal return on investment for the EU society. LASTSTEP will bring the decisive further development of Si photonics into a technologically mature MIR platform ready for innovations in the communications, sensing, health, food and safety sector.

Security of open-source solutions in the business interconnected market (especially in IoT where a single product may include components from various Tier 1 or OEM manufacturers) is hard to assure. OEM SW/HW developers that employ open-source solutions must assume that any component provided by 3rd parties needs to be reassessed for security as there is not holistic security auditing/testing process to cover the full production line. The plethora of open-source HW/SW solutions on devices with constrained resources and no trusted environments leads to a considerably expanded threat landscape. The restricted execution environment reduces bootstrapping new devices in an IoT network and deploying/patching them securely; and the full DevSecOps of connected device open-source HW/SW must be reformulated offering security guarantees on the usage of open-source solutions. SecOPERA will provide a one stop hub for complex OSS/OSH solutions offering to designers, implementers, operators and open-source HW/SW developers the means to analyse, assess, secure/harden and share open-source solutions as these are integrated in an overall complex product within a networked connected environment. SecOPERA provides a framework supporting the open source DevSecOps lifecycle that comprises (i) a decomposition and security audit/testing engine that analyses open source solutions (OSS/OSH) (ii) an adaptation engine that debloats OSS/OSH code to remove unrelated open-source code and reduce the code attack surface; and a security enhancement process to harden the OSS/OSH solution (iii) an updating/patching mechanism so that the SecOPERA open-source flows remain secure even if their open-source code starting points are vulnerable. On top of that, SecOPERA hub provides (iv) an open-source repository for secure modules that is used in the security enhancement mechanism of open-source solutions; and (v) an open-source repository of security hardened OSS/OSH solutions and their security guarantees.

Microtubules (MT) are core components of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton with essential roles in cell division, cell shape, intracellular transport, and motility. Despite their functional divergence, MTs have highly conserved structures made from almost identical molecular building blocks – tubulin proteins. A variety of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) diversifies these building blocks, which is thought to control most of the properties and functions of the MT cytoskeleton, a concept referred to as the ‘tubulin code’. While they appear to have subtle effects at the molecular level, tubulin PTMs are essential for maintaining cellular functions of MTs over large spatial and temporal scales. Yet, a comprehensive knowledge of the principles of the tubulin code, connecting its functions across the molecular, cellular and organismal levels, is almost entirely lacking. Our project aims to obtain a novel molecular and mechanistic understanding of how tubulin PTMs control long-term cellular function and homeostasis. Our unique approach bridges all relevant scales of biology and relies on a synergy between our powerful experimental models and expertise in biochemistry, structural biology, single-molecule assays, systems-biophysics, cell biology, and physiology. Specifically, we will: (1) Determine how different tubulin PTMs affect biophysical and structural properties of MTs and their interactions with associated proteins; (2) Define the impact of tubulin PTMs on overall MT cytoskeleton behaviour and the resulting physiological implications in neurons; (3) Combine zebrafish and mouse models and develop a novel fish model for lifelong in-vivo imaging to determine how the tubulin PTMs control lifelong MT-based functions. Our work will define the importance of tubulin PTMs by revealing their critical molecular functions over the lifetime of an organism. The project has the potential to substantially change our perception of the cytoskeleton’s role in homeostasis and disease.

Coding theory is a cornerstone of the mathematics of communications. It an interdisciplinary field, lying at the intersection of mathematics, computer science and electrical engineering. It is a fundamental tool of every system of digital communications, with applications to error-correction, distributed storage, wireless communications, secure multi-party computation and post-quantum cryptography. The ENCODE doctoral network will focus on fundamentals and applications of coding theory to security, privacy and efficiency of distributed communication & computation. The DN will leverage the complementary expertise of 7 academic and 5 non-academic partners, to guide its 8 DCs to address and solve deep problems in coding theory and its applications. The DN will offer a superior supervisory experience for each DC, who will each benefit from the expertise of multiple advisors in academia and industry. The non-academic partners include 5 companies working at the cutting edge of cybersecurity, who will offer invaluable contributions to the training programme via hosting of DCs and input in advanced training sessions. DCs will be exposed to current technical challenges faced by industry and will have the opportunity to apply mathematics to tackle real-world problems during industrial secondments. ENCODE will create a unique training programme, designed to equip its DCs with the scientific tools and transferable skills required for them to become future leaders in the field, both in academia and in industry. The ENCODE programme will implement all EC Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training, adhere to best practice as outlined in the EU Charter & Code, the MSCA Green Charter, and ensure gender equality in all aspects of its activities, to create a lasting international, intersectoral, interdisciplinary doctoral network, dedicated to excellence in science, ethical standards & communications that will extend far beyond the DN.

