Finishes and coatings are an essential element in the design and production of furniture. They determine both aesthetics and technical characteristics and functional features. They also require the review of legislative conditions related to health, safety at work and the environment.The latest innovations in finishing and coating products allow to reduce the environmental impact of the furniture, achieve greater resistance to scratching and abrasion, and meet current aesthetic requirements. At the same time, the innovations allow innovating in the final product and accessing new markets by presenting different furniture or carpentry elements.The main objective of the project is the transfer of knowledge of furniture finishes and coatings, to achieve an easier learning and a promotion of the final product innovation.Project Objectives:1) Transfer of knowledge of furniture finishes and coatings.2) Comparison of systems, finishing products and regulations between countries.3) Development of content and specific training tools in the field of furniture finishes and coatings. The joint development of the project with the participation of transnational entities has allowed greater scope and more ambitious results. Both the variety of finishing and coating products and the methods of application differ between countries: while in Estonia natural finishes, such as waxes and oils. are applied, in Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy mainly varnishes and coatings are used. The incorporation of necessary skills, knowledge and competencies on finishes and coatings requires a dynamic and fluid interaction between the FP and other actors within the innovation system at the transnational level. FUTUREfacing is based precisely on the joint work of VET providers, companies, social agents and technology centers with specific and complementary knowledge. The project consortium during its duration has developed:3.1) Intellectual products: A manual of finishes and coatings, a virtual varnish simulator and a specific database on finishes and coatings.3.2) Multiplier event: an international conference on finishes and coatings.3.3) Joint training activities for teachers.3.4) Dissemination activities: project web platform, conferences, newsletters, etc. The activities of the project have been addressed both to the students and teachers of FP as well as to the companies of the furniture sector and to the prescribers. Therefore, they have been invited to participate in all initiatives. In the case of joint training activities aimed at teachers, of the five scheduled days, one has been open to the general public. The results of the project are at all agents in the furniture's value chain disposal through its website. The manual has provided updated information about the products, the virtual simulator represents a unique opportunity to acquire or develop key skills in the application of finishes (as demonstrated in the different stays at educational centers) and the database allows to easily locate both products and suppliers.

L category vehicles should answer the demands for less energy consumption and affordability and represent an attractive solution in congested cities with scarce parking space. WEEVIL aims to develop a new L category 3-wheeler that is quiet, clean, energy efficient and safe, as well as attractive to the public so that the barriers for adopting it are minimized. The new vehicle concept is an ultralight and ultrasafe adaptable 3-wheeler, with a composite structure using new manufacturing processes for an affordable introduction of these materials in new vehicles. Modularity of elements (including battery packs), system integration and innovative vehicle architecture is considered in the vehicle design. The vehicle has a wheel width varying mechanism in order to allow adaptation to different speeds (wider at high speeds for stability, narrower at low speeds for space optimization and parking). WEEVIL will provide a new electric vehicle concept with innovative design to allow the user to adapt the vehicle to higher speeds or lower speeds and/or parking. Its characteristics will be lightness and safety, with a strong use of composite materials through new and affordable processing methods. A new drive-train with improved energy efficiency will be incorporated, as well as new solutions on system integration such as modular battery packs. WEEVIL solution will break the barriers for extended EV adoption in urban areas, i.e. vehicle capabilities and cost trade-off. A car-like comfort and driving experience in a reduced space (2-3 wheeler vehicle) is pursued. By providing a feasible concept adapted to the users’ expectations, the European EV car pool would be significantly enlarged, providing the pursued benefits on air quality, noise and environmental protection and also bringing traffic congestion reductions and a potential dominance of the European industry in this market.

This project aims to facilitate the implementation of the Circular Economy package and the SPIRE Roadmap in various process industries by developing the necessary concepts, technological solutions and business models to re-design the value and supply chains of minerals (including magnesium) and water, while dealing with present organic compounds in a way that allows their subsequent recovery. This is achieved by demonstrating new configurations to recover these resources from saline impaired effluents (brines) generated by process industry, while eliminating wastewater discharge and minimising environmental impact of industrial operations through brines (ZERO BRINE). The project will bring together and integrate several existing and innovative technologies aiming to recover end-products of high quality and sufficient purity with good market value. It will be carried out by large Process Industries, SMEs with disruptive technologies and a Brine Consortium of technology suppliers across EU, while world-class research centres ensure strong scientific capacity and inter-disciplinary coordination to account for social, economic and environmental considerations, including LCA. A large scale demonstration will be developed in the Energy Port and Petrochemical cluster of Rotterdam Port, involving local large industries. Two demo plants will be able to treat part of the brine effluents generated by one process industry (EVIDES), while the waste heat will be sourced by neighbouring factories. The quality of the recovered end-products will be aimed to meet local market specifications. The involvement of representatives covering the whole supply chain will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase Circular Economy in Rotterdam Port, at large scale. Finally, three large-scale pilot plants will be developed in other process industries, providing the potential for immediate replication and uptake of the project results after its successful completion.

European rural areas will boost when their natural resources constitute the basis of innovative and sustainable value chains with a high positive economic impact. In this sense, forests constitute an asset that provide not only ecosystems and biodiversity, but also a valuable and sustainable raw material, “wood”. Wood is consumed by various sectors, including one of the most “raw materials” demanding sector, the construction. The BASAJAUN project is a puzzle composed of 1st and 2nd transformation companies, research organizations, associations and public bodies that are focused on maximizing the forest value through its use in wood construction. Its main goal is to optimize the wood forest resources to enable the construction of a medium sized building (16 dwellings with 4 floors) with the lowest possible forest hectares – that will depend on the tree species and the forest local peculiarities (climate, surface, ...). The whole process will be optimised to maximize the consumption of wood products from the forest (solid wood, fibers, veneers, bark, sawdust, etc.). For this purpose, a) innovative wood-based construction materials (thermal insulation, composites, varnishes, SIPs) and systems (structure, facades, floors, walls, roof and fixings) will be developed and upscaled, b) one full-scale demo building (France) will be constructed and one experimental building (Spain) that use all developed products, c) digitalization of the whole construction value chain (from forest to building) will be done and d) the rural development impact will be studied at regional level. The environmental impact of the products of these value chains will be assessed as well. Besides, to assure a sustainable impact of the project a novel thematic platform to integrate the stakeholders of the wood region with urban areas will be developed. Besides, BASAJAUN leverages the previous results of successful projects where the innovative materials and systems were designed at laboratory and semi-industrial scale.