The HPC Digital Autonomy with RISC-V in Europe (DARE) will invigorate the continent’s High Performance Computing ecosystem by bringing together the technology producers and consumers, developing a RISC-V ecosystem that supports the current and future computing needs, while at the same time enabling European Digital Autonomy. DARE takes a customer-first approach (HPC Centres & Industry) to guide the full stack research and development. DARE leverages a co-design software/hardware approach based on critical HPC applications identified by partners from research, academia, and industry to forge the resulting computing solutions. These computing solutions range from general purpose processors to several accelerators, all utilizing the RISC-V ecosystem and emerging chiplet ecosystem to reduce costs and enable scale. The DARE program defines the full lifecycle from requirements to deployment, with the computing solutions validated by hosting entities, providing the path for European technology from prototype to production systems. The six year time horizon is split into two phases, enabling a DARE plan of action and set of roadmaps to provide the essential ingredients to develop and procure EU Supercomputers in the third phase. DARE defines SMART KPIs for the hardware and software developments in each phase, which act as gateways to unlock the next phase of development. The DARE HPC roadmaps (a living document) are used by the DARE Collaboration Council to maximize exploitation and spillover across all European RISC-V projects. DARE addresses the European HPC market failure by including partners with different levels of HPC maturity with the goal of growing a vibrant European HPC supply chain. DARE Consortium partners have been selected based on the ability to contribute to the DARE value chain, from HPC Users, helping to define all the requirements, to all parts of the hardware development, software development, system integration and subsequent commercialization.

The OLEUM project will generate innovative, more effective and harmonized analytical solutions to detect and fight the most common and emerging frauds and to verify the overall quality of olive oils (OOs). By a core group of 20 partners from 15 countries OLEUM will undertake RESEARCH ACTIVITIES based on the development of IMPROVED and NEW ANALYTICAL METHODS by targeted and omics approaches with the aim: i) to detect new markers of the soft deodorization process; ii) to discover illegal blends between OOs and other vegetable oils; iii) to control OO quality (e.g. freshness); iv) to improve the organoleptic assessment with a Quantitative Panel Test, based on current official methods, and supported by tailored reference materials for better calibration of the sensory panels coupled with rapid screening tools to facilitate the work of the panelists. The most promising OLEUM solutions will be subjected to VALIDATION in conformity with internationally agreed standards by peer laboratories. OLEUM will recreate a realistic “deodorization scenario” by producing tailored, soft deodorized OOs by lab-scale and up-scaled pilot plants to apply analytical solutions to known samples. Substantial KNOWLEDGE and TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER activities will be envisaged to aid in implementation of: a) a web-based easily-accessible, scalable and constantly updated OLEUM DATABANK, containing all the information from OLEUM research and other reliable international sources, will be available for download data and spectra and to help achieve satisfactory harmonization of analytical approaches among control laboratories; b) the OLEUM NETWORK of relevant OOs stakeholders to maximize the impact of proposed analytical solutions. Finally, a robust dissemination strategy by the OLEUM project aimed at effectively sharing results with all stakeholders in the OO supply chain has the potential to improve consumer and market confidence, and preserve the image of OOs on a global scale.

The high-performance requirements requested by the industry and consumers are responsible that currently 17% of total plastic packaging is multilayer material , meaning 3.03 Mt of plastics. Difficulties for recycling it are accentuated, being mostly landfilled or incinerated. MERLIN project has joined a partnership between sorting technology providers, recyclers, research centers, social innovation experts and end-users to design cradle to cradle solutions. This 36-month research project will offer innovative solutions for all the processes required to increase the quality and rate of recycled plastic materials coming from multi-layer packaging waste: (i) SORTING (combining optical sensors, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and robotics), (ii) DELAMINATION (optimizing depolymerisation and using solvent-based processes), (iii) RECYLING (techniques for repolymerization and upcycling of polymers) and (iv) VALIDATION (developing rigid and flexible packaging solutions and demonstrating circularity of the processes). These solutions will be developed and later validated in a real environment to reach technology readiness level (TRL) 6. This will be complemented with additional techniques and tools for circularity design to increase knowledge and effectiveness in the closure of the European multilayer plastic chain. Finally, transversal activities related to regulation and standardization, safety, sustainability, business, training, dissemination and communication will support to maximize the impact and effectiveness of the project. These actions are aligned with the ones proposed by the European Plastic Strategy to achieve that by 2030 all plastic packaging should be designed to be recyclable or reusable and decrease the quantity of waste generated Potential annual carbon footprint saving that could be achieved recycling all the multilayer waste in Europe could reach 7.42 Mt CO2/year, with a potential economic of €10,605 million and more 106,000 new job positions.

