AGISTIN will enable industrial grid users to rapidly deploy renewables through advanced integration of innovative energy storage technologies at the interface with the grid. Rapid decarbonisation of industry through electrification, the growth of renewables, and the need for grid stability present a unique opportunity for new forms storage of storage and integration schemes to emerge. The main objectives in the project are to develop new forms of energy storage that meet grid needs for short-duration flexibility and stability, reduce the impact of new, large demand on the grid, and reduce costs for large grid users through innovative storage integration. This project will exceed the state of the art for aqueous batteries, use of irrigation systems as energy storage, grid interface designs and provision of advanced grid services from large load users. Two demonstrations and three test activities centered around renewable hydrogen electrolysis, irrigation pumping, and fast EV charging are used to demonstrate advanced concepts for energy storage, grid integration and grid users. AGISTIN results in reduced grid connection for industrial grid users, reducing H2 production cost by 10% and improved grid stability through advanced grid services, that enable grids to run with 100% renewables. The innovative storage technologies directly addressed in the project include aqueous electrochemical recuperators, with properties between super capacitors and batteries, use of irrigation systems as energy storage and aluminum ion batteries. These technologies will be developed to test and demonstrate in the target use cases, resulting in TRL level increases for each. The consortium consists of members from 9 countries and across the value chain best able to exploit project results, including; storage and power electronics providers, industrial grid users, a grid operator, a engineering consultancy, research institutes, universities and an energy storage association.

Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is a rapidly growing cancer treatment modality, whereby alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals selectively target tumours whilst minimising the radiation to healthy tissues. Presently only 223RaCl2 has regulatory approval, but its success resulted in unprecedented levels of interest and investment in TAT for a variety of cancers. It is showing promising efficacy and increased survival in clinical trials; however, several unmet and unique measurement challenges remain a barrier to enable the safe and optimised implementation of emerging targeted alpha therapies. This project will provide the metrology needed to support end-to-end traceability before wide routine adoption.

We propose to deliver a novel technology for the nuclear industry to open the possibility of direct monitoring of nuclear reactions inside nuclear power plant cores. The new technology centres on a radically-new and totally counter-intuitive approach to radiation detection that has arisen from neutrino physics research. As of today, direct and rapid in-situ measurement of nuclear reactor fission activity is not possible. Our technology is expected to make this possible by using the copious neutrinos that stream out of nuclear reactors. Achieving this leap relies on the paradigm shifting nature of our approach. Detection of radiation makes extensive use of light emitting materials known as scintillators. These are nearly always transparent, to allow the light to be seen and measured. Our radically-new approach is to use an opaque scintillator, coupled with a lattice of optical fibres to extract the light. This technique naturally provides high-resolution imaging of anti-matter annihilation plus many other types of radiation (e.g. betas, gammas, neutrons), improving the signal to noise ratio of anti-neutrino detection by a factor >10x. Consequently, our technology would be able to tolerate the high background environment close to a reactor. The civil nuclear industry will benefit in a range of ways from safety and societal reassurance to operational efficiencies with a direct economic return. Our technology will also be able to provide remote monitoring and information on any nuclear processes that emit neutrinos, opening many potential new markets. Examples include spent nuclear fuel containers, fuel pools and waste disposal sites as well as nuclear warheads and fusion reactors such as ITER. Our inter-disciplinary consortium pulls together experts from mechanical and electronics engineering, nuclear and particle physics, chemistry and computing with our major industrial partner in the civil nuclear energy industry to make this radical new technology a reality.

The conception, development, optimization, and safety evaluation of a broad range of nuclear energy (fission and fusion) and non-energy applications (radiation protection, radionuclide production, health, geosciences, space research, security, and industry) require reliable and accurate simulation tools. Such tools critically rely on accurate nuclear decay and reaction data. APRENDE has the ambition to improve nuclear data for modelling and simulation (M&S) tools used by European stakeholders in the application areas of the European Union and its member states that currently have the highest priority. The priority application areas identified by stakeholders of nuclear data and by national, European, and international projects and consultations are: A. All aspects of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), B. Reactor operational characteristics such as reactivity versus burnup, transients, and margins, C. Advanced reactor and fuel cycle development including small modular reactors (SMR) and GenIV systems based on lead and sodium coolants, molten salts, or an accelerator like MYRRHA, D. Criticality safety and shielding for safety assessments and safety assessment methodologies, E. Non-Energy applications, radiation protection. This ambition requires a comprehensive approach involving the eight objectives stated above, and a methodology and impact pathway as detailed below. The combination of this ambition, objectives, methodology and our pathway to create impact is what the proposers believe to be not only the best, but also an excellent response to the HORIZON-EURATOM-2023-NRT-01-06 call ‘Improved nuclear data for the safety of energy and non-energy applications of ionising radiation’. In the following, we break down and explain our ambition by each of the priority application areas.

The ASSAS project aims at developing a proof-of-concept SA (severe accident) simulator based on ASTEC (Accident Source Term Evaluation Code). The prototype basic-principle simulator will model a simplified generic Western-type pressurized light water reactor (PWR). It will have a graphical user interface to control the simulation and visualize the results. It will run in real-time and even much faster for some phases of the accident. The prototype will be able to show the main phenomena occurring during a SA, including in-vessel and ex-vessel phases. It is meant to train students, nuclear energy professionals and non-specialists. In addition to its direct use, the prototype will demonstrate the feasibility of developing different types of fast-running SA simulators, while keeping the accuracy of the underlying physical models. Thus, different computational solutions will be explored in parallel. Code optimisation and parallelisation will be implemented. Beside these reliable techniques, different machine-learning methods will be tested to develop fast surrogate models. This alternate path is riskier, but it could drastically enhance the performances of the code. A comprehensive review of ASTEC's structure and available algorithms will be performed to define the most relevant modelling strategies, which may include the replacement of specific calculations steps, entire modules of ASTEC or more global surrogate models. Solutions will be explored to extend the models developed for the PWR simulator to other reactor types and SA codes. The training data-base of SA sequences used for machine-learning will be made openly available. Developing an enhanced version of ASTEC and interfacing it with a commercial simulation environment will make it possible for the industry to develop engineering and full-scale simulators in the future. These can be used to design SA management guidelines, to develop new safety systems and to train operators to use them.

Highly efficient energy conversion of solar power and storage will play a vital role in a future sustainable energy system. Thus, this project focuses on the development of a novel high-efficiency solar thermal power plant concept with an integrated electricity storage solution. The project combines air-based central receiver Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) to maximize conversion efficiency and power grid energy management, enabling a new operation strategy and business models. The hybrid concept initiates a futuristic era with adaptive renewable power plants, producing both electrical and thermal energy, including process heat supply and reverse osmosis desalination. Because cheap off-peak electricity is used to provide the air compression work of the topping Brayton cycle, the overall peak solar-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of the proposed power plant may reach up to 40% efficiency, which roughly doubles the peak efficiency with respect to state-of-the-art CSP technology. The project’s activity will cover the techno-economic-environmental optimisation of the innovative CSP-CAES plant using representative boundary conditions, provided by grid operators and specialised partners, as well as the development and extensive testing of key components needed for its implementation. The main development will cover: (i) an advanced high-efficiency solar receiver, (ii) optical sensors and AI-based control, (iii) optimized CAES with heat exchangers and compressor/expander detailed designs and (iv) innovative integration of desalination. The proposed technology is set forth by an interdisciplinary partnership spanning the entire CSP value chain. Targeting a TRL of 6-7, the ASTERIx-CAESar concept will be validated with a demonstration scale of 480 kWth prototype in a relevant environment.

CBE4I aims at the development of a novel, fuel-flexible biomass updraft gasification based technology for a highly energy efficient, almost zero emission and zero waste process heat supply for flexible implementation at industrial settings satisfying the specific demands of industry. Low-value biomass residues which are available in large quantities shall be applied. CBE4I shall provide either (i) heat at different temperature levels which can be applied for indirectly heated processes via product gas combustion in an almost zero-emission gas burner with integrated three-way catalyst flexibly coupled with different boiler types (hot water, thermal oil, steam) or (ii) process heat and a clean product gas via product gas extraction with integrated thermal and catalytic tar reforming for utilisation in gas burners for direct heating. A novel flue gas condensation concept with directly coupled heat pump shall boost efficiency up to 120% (related to the NCV of the fuel). A newly developed condensate treatment shall allow for a direct discharge into sewers and regarding ash utilisation a new concept for application of biomass ashes in fertilizer production shall be developed. Moreover, CBE4I shall include the necessary fuel pre-treatment technologies and fuel logistics suitable for industrial sites. The latter comprise space saving on-site fuel logistics and on-line fuel quality assessment based on a new intelligent crane system. The methodology applied to reach these goals relies on technology development tasks (based on process simulations, CFD aided design of the single units, test plant construction, performance and evaluation of test runs), a technology assessment part covering risk assessments, LCAs, techno-economic, environmental and overall impact assessments as well as targeted dissemination activities. A market study shall investigate and define the framework conditions and application potentials of the CBE4I technology in different industrial sectors.

