The HyMethShip project reduces drastically emissions and improves the efficiency of waterborne transport at the same time. This system will be developed, validated, and demonstrated on shore with a typical engine for marine applications in the range of 2 MW (TRL 6). The HyMethShip system will achieve a reduction in CO2 of more than 97% and will practically eliminate SOx and PM emissions. NOx emissions will be reduced by more than 80%, significantly below the IMO Tier III limit. The energy efficiency of the HyMethShip system is more than 45% better than the best available technology approach (renewable methanol as fuel coupled with conventional post-combustion carbon capturing). The HyMethShip system innovatively combines a membrane reactor, a CO2 capture system, a storage system for CO2 and methanol as well as a hydrogen-fueled combustion engine into one system. The proposed solution reforms methanol to hydrogen, which is then burned in a conventional reciprocating engine that has been upgraded to burn multiple fuel types and specially optimized for hydrogen use. The HyMethShip project will undertake risk and safety assessments to ensure that the system fulfills safety requirements for on-board use. It will also take into account the rules and regulations under development for low flashpoint fuels. The cost effectiveness of the system will be assessed for different ship types and operational cases. For medium and long distance waterborne transport, the HyMethShip concept is considered the best approach available that achieves this level of CO2 reduction and is economically feasible. The HyMethShip consortium includes a globally operating shipping company, a major shipyard, a ship classification society, research institutes and universities, and equipment manufacturers. Further stakeholders will be represented in the External Expert Advisory Board and will be addressed by dissemination activities respectively.

Massive-scale data acquisition and information processing for large infrastructures, such as smart grids, smart transportation or smart industry, underpins the emerging fourth industrial revolution. 5G mobile networks and mobile edge computing (MEC) will provide communication and computation platform for such intelligent infrastructures to become a reality. Recognizing the need for expertise and leadership in this domain, with onward looking goal to support rapidly growing regional ICT sector, Faculty of Technical Sciences of the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) established the Centre for intelligent COmmunications, Networking and Information proCessing (ICONIC). ICONIC collects strong research team with a vision to become regional hotspot for 5G research and innovation, focusing on massive Machine-Type Communications, Large-Scale Distributed Information Processing, and Reconfigurable Hardware Design. INCOMING project (Innovation and excellence in massive-scale COMunications and information processING) lays out ambitious research-intensive and innovation-oriented plan to make the ICONIC centre regional 5G lighthouse by twinning it with Aalborg University (Denmark), Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) and German Aerospace Centre (Germany). INCOMING will use staff exchanges, expert trainings, summer schools and workshops to boost the research excellence of ICONIC staff members focusing on ESRs. The twinning program will gradually shift focus from research to innovation-driven implementation of the promising research outcomes. As part of the project, ICONIC will set up 5G Innovation and Technology Hub (5G-IT-Hub) as an interface towards the regional ICT sector, bridging high-quality ICONIC research with thriving regional ICT innovation scene. With the help of EU partners, INCOMING will put the ICONIC centre on the European map of emerging research-intensive 5G centres, while via 5G-IT-Hub, ICONIC will become integral part of regional ICT innovation activites.

2030 and beyond, Europe and the world will face opportunities and challenges of growth and sustainability of tremendous magnitude; to pro-actively tackle issues of green deal efficiency, digital inclusion and assurance of health and safety in a post pandemic world will be key. A powerful vision is needed to connect physical, digital, and human worlds, firmly anchored in future wireless technology and architectural research. The Hexa-X vision calls for an x-enabler fabric of connected intelligence, networks of networks, sustainability, global service coverage, extreme experience, and trustworthiness. Wireless technologies are of critical relevance for our society and economy today; their importance for growth will continue to steadily increase with 5G and its evolution, enabling new ecosystems and services motivated by strongly growing traffic and trillions of devices. The Hexa-X project ambition includes to develop key technology enablers in the areas of (i) fundamentally new radio access technologies at high frequencies and high-resolution localization and sensing; (ii) connected intelligence though AI-driven air interface and governance for future networks, and (iii) 6G architectural enablers for network disaggregation and dynamic dependability. Europe has been a leader in wireless network technologies for decades. It is now critical to unleash our best brains in the joint research ambition of a “flagship” project to maintain the global industry leadership for the B5G/6G era. The Hexa-X flagship is a unique effort of vision, and an opportunity for disruptive impact in sustainable growth and technology experience in Europe and worldwide!