GENIUS (Glide-symmetric mEtamaterials for iNnovative radIo-frequency commUnication and Sensing) is an Industrial Doctoral Programme led by top European actors of research and innovation in the field of radio-frequency (RF) systems with applications to aerospace communications and automotive sensing proposing novel scientific tools provided by glide-symmetric (GS) artificial materials (or metamaterials). It has recently been discovered that these metamaterials, characterized by a special symmetry inside their constitutive unit cells, possess marvelous electromagnetic (EM) properties (propagation in an ultra-large bandwidth, strong isolation and high absorption features) capable to address the open challenges of modern RF systems, motivated by the increasing demand of ubiquitous connectivity, and the growing automation of transports. GENIUS aims at training highly skilled and creative researchers capable to propose out-of-the-box solutions to industrial needs by means of their knowledge of physical properties of complex EM systems. The design of devices will be enabled by the development of suitable modelling methods (circuit-based, integral-equation-based, quasi-optical) shedding light on the properties of GS materials and providing fast and reliable data on their behaviour. The inter-sectoral character of the training reflects its inter-disciplinarity content: researchers will benefit of academic expertise in GS metamaterials, of the industrial knowledge of applicative needs and of fabrication and test facilities not commonly found at individual institutions. GENIUS will be the only international training program bringing together metamaterial physics and application-oriented RF design. Its researchers will benefit of a dense network of contacts with scientists acquired during network-wide training events suitably complementing the skills acquired through research, to improve their career prospects in the European and worldwide innovation sector.

As the standardization of 5G wireless networks progresses, the research community has started focusing on what 6G will be. Motivated by the need of ensuring high data-rates, while at the same time saving spectrum, a major technology that has been proposed for 6G is the integration of communication and sensing services in the same infrastructure. This enables wireless networks to perceive the surrounding environments, triggering new services and leading to a more efficient use of resources. The INTEGRATE project focuses on the theoretical, algorithmic, and architectural foundations of integrated communication and sensing networks, developing the first open access network-level simulator for joint communication and sensing. To this end, a new implementation of wireless transceiver is proposed, which leverages the use of reconfigurable holographic surfaces and allows the integration of communication and sensing with remarkable performance while at the same time reducing the energy consumption. Specifically, INTEGRATE will: 1) Develop reconfigurable holographic surfaces capable of supporting joint communication and sensing tasks and that can be integrated in wireless transceivers with minimal cost and energy requirements. 2) Characterize the fundamental performance limits of integrated communication and sensing networks, developing an algorithmic framework and protocol suite to approach these limits. 3) Build the first open access software simulation platform for joint communication and sensing networks.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are critical regulators of gene expression programs. They regulate all aspects of RNA life, including transcription, splicing, modification, localization, stability, translation and decay, and consequently, perturbations in these RBP-RNA networks underlie the origin of many diseases. Recent proteomics-based studies have vastly expanded the repertoire of RBPs to the thousands, uncovering unconventional RBPs such as metabolic enzymes ‘moonlighting’ in RNA-binding activity or RNAs “riboregulating” protein function. This represents a much broader layer of biological control that was previously envisaged, which adds an entirely new dimension to RBP-dependent regulation of cellular homeostasis. RBP-ReguNet has been conceived to leverage these new discoveries to identify druggable targets for a range of untreatable diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders, liver diseases and infectious disease. Our ambition in RBP-ReguNet is to create a high-level training program based on basic research but with a strong impact on clinical translation. RBP-ReguNet will provide advanced multidisciplinary scientific training that spans from computational, structural, molecular and cellular biology to medicinal chemistry and pharmacological screening, to the next generation of European researchers in an intersectoral environment to pursue ambitious and high gain research on the development of new therapies based on RBP biology. They will be trained in a range of core and state-of-the-art discipline-specific research skills, complementary transferable skills, and entrepreneurial skills by secondments to non-academic partners, with a common focus to discover actionable targets. This network of excellence will push the boundaries of knowledge in the protein-RNA interactions universe, and at the same time provide the next generation of students with the skills to become future leaders in the field.