Circular Economy integration into climate action and policy is limiting the EU's advancement to achieve carbon neutrality as fast as possible. Widely applied TIMES energy-climate mitigation models detail the use of technology and technological advances in its GHG abatement pathways. Because CE practices are technical, CO2NSTRUCT deems TIMES the ideal proxy model to shift climate mitigation models from linear to circular. This project will delineate a “circular climate mitigation” framework to augment TIMES models at a first stage, but that can serve as an imprint for other climate mitigation models. The focus will be on six pervasive carbon-intensive construction materials – steel, cement, brick, glass, wood, and insulation – to map six value chains with explicit feedback loops and quantified rebound effects, key of CE practices. Social and environmental externalities will be accounted for, including GHG & air pollutants emissions, water usage, embodied energy, energy poverty, employment, and inequalities. Once these and other CE measures are identified in the key industries of the six materials, CE tools as LCA and MFAs can be coupled to the TIMES model. TIMES will run several CE scenarios to quantify the role of CE for EU+ climate mitigation in the near-term and future, always ensuring carbon. Outcomes will be translated into useful and effective policy support information for sustainable climate mitigation, minimising conflicts across SDGs (both in EU+ and rest of the world). Although the framework is applied to the whole EU+ energy production and consumption system (disaggregated per country), CO2NSTRUCT will emphasize two economic case studies or clusters: (1) offshore renewable energy production and (2) buildings. CO2NSTRUCT anticipates that the framework can be used globally by climate mitigation modelers and policy makers. CE integration into climate action will drive EC’s goal to increase EU GDP by 0.5% by 2030.

CONFETI project proposes the development of a lab-scale validated innovative technology that is able to utilise and electrochemically convert CO2 and N2 directly from air or flue gases without the use of critical raw materials and using renewable energy sources. By the production of urea from N (N2 and/or NO3-) and CO2, the project aims to ensure a circular and renewable carbon and nitrogen economy by recycling and converting the NO3- not consume by the plant into ammonia or urea using photocatalytic technologies based on sunlight. The technology proposed in the current project to synthetize and deliver urea fertilizer to plants will follow sustainable agriculture models by promoting the efficiency of available resources, the sustainability of the agricultural sector, the preservation of the environment and the safety and quality of products. For many countries, agriculture is the dominant sector in developing the economy. Increasing productivity and the modernization of agricultural production systems are the primary drivers of global poverty reduction and energy.

CONNECT-NM is a co-funded European Partnership on nuclear materials for all reactor generations that applies modern digital technologies to materials science practices for the acceleration of innovation. It implements plans elaborated in the ORIENT-NM CSA with 5 strategic goals: (1) Nuclear materials (NM) acceleration platforms; (2) NM test-beds for accelerated qualification; (3) Intelligent materials health monitoring; (4) Advanced methodologies for prediction of materials behaviour in operation; (5) NM knowledge organisation system. Accordingly, the work will be organised in 5 research lines: (1) Advanced materials development & manufacturing; (2) Materials & component qualification: testing, standardization & design rules; (3) Non-destructive examination & materials health monitoring; (4) Advanced materials modelling and characterization; (5) Nuclear materials knowledge & data management. Each research line will coordinate call-selected Projects. CONNECT-NM will centralize transversal activities for the benefit of all Projects: e.g. coordination & management; E&T and infrastructure access; communication, dissemination & result exploitation; interaction with stakeholders; data management. Collaboration is foreseen with international organisations and bodies dealing with safety, standardisation, data management, as well as with fusion & non-nuclear energy communities. All activities align with national and European initiatives on nuclear materials, strengthening R&D&I and avoiding fragmentation and duplication, with direct involvement of industry, TSOs and regulatorsas active partners and end-users.

COOPERANT is at the forefront of advancing the next generation of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies by tackling typical limitations of conventional CSP facilities, such as operation at high temperatures, dispatchability, cost-effectiveness and sustainability. COOPERANT's innovations are paving the way for the uninterrupted generation of green solar power that is both dispatchable and economically viable, breaking the dependency on solar radiation. Working at high temperatures (~1000ºC) is crucial to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness; however, harsh operating conditions present significant challenges in terms of material availability, corrosion, system design and performance limitations. In alignment with the SET-Plan for CSP, the proposal incorporates three cutting-edge solutions at technological, digital and transference levels, that synergistically cooperate to address them: -COOPERANT CSP-TES system: a groundbreaking concept showcasing a high-performance volumetric solar receiver with custom-designed cellular morphology coupled with a hybrid packed-bed Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system. Enhanced phase-change materials and solid-state mixtures will be formulated and characterised to serve as high-temperature storage mediums. Heat transfer enhancement and containment techniques will be applied to ensure operation safety and long-lasting durability. -COOPERANT-AI TOOL: including real-time monitoring, reinforced learning-based control, scalability and replicability features. A holistic orchestration by sophisticated artificial intelligence digital tools to assist with feasibility, replicability, and scalability paths towards commercialisation. -COOPERANT-TRANSFER: a knowledge transference programme with a multi-stakeholder approach, engaging closely with the industrial sphere through the Stakeholder Replicability Board (SRB), enlisting key partners focused on dispatchable clean energy, solar fuels generation and industrial applications.

DECODE aims at creating and demonstrating a decentralised and adaptable future lab concept that connects multiple labs on a single platform in order to boost the effectiveness and speed-up the development and innovation path for clean energy materials and technologies. Initially demonstrated for selected hydrogen technologies, the DECODE platform is expected to find wide adoption in the clean technology field in the longer run, including energy harvesting, conversion and storage; clean water technologies; and the synthesis of value-added chemicals and fuels. The core of the platform comprises three elements: the DECODE FABRIC that connects adaptative multi-scale modelling and characterisation suites in a matrix-like structure; a scoring concept to assess modelling and characterisation suites in terms of their integration readiness level (IRL); and an AI-enabled central unit (CPU) that processes the IRL scores, performs the technology mapping to the FABRIC and orchestrates contributions in modelling and characterisation from partner labs. For the platform as a whole, DECODE strives to achieve a high level of flexibility, adaptability, and interoperability, in terms of materials modification strategies, technologies and operating regimes that it will be able to handle. Water electrolysis and hydrogen fuel cell technologies are selected for the demonstration of DECODE’s decentralised labs platform. The project will join leading expertise and capabilities in physical theory and modelling, design, fabrication, operando characterisation and testing of functional materials and components, materials digitalisation and cloud-connected lab operations, and industrial-grade component integration and in-line/end-of-line testing and validation by industrial partners in the consortium.

The EASI-SMR project intends to address the safety issues related to the LW-SMR in order to provide advances that should support implementation of such technologies as soon as possible. The EASI SMR project activities are aimed at ensuring that these reactors will be designed, constructed, commissioned and operated in the safest possible way and in accordance with existing regulations. The consortium was carefully chosen so that the research entities can provide the necessary research teams and support facilities across the European Continent and beyond. EASI-SMR will address the safety issues associated with major LW-SMR innovations: Passive systems Soluble Boron-free cores Co-generation and hybridation Additive manufacturing to improve compactness of Nuclear Steam Supply System Multi-units operation The work aims to provide insights for European LW-SMR projects, in particular: NUWARD SMR, a French design of a reactor generating 170 MW of electricity production. LDR-50, a Finnish design of a district heating reactor of 50 MW EASI-SMR is closely linked with NUGENIA TA6 and the European SMR pre-Partnership’s WS5

Nuclear power and non-power technologies are technically very complex facilities that operate in the increasingly challenging regulatory framework and market conditions. Development, construction, operation, decommissioning, waste management and oversight of these facilities require personnel with excellent education, skills and motivation: nuclear specialists, that are equipped to work in multidisciplinary, multicultural and competitive environments. ENEN# stands for the largest and most integrative nuclear Education and Training (E&T) efforts up to date. Attraction of excellent new talents followed by outstanding development through E&, cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary activities are the overarching objectives. Excellent workforce should remain the basic enabler of safe long-term operation of existing and development of advanced facilities. A detailed insight into the EU supply and demand of nuclear human resources for power and non-power applications will be developed. This will include industries, academia, technical safety organizations and regulators. Higher number of nuclear talents will be achieved through dedicated career related events and competitions for high school pupils and teachers, students (BSc, MSC, PhD), postdocs and lifelong learners. A strong mobility program will support over 100 person-years of nuclear career enhancing experience to about 1.000 learners with over 2,5 million EUR. Cross-border and cross-disciplinary mobility within and beyond EU will be promoted in cooperation with JRC, OECD/NEA and partners from USA, China, Korea and Japan. A single hub will be established to provide information on available educational, training and job opportunities. Appropriate connections with the complementary NRT-12 project facilitating access to research infrastructures will be maintained. A centralized platform with coherent information on vocational training programs, developed during the project, will be established.

