The overall objective of Contracts2.0 is to develop novel contract-based approaches to incentivise farmers for the increased provision of environmental public goods along with private goods using result-based, collective, land tenure and value chain approaches. Newly developed contract-based approaches are environmentally more effective, economically viable for farmers and support the longevity of contractual arrangements. Moreover, they enlarge farmers’ entrepreneurial freedom and responsibility, and are better adapted to the relevant temporal and spatial scales of specific environmental goods. Contracts2.0 improves existing and designs new contracts in rural areas to realise synergies on the ground: Therefore, Contracts2.0 adapts a Design Thinking process using a six-step iterative process of analytical and creative steps to design and test novel contracts. Further, Contracts2.0 describes novel contract design principles as well as policy guidelines to provide facilitating policy framework. Contracts2.0 activates the experience of 11 existing innovation initiatives and 13 action partners around Europe as a basis for the novel contracts. The initiatices are involved in all steps of the project and i) are pivotal in our analysis of existing initiatives in our 'innovation labs', ii) support experimental testing of novel contract features, and iii) test novel models on the ground. Contracts2.0 provides: An inventory and SWOT analysis of existing result-based, collective, land tenure and value chain approaches; a catalogue of factors facilitating and hindering existing approaches; a set of novel contract design principles; a guideline for policy framework fostering contract-based approaches and the development of appropriate agri-environmental-climate policies; a set of tailor made communication and dissemination materials for target audiences, and new cooperation and innovation networks for ongoing improvement of rural development policies and instruments.

Globalised markets, advancements in technology, and changes in the manufacturing have put at risk traditional crafts techniques, which are in danger of disappearing. HEPHAESTUS will map this important knowledge and know-how of ancient techniques and materials, digitalise craft heritage to restore historic artefacts, preserve it in open archives, and mobilise it to innovate craft processes. Our interdisciplinary consortium will conduct R&I activities through ethnographic research, design thinking, and speculative design to bring together cutting-edge technologies with craft processes to make this encounter socially, culturally, environmentally, and economically sustainable. We will create innovative forms of engagement with the public. HEPHAEUSTUS aims: (i) to revive and valorise traditional crafts by combining them with new and emerging cutting-edge technologies through innovative business models for craft sectors growth; (ii) to create a craft-technology driven methodology for bringing together traditional know-how with new cutting edge technologies, circular economy and New Bauhaus principles to innovate sustainably craft processes; (iii) to explore visions for the role of craft in the future, integrating emerging technologies and contributing to the circular economy, by engaging craft communities in a participatory ideation process; (iv) to set up a life-long learning methodology, develop courses, programs, curricula, entrepreneurial and organisational skill sets to create jobs and revive enterprises where tradition meets the future; (v) to establish the first pioneering “Future of Craft” living lab at Bornholm, an action-oriented think tank for circular craft-driven design innovation (vi) and to establish sustainable craft-technology relationships by connecting research and heritage sites, cultural and creative sectors, institutions, universities and other research institutions, regional and national authorities, enterprises and other relevant stakeholders.

Solid urban waste (SUW) is an abundant source for circular products production, but it is generally not exploited. In fact, over 500 kg of municipal waste per capita were generated in the EU in 2020, while only 45% was recycled. The proximity of resources and people, a sufficient scale for effective markets and the ability to shape urban planning and policy are key factors for cities to achieve advancements in this area. REDOL has been conceived to take advantage of this scenario and transform cities into hubs for circularity that implement zero residues strategies while fostering industrial-urban symbiosis (I-US) approaches among local and regional actors. To this end, REDOL will redesign 5 value chains for SUW (packaging, plastics, CDW, textiles, WEEE) ending-up in the production of 12 circular products. Along the value chains a range of new solutions will be implemented for 1) upgrading management technologies to collect, sort and classify SUW, 2) enhancing the processing routes of sorted materials to avoid landfilling and 3) applying cutting-edge digital tools to optimize value chains and interaction among key players. Moreover, REDOL will provide the required organizational procedures, business models and social innovation actions required for the establishment of successful I-US interactions and hubs for circularity at local level. Such an approach will result in the development of guidelines and recommendations for major decision-making bodies and will achieve improved citizens’ perception on SUW as a local resource and on recycled products, thus increasing their participation in separate collection schemes. REDOL will be implemented in Aragon, with Zaragoza in the center of the hub for circularity. This way, REDOL will support its transition towards a zero residues city by 2040. This will imply 144.720 tons SUW/year being re-used, valorized or transformed into secondary raw materials, leveraging economic and GHG emissions savings over 14B€ and 280 ktCO2/year

SYMSITES?s main objective is to implement regional industrial urban symbiosis in four European regions different in social economic, and environment aspects, from the north Denmark, through the mid Austria to the south Spain and Greece. The four EcoSites will use the same technologies for wastewater and waste treatment and energy production and cycling, enabling a clean comparison of the EcoSite impacts. The four EcoSites will generate virtuous circles of energy, treated waste and wastewater streams between urban and industrial entities. The enabling technologies to be developed for waste and wastewater (WW) co-treatment, are: a newly developed IT Regional Management platform (ITRMP) including novel IIoTs and Social Decision support System (SDSS) to manage efficiently the I-U symbiosis; an anaerobic bioreactor(AnMBR) with advanced membrane coupled with a tertiary treatment, to be installed at the four EcoSites for a clean comparison of all impacts not directly influenced by different technologies. The aim is A) to achieve near-zero GHG emissions or CO2 negative footprint; B) use of bio-waste and non-recyclable wastes (NRW) to produce energy and reusable water as well as high-value new resources (HVNR), thus reducing the waste generation by ~50%; LCA and LCC studies and the quantity prevented from transportation (Ton-Kilometer units) and from landfilling (Ton/m3 units) will evaluate the costs and environmental impact. Dedicated tools will be developed to spread he I-US concept within Europe. These include: virtual demonstration of replication potential in other regions by setting up a network amongst waste associations ' facilitation services for implementing symbiotic processes; actions to facilitate relations and to involve the local community actors and establishment of a social innovation non profit spin-off involving tools and business models for streams exchange in a dynamic production.

The aim of INSULAE is to foster the deployment of innovative solutions for the EU islands decarbonization by developing and demonstrating at three Lighthouse Islands (located in Croatia, in Denmark and in Portugal) a set of interventions linked to seven replicable use cases, whose results will validate an Investment Planning Tool that will be then demonstrated at four Follower Islands (located in Spain, in Germany, in The Netherlands Antilles and in Greece) for the development of four associated Action Plans. The chosen islands are complementary in many aspects: location, size, connection with the mainland, economic development, renewable share and carbon intensity. INSULAE contributes to the Clean Energy for EU Islands Initiative by providing an Investment Planning Tool (IPT) able to create Actions Plans for the islands to generate their own sustainable, low-cost energy. The interventions will prove the ability of the use cases to develop RES-based systems 40-70% cheaper than diesel generation, thus, enabling an average reduction of the fossil fuel consumption of 11% after a large deployment of the use cases in the INSULAE islands. The INSULAE IPT will support the decision maker on the selection and design of cost effective Action Plans looking for the island decarbonization. It will be mainly composed by two modules: the Island modeling assistant and the Scenarisation module. The project team is carefully balanced along all the value chain counting with five public authorities, six energy and water utilities, four technology providers, two energy software developers, six RTOs, one environment NGO, one business models expert, one engineering company and one entity for social aspects and replication. The legal and regulatory framework of 57% of the total population living in EU islands will be directly considered within the project.