The touch-enabled Tactile Internet (TI), also known as the Internet of Skills, is anticipated to bring an unprecedented economic and social impact to the digitized world. So far, it has attracted tremendous interest from industry, standardisation bodies and the research community, and is fully aligned with the goals of Horizon Europe. TOAST will train the next generation of early-stage researchers (ESRs) to tackle the critical challenges of TI through interdisciplinary research. Addressing these challenges requires the ESRs to gain a broad understanding of haptics, teleoperation, haptic communication, networking, edge computing, machine learning and human perception. By bringing together world-class researchers from academia and industry, TOAST will (a) contribute to structuring doctoral research training in EU and consolidating currently fragmented trainings into one DN on TI; (b) provide an innovative training program to the ESRs with a balance of fundamental research questions, pragmatic industrial research perspectives, interdisciplinary cooperation through the development of a joined testbed, which will not only benefit the ESRs by enabling remote training and experiments, demonstrations and public engagement, but also generate stronger synergies and extend TOAST’s impact beyond its conclusion; (c) develop E2E solutions for the TI by leveraging the complementary competences of the partners, which will be transferred into IPR, new products and services; and (d) contribute to the development of the ESRs’ skills and network, enhancing their career perspectives and employability. Importantly, the industrial partners will actively contribute to TOAST's training programme and bridge the gap between fundamental research and applied research to ensure effective exploitation of the research results. TOAST will empower the ESRs with unique competences, while paving the way for other researchers to work on TI, which will assure Europe’s leading position in TI worldwide.

Quantum neural networks are a young research field, that has been rapidly expanding due to their potential to attain revolutionary computing capacities and the possibility to learn on quantum data, inaccessible to classical computers. However, despite impressive proof-of-concept results, currently existing approaches that rely on sparsely coupled qubits, are not scalable to network sizes and connectivities with tunable weights required for state-of-the art tasks. In qDynnet, I will adopt a completely new and unexplored approach that uses parametrically coupled superconducting quantum oscillators instead of physically coupled qubits, that will allow me to obtain quantum neural networks of unprecedented size, connectivity and tunability. To do this, I will shift the paradigm by implementing neurons as basis states of dynamically coupled multi-level quantum oscillators, and connections between neurons as transition rates obtained through different dynamical processes such as parametric coupling, resonant drives and dissipation. I will implement experimentally quantum neural network architectures that were only simulated until now and use them to demonstrate data classification with basis state neurons. In order to go towards more complex tasks, I will use parametric coupling to introduce tunable connections between neurons. I will develop new training methods that will allow me to tune connections in such dynamical quantum neural networks and use them to demonstrate learning to recognize quantum states. I will develop circuit geometries that will be scalable to large quantum neural networks with millions of neurons and tunable connections. The qDynnet project will provide understanding of physics, and methods for dynamical coupling and training, that will have a broad impact across quantum computing fields and serve as a foundation for a whole new family of large-scale dynamical quantum neural networks.

Recent large-scale genomic profiling studies have uncovered mutations in the SWI/SNF (SWItch / Sucrose Non-Fermentable) chromatin remodelling complex subunits in 20% of solid tumours. Most of these tumours resist to current therapies. To address this highly unmet medical need, it is crucial to determine how to harness vulnerabilities induced by SWI/SNF defects. Recent evidence shows that SWI/SNF influences the DNA damage response and is involved in shaping tumour immunogenicity. Though, whether there is a link between these observations, and whether the latter may be therapeutically exploited is unknown. Further, the impact of SWI/SNF defects on tumour heterogeneity, a major determinant of resistance to treatment, remains unaddressed. I therefore propose to identify and understand synthetic lethal vulnerabilities associated with two selected SWI/SNF defects of unmet need (PBRM1 and SMARCB1), and to further study how the latter can be exploited to stimulate the anti-tumour immune response. By using hypothesis-testing and -generating approaches including high-throughput screening on in-house developed isogenic and non-isogenic models, I will identify and decipher novel synthetic lethal vulnerabilities associated with PBRM1 and SMARCB1 defects. Molecular biology, high-content imaging and in vivo experiments will be performed to study the effects of drugs that cause synthetic lethality, both on intra-cellular signalling and on anti-tumour immune response. I will further characterise the impact of SMARCB1 defects on tumour heterogeneity using single cell sequencing on preclinical models and human tumour samples. Preclinical data will be integrated with tumour profiling and clinical data, and will guide the development of proof-of-concept clinical studies, as I previously did. The overall research program will identify, decipher mechanistically and evaluate clinically novel immuno-oncology therapeutic strategies for selected SWI/SNF-deficient tumours of unmet need.