The Energy-oriented Centre of Excellence for exascale HPC applications (EoCoE-III) applies cutting-edge computational methods in its mission to foster the transition to decarbonized energy in Europe. EoCoE-III is anchored both in the High Performance Computing (HPC) community and in the energy field. It will demonstrate the benefit of HPC for the net-zero energy transition for research institutes and also for key industry in the energy sector. The present project will draw the experience of two successful previous projects EoCoE-I and EoCoE-II, where a set of diverse computer applications from four energy domains achieved significant efficiency gains thanks to its multidisciplinary expertise in applied mathematics and supercomputing. During this 3rd round, EoCoE-III will channel its efforts into 5 exascale lighthouse applications covering the key domains of Energy Materials, Water, Wind and Fusion. A world-class consortium of 18 complementary partners from 6 countries will form a unique network of expertise in energy science, scientific computing and HPC, including 3 leading European supercomputing centres. This multidisciplinary effort will harness innovations in computer science and mathematical algorithms within a tightly integrated co-design approach to overcome performance bottlenecks, to deploy the lighthouse applications on the coming European exascale infrastructure and to anticipate future HPC hardware developments. New modelling capabilities will be created at unprecedented scale, demonstrating the potential benefits to the energy industry, such as accelerated design of photovoltaic devices, high-resolution wind farm modelling over complex terrains and quantitative understanding of plasma core-edge interactions in ITER-scale tokamaks. These lighthouse applications will provide a high-visibility platform for high-performance computational energy science, cross-fertilized through close working connections to the EERA consortium.

Our Vision With the European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management EURAD(-1) a step change in European collaboration was envisaged towards safe radioactive waste management (RWM), covering all phases including predisposal and disposal, through the development of a robust and sustained science, technology and knowledge management programme that supports timely implementation of RWM activities and serves to foster mutual understanding and trust between Joint Programme participants. EURAD-2 builds upon EURAD-1 and PREDIS to further implement a joint strategic programme of research, development and knowledge management activities at the European level, bringing together and complementing EU Member States programmes in order to ensure cutting edge knowledge creation and preservation in view of delivering safe, responsible and publicly acceptable solutions for the management of radioactive waste throughout all programme phases (from "cradle to grave") across Europe now and in the future. EURAD-2 will support the implementation of the Waste Directive in EU Member States, taking into account the various stages of advancement of national programmes, the differences in capabilities and inventories. The main goals are to: - Support Member States in developing and implementing their national RD&D programmes for the safe long-term management of their full range of different types of radioactive waste through participation in the RWM Joint Programme; - Develop and consolidate existing knowledge for the safe start of operation of the first geological disposal facilities for spent fuel, high-level waste, and other long-lived radioactive waste, and supporting optimization linked with the stepwise implementation of geological disposal facilities; - Building on the achievements of EURAD-1 and PREDIS, maintain a knowledge management system that enhances transfer of knowledge between organisations, Member States and generations.

The recent update of the basic standard for photon reference radiation fields, ISO 4037, presented huge challenges to calibration laboratories and industry in the field of radiation protection. To avoid a failure to implement ISO 4037, collaborative research is needed to solve several serious issues that became apparent during initial implementation. ISO 4037, in conjunction with the new quantities proposed in ICRU Report 95, provides the basis for type testing standards that must be harmonized early to ensure timely development of new dosimeters. This research, which is beyond the capabilities of a single NMI or country, will additionally provide metrology networks, IAEA, and policymakers with the necessary scientific data to guide a possible implementation in metrology institutes and industry.

H2Excellence aims to establish a platform of centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs) in the field of fuel cells and green hydrogen technologies that will forge a collaborative educational, training and development program designed to close the existing industry skills gaps. The CoVEs will bring together all key stakeholders such as universities, VET schools, industrial partners, and governmental bodies, forming strong links at European, national, and regional level. It is envisaged that different local clusters will be set up across countries with strong potential in the industry (e.g., PT, ES, FR, FI, PL, and IT), with foreseen extension across Europe and a joint focus on different aspects of the hydrogen value chain, from production to applications and cross-cutting issues. H2Excellence will create world-class reference points for training in green hydrogen technologies for both initial training of young people, engineers as well as for up-skilling and res-killing of adults, through flexible and timely offer of training for the skills needs of companies in the green hydrogen sector. The VET clusters will undertake activities such as developing transnational, joint curricula, and lifelong trainings; interaction with universities to understand the current state-of-the-art technologies; exchange of VET teachers, students, and staff; partnerships between companies and professionals; regional ecosystems mapping and integration within the national/regional economic and innovation ecosystems. H2Excellence brings together 24 partners from 8 different Erasmus+ EU countries (+ 1 international partner). Fully in line with the EU Green Deal goals and energy transition targets, the project intends to create the infrastructure necessary to embed vocational excellence in the European hydrogen sector, as well as to contribute to transforming the sector towards quality employment and career-long opportunities.

HELIOTROPE is a groundbreaking research and development endeavor dedicated to advancing Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology to unprecedented heights. This project focuses on developing state-of-the-art molten salts and materials technologies for thermal energy storage systems, pushing the boundaries of operational temperatures beyond the current industry standard of 600ºC. A holistic approach is at the heart of HELIOTROPE's mission. Sustainable novel molten salts as thermal energy storage mediums and the remarkable ability to withstand absorber surface temperatures of up to 850ºC are introduced, promising to enhance CSP plant efficiency and dispatchability. This technological advancement aims to redefine the capabilities of CSP plants. Furthermore, HELIOTROPE aligns closely with key European energy policies and initiatives, contributing significantly to energy security, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The project supports the vision outlined in the European Green Deal, Clean Energy for All Europeans, and the Fit for 55 legislations, fostering sustainability and competitiveness in the energy sector. HELIOTROPE aspires to reshape the CSP plant landscape, making them not only more efficient but also inherently environmentally friendly. The project represents a significant stride towards a sustainable energy future, where CSP technology leads the way in innovation and progress, redefining the boundaries of what is possible in the pursuit of a cleaner, more sustainable energy world.

IN2AQUAS will train 15 doctoral candidates (DCs) for facing the complex challenge of envisaging the pollutant impact on the environment and of tailoring the proper treatments for the production of safe and clean water -also in extreme environments- using green approaches through high quality research, training, management and innovation. This goal will be attained via a structured training-through-research programme, consisting of original individual research projects and education on technical and transferable skills. Experts from 10-degree awarding universities, 4 national research centers, 1 associated university, 4 companies and a highly qualified mindfulness-in-the-workplace facilitator will join forces to facilitate the successful training programme that will allow DCs to be awarded with a double doctoral degree in two different countries. These aims will be pursued by applying different actions, which include the study and development of innovative technologies against the water pollution, paying attention not only to the sustainability of the water management systems (in a circular economy vision), but also to the reuse of water, the recovery of nutrients and the green synthesis of functional materials. The developed technologies will be tailored to variegated scenarios with particular emphasis to three case studies: aquaculture, arid areas and (remote) cold areas. The overall research goals will imply three main steps: 1) the assessment of water quality and the prediction of its response toward the increased environmental stresses; 2) restore water quality while approaching the zero waste discharge and 3) scale up and process integration. The multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and intersectoral network will forge creative entrepreneurial and innovative scientists, who will be equipped with the skills, tools, insights and flexibility that enable them to be the next generation of Urban Water System management innovators.

The measurement and control of temperature plays a key role in achieving the goals of the European Green Deal for a low-carbon energy system. Fibre-optic thermometry is a developing technology offering advantages, such as distributed sensing and immunity to electromagnetic fields, in many applications. However, since fibreoptic thermometers exhibit cross-sensitivities to other quantities, these must be investigated, minimised, and quantified to obtain traceable and reliable results. The proposed project aims to overcome limitations that prevent their widespread use by creating a dedicated European metrological infrastructure addressing research, testing, calibration, and training. The overall objective of the project is to develop a research, calibration and testing infrastructure for fibre-optic thermometry measurements. The specific objectives of the project are: 1. To develop accurate methods for quantifying the sources of measurement uncertainty and crosssensitivities of existing fibre optic thermometers., including thermal expansion, strain, vibrations, humidity and pressure of surrounding air, aging effects, and the influence of sensor mounting. 2. To develop accurate and validated distributed temperature sensing (DTS) techniques for large scale applications, based on Rayleigh, Raman and Brillouin scattering or multiplexed fibre Bragg Gratings (FBG). Measurement uncertainty and spatial resolution will be determined for the DTS methods. 3. To develop validated fibre-based thermometry for harsh environments. These will include high temperature process control up to 1600 °C and precise temperature monitoring at elevated temperatures up to 700 °C. 4. Using the techniques developed in Objectives 1 to 3 to perform at least 7 case studies in key application areas for fibre optic thermometry: (i) monitoring of electrical power cables and other parts of the grid, (ii) control of energy-intensive high-temperature processes, (iii) monitoring of the loading state of heat storage tanks, (iv) monitoring of geothermal heat storage, and (v) NMI intercomparisons. To provide validated information on suitable fibre optic thermometry techniques for specific applications, specific temperature ranges, spatial temperature resolution and achievable measurement uncertainties. European Partnership on Metrology. 5. Establishment of an integrated European metrology infrastructure with certified European training centres and accredited calibration laboratories for fibre optic thermometry. This will include the development of testing and calibration guides. In addition, to facilitate the take up of the technology and measurement infrastructure developed in the project by the measurement supply chain (accredited laboratories, certification and accreditation bodies), standards developing organisations (ISO, CEN, IEA) and end users (sensor manufacturers, industry and energy sectors).