<< Background >>The COVID-19 pandemic impacted heavily on education and training systems and has accelerated the digital transformation and triggered rapid, large-scale change. This situation puts VET sector, in particular, in front of both challenges and opportunities: VET providers need to use the lessons of last year to step up efforts and gradually evolve from emergency-focused remote training to more effective, sustainable and quality digital learning, as part of creative, flexible, modern and inclusive training model. This pandemic exposed the shortcomings that need to be tackled to successfully integrate digital technologies in training systems and requires to rethink how training, in all disciplines, is designed and provided to meet the demands of a rapidly changing and increasingly digital world, considering how all phases of training processes can purposefully and strategically embed digital technologies into educational practices. It has emerged as a key enabling factor for effective digital training, among others, the NEED FOR TRAINERS AND VET STAFF IN GENERAL TO BE MORE CONFIDENT AND SKILLED IN USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY to support their teaching and adapted pedagogy and be prepared to collaboration and the sharing of good practice and innovative teaching methods.Furthermore, specifically in training dedicated to adult learners, there is a need for high-quality training content to boost the relevance, quality and inclusiveness of lifelong learning. Digital technology should be harnessed to facilitate the provision of flexible, accessible learning opportunities, including adult learners and professionals, helping them to re-skill, upskill or change careers, especially now that the pandemic has affected all economic sectors and is requiring for transversal changes that mirror in the labor market asking for new skills and competences.AGILE-2-VET project has been structured on these preconditions, reported by EC in the new Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027, wishing to meet the general objective of contributing to the innovation of VET sector by strengthening the capacity of VET providers to deliver inclusive and high-quality digital education, focusing on developing the ability to implement online, blended and distance teaching and learning in collaboration with digital technology providers and experts in educational technologies and pedagogical practices.<< Objectives >>GENERAL OBJECTIVEAGILE-2-VET aims at contributing to innovation of VET sector by strengthening the capacity of VET providers to deliver inclusive and high-quality digital training. Main focus will be on developing the ability to implement online, blended and distance training and learning in collaboration with digital technology providers and experts in educational technologies and pedagogical practices.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVESThe AGILE-2-VET project moves along two strategic lines for the innovation of the professional training system in a digital learning key:1.On the one hand, work on enriching the skills of staff of VET providers, specifically trainers and tutors, in relation to the transition from face-to-face to remote training. In distance learning, especially in the third generation, the figure of the tutor has assumed a fundamental role within the training process alongside that of the trainer, arriving, in some cases, to become confused with it. In detail, work will have to be done on the creation of a common curriculum between trainers and tutors that will fill specific skills gaps:•technical skills, that is the ability to use technologies, network and tools available to deliver training courses;•facilitation skills, i.e. methodological, communicative, psychological skills, to make learners feel comfortable with virtual environments and avoiding the generation of entrance barriers, especially for older learners not used to digital training;•managerial skills, i.e. management of activities to define times and methods, provide feedback and monitor learners’ path through available digital technologies.2.On the other hand, to work on strengthening the collaboration between training institutions and companies providing digital technology and experts in educational and pedagogical practices, to structure training design models that can be used in the context of professional distance/online training, primarily aimed at adults and workers, useful for the development of innovative training proposals in digital / e-learning format. It is therefore necessary to try structure models applicable to different types of targets, which allow a profitable use of the digital component, thus making it enabling both for training professionals, but above all for persons who need to be trained, contribution to the attractiveness and flexibility of VET.<< Implementation >>AGILE-2-VET will reach its objectives by supporting the development of learning-outcomes-oriented training proposals that better meet the learning needs of adults, while also being relevant for the labour market and consequent need for reskilling for every worker or unemployed, through the implementation of a trans-disciplinary approach and innovative pedagogies, dedicated to foster a digital cultural approach, such as research-based learning which support the acquisition of transferable forward-looking skills. To reach this goal the project is set around an integrated working methodology that combines analysis with qualitative best practices research and hands-on activities, based on a bottom-up approach that fosters active participation of all relevant stakeholders, at any stage, being partners’ organisations, professionals and other actors working in the field (universities, VET providers, etc.).The project will be implemented through different activities, each with a specific importance:TPMs – Transnational Project Meetings: the in-presence and virtual meetings have two purposes, on one side ensure a correct project management, giving room to each partner to assess their status on the project and monitor effective implementation of project activities (space will be left to discuss implementation obstacles and find strategies to solve them), on the other side to be real working session, so to say active laboratories through which all partners can share views and expertise and work on a shared approach concerning digital learning and the need to assure quality and