Life-long tissue homeostasis requires sustained function of differentiated cell types as well as progenitor cells, which ensure tissue self-renewal. Little is known about the role that non-genic repetitive DNA sequences play in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis in divers somatic tissues in vivo. Transposable elements (TEs) are omnipresent, highly repetitive DNA sequences that mobilize and propagate within host genomes. Though previously thought to be fully repressed in the soma, TEs can be actively transcribed and, at least to some extent, mobile in certain somatic tissues. Indeed, somatic TE activity was proposed to contribute to normal development, aging, and pathologic conditions, such as cancer or neurodegeneration, underscoring the potential bearing that these selfish genetic elements could have in the soma. Nevertheless, the dynamics of activity and tissue-specific regulation of TE sequences are poorly understood, as is the impact of TE activity on different somatic cell-types and tissues. We have recently uncovered that prevalent, tissue-specific TE mobility occurs in the Drosophila intestine and can lead to gene inactivation and tumor formation. Here, using this powerful and genetically amenable in vivo model system, I aim to combine genomic techniques with developmental and cell biology approaches to address the intriguing interplay between TEs and somatic tissue function in vivo. I will ask: 1- How TE activity differs between diverse cell types and how it changes in a tissue under normal or pathological conditions, as well as during aging? 2- What processes control TE activity in somatic cells in vivo?; and 3- What are the direct consequences of TE transcriptional activity and mobility on somatic cell function, and the long-term impacts at a tissue and organism level? Ultimately the proposed research program will shed new lights on the importance of mobile DNA sequences in the maintenance of lifelong tissue homeostasis in vivo.

In the EU, 1 in 35 women and 1 in 23 men will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) in their life span (ca. 340,000 cases and 156,000 deaths in 2020) causing an annual economic burden of ca. 20 billion EUR. Identifying CRC early enables better treatment options. Screening usually entails a quantitative faecal immunological test (FIT) to predict the need of colonoscopy for the detection of colorectal lesions, an expensive and invasive procedure. We aim to predict this need with specificity increased by >20 percentage points by using metagenomic microbiomes. We hypothesise that computational microbiome profiles extracted using artificial intelligence (Al) technology will allow for optimised personal therapy stratification. However, clinicians do not have access to broad microbiome data. With Microb-AI-ome, we will develop a novel kind of computational stratification technology to enable microbiome-enhanced precision medicine of CRC. Metagenomic microbiome data to date is distributed over many national registries, and privacy regulations are hindering its effective integration. With Microb-AI-ome, we will overcome this barrier by establishing the first privacy-preserving federated big data network in CRC research. We will integrate isolated, national databases into one international federated database network - rather than a cloud - covering metagenomes for over 5,000 individuals screened for CRC, and an expected total of 100,000 by 2026. Microb-AI-ome ensures that no sensitive patient data will leave the safe harbours of the local databases while still allowing for the classification of clinical CRC phenotypes, which we will demonstrate in clinical practice allowing regulatory bodies to adopt evidence-based guidelines. Our consortium combines expertise in CRC and its treatment, microbiomics, artificial intelligence, software development, and privacy protection to close the gap between privacy and big data in international medical research.

The Framework for Programmable Atomic Large-scale Quantum Simulation (PASQuanS2) aims to transform the European landscape for programmable quantum simulators, delivering internationally leading platforms involving over 1000 neutral atoms in optical tweezer arrays and also in optical lattices. Over a Framework Partnership Agreement delivering two Specific Grant Agreements, we will bring together partners from academia and industry (including technology enablers, platform developers, and end-users) to address central technological challenges. We will connect technologies across national borders and use our combined expertise and technologies to further scale up the system size, reduce noise and temperature, and improve stability. We will test and transfer know-how between trapped ion and neutral atom platforms and integrate the hardware with application-specific software stacks for analogue solutions of relevant real-world problems, including verification and optimal control techniques. We will facilitate the expansion and networking of the supply chain and startup companies delivering platforms, ensuring the ultimate delivery of technology readiness level (TRL) 6-7 quantum simulators, including both cloud-based platforms, and quantum simulators linked with existing high-performance computing infrastructure. We will work with the end-user community across academia and industry to identify new specific applications where quantum simulators provide a practical quantum advantage over traditional high-performance computing. We will particularly address potential applications in materials science, quantum chemistry, logistics, and optimisation – which are relevant across many sectors. We will also deliver a clear plan for dissemination, exploitation, and communication. This will include developing and protecting intellectual property, and to expand awareness of quantum simulators and their capability and applications amongst policy makers, industry, and the general public.