INNUMAT aims to develop innovative structural materials for nuclear applications and put them on track towards qualification for fission lead-cooled and molten salt fast reactors as well as fusion DEMO. High entropy alloys (HEAs), a new class of materials with a vast development potential and very promising properties, as well as alumina forming austenitic (AFA) steels, already identified as prospective structural materials for Gen IV and Small Modular Reactors, are in the main focus in which advanced material solutions are considered as well, in particular weld overlay and coated 15-15Ti for lead-cooled fast reactors, among others MYRRHA and ALFRED, and coated EUROFER and advanced oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel for fusion DEMO. Some of these structural materials are of potential applicability also outside the nuclear field, e.g. in concentrated solar power and/or in H2 confinement. The project is thus cross-cutting because of the target applications as well as because of the accelerated methodologies for materials discovery, screening and qualification that it pursues, applied at different technology readiness levels (TRLs). The differences in TRL, application conditions and requirements of the considered materials result in different objectives and hence different research tracks through the project with even different efforts. Common goal is to rapidly increase the TRL for the desired nuclear applications towards requirements of corrosion resistance, high temperature strength, thermal stability and irradiation tolerance, which are not met by current structural materials. Therefore, computational and experimental high throughput material screening methods will be applied and roadmaps for accelerated qualification will be established paving a fast way to more efficient safe sustainable nuclear energy systems with considerable contribution to the overall mission of developing economic energy systems with reduced/zero CO2 emissions.

K-HEALTHinAIR aims at the assessment of the indoor air quality (IAQ) effects in health on the basis of an extensive monitoring campaign of chemical and biological indoor air pollutants in several very representative at EU level indoor locations together with a deep research on their sources, interactions and main correlations with health problems by means of theoretical analysis, clinical trials and tests (includes in vivo/vitro approaches). Moreover, Project will deliver affordable and easy for implementation measurements to monitor and improve current IAQ. The project will deliver structured knowledge coming from both the monitoring, characterization and research stages formed by extensive and accurate data, qualitative information and guidelines in an easy and fully open access format to support public authorities, policy makers and many other collectives. Project will also deliver innovative equipment and associated tools to the citizens as main final users enabling them to monitor indoor air quality for identifying health risks and suggesting suitable solutions to mitigate them. The advanced knowledge will be obtained by means of the deployment of a set of fully complementary activities. The organization and publication of the knowledge generated in a fully open access platform looks for being considered a reference in accuracy and simplicity to favor easy consultation from public authorities and policy makers and support the definition of new legislations, regulations and standards. K-HEALTHinAIR ensures the integration of the existing legislation (e.g. in work places) within a comprehensive proposition of new indoor air quality standards leading new science-based regulations. K-HEALTHinAIR will deploy activities leading to effectively engaging most of the collectives concerned verifying that project results will impact as it is expected. Project K-HEALTHinAIR is part of the European cluster on indoor air quality and health (name and acronym to be decided)

Shortening the time-to market of the LFR technology is an ambitious, but undeniably important factor to attract additional investments, thanks to the lower initial risk, added flexibility, and faster return of experience. Industries and utilities sharing the vision of a competitive LFR of a small and medium-size with modular features will be attracted by the compressed deployment roadmap, and will play a leverage role at national and European level, strengthening synergies and creating public–private–partnership opportunities. In this context, the European community working on the LFR development and deployment assumed the commitment, among others, to highlight the technical open issues and existing research infrastructures, aiming to support the R&D phase through European, national and in-kind contribution of the involved partners. The aim of the LESTO project is moving on along the depicted roadmap, aiming at further developing the LFR technology, supporting the demonstration that LFRs can be designed, sited, constructed, commissioned and operated in line with the requirements of the actual safety standards, with particular focus on their safety features and passive safety systems. Along the project the most relevant facilities in Europe and UK will be adopted to implement a large and very comprehensive experimental database for code validation, safety assessment and component/system demonstration. Among the others, it is worth to mention the large-scale pool type ATHENA facility, being commissioned in Romania, the CIRCE pool in Italy, as well as MELECOR in UK. These facilities, with the support of research infrastructure in Belgium, Germany and Sweden represent the state of art for the LFR R&D. Large emphasis will be devoted to transient analysis in large pools, allowing the community to cross the death valley from laboratory to industry scale.

MArine REciprocating Superconducting Generator (RSG). MARES aims at developing a next generation of ultrahigh force Superconducting Direct Drive PTOs for wave energy conversion. The maximum power that can be extracted from a planar wave is proportional to the wave period and to the square of the wave amplitude but, to extract this power, the hydrodynamic parameters of the Wave Energy Converter must be modified and this means having the availability of producing high reactive forces. The proposed Reciprocating Superconducting Generator (RSG) is simpler than other existing superconducting generators due to the fact that its alternating movement allows the direct integration into wave energy converters where the primary energy source is also moving in a reciprocating way. This RSG consists of a Circular Switched Reluctance Machine housed inside a flexible moving cryostat with bellows, avoiding the need of any feedthrough for any moving part. The machine is cooled down using a Cryogenic Supply System (CSS) which recirculates helium gas through the coils and the radiation screen and current leads at two different temperatures. The project proposes to build a full system prototype to be tested at the laboratory scale and to analyse its implementation into two existing WEC systems developed by two technologists participating in the project. A set of the prototype generator coils will be made from MgB2 superconducting technology, while the other one will use REBCO tapes. The achieved results for different temperatures will be compared. In both cases the proposed technology will profit from the latest advances in superconductivity and very specifically in recent developments in superconducting magnet technology provided by six of the participants, including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), a world leader in such activities, in a perfect example of bringing the forefront technologies to social applications.

MEloDIZER implements high-performance membranes and modules in strategic applications of membrane distillation (MD), hence providing the decisive step for the success of MD. These core components are fabricated with a focus on feasible wide uptake and on sustainability, substituting harmful materials and protocols with >80% of benign solvents and relying on green chemistry principles. Both flat-sheets and innovative hollow-fibres are produced, striking the optimum between productivity and energy efficiency, as well as minimising fouling/wetting phenomena, also by applying novel sacrificial coatings while membranes are in situ. Optimised modules are developed with a focus on hydrodynamics and energy recovery improvements. These activities are strongly supported by sustained modelling tasks, conducted at different scales to (i) control the relationship between membrane properties and performance, (ii) customise module geometry, and (iii) increase system efficiency and automation. The membranes and modules are thus rationally installed as core components of four MD prototypes spanning three orders of magnitude of productivity. Two prototypes (2-5 m3/day, 0.5-2 m3/day) are demonstrated in industrial facilities (textile, beverage, chemical industries) to reuse wastewater (70-90%), thus reducing water footprint and approaching zero waste, as well as to recovery valuable nutrients as secondary raw materials from aquaculture wastewater. Two prototypes (50-100 L/day, 10-20 L/day) are demonstrated as low-cost, ready-to-use, passive, autonomous, decentralised units, delivering drinking water from saline and challenging sources at community and family level. All prototypes are run with 90-100% sustainable energy from waste heat and/or solar energy, with careful designs that maximise membrane and system performance. Quantitative, robust evaluations of market entry and environmental benefits act as input data for each innovation activity in MEloDIZER and to promote exploitation.

The universe in the visible wavelength remains largely unexplored in the sub-second time regime and sub-milliarcsecond scale, primarily due to instrumental limitations. Overcoming these impediments would bring a breakthrough in our knowledge of stellar physics, evolution and modelling by imaging the stars and their surroundings as well as unravel the history of the Solar System. MicroStars will demonstrate the viability of a cost-effective and novel solution to enhance the capabilities of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) to perform ultra-fast optical measurements. Such an upgrade allows two novel applications of these telescopes in the visible range: their use as Stellar Intensity Interferometers and as high-time-resolution, fast, high-precision photometers. MicroStars will allow to expand the limiting time and angular resolution of current optical observatories by at least an order of magnitude. By upgrading the capabilities of next-generation IACTs, MicroStars has the potential of creating a host of scientific breakthroughs, answering fundamental questions regarding stellar physics, magnetic activity and modelling, exoplanet properties and the Solar System planetary formation. The interdisciplinary and field-transforming nature of MicroStars, merging astroparticle physics instrumentation with optical astronomy, will extend the scientific life of current IACT experiments, and greatly expand the scientific impact of the next generation: the Cherenkov Telescope Array. Bringing this proposal to life is only possible with an ambitious funding scheme, willing to finance the major equipment needed, and support a research team with the required multidisciplinary skills to expand the state of the art with novel instrumentation and methodologies.