inclusive training. Os - Results/Outputs: these are the core of AGILE-2-VET project and will contribute to reach its main objective – strengthen the capacity of VET providers to deliver inclusive and high-quality digital education, focusing on developing the ability to implement online, blended and distance training and learning in a cross-sectoral collaboration among VET providers, universities and experts in educational technologies and pedagogical practices. During the results’ realisation, all partners will involve stakeholders at local level, setting the basis to create a fruitful network among different actors that can benefit from project implementation and transferability of AGILE-2-VET training proposal.ME – Multiplier Events: these events will allow the partnership to reach one of the most important goals for the project, communicate products (Os) achieved and raise awareness on the subject and on the tools proposed by project partners. These moments are opportunities to extend the project and its results and put the basis to develop new partnership for future sustainability of the action.<< Results >>Project activities can be divided into 3 steps that will generate 3 main results:- Step 1: analysis (result 1), composed by a desk research and field research activating relevant stakeholders to define the key features of online/distance learning and related competences to be possessed by VET staff;- Step 2: training model elaboration (result 2). Definition of competences, structure training programme and methodologies, addressed to increase competences to foster the acquisition of a digital cultural approach in VET;- Step 3: AGILE-2-VET experimentation and Manual (result 3), toolkit to support VET staff and professionals working in adult education in acquire relevant skills and competences to be able to provide high-quality and inclusive adult training.Some of the numbers that describe the project, in relation to target groups outreach:Nr. of trainers/tutors/training designers/VET staff involved – 50;Nr. of VET organisations involved (partners and other organisations) – 5;Nr. of external stakeholders involved (mainly in Multiplier events) – 200;Nr. of public administrations, local authorities and universities involved – 7.Furthermore, the following OUTCOMES will be achieved:1.Creation of a common Training Model that will allow the acquisition of competences and skills by trainers, tutors, training designers and VET staff in general, on new approaches of digital learning and training, with innovative and practical methodologies. This training model will benefit VET providers, but not only, since they will have available a Manual that will support them in their training elaboration and realisation and assess the acquisition of skills by their staff.2.Experimentation in the participating territories (partners’ countries) of the model by involving the recipients of the training in the conception and implementation of concrete training projects through a project work activity that will be immediately put on site after the end of the project.3. Increase capacity (competences and skills) of VET providers to design training proposals that enable the acquisition of competences of adult learners, so elaborating training proposals that are not only of high quality, but also inclusive so allowing real participation of adults in online training, defining the right mix of tools, methodologies and mechanics which does not represent a barrier to entry, but on the contrary favours the participation of different target groups in need of up-skilling/reskilling seen the enormous changes of labour market requests, whether they are highly skilled workers, workers with lower levels of competence or unemployed.4.Creation of a collaboration model – a community of practice - for the implementation of a network among VET organisations, universities, organisations of e-learning practitioners and multimedia educational producers, to stimulate them to work together and cross-fertilize competences and skills to give a contribution in the development of professionals, of VET sector in particular, able to facilitate the development of a shared digital culture in adult training, that can valorise their carriers and impact for high-quality training.5.Increased capacity to work in European contexts and participate/manage EU funded project, furthermore, create a network of different organisations that could work beyond the lifecycle of the project itself.

Developing low-cost energy storage systems is a central pillar for a secure, affordable and environmentally friendly energy supply based on renewable energies. A hybrid energy storage system (HESS) can be capable of providing multiple system services (e.g. frequency regulation or renewable balancing) at low cost and without the use of critical resources. Within HyFlow, an optimized HESS is designed consisting of a high-power vanadium redox flow battery (HP-VRFB), a supercapacitor (SC), advanced converter topologies and a highly flexible control system that allows adaptation to a variety of system environments. The system design enables modular long-term energy storage through HP-VRFB, while the SC as a power component ensures high load demands to be handled. The flexible Energy Management System (EMS) will be designed to perform high level of control and adaptability using computational analysis and hardware development. Within HyFlow, this innovative HESS is developed and validated on demonstrator-scale (5 kW scale) including sustainability analysis. The scope is to base the HP-VRFB on recycled vanadium and thereby reduce the environmental impact as well as the costs of the HESS. The consortium will build upon lab-scale and industrial application-scale experimental data to derive models and algorithms for the EMS development and the optimization of existing VRFB and SC components. An industry-scale demonstrator (300 kW scale) provides the possibility to test even the fastest grid-services like virtual inertia. Outputs of the project support the whole value-chain and life cycle of HESS by developing new materials and components and adding them together with an innovative EMS. The development of the above described HESS especially through the flexible EMS allows a plethora usage potentials to be assessed. This will lead to the grid integration of the HESS where the full potential of the flexibility can thoroughly be qualified and optimized for market requirements.