The Quantum Secure Networks Partnership (QSNP) aims at creating a sustainable European ecosystem in quantum cryptography and communication. A majority of its partners are participants in the Quantum Flagship projects CIVIQ, UNIQORN and QRANGE, and include world-leading academic groups, research and technology organizations (RTOs), quantum component and system spin-offs, cybersecurity providers, integrators, and telecommunication operators. The Partnership thus has the expertise in all technology development phases, from new designs to field deployment, making it ideal to carry out the future Specific Grant Agreement (SGA) projects. QSNP is structured around three main Science and Technology (ST) pillars. The first two pillars, “Next Generation Protocols” and “Integration”, focus on frontier research and innovation led mostly by academic partners and RTOs. The third ST pillar “Use cases and Applications” aims at expanding the industrial and economic impact of QSN technologies and is mostly driven by companies. In order to achieve the specific objectives within each pillar and ensure that know-how transfer and synergy between them are coherent and effective, QSNP has established ST activities corresponding to the three main layers of the technology value chain, “Components and Systems”, “Networks” and “Cryptography and Security”. Future SGA projects will be able to efficiently rely on this framework, in such a way that the ultimate objective of developing quantum communication technology for critical European infrastructures, such as EuroQCI, and private information and communication market sectors, will be achieved. QSNP will contribute to achieving European sovereignty in quantum technology for cybersecurity. At the same time, it will generate significant economic benefits to the whole society, including training a new generation of scientists and engineers, and the creation of high-tech jobs in the rapidly growing quantum industry.

The OpenSuperQplus consortium is a structured partnership aiming at large-scale European quantum computers in the superconducting platform. It proposes and implements a set of roadmaps covering the complete technology stack including quantum hardware, enabling hard- and software, engineering, and an application-driven test suite. It will implement and guide two specific grant agreements (SGAs), aiming at 100 and 1000 qubits with high fidelity, respectively. Grown out of the ramp-up project OpenSuperQ, it brings together a community of excellent academic groups, RTOs, and companies of various sizes spread over Europe, and that includes widening countries. Industrial partners allow to commercialize components, enabling technologies as well as full machines. Its scientific focus is on high coherence, which is crucial to reach the break-even point of quantum advantage in NISQ and reaching out to fault tolerance. Beyond the SGAs, OpenSuperQplus will collaborate with many other Flagship projects, contribute to standardization through CEN/CENELEC, and form a sustainable partnership in the form of a professional organization.

Muscular dystrophies are severe genetic disorders characterised by muscle wasting, impaired mobility and premature death, which to date remain incurable. Although preclinical and clinical evidence position genetic therapies amongst the key emerging treatments for several genetic conditions, no gene therapy or genome editing strategy has been approved for any muscular dystrophies yet. The lack of robust, human(ised) models enabling precise development of such advanced therapies is a major barrier towards their clinical translation for muscle diseases. To overcome this limitation, we have assembled the multidisciplinary MAGIC consortium to build novel, high-fidelity, models of human skeletal muscle pathophysiology which will be used to develop new vectors for safe and efficacious neuromuscular gene therapy and genome editing. Specific rare (paediatric) diseases targeted by our consortium are Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), X-linked (XLCNM), autosomal dominant (ADCNM) and autosomal recessive (ARCNM) centronuclear myopathies (CNMs), LMNA- and COL6-related congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs). Microfabrication, microfluidics and human stem cell differentiation technologies will be used to generate disease-specific human myofiber- and muscle-on-chip devices qualified for commercialisation, capable of screening toxicity and cell-specificity of new adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) capsid variants, and unique muscle-specific lentiviruses. Selected vectors will be equipped with novel lineage-specific regulatory elements to further restrict transgene expression to myofibres, muscle stem cells or interstitial fibroblasts, reducing also potential immunogenicity. The same vectors will be loaded with therapeutic genes or with new mutation-independent (for DMD and XLCNM) or mutation-specific (for LMNA- and COL6-CMD) gene editing tools, which will then be validated in dystrophic rodents. Finally, GMP-compatible batches of the top performing vectors will undergo advanced preclinical testing in large animals, preparing them for future clinical translation.

As major players in the regulation of immune responses, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important therapeutic targets for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) used at low doses (IL-2LD) stimulate and expand Tregs in vivo. While 1st-generation native IL-2LD are currently under extensive clinical evaluation, pharmaceutical companies are developing 2nd-generation IL-2 muteins with improved half-life and activity. We aim to develop 3rd-generation IL-2 specifically targeting inflammatory sites (IL-2IT) by using antibodies (Abs) against oxidation specific epitopes (OSE) that are both universal markers and mediators of inflammation. IL-2-OSE-Ab fusion proteins should allow dampening of local inflammation by a double-hit mechanism involving Ab neutralization of pro-inflammatory OSE and IL-2 stimulation of Tregs. As a proof of concept, we designed a first IL-2IT in which an IL-2N88R mutein is fused to an scFv from a prototypic anti-OSE Ab. This IL-2IT (i) binds to IL-2 receptors and OSE, (ii) has an extended half-life and (iii) superior therapeutic efficacy compared to native IL-2 in mice. Our general objectives are to design an optimized IL-2IT by testing combinations of different anti-OSE Ab with IL-2 and IL-2 muteins, and to complete its preclinical development in mice and macaques. We will validate the use of IL-2IT in cardiovascular diseases (CVD), i.e. atherosclerosis, vasculitis, myocardial infarction and SLE-associated CVD, as these conditions have been shown to be improved by Treg infusions, native IL-2 and OSE-Abs in mice. Carried by leading experts in the use IL-2, OSE-Abs, models of CVD, and clinical trials with native IL-2, the successful validation of an IL-2IT will open a new era for highly selective and effective immunotherapies based on Treg stimulation for diseases that represent a leading cause of death and morbidity. Furthermore, it will validate the broader concept of targeting any therapeutic molecule to inflammatory sites.