MIDAS aims to develop, evaluate and optimize sustainable low-ILUC feedstock by developing selected industrial crops and cropping systems on European marginal agricultural land in a climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly way to support feasible bio-based value chains. Mapping of the actual and future marginal lands that may be certified as low-ILUC, including current and future expectations on soil erosion and water stress as well as biodiversity challenges and potentials, ecosystem services, and guidelines for enhancing co-benefits will improve understanding of the available marginal land for “low-ILUC” biomass production. Selected industrial crops, already adapted to marginal lands, will be optimized through modern biotechnology tools - particularly for water-use efficiency - and through tailored agronomic practices towards improved resource efficiency. Case studies of innovative farming systems (intercropping, agroforestry) established on marginal land at farm level will improve harvesting solutions, biodiversity data and guidelines while relevant actors (farming community, bio-based industry & academia) will be engaged through Regional Advisory Groups. From the produced biomass innovative bio-based products (biochemicals, composites, and elastomers) will be developed, following the biorefinery and the circular use concept. Potential biomass-to-product(s) pathways will be identified, leading to value chain/ web concepts that will be assessed for sustainability and will produce a multi-criteria tool for the design of sustainable bio-based value webs while enhancing regional biodiversity. Finally business plans to foster circularity at farm level by engaging the farming community, industrial actors and academia through the projects’ Case Studies will be developed. Moreover, through international cooperation (Brazil, Canada) on crops, cropping systems and bio based products MIDAS allows best practices exchange and contributes to win-win scenarios development.

The LIFE NEEVE project focuses on improving the air quality, legal regulations and sustainability of road transport while improving the quality of life and health of EU citizens. To achieve these effects, the NEEVE project aims to revolutionise the road transport sector by measuring and reducing non-exhaust emissions (NEE) from major sources such as brakes, tyres and road surfaces. While the regulation of exhaust emissions has been effective, there is still a strong need to address NEE (i.e. particulate matter and microplastics) from these additional sources which the LIFE NEEVE project will address. To contribute to legal regulation, the LIFE NEEVE project will study, characterise and measure NEE. In addition, the NEEVE project will design and develop real-time onboard measurement systems to monitor NEE. Innovative technological improvements in brake pads/discs, tyres and road surfaces will also be developed and demonstrated in real-world scenarios (Spain and Germany) to minimise NEE due to braking system and tyre-pavement interactions. Through these innovative developments, LIFE NEEVE will achieve an accurate real-time monitoring of NEE for a better understanding of the NEE impact as well as a significant reduction of NEE from the automobile sector. For spreading the impact beyond the project execution, the NEEVE consortia will implement a wide set of actions and strategies to promote, replicate and exploit the innovative technological improvements in other EU locations and road transport sectors as well as to communicate the NEE awareness and foster vehicle manufacturers, policy makers and drivers to improve vehicle elements, traffic regulations and driving recommendations to achieve the maximal reduction of the NEE for enhancing the air quality, human health and climate.

To achieve the reduction of carbon emissions in the building sector, policymakers should be provided with reliable and updated data to facilitate monitoring and periodic assessment of the effectiveness of building-related policies and strategies. The lack of reliable and high-quality data of the building sector, the disparities regarding the type and quality of data among Member States and the lack of standard approaches and templates for data collection, management and reporting create an urgent need for more efficient and well-established data procedures through the EU. The recast of the EPBD introduces key provisions for the promotion of a more reliable and transparent data framework in the EU. OBSERVE aims to guide national authorities develop national Building Stock Observatories by developing and standardising protocols for the systematic collection and aggregation of building-related data, optimising data collection methods and streamlining the coordination of all relevant bodies. OBSERVE will also enhance synergies and interaction between several relevant EU and national initiatives and projects. Special attention will be given to establish cooperation with the overarching EU Building Stock Observatory. OBSERVE will directly support six Member States (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy and Spain) and further spread good practices and governance models to other EU countries. OBSERVE’s collaborative effort is expected to enhance the transparency and utility of building data, thereby assisting national authorities to better implement energy and climate policies towards 2030 and support more informed policy and decision-making in the realm of building energy efficiency and regulation compliance

The overarching objective of OFFER is to support the SNETP Association to establish an operational scheme facilitating access for R&D experts to key nuclear science infrastructures – hereinafter referred to as “User Facilities” – through the channelling of financial grants provided by the Euratom programme. The beneficiaries of the scheme will be, first, the User Facilities to be funded directly from the OFFERR project for their services provided to selected projects selected through OFFERR calls, and second, the research teams that have successfully applied through the calls and were allowed to use the User Facilities for their project purposes.

Increasing further the safety of light water nuclear reactors in the new operating conditions induced by their integration in a more varied energy mix brings many new challenges for fuel development. This calls for effective and validated tools enabling one to capture the complexity of the behaviour of fuel elements under various operation conditions from nominal to design basis accident ones.. The objective of the OperaHPC proposal is to develop open tools using High Performance Computing (HPC) enabling a full 3D high-fidelity thermo-mechanical simulation of the fuel element including the material microstructure. This will contribute to the design of so-called fuel element digital twins. This development includes an ambitious basic research program devoted to the investigation of non-linear mechanical behaviour of irradiated fuel using multiscale experiments and simulations from the atomic scale up to the material law. This will yield the detailed description of the in-pile behaviour of the fuel element and the materials data necessary for the simulation. The tools developed will be assessed against state-of-the-art 1D/3D fuel performance codes for verification, definition of boundary conditions and coupling with neutronic, thermochemical and thermohydraulic codes. Validation and uncertainty analyses will also be performed through the comparison of the results of the 3D simulations with the experimental data available from irradiation programs. The knowledge from these advanced simulations will be transferred to industrial fuel performance codes thanks to the application of new methods based on reduced order and meta models, including Artificial Intelligence. The HPC tools will finally be applied to the detailed evaluation of innovative fuel element concepts, including (enhanced) accident tolerant fuels, under transient conditions in several light water reactor designs.

The ambition of the PIANOFORTE Partnership is to improve radiological protection of members of the public, patients, workers and environment in all exposure scenarios and provide solutions and recommendations for optimised protection in accordance with the Basic Safety Standards. Research projects focusing on identified research and innovation priorities will be selected through a serie of three competitive open calls. The input to define the research priorities will be based on the priorities defined in the Joint Road Map (JRM) developed during the H2020 CONCERT EJP but also on the results of ongoing H2020 projects and on the expectations expressed by other actions carried out in other European programmes, in particular the SAMIRA action plan. High priority will be dedicated to medical applications considering that 1) medical exposures are, by far, the largest artificial source of exposure of the European population and 2) the fight against cancer is a top priority of the present European Commission. In order to ensure an appropriate continuity in the research goals and methodologies, in line with the contents of the CONCERT JRM, two other priorities have been identified to further understand and reduce uncertainties associated with health risk estimates for exposure at low doses in order to consolidate regulations and improve practices and to further enhance a science-based European methodology for emergency management and long-term recovery. Once the research priorities defined, the open call system will promote excellence in science and widening participation through a process open to the whole radiation protection community. Beyond the research actions, the selected projects will be able to benefit from the system of sharing and mutualisation of infrastructures that will be implemented at the European level. This will be accompanied by education and training schemes for health workforce and young scientists to increase Europe’s research capacity in the field.

PilotSTRATEGY focuses on advancing understanding of deep saline aquifer (DSA) resources for geological CO2 storage in five European industrial regions in Southern and Eastern Europe. DSAs have much promise and potential for CO2 storage, but despite their high potential storage capacity, they are not well studied. There is a need to increase confidence and maturity of understanding of these sites. PilotSTRATEGY will investigate DSA in detail in three regions of Southern Europe: Paris Basin (France), Lusitanian Basin (Portugal) and Ebro Basin (Spain). This will include acquisition of new data, detailed geo-characterisation, feasibility studies and preliminary design or pre-front end engineering and design studies. At the end of the project, the level of site characterisation in these three regions will be sufficient to allow a final investment decision to be made and for storage permitting and project approval to be obtained. In two further regions of Eastern Europe, West Macedonia (Greece) and Upper Silesia (Poland), PilotSTRATEGY will increase the maturity and confidence level of understanding of DSA storage resources, based on new available data, reprocessing of old data and new dynamic simulation studies. This will enable these regions to start planning to develop their storage resources. Recognising the social challenge of implementing geological CO2 storage, PilotSTRATEGY will take a systemic approach and analyse the factors that influence societal acceptance of storage sites, to develop methods for societal engagement. Regional stakeholders and the local public will be involved in developing recommendations and concepts as part of the pilot conceptualization and design. At the same time, PilotSTRATEGY will run a series of dialogues, “Talk with Authorities,” to support capacity building in local authorities and build policy makers’ awareness of geological CO2 storage, particularly the role of CCUS in just, net-zero transitions in all regions.

