The Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are an invaluable instrument for modelling climate stabilization pathways and for supporting the policy makers in taking better informed decisions. Nevertheless, the mitigation options traditionally focused on in IAMs are the supply-side measures, whereas less attention used to be paid to demand-side and food system representation, due to the inherent complexity and actor heterogeneity. CHOICE aspires to mainstream IAMs, embedding them into the lifestyle choices and decision making process of consumers, producers and actors of the Food, Agriculture and Land Use sectors. This ambition is leveraged by a more realistic representation of behaviour change and actor heterogeneity aspects in IAMs, and supported by an approach that bridges social science and marketing tools, with the aim of accelerating climate action. This approach will be supported by the large-scale adoption of CHOICE digital immersive tools, data storytelling and gamification, whose design is underpinned by notions of emotional appeals and social incentives. Using these digital enablers, CHOICE will orchestrate large scale engagement and ‘green marketing’ campaigns, that have a wide geographical and societal dispersity. Thus, starting from a bottom-up analysis of individual consumers and actors of the food supply chain, and understanding their behavior and their potential for change, CHOICE will use this information in order to consistently feed into a new generation of IAM models, that will correctly reflect the underlying heterogeneity, accounting for multiple representative consumers and actors. The IAM-generated impacts from highly influential 1.5oC-compatible mitigation actions shall highlight, besides emissions, the co-benefits of their changes in behaviour or practice in terms of health, biodiversity and food security aspects, in familiar scales.

The CATALYST project “European VET Excellence Centre for Leading Sustainable Systems and Business Transformation” is designed with strong vision and motivation to contribute to realisation of the European Green Deal and the new Industrial and SME Strategies.The main goal is with the establishment of united CATALYST Centre of Vocational Excellence in 5 countries to give support, create an educational offer to tackle personal and organisational development, and to embrace transformation in SMEs, enabling and inspiring them to re-think and re-design their business models, co-creating and sharing between educational and business organisations. The project fosters innovation and applied knowledge in approaches of learning and tailor-made VET program via the “Enable component”, as well as support of SMEs to create sustainable businesses via the “Inspire component”.The main project outputs are: 1. 5 CoVEs and CATALYST Network anchored the European VET eco-system;2. 70 VET courses for up-skilling professionals and students;3. Co-create and disseminate applied knowledge inspiring business-education partnerships involving students, professionals and SMEs;4. Create CATALYST Platform which will unite all CoVEs on a European level;5. Implement VET trainings, pilot-project with SMEs and applied joint research projects in selected sectors according to the national S3;6. Raise awareness of the potential CATALYST CoVEs have and increase the demand and attractiveness of VET.Activities are focused on learning opportunities, applied joint research projects, innovative training methodologies and tools and support for SMEs on relevant topics, where more than 5000 beneficiaries (professionals, students and SMEs) can benefit. The desired impact of the project is the established CoVEs to be ‘catalyst’ on national, regional and European level, ‘enable’ change and ‘inspire’ and transformation of individuals and SMEs toward more sustainable systems and societies.

The construction sector, a major employer in Europe, has significant environmental, societal and economic impact and is identified as a priority for the twin transition and achievement of resource-efficient and competitive economy. The sector faces major challenges in attracting young and skilled workers as well as in re-skilling and upskilling of the active workforce. Knowledge gaps and evolving market needs towards transitional skills and competences emerge all over Europe while the VET systems in the different MSs are slow in the introduction of these skills into their offerings. Additionally, the competence recognition frameworks remain segmented in the MSs with no mutual standard for certification of transitional skills. The Academy for transitional skills in the built environment (BuildSkills Academy) will respond to these needs and will support the skills ecosystems to drive the twin transition by developing a transnational cooperation platform of CoVEs, aiming to foster VET excellence for the construction sector. By uniting 17 educational, industrial and exploitation partners from 7 EU countries (BG, CY, GR, IT, LT, DE, FR), 2 associated countries (Serbia and Norway) and 1 country not associated to the programme (Bosnia and Herzegovina) the BuildSkills Academy will design and roll-out: •BuildEnrichedSkills methodology and a procedure for adaptation of learning provision which will serve for VET centers in Europe to adapt their offerings more quickly and to prepare workers for the digital and green transition in occupations of high demand. •Certification framework for recognition of these skills and competences – a world-class reference for improvement and certification of VET provisionThese outcomes will be transferred to 6 pilots covering 300 trainees and exploited to reach out to 100 VET providers, 1000 companies and 20 high-level organizations in the construction skills ecosystem realizing 100 VET-industry cooperations for vocational excellence.

The frequency and intensity of climate and weather extremes associated with anthropogenic climate change are increasing and will challenge us in terms of adaptation strategies at the local level. The project “Climate Resilient Development Pathways in Metropolitan Regions of Europe (CARMINE)” bridges the local and regional scales by providing impact-based decision support services and multi-level climate governance supporting local adaptation, including both traditional and Nature-Based Solutions. CARMINE’s overarching goal is to help the metropolitan communities of Europe become more climate resilient, by co-producing knowledge-based tools, strategies, and plans for enhanced adaptation and mitigation actions in line with the Charter of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change by 2030. To achieve this goal, focusing on the 2030-2035 timeframe and with longer perspectives up to 2050, CARMINE proposes an interdisciplinary approach aiming at (1) co-creation and co-development of decision-support services and guidelines for enhanced resilience and adaptive capacity, including early warning and disaster risk management systems; (2) cooperating closely with local to regional communities (stakeholders and users), decision-, and policy-makers (local authorities) to co-develop cross-sectoral frameworks for adaptation and mitigation actions; (3) delivering science-based R&I roadmaps for multi-level climate governance supporting local adaptation assessments and plans. The CARMINE methodology will be implemented in eight selected Case Study Areas to demonstrate proof of concept and project methodology will be demonstrated through the digital replication of climate and socio-economic characteristics of each area. The co-created knowledge and transferable development pathways from CARMINE will be shared widely via project networks in order to drive adaptation in other metropolitan regions of Europe, and beyond.

As climate change progresses irrevocably, urgent measures are needed for building resilience and adaptive capacity. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, effective climate resilient regions cannot be built at expense of productive sectors, or without fair societal consensus. IMPETUS will develop and validate a coherent multi-scale, multi-level, cross-sectoral climate change adaptation framework to accelerate the transition towards a climate-neutral and sustainable economy. IMPETUS Resilience Knowledge Boosters (RKBs) will build a robust Quintuple Helix stakeholders' community (human dimension) complemented with reliable data and assessment methods to support decision and policy making (digital dimension). This will result in a community empowerment to co-design, assess, deploy, and monitor climate adaptation Innovation Packages, including R&I methodological, technological, governance, awareness, behavioural, economic, financial and pathway components. IMPETUS RKBs will be deployed and validated in all 7 EU biogeographical regions (Continental, Coastal, Mediterranean, Atlantic, Arctic, Boreal, Mountainous) covering all Key Community Systems, climate threats, and multi-level governance. IMPETUS consortium is made of selected local, regional and national public authorities; R&D organisations; SMEs and large enterprises; and international organisations, to build upon, upscale and demonstrate a wide range of R&D solutions. IMPETUS has a clear earmark to ensure continuity after the project lifetime through consolidated and interconnected RKBs and communities at different scales.