OptimESM will develop a novel generation of Earth system models (ESMs), combining high-resolution with an unprecedented representation of key physical and biogeochemical processes. These models will be used to deliver cutting-edge and policy-relevant knowledge around the consequences of reaching or exceeding different levels of global warming, including the risk of rapid change in key Earth system phenomena and the regional impacts arising both from the level of global warming and the occurrence of abrupt changes. OptimESM will realise these goals by bringing together four ESM groups with Integrated Assessment Modelling teams, as well as experts in model evaluation, Earth system processes, machine learning, climate impacts and science communication. OptimESM will further develop new policy-relevant emission and land use scenarios, including ones that realise the Paris Agreement, and others that temporarily or permanently overshoot the Paris Agreement targets. Using these scenarios, OptimESM will deliver long-term projections that will increase our understanding of the risk for triggering potential tipping points in phenomena such as, ice sheets, sea ice, ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, permafrost, and terrestrial ecosystems. OptimESM will further our understanding of the processes controlling such tipping points, attribute the risk of exceeding various tipping points to the level of global warming, and develop a range of techniques to forewarn the occurrence of tipping points in the real world. Artificial Intelligence (AI-) methods for statistical downscaling will be developed and applied to improve our understanding of the effect of long-term global change and tipping points on regional climate, particularly extreme events. New knowledge and data from OptimESM will be actively communicated to other disciplines, such as the impacts and policy research communities, as well as the general public. This knowledge will provide a solid foundation for actionable science-based policies.

Within European coastal zones, intertidal areas consisting of soft sediment emerging during each low tide, form complex seascapes covering more than 10 000 km2 along the 35 000 km of the tidal coastline. These habitats provide multiple ecosystem services with great potential to cope with the biodiversity-climate crisis by contributing to carbon neutrality, climate resilience and biodiversity support. Nevertheless, these seascapes continue to be fragmented and threatened, resulting in a decrease of their provision of services. Rewilding, a nature-based solution, is a new concept for seascapes to reverse this situation and to “let (again) Nature do the job” ensuring climate resilience, biodiversity support and societal benefit of the future European shoreline. Within a network of 10 demonstrators and 25 partners from 11 European states, including 8 with a tidal coast, plus the UK, Canada and the USA, REWRITE will bring an interdisciplinary consortium of natural and coastal environment and social sciences and humanities experts to address the current ecological and social challenges regarding intertidal seascape rewilding. Expanding innovative approaches, REWRITE will focus on the climate-biodiversity-society nexus, to reach 4 specific objectives: -identify environmental, social and cultural drivers and barrier parameters to rewild intertidal sediment seascapes within the context of climate change; -strongly engage stakeholders to achieve a step-change in their appreciation of the natural function of these seascapes and integrate their interests within a co-design of scenario for future European shoreline; -estimate and upscale trajectories of intertidal seascapes from the local to the European level, following rewilding (passive), restoring (active), “business as usual” or “do nothing” options; -establish tools and methods for successful rewilding to ensure a high ecological and societal co-benefit/low-cost ratio for a climate-neutral and resilient European shoreline.

The Global Stocktake, and the success of the Paris Agreement, hinges on the information nations provide about their emissions through National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGIs). Current methodologies laid-out by the IPCC for reporting emissions are generally built around the use of statistical data and emission factors. Although they are designed to be transparent, they can have significant uncertainties owing to incomplete or inaccurate information. The 2019 refinement of the IPCC Guidelines highlights the need for independent verification of NGHGIs especially using atmospheric observations. However, the technical complexity and the hitherto limited resolving power of atmospheric constraints makes it challenging for NGHGI compilers to adopt this type of verification. EYE-CLIMA will address this need for independent verification by developing observation-based methods (using both satellite remote sensing and ground-based observations) to a level of readiness where they can be used to determine emissions at national and sub-national scales and for verification of NGHGIs. The methodology involves using process-based and data-driven models to simulate GHG fluxes, first without atmospheric observations, then these fluxes are then combined with models of atmospheric transport and chemistry to assimilate atmospheric observations, which are used to correct the first flux estimates. Through engagement with stakeholders, i.e., NGHGI compilers, EYE-CLIMA, will develop flux data products for CO2 (LULUCF sector), CH4, N2O, and emissions data of F-gases (SF6, HFC-23, HFC-143a, HFC-125, HFC-134a, HFC-32) and black carbon (BC), which will be tailored to their needs. The fluxes will be attributed to natural versus anthropogenic sources, and for the latter, to source sectors that can be compared with groups of IPCC sectors in NGHGIs. The methodology for the atmospheric inversions and how to use these for verification of NGHGIs will be described in best practice guidelines.