Globally 359 million metric tons of plastic were produced in 2018 and Europe produced 17% of this amount. In the same year, 29.1mio tons of plastic waste was generated in the EU and only a third was recycled. While sorted and pure plastic waste can be recycled relatively well, a major problem is recycling of unsorted waste, which still holds a large share of valuable carbon feedstock but is currently either landfilled or energetically valorised, i.e., incinerated, both producing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions instead of recovering the precious carbon feedstock contained. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop new technologies that can not only valorise unsorted plastic but also other waste in large amounts to yield material streams that can replace fossil material streams. One promising technology to recycle unsorted heterogeneous plastic waste is pyrolysis. While the low to medium temperature pyrolysis (400C) produces mainly liquid oil that needs to be fed into the furnace of the steam cracker unit (at higher temperature than 900C) to produce olefins, with our proposal, at high-temperature pyrolysis (<850C) syngas stream (light olefins rich) is fostered and could be integrated downstream the furnace of the steam cracker. However, the use of high-temperature pyrolysis for plastic waste recycling has not yet become an industrial practice since gas treatment and integration present a great challenge. Plastics2Olefins project will address this challenge - it will design, build, and run a demonstration plant for recycling of unsorted plastic waste at Repsol's plant Puertollano (Spain), which will be digitalised and run on 100% renewable (electric) energy. The project estimates to reduce the lifecycle GHG emissions by 70-80% compared to incineration and existing plastics recycling processes providing an important contribution to the EU reaching climate neutral by 2050 and set a pathway for commercialisation of renewable plastic feedstock replacing fossil fuels.

POSEIDON main objective is to demonstrate the applicability of 3 innovative fast-response ESS in waterborne transport (Supercapacitors, Flywheels and SMES) addressing their on-board integration, cost-competitiveness, efficiency, and safety, in relevant environments. To achieve it, the following specific objectives have been defined: SO 1. To build and marinize 3 innovative ESS (SMES, Supercapacitors, and Flywheel) SO 2. To demonstrate their operation in a maritime environment of a containerized system including the 3 developed ESS systems. SO 3. To establish a refined metrics Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) tool for cost assessment and comparison of ESS for different waterborne segments. SO 4. To elaborate a complete lifecycle analysis of the 3 developed ESS. SO 5. To analyse potential integration with other disruptive technologies, such as hydrogen, rigid sails, and reversible hydrokinetic generators. SO 6. To determine safety issues, potential long-term risks and to propose regulatory solutions for the 3 ESS. To achieve SO1 and 2, POSEIDON will contribute with 3 Innovative Outputs (IO) that will demonstrate the potential applicability of Fast Response Energy Storage Systems (FRESS) in the maritime industry. IO1. Marinized SMES based on CERN high-field superconducting magnets IO2. Slow Flywheel for waterborne transport IO3. Supercapacitor based ESS for marine applications SO3, 4, 5 and 6 are focused on the main barriers that must be overcome to achieve the penetration of alternative ESS in the maritime industry. To this purpose, POSEIDON will develop 3 innovative tools: Tool1. a refined metrics Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) tool for ESS cost assessment and comparison. Applicability report of FRESS to different waterborne segments. Tool2. LCC and LCA analysis of FRESS technologies applied to the waterborne segment. Tool3. Disruptive technologies assessment: complementarity with hydrogen and solid sails

REFINE develops and demonstrates a system of artificial photosynthesis by combining both dark and light-dependent reactions for the direct production of high energy density and essential chemicals, such as alcohols. To achieve this, a direct hydrogen storage into hydrocarbons through CO2 capture and transformation in an advanced bio-refining system is proposed. In this, hydrogen produced by water photoelectrolysis is combined with captured CO2 and directly fed to biocultures that selectively produce isopropanol and butanol as high energy solar fuels, and the only energy input to drive this radical technological system is sunlight. To realise and bring to the market such a system of artificial photosynthesis it is necessary to converge the fields of materials science, biotechnology, engineering and social sciences. The project organisation is multicentred and operates at different levels; from raw materials supply considerations, societal acceptance, materials engineering and nanostructuring to device assembling and applicability. The true converging nature of REFINE provides a holistic, ground-breaking approach that addresses major challenges of our modern societies such as the extensive CO2 emissions and inability for efficient and widely accepted CO2 recycling. The vision in REFINE extends well beyond the 4-year activities proposed in this application. Still, REFINE is the seed for a multidimensional approach to critical scientific and societal challenges.

The European Green Deal aims to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy with zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To achieve more efficient, competitive and cost-effective energy systems and devices, RISEnergy fosters a European ecosystem of industry, research organizations and funding agencies aimed at developing novel energy technologies and concepts. RISEnergy brings together a consortium of 69 beneficiaries from 23 countries: ERIC institutions, technology institutes, universities and industrial partners, to jointly improve the economic performance of technologies. Members of the European Energy Research Alliance are establishing the core European ecosystem. The main objectives of RISEnergy are: 1.) enable research and innovation to increase energy efficiency and reduce the cost of energy technologies to foster wider use of renewables into energy systems through proactive innovation management having single entry point with tailor-made access roads for academics, industry, and SMEs, and advising RI providers, all acces Users, and policy makers on LCA, ICT development and networking issues; 2.) provide efficient transnational access (TNA) to facilities to support renewable energy technologies and systems: Provide more than 2,500 days of access to major European and international world-leading analytical facilities; 3.) reach out to all stakeholders performing research along the value chain, from materials and technology development to applications in the eight most relevant fields of PV, CSP/STE , hydrogen, biofuels, offshore wind, ocean energy, integrated grids, and energy storage, research infrastructure providers and policy makers; 4.) provide comprehensive services of unprecedented quality: new cross-RI services, a single entry point, tailor-made access roads for academia industry, and SMEs with a particular focus on scientists from research fields in which the use of research infrastructures is not yet established.

Although alternative water resources (AWR), wastewater (WW), brackish (BW) and seawater (SW), are reliable water sources, their use is very limited in EU (1.6% water supply) due to relatively high costs, quality, tech reliability, new stringent EU regulation, and acceptance. AWR contain critical materials and resources that are not being recovered, which open an auspicious approach to generate revenues and reduce the cost of water by activating circular economy ”wastewater and brine mining” schemes. Urgent new sustainable and viable solutions are needed to tackle freshwater and critical raw materials supply. LIFE SALTEAU aims to create new and updated multipurpose infrastructures with revolutionary capabilities to gain the real value of AWR. Innovative technologies will be up-scaled, including microbial desalination cell, membrane-based processes (direct nanofiltration, biomimetic and membrane distillation), capacitive deionization and Ca/Mg recovery system, coupled to renew. energ. (solar, wind and organic matter). Long-term validation will be conducted in two Demo Sites, Mediterranean and Atlantic, at relevant scale (production during SALTEAU: freshwater (~400,000 m3 = 145,000 BW + 230,000 SW + 22,000 WW), materials (77 t Ca and 66 t Mg). This will serve as showcase for early adopters and end-users of freshwater and Ca/Mg products. A comprehensive exploitation plan has been already drafted (value proposition, customer segment, revenue streams, replication). LIFE SALTEAU sets a new paradigm where AWR are cost-effective by reducing energy consumption: 26% (BW), 50% (SW) and 80% WW, and competitive levelized cost of water vs conventional solutions (€/m3): BW (0.5 > 0.3), SW (0.6 > 0.4) and reclaimed water (0.5 > 0.3). The adoption at industrial scale of SALTEAU outcomes will increase water availability in EU (2035) up to 8,050 Mm3/y (desal BW and SW = 10,020 Mm3/y + reclaimed water = 3,040 Mm3/y) to satisfy 5.4% of EU water demand.

Small Modular Reactors (SMR) are one of the key options for the near-term deployment of new nuclear reactors. Currently in Europe there is a growing interest towards the deployment of SMRs, and several activities are underway in many countries preparing for possible licensing needs. In particular, Integral Pressurized Water Reactor (iPWR) are ready to be licensed as new builds because they start from the well-proven and established large Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology, incorporate their operational plant experience/feedback, and include moderate evolutionary design modifications to increase the inherent safety of the plant. However, despite the reinforcement of the first three levels of the Defence-in-Depth (DiD), e.g., with the adoption of passive safety systems, a sound demonstration of iPWR ability to address Severe Accidents (SA) should be carried out (DiD levels 4-5). The main objectives of the project will be to transfer and adapt such knowledge and know-how to iPWR, in view of the European SA and Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) analyses. The main elements considered are: (i) the identification of plausible SA scenarios for iPWRs with the related conditions in the vessel and in the containment, (ii) the study of the applicability of the existing experimental databases to iPWR and identify new experimental needs, (iii) the assessment of the capability of internationally recognized European and Non-European computational tools (largely used in Europe) to describe the behaviour of the most promising iPWR designs during SA scenarios, and (iv) the prediction of the resulting radiological impact on- and off-site, taking into account special SA mitigation/management strategies. The expected outcomes of the project will help speeding up the licensing of iPWRs in Europe, as well as the siting processes of these reactors in light of their possible use near densely populated areas.

