Climate Farm Demo is a unique pan-European network of Pilot Demo Farmers (PDFs) covering 28 countries and all pedo-climatic areas. Its overall aim it to accelerate the adoption of Climate Smart Farming (CSF) practices and solutions by farmers and all actors of the Climate Smart Agriculture Knowledge & Innovation Systems with a view of adapting agricultural production systems to climate change and of achieving a carbon neutral agricultural sector by 2050, thereby meeting the targets of the EU Climate strategy. To reach this objective, the project adopts a Multi-Actor approach by connecting 1500 Pilot Demo Farmers and their Climate Farm Advisors (CFAs) at European and national levels to increase knowledge exchange & cross-fertilisation in their respective AKIS. The CFA’s will support the PDF’s in implementing Adaptation and Mitigation Measures suggested by contextualised guidelines and will assess & monitor their environmental performance thanks to harmonized methodologies & tools. Technical and social innovations covering a broad range of thematic areas will be demonstrated to the wider farming community across six annual demo-campaigns (4500 demo-events) supporting interactive and peer to peer learning. New and innovative CSF solutions will be co-created in 10 Living Labs spread across Europe and lessons learned from multi-actor innovation will be shared and scaled. A set of public and private rewarding mechanisms will be identified, proposed and demonstrated to the AKIS actors, thus incentivising the uptake of CSF solutions while ensuring sustainable business models. Strategic and operational cooperation will be organised with projects, flagship initiatives and policy-makers at European and national levels in order to share knowledge, organize coordinated actions, and produce policy briefs. Finally, to accelerate the wide spreading and uptake of results, an ambitious dissemination, exploitation and communication strategy will be deployed at EU and national levels

Forestry sector in Europe hasn’t identified yet a common educational path to get the qualification of “Forestry Operator”, neither a system of mutual recognition of competences. Like is also outlined in the EC communication “A new EU Forest Strategy: for forests and the forest-based sector”, 2013, “A strategy for forests and the forest sector is necessary since there is no common EU forest policy or guiding framework for forest-related issues. “project aims to promote the exchange of good practices and techniques with other European countries in order to improve the level of professionalism and competitiveness of forest workers (at cross-border level), raising knowledge and safety standards of workers as well as the quality of their interventions. The objective is to discuss the possibility to create a standard level of competences and skills of forestry workers, valid across national borders and to work together on joint projects aiming at promoting innovation and professionalism. Debates will be channeled into three levels: technical, legislative and in the field of innovation and sustainability. Technical changes concern the contents of training programmes and skills required to forestry operators. Legislative adaptations are needed to harmonize authorizations to emit diploma and certificate. Though 6 transnational meetings partners will be able to define a common strategy to harmonize training systems and recognition of competences, aiming, on the ther side, to foster innovation and the introduction of sustainable tools. The transnationality of the project will lead to exchange practices and experiences related to sustainable and innovative tools and techniques being attended in each country partner, resulting in an enhancement of their capacities. Furthermore, due to the increased mobility of forestry workers, the internationality of partners is very appreciated, on one side for linking VET schools from different countries and potentially increase students’ mobility, on the other side to compare and align competences on crucial topics.

<< Objectives >>The forest sector in Europe is a major economic playground and home to 13 million employees. It is characterised by strong traditional settings. Its education needs fundamental change on sectoral, organisational, individual levels. The FOREE objective is to develop blended-learning Train-the-Trainers & MOOC courses to transform forestry adult education and training to a flexible hybrid system through the complementary use of digital learning concepts, tools and platforms in broad applications.<< Implementation >>3 forestry education centers, one university (pedagogy), and one wood-cluster will implement the following: Based on preceding needs analyses, WP2 assesses required skills & technology readiness via online survey and 6 focus group workshops, WP3 develops the design and content for a ToT and MOOC to instruct teachers/trainers on how to create and facilitate online adult education. WP4 implements pilot courses and evaluates by workshops and feedback forms. WP5 disseminates and networks broadly.<< Results >>Results are (1) Status & critical success factors of digital teaching in forestry education & recommendations, (2) Handbook & Toolkit, (3) Design of online platform, (4) Concrete course pilots. All results are reusable, transferable and will be shared (open access) with key target groups (forestry trainers, teachers) who are integral part of all activities. Courses will be Quality-labelled. Results are promoted via Associated partners to policy/decision makers from local to transnational level.

Bioeconomy starts on the fields, yet meaningful participation of the primary sector in the bioeconomy is currently challenged, especially due to: (i) poor cooperation and knowledge transfer between relevant stakeholders, (ii) limited support to invest in R&D of new value chains. To answer this challenge, the COOPID project proposes an effective strategy to mobilise primary producers and stimulate the uptake of inclusive and sustainable bio-based business models in the European primary production sector, considering regional & sectorial conditions. To do so, a network of COOPID Bioeconomy Clusters from 10 European countries has been created ad-hoc, involving a range of stakeholders: (a) primary producers, in cooperatives or associations, within agriculture, forestry & aquaculture, (b) industry, (c) public sector, (d) research & academia. We have already the commitment to participate of 73 entities. We will foster the deployment of innovative bio-based business models in the primary production based on a four-level knowledge transfer approach: -Selecting “Success Story Showcases” across different EU countries among the network which will be visited in person by the participants from the network - “COOPID ambassadors”- (level 1), -Organising workshops to be done by the “COOPID ambassadors” for sharing main highlights of their visit to the “success story” among their peer primary producers (level 2), -Carrying out interactive dissemination & communication engaging other target audiences (levels 3&4). Focus will be put on mobilisation of female and young producers as having a great potential to innovate yet being underrepresented in the primary production sector. Recommendations for primary producers, policy-makers and academia & research will be elaborated, fostering better understanding of different perspectives on bioeconomy, having a significant impact on a wide bioeconomy deployment in primary production, reaching a broad audience (estimated at 9,500 stakeholders).

BioRES is proposed by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in cooperation with the European Biomass Association, the Agricultural Chamber of Styria/Austria, C.A.R.M.E.N marketing network for renewable resources (Germany), the Finish Forest Technology Centre METLA, regional energy agencies in Croatia and Slovenia, and the national biomass associations in Bulgaria and Serbia. BioRES aims at introducing an innovative concept of Biomass Logistic and Trade Centres (BLTCs) in Serbia, Croatia, and Bulgaria on the basis of cooperation with technology leaders from Austria, Slovenia, Germany, and Finland. This will help increasing the demand for woody bioenergy products (processed fire wood, wood chips, wood pellets, and wood briquettes) in these countries and contribute to the achievement of EU targets set out in the RES Directive (2009/28/EC). BioRES identifies priority locations for new BLTCs, assesses regional potentials for the production and use of woody bioenergy products, and initiates local stakeholder dialogues involving both producers and potential users of woody bioenergy products (WP3). BioRES initiates the establishment of community-based investor groups, conducts feasibility studies and provides support for BLTC business plans as well as for sale agreements on supply and demand side, and helps for the start of operations of new BLTCs (WP4) on the basis of EU best practices (WP2). BioRES promotes local consumer information and awareness building (WP7) as well as the development (WP6) of local capacities at all stages along the regional supply chains for quality-controlled woody bioenergy products from sustainable forestry (WP5). Outcomes of BioRES will be exchanged with stakeholders in all EU28 Member States (WP8). The innovative concept for new BLTCs builds upon the results of numerous previous and on-going European programs, in particular BIOMASS TRADE CENTER II, FOROPA, SolidStandards and BIOREGIONS.