The ambition to achieve the Paris Agreement goals has led to the realization that a rapid and full decarbonization of the economy is required, involving a structural transition of the current economy and society. With the rise of quantified policy targets, policy packages, and consideration of multiple dimensions and sectors, Integrated Assessment Models with their ability to consider complex relationships and provide calibrated numerical results have become ever more important in the last decade. The PRISMA project aims to bring these models to the next level by focusing on four key areas of improvement, namely the representation of distributional justice and efficiency, innovation and finance, climate impacts and land-use implications, and lifestyle change and circularity. In these four key areas we will improve existing large-scale IAMs and sectorial models, and consider the linking of different models where applicable. Two cross-cutting shared themes across these areas are the improvement of the temporal and spatial resolution of the analysis, and the representation of disruptive and structural change in the economy. Notably we will increase the spatial granularity with a focus on Europe, and look at the yearly and in particular near term detailed modeling of rapid decarbonization pathways. The extensive model development will be co-designed through an interactive stakeholder engagement process from the beginning, and focus on model openness and usability to ensure the stakeholder and policy relevance. Moreover, PRISMA will focus in its application on the analysis of the spectrum of Fit for 55 package policies of the EU developing focalized robust and resilient Net zero pathways and assess the uncertainty around key variables and outcomes. PRISMA will also provide key insights to international climate assessments, a large number of open modelling tools and databases, including capacity building and dissemination activities for all countries.

Monitoring the composition of the atmosphere is a key objective of the European Union’s flagship Space programme Copernicus, with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) providing free and continuous data and information on atmospheric composition. The CAMS Service Evolution (CAMEO) project will enhance the quality and efficiency of the CAMS service and help CAMS to better respond to policy needs such as air pollutant and greenhouse gases monitoring, the fulfilment of sustainable development goals, and sustainable and clean energy. CAMEO will help prepare CAMS for the uptake of forthcoming satellite data, including Sentinel-4, -5 and 3MI, and advance the aerosol and trace gas data assimilation methods and inversion capacity of the global and regional CAMS production systems. CAMEO will develop methods to provide uncertainty information for users of CAMS emissions, policy, solar radiation and deposition products in response to prominent requests from current CAMS users. CAMEO will contribute to the medium- to long-term evolution of the CAMS production systems and products. The transfer of developments from CAMEO into subsequent improvements of CAMS operational service elements is a main driver for the project and is the main pathway to impact for CAMEO. The CAMEO consortium, led by ECMWF, the entity entrusted to operate CAMS, includes several CAMS partners thus allowing CAMEO developments to be carried out directly within the CAMS production systems and facilitating the transition of CAMEO results to future upgrades of the CAMS service. This will maximise the impact and outcomes of CAMEO as it can make full use of the existing CAMS infrastructure for data sharing, data delivery and communication, thus supporting policymakers, business and citizens with enhanced atmospheric environmental information.

To support EU countries in assessing their progress for reaching their targets agreed in the Paris Agreement, the European Commission has clearly stated that an objective way to monitor anthropogenic CO2 emissions is needed. Such a capacity will deliver consistent and reliable information to support policy- and decision-making processes. To maintain Europe’s independence in this domain, it is imperative that the EU establishes an observation-based operational anthropogenic CO2 emissions Monitoring and Verification Support (CO2MVS) capacity as part of its Copernicus programme. The H2020 projects CHE and CoCO2 have already started the ramping-up of the CO2MVS prototype systems, so it can be implemented within the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) with the aim to be operational by 2026. The CORSO project will further support establishing the new CO2MVS addressing specific research & development questions. CORSO will deliver the capabilities at global and local scale to optimally use observations of co-emitted species using their emission ratios and uncertainties to better estimate anthropogenic CO2 emissions. CORSO will also assess the added-value of high-temporal resolution in-situ 14CO2 and APO observations in global and regional scale inversions and of satellite observations of soil moisture, LAI, SIF, and Biomass in the global CO2MVS system to better separate the impact of fossil fuel and biospheric fluxes on the atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The main long-term impact of CORSO will come through the delivery of documented methodologies, prototype systems, and recommendations, addressing the identified topics above, feeding into the ramping-up of the operational CO2MVS capacity and therefore ensuring a more comprehensive and accurate CAMS anthropogenic CO2 emission monitoring and verification support capacity.