Severe Accidents (SA) are known to dominate the risk associated with the commercial production of nuclear energy and a vast amount of research has been done for decades in order to practically eliminate SAs with the potential for large early releases. At present time, when some of the knowledge acquired is at risk of being lost (as many specialists have already retired or are retiring) and new approaches for the SA assessment are being explored, it seems appropriate timing to deeply review and document the sound existing background and project it into the future, including an update on experimental research on SA mitigation tools. By putting in place the best resources possible to conduct any needed additional research and by articulating the most efficient ways possible to bring the young generation on board to face near- and mid-term research challenges, the best use of the current SA background with guarantees to target those issues bearing most uncertainties nowadays might be ensured. Therefore, it is of utmost relevance to conduct a firm assessment of the current State-of-the-Art and to pass this onto the generation who are inheriting such legacy. Management, exploitation, and assessment of this knowledge, are the main objectives of the SEAKNOT project. In addition, new emerging research needs, as those concerning Small Modular Light Water Reactors (SMLWR) and Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF), will be considered. Meeting SEAKNOT objectives requires entails carrying out a deep, critical assessment of the current state of the art of the experimental infrastructure and analytical tools that would be necessary to efficiently tackle the challenges posed. The main expected outcomes will be: a sound and critical analysis of the current knowledge on SA; an update of the experimental research needs remaining; a strengthening of background and skills of young generations in the field.

SENSE promotes the collaboration among European, American, Brazilian and Russian researchers involved in the most important research projects in the field of neutrino physics at the high intensity frontier. The observation of neutrino oscillations established a picture consistent with the mixing of three neutrino flavours in three mass eigenstates and small mass differences. Experimental anomalies suggest the existence of sterile neutrino states participating in the mixing and not coupling to the SM gauge bosons. Lepton mixings and massive neutrinos offer a gateway to deviations from the Standard Model in the lepton sector including Charged Lepton Flavour Violation. The FNAL Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program based on three almost identical liquid argon Time Projection Chambers located along the Booster Neutrino Beam offers a compelling opportunity to resolve the anomalies and perform the most sensitive search for sterile neutrinos at the eV mass scale through appearance and disappearance oscillation searches. MicroBooNE, ICARUS and SBND will search for the oscillation signal by comparing the neutrino event spectra measured at different distances from the source. The FNAL SBN program is a major step towards the global effort of the neutrino physics community in realising the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) which will provide fundamental contribution to the determination of neutrino mass ordering, measurement of CP violation, precision tests of the three-flavor oscillation paradigm using long-baseline flavor transition, search for nucleon decay and study of the burst of neutrinos from core-collapse supernova in the framework of multi-messenger astronomy. SENSE researchers have provided major contributions to the SBN and DUNE projects and will take leading roles in the commissioning of the detectors, data taking and analysis. These endeavors foster the development of cutting-edge technologies with spin-offs outside particle physics.

The European Commission’s Long-Term Strategy describes a number of pathways that reach between 80% and 100% decarbonisation levels. In every pathway a high level of direct and indirect electrification is envisaged, supported by a large-scale deployment of RES. The European power system has to address the residual load variability, on all timescales: from frequency response to inter-year flexibility. The main candidate solutions to provide flexibility are networks, demand-response, dispatchable and flexible power generation technologies, and energy storage. The appropriate deployment of innovative energy storage technologies is of primary importance for the clean energy transition. Sustainability and circular economy approach for storage innovations will minimize the environmental footprint and enhance the overarching efforts for achieving the European Green Deal targets. SINNOGENES project aims to develop the Storage INNOvations (SINNO) energy toolkit, a complete framework of methodologies, tools and technologies that will enable the grid integration of innovative storage solutions beyond the state-of-the art, while demonstrating sustainability, technical performance, lifetime, non-dependency on location geographical particularities and cost. It will develop successful energy storage business cases and systems and deploy them in innovative and 'green' energy systems at different scales and timeframes. SINNOGENES will target the effective integration of innovative energy storage systems and value chains at the interface of renewable energies and specific demand sectors, while ensuring the compatibility of systems and standards of distributed energy storage for participation in flexibility markets. Six pilot projects will take place in Portugal, Spain, Germany, Greece and Switzerland while a detailed scalability and replicability analysis will prove the wide impact of SINNOGENES project innovations at pan European level.

The SOCRATES project addresses critical gaps in our understanding of the liquid source term during severe nuclear accidents and offers innovative solutions to mitigate and monitor the release of radionuclides into the environment. The project contributes to the mid-to-long-term management of nuclear power plants after a severe accident by enhancing safety, environmental protection, safe waste management and public well-being. The main contributions of the topical project are: - Enhanced understanding of liquid source term - New computer models for the liquid source term phenomena - Innovative absorbent materials to effectively trap key radionuclide species, particularly Cs and Sr - Miniature size radiochemical laboratory for radionuclides - Education and training for nuclear safety - Recommendations for long-term operations, waste management and severe accident management strategies. The management of possible leakages of contaminated water, which may happen more frequently due to aging of reactor components and joints, will gain new remedies from SOCRATES results to tackle and mitigate the contaminants inside the plant. The project's research on the liquid source term directly impacts a majority of existing and new nuclear reactors, encompassing diverse reactor designs and technologies. Recommendations based on SOCRATES results will support nuclear community on international scale by giving guidelines how to manage liquid source term. Developed computer models for the analysis of liquid source term phenomena will benefit industry, safety authorities and research community in the safety assessments of NPPs. The models developed in SOCRATES will be implemented in severe accident analysis codes, such as AC2 and ASTEC. When the design of new sorbent materials for radionuclides will be performed with computer simulations, it will enhance the digitalization of safety developments, and enable considerations of multiple sorbent composition variations with low cost.

In order to foster the development and integration of PV systems in Europe and beyond, more efficient, reliable and profitable operation and maintenance (O&M) strategies need to be found. In this context, SOLARIS will gather 15 partners (6 research-oriented partners, 8 industrial partners including 2 start-ups & 3 SMEs, and a municipality) for 48 months to develop and demonstrate a complete set of physical and digital tools for improved forecasting, operational performance and maintenance, resulting in high performance index (90%) and availability (>98%) of PV plants, and decreasing the levelised cost of energy by 10%. SOLARIS will provide operators with reliable forecasting (short and long-term weather and power production); accurate monitoring and inspection techniques through novel wind, dust and impedance sensing, as well as automated multi-spectral PV inspection using drones; early fault detection (incl. preventive maintenance); improved lifetime of strategic components through adapted responses (self-protection, power electronics’ reconfiguration, storage strategies); and energy trading via an AI-based tool. Demonstration data will be gathered in an IoT platform, feeding one of the main tools proposed to PV operators, i.e. the PV asset management software. All developments will be demonstrated and assessed in 8 use-cases (utility- and small-scale ground-mounted, rooftop, floating, agriPV) across Europe. Demonstration datasets and labelled data on the different use-cases, as well as long-term PV potentials for regions of demonstration will be shared publicly to foster developments of other initiatives. The uptake of SOLARIS developments will be enhanced by the wide dissemination of demonstration and assessment results to relevant stakeholders, i.e. PV systems owners and O&M firms, as well as technology providers. It will be further facilitated by the creation of a Stakeholder Forum, accompanying all developments towards commercialisation.

The SOLARIZE project intends to enhance the long-term sustainability of the EU-SOLARIS ERIC by successfully achieving its general objectives: enlargement of the membership; further involvement of R&D institutes and national funding institutions at the National Nodes; educating new researchers to make appropriate use of the RIs; reinforcement of international cooperation and of science diplomac; improvement of the managerial skills of its staff; strengthen the interaction between industrial stakeholders and CST researchers; increase of the general awareness of other possible applications of CST RIs, e.g. industrial process heat; development of new standards and testing protocols; creation of the first e-infrastructure providing Remote/Virtual access to the R&D centres; study of best ways to combine CST with other energy sources and last but not least, targeting the greening of technologies and methodologies used by the CST RIs.

The SPECTRUM project aims to develop, validate and test an innovative solar concentrating collector that fully harness the solar spectrum by converting solar radiation into three renewable energy vectors (solar heat, solar electricity and green hydrogen) required by industrial sector, while performing industrial wastewater treatment. SPECTRUM will boost the sustainability of IWW treatment, converting waste into a valuable solar fuel, through an efficient photocatalytic remediation process coupled with H2 cogeneration. Matching the energy grade between the solar spectrum and the conversions, the system uses the UV for photocatalytic H2 production with synergistic degradation of pollutants, infrared for generating thermal energy and visible-near infrared light for PV electricity, allowing to achieve higher solar conversion efficiency. SPECTRUM concept will go beyond the current state of the art through i) the development of low cost, sustainable photocatalysts with focus on dual-functional photocatalysis processes, i.e H2 production and pollutants degradation, and considering the easy recovery and reuse of the catalysts and ii) development of spectral splitting solutions to separate IR part of the solar spectrum allowing the PV cells to be thermally decoupled from the thermal absorber, generating high-temperature heat without compromising the electrical efficiency. Integrate optical, thermal, and electrical subsystem of SPECTRUM hybrid solar collector will be design and developed aiming to reach an effective total management and distribution of the solar radiation. Two hybrid solar collector prototypes for low and medium temperature (SPECTRUM-LT and SPECTRUM-HT) will be constructed and tested under outdoor conditions. Techno-economic analysis using Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing, together with social impact analysis, will be used to validate the sustainability of the SPECTRUM approach in the economic, environmental and social domains.

