The overall objective of MeCCAM is to develop, implement and recommend climate mitigation and adaptation solutions and increase the resilience and sustainability in the fisheries sector. MeCCAM employs an integrated multi-actor approach to deliver relevant and feasible results to support the fishing industry and policymakers. The outputs include: decision support tools allowing fishers to mitigate and adapt to climate change; innovative fishing gears to improve selectivity, fuel efficiency, and minimise habitat damage; and an environmental impact management software to reduce carbon emissions, and other impacts across the value chain. The solutions will be designed and implemented within six case studies (CSs) which have been selected for their suitability to address a multitude of challenges posed by climate change. MeCCAM also builds adaptive capacity by delivering: climate-informed advice prototypes for CSs; mitigation and adaptation plans at the CS level, as well as general recommendations; CS-specific plans for commercial utilisation of emerging species; and a policy brief on how to improve governance for mitigation and adaptation in the sector. Project outputs will be evaluated for their environmental and socio-economic efficacy in close collaboration with stakeholders. MeCCAM´s evidence-based and demand-driven solutions have a high potential for transferability to various regions and contexts and will provide actors with tools and pathways to advance climate resilience. MeCCAM will, therefore, contribute to the European Green Deal, the Common Fisheries Policy, the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Farm to Fork Strategy, United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 12, 13 and 14, as well as the Ocean Decade challenges 2, 3, 4, and 6.

The overall aim of ShapingBio is to support and accelerate bioeconomy innovation and the deployment of new knowledge in the EU and its member states. ShapingBio aims to provide evidence-based and concrete information and recommendations for better policy alignment and stakeholder actions to realize the cross-sectoral potential of the bioeconomy and to reduce the fragmentation across bio-based sectors and food system and policies across regions, domains and governance levels. These actions contribute significantly to the bioeconomy strategy and Action Plan, the farm to fork strategy, the EU Green Deal policy priorities and the EU's Climate ambition for 2030 and 2050. For that purpose, ShapingBio aims to create a better understanding and information basis of the bioeconomy innovation eco-system by providing a comprehensive mapping and analysis of initiatives, structures, policy instruments and key gaps related to the topics policy and governance, applied R&D and technology transfer, (cross-sectoral) collaboration and financing across the EU macro-regions and different sectors. This will be carried out in close collaboration with various types of stakeholders from different sectors, by ensuring the involvement of all the relevant actors. Multi-actor groups will be set up to support policy advice design, but also to propose new forms of matchmaking, networking and knowledge-transfer. Those propositions will be implemented and tested in around twenty events. Based on these actions, recommendations for an effective governance in terms of policy instrument and their mixes will be derived as well as guidelines for different stakeholder groups for better collaboration and exploitation of bioeconomy innovations. Follow-up events will be conducted, to ensure that the recommendations are understood, actively reflected and implemented into stakeholders' activities and action plans to foster the deployment of bio-based innovations.

The Operationalizing Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation for aquaculture (OCCAM) consortium consists of 22 industry and research partners from across Europe. The OCCAM objective is to implement, test, and evaluate innovative solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the aquaculture sector, and to deliver scalable, replicable, and exploitable solutions with accompanying recommendations ready for deployment in a wide variety of aquaculture supply chains. Some solutions are generic in nature with application across countries and sectors; this includes a Good Practice recommendation for self-assessment of CO2 emissions, guidelines for how to meet sustainability reporting requirements, templates for requesting and providing scientific advice, and a policy recommendation focusing on gaps and opportunities for climate-resilient aquaculture production. Other solutions are specific for sectors, species, and production methods, including solutions for carp, rainbow trout, salmon, bivalves, and seaweed (Ulva). To reduce emissions and contribute to aquaculture sector mitigation of climate change, sediments from freshwater aquaculture are upcycled, sludge is used to produce biochar, a digital tool for self-assessment of emissions from bivalve production is developed, and nets and pens with significantly reduced emissions are produced. Adaptation solutions include assessment of water availability and quality for freshwater aquaculture, selective breeding of more resilient rainbow trout, digital tools for forecasting and managing sea lice and Harmful Algal Blooms, and change of deployment parameters for oysters and seaweed given the expected changes in temperature and other environmental conditions. A prototype or proof of concept is developed for each solution, and where possible the proposed solution is also evaluated at a different site, and general recommendations are provided to other industry actors wishing to implement similar solutions.

The BLUE CONNECT project addresses the urgent need to protect and restore marine habitats and ecosystems and to reach ambitious EU and global protection and restoration targets by 2030. Together with Marine Protected Area (MPA) managers, authorities, industries, and local communities from 12 Demonstration sites and beyond, BLUE CONNECT is co-developing, promoting, and demonstrating a systematic approach to marine conservation planning and management. This collaborative effort will result in the creation of a powerful Blueprint, directly supporting 1) setting science-based conservation objectives, 2) co-defining conservation actions for effective MPA co-management, 3) ensuring conservation effectiveness and 4) demonstrating the high potential of these tools for replicability and broader use. This will be made possible by establishing a holistic modelling framework that integrates various elements of biodiversity, ecological functioning, ecosystem services, and connectivity, while also considering inputs from stakeholders and local communities regarding social, economic, and cultural aspects when defining MPAs and ecological corridors. The project will contribute to a more comprehensive, science-based and inclusive approach to designating new MPAs or expanding existing ones, transitioning to strict protection, restoring ecosystems, enhancing ecological connectivity, and facilitating MPA co-management. By fostering just and fair stakeholder cooperation and citizen science initiatives, BLUE CONNECT will build a greater feeling of co-ownership of protected and restored marine ecosystems and MPA networks and empower communities to play a crucial role in safeguarding our seas.

SEAMPHONI is dedicated to bringing visibility and safeguarding the vast and largely unprotected offshore marine areas. Current approaches to offshore biodiversity mapping are highly dependent on research vessels and are therefore costly and do not allow for continuous monitoring. SEAMPHONI is structured to promote the testing, coupling, and validation of three innovative monitoring solutions (environmental DNA (eDNA), acoustics, and imaging) and to build a shared observing system for scientists, decision-makers, MPA managers, and citizens in the form of an Intelligent Marine Digital Twin interoperable with the European Digital Twin Ocean. By leveraging and adapting these cutting-edge tools for offshore areas, SEAMPHONI will provide significant advancement towards a broader, more accurate mapping of European seas with baselines for understudied areas; faster, more continuous biodiversity monitoring; and more accurate, predictive, and sustainable models. This will help identify and prioritize areas to be protected and improve evidence-based assessments of i) the health of marine ecosystems and ii) the effects of various