A critical need for the future of space exploration is the ability to run artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms in situ under the harsh conditions of space. In recent years AI has been revolutionising industrial processes and everyday activities primarily because the computing power has reached a level that enables these algorithms to function. On the ground this is primarily due to the enormous investments in the development of high-performance graphical processing units (GPU) and of the optimised software needed for them. These are delicate devices that cannot be deployed in the harsh conditions of space and the transistor density of the components of a GPU would be too extreme to resist the radiations present in space. ASAP takes on the task of using processors that can sustain the radiation environment of space to transfer to space operation AI algorithms that so far could only be run on the ground. ASAP will use the most advanced space-hardiness proven processors and develop the software needed to run AI algorithms on them. ASAP will show proof of principle functionality and will reach TRL-4. ASAP focuses on five goals: 1) Working towards the identification and implementation of Machine Learning algorithms for the next generation space applications: a suite of candidate algorithms has been identified and will be evaluated during the project for their possible deployment to space; 2) Identification and development of a computing platform for ML algorithms producing a prototype hardware using only components that can operate under space conditions; 3) Definition of a validation plan and its execution in a laboratory validation campaign reaching TRL-4; 4) Implementation of a virtual environment to provide support to the development of ML algorithms; 5) Transforming the future development of technologies and scientific instrumentation for space science and exploration missions bringing artificial intelligence to space missions.

WiLiMan-ID addresses the complexity and the dynamics of the host-pathogen interactions for five animal infectious diseases (IDs) that are ranked as high priority by the EU (Avian influenza, African swine fever, West Nile fever, African horse sickness, and Chronic wasting disease). These IDs circulate in livestock and wildlife and, at the human-animal interfaces: two are causing severe economic losses to farming systems and three represent a threat to human health. The main objective of WiLiMan-ID is to identify key factors driving their emergence and dissemination in ever-changing environments by integrating data at different scales (pathogens>host>community of hosts>territory) and, to provide farmers, health services and policy makers with innovative strategies and methods for prevention, surveillance and control for the IDs considered in WiLiMan-ID and beyond. To meet this objective, WiLiMan-ID will in particular: - Improve methods for sensitive and accurate detection and identification of pathogens and their variants in complex environments. - Identify drivers promoting the increase in pathogen virulence, transmissibility and/or host-shift. - Assess the impact of host factors as a key parameter of pathogen evolution and dynamics, such as vaccination or pre-existing immunity to viral infection. - Identify transmission routes, the role of vectors, the impact of the environment (pathogen reservoirs in wildlife, global change impact on migration routes) and of the management practices (farming, trade, transport) on pathogen dissemination and transmission. - Develop next-generation analytical approaches for optimized surveillance and management strategies of IDs, within a context of global changes. - Disseminate and communicate the results to stakeholders and engage in further co-innovation. Convert the results into user guides, training materials and communication tool kits to optimise their exploitation.

The climate change is now one of the biggest threats faced by our natural world and leads to many extreme weather events, flooding, wildfires and heatwaves. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are the promising technologies for the emergency response applications (ERAs) to provide more efficient and faster services to save lives and reduce economic loss. This project aims to develop an innovative cooperative, connected and intelligent UAVs (CIUs) for ERAs, where sensing and computing resources, and flying information from individual UAV could be shared and exploited through effective communications and control of the CIUs. Specifically, context-aware and service-oriented UAV-to-everything (U2X) networks; robust cooperative UAV sensing and computing (CSC) schemes and intelligent cooperative UAV control strategies for ERAs will be investigated. An international inter-sector and inter-disciplinary consortium consisting of world leading academic institutions and prominent industrial partners is created to collaborate on developing novel CIU technologies in ERAs. Cutting-edge communications networks, edge computing, cooperative sensing, intelligent control, and machine learning related technologies will be investigated to tackle the associated challenges. With competent and complementary expertise of the partners and their extensive international research collaboration experience, this project will promote research innovation, foster knowledge sharing, enhance the potentials of participating researchers, and contribute to the European leadership in the UAVs, cooperative sensing and computing, multi-agent control, information and communications technology (ICT), and emergency response sectors. The developed CIU technologies and applications are not only applicable in various ERAs, like flooding, wildfires, and earthquake; but can also be readily extended to other applications, such as smart cities, public safety, agriculture, and the wider scientific community.