AMBITION: SUNSON proposes a breakthrough in the field of Solar to Heat to Power (S2H2P) generation. The SUNSON prototype will be designed, developed, and validated as a modular, ultra-compact and decentralised solution for dispatchable solar power generation with 10 times less volume than current concentration solar power (CSP) technologies that efficiently store solar energy as heat for electricity conversion on demand. It integrates within a unique solution, novel approaches for solar radiation conversion technology (flux splitting optics for beam-down concentrator), ultra-high temperature thermal energy storage (TES) above 1200ºC and solid-state conversion technology based on thermophotovoltaic (TPV) generators. OUTCOMES: on the one hand, a flagship prototype of the proposed technology (SUNSON-Box) integrating optics for beam down CSP technology, high-temperature latent heat storage and the TPV conversion will be demonstrated at TRL4. And on the other hand, SUNSON entails the development of smart digital tools (SUNSON-Tool) for design, management and replicability purposes based on multidisciplinary optimisation. In addition, it will provide a set of features usable for dissemination, exploitation, and communication actions within and beyond the project. VALUE PROPOSITION: the research is well aligned to the growing European and international interest in the integration of renewable energy sources (RES), solar energy conversion and thermal storage, to scale up and demonstrate novel technologies from research level, advancing within the market uptake roadmap. IMPACT: a revolutionary compact CSP and RES conversion technology to efficiently generate power with a modular approach, increasing its cost-effectiveness and spreading the application fields of conventional CSP (namely, industry, electrolysers and H2 production, building,). SUNSON will boost the EU economy by promoting net-zero emission electrification to put CSP back on track to meet the 2050 target

The EU's ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and increase networks interconnection, makes the proliferation of hybrid AC/DC grids a promising solution towards a more interoperable and resilient pan-European system. In this context, THEUS project aims to showcase advanced methodologies and tools supporting hybrid grids implementation across High Voltage (HV), Medium Voltage (MV), and Low Voltage (LV) levels. To successfully achieve its objectives, the project will develop a set of six planning and six operation solutions, that will be validated in five use cases addressing the most representative challenges faced by European grids. These use cases will rely on accurate models and will be fed with data from five real grids representing different project stages and voltage levels: a planned transnational HVAC/HVDC transmission interconnector connecting Crete-Cyprus-Israel; an existing distribution hybrid grid in Italy; a planned MVDC distribution grid in Turkey; an existing HVAC/HVDC link between Attica-Crete; an existing MVAC/MVDC/LVDC microgrid in Spain. The validation will be conducted on six test benches that will allow to reach TRL 5 by the end of the project. THEUS assembles a competitive consortium of 15 partners from 8 EU countries, including research organizations, technology manufacturers, electric system operators, a wind farm operator, a SME to guarantee the exploitation of the project solutions, and a European Association to ensure the successful dissemination of the project outcomes. THEUS will directly impact in the electricity system orchestration of future pan-European AC/DC hybrid architecture by performing a validation campaign in which 2 under-planning networks will be designed, and 3 existing networks will be improved in terms of management and operation. Overall, THEUS is expected to achieve 10-30% reductions in energy losses and 15-20% in O&M costs while ensuring the safe operation of hybrid grids with a higher penetration of RES.

The impact of low carbon energy sources in combating rapid climate change underlines the role of nuclear energy as part of a sustainable energy mix. Yet, safety and waste concerns must not be downplayed. For the latter, the main goal should be to recycle used fuel, aiming to close the fuel cycle. This eases ultimate radioactive waste management, enhances proliferation resistance and drastically improves economy and sustainability by better use of fuel resources. The SNETP deployment plan outlines technical needs for fuel recycling including separation of used fuel, fabrication and characterisation of minor actinide bearing fuel and the development of transmutation systems to recover energy and reduce waste. This proposal aligns with the SNETP deployment plan and responds to the call in HORIZON-EURATOM-2023-NRT-01, topic 05 “Partitioning and transmutation of minor actinides towards industrial application”. It focuses on the efficiency of Am (Americium) separation from used fuel, on experimental and fuel performance code development work studying the behaviour of Am bearing fuel under irradiation and on the safety related research supporting the licensing process of MYRRHA in its role as dedicated accelerator driven transmuter demonstrator. This project builds upon the collaborative efforts initiated in the PATRICIA project, bringing together communities working on partitioning, transmutation, and MYRRHA development. Finally, dedicated work packages deal with education, focusing on pre-and post-graduates, and with dissemination, targeting the specific stakeholders and the public at large. A further task on knowledge management encompasses both foreground data as well as metadata as to ensure that proper quality assessment and validation is possible. The project will employ a combination of experiments, theoretical studies and numerical simulations harnessing the expertise of 21 research centres and universities from eight EU countries, the UK and Switzerland.

TWINSOLARSURF’s overall aim is to improve the knowledge, skills, competencies and innovation capacities of the research and administrative staff of the Laboratory of Surface Engineering (Triblab) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of West Attica (UNI.W.A), Greece. The strategic target is the evolution of Triblab from a laboratory of a former technological institute to a unique in Greece, future-oriented research unit of an engineering school, strategically conceived as a self-sustained contact mechanics facility and eventually established as a reliable research partner for academia and industry at European level of innovation. In this perspective and in conjunction with EU and Greece’s transition into a carbon neutral economy by 2050, Triblab has partnered with two top-class EU Research Institutes, namely the Institute of Future Fuels of the German Aerospace Center/DLR and the Spanish CIEMAT-Plataforma Solar de Almeria. The consortium will work together on a strategic plan for co-developing a capacity building programme, sharing knowledge, integrating expertise and skills of institutes during and towards their transformation and evolution and delving into new research avenues. This endeavour will run in parallel with an exploratory project on the research playground of surface processing of metallic materials for use in aggressive environments (e.g. wear, abrasion, erosion, high temperature), via exploitation of solar energy, in an ambitious, yet pragmatic and feasible workplan based on previous relevant research efforts of the partners. The overall approach is fully linked to the European Green Deal strategy for green industrial technologies of the future, further penetration of renewable energies and building the skilled research personnel capable of addressing the global societal, political and environmental challenges of our future ecosystem.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are an elusive cell type, whose presence can only be inferred retrospectively, from the outcome of time-consuming transplantation experiments. Since current state-of-the-art does not allow prospective HSC identification, today’s cell and gene therapy technology has been mostly optimized on surrogate progenitor cells, which differ biologically from HSC. The technological breakthrough of this proposal is to capture HSC in the ex vivo culture, achieved by a combination of innovative expansion conditions, iterative cell sorting and multiomics single cell profiling. Rapid, quantitative and qualitative in vitro HSC assessment predictive of in vivo function may become a sustainable alternative to mouse xenotransplantation experiments. Applied to a state-of-the-art toolbox of genetic engineering technologies including clinically-proven lentiviral vectors as well as established and emerging targeted genome editing approaches, our in vitro HSC readout sets new standards in terms of throughput and turnaround time, allowing to efficiently test a multitude of HSC engineering conditions and tailor the most suitable technological approach to a specific disease or therapeutic application. This new precision-based approach to ex vivo HSC gene therapy will be applied to inherited bone marrow failure syndromes and cancer as paradigmatic examples where gene therapy may be used to correct a cell-intrinsic genetic defect or turn hematopoietic progeny into therapeutic vehicles provided with novel functions. Bringing together experts in cutting-edge gene editing technologies, ex vivo HSC manipulation, assessment of HSC responses to genetic engineering and bioinformatics analysis & integration of multi-dimensional single cell data will maximize the chances of delivering safer and more effective next-generation HSC-based gene therapy products, extending the reach of gene therapy to new disease contexts and making the outcome after gene therapy more predictable.

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are the only short-term alternative to fossil fuels in aviation. Considering the increased number of passengers forecasted in the near future, a massive increased in SAF production has been estimated in the years to come. To fulfill this increase in demand, the combination of existing and new renewable production chains is needed. Current SAF-producing pathways are at different levels of maturity, implementation or even commercialization. However, lowering the cost and supply chain development are key challenges for commercial-scale SAF deployment. Using biowastes as feedstock for SAF is challenging but necessary to make SAF competitive with fossil fuels. In this context, yeasts may be key players to generate economically-viable SAF intermediates (terpenes or fatty acids (FA)) in an environmentally-friendly way from biowaste. This SAF production by biological means is very new and presents a lot of remaining challenges and training gaps that have to be addressed. YAF research programme aims at; i) producing carbon sources from biowastes, ii) developing new yeast cell factories to produce SAF, iii) designing new bifunctional catalysts, iv) achieving efficient strategies for FA/terpenes extraction, and v) creating robust framework tailored to the scaling-up methodologies and life-cycle sustainability assessment of different SAF producing routes, which will support decision-making. To achieve this, the right integration of biology, biotechnology, chemical engineering and environmental sciences will be required. Thus, the prime training/networking aim of YAF is to train the next generation of researchers in a highly interdisciplinary and intersectorial research environment such that they can soundly address upcoming challenges concerning production yeast-based SAF. YAF has been designed to strengthen European research and innovation, enhancing research visibility and generating a critical mass to address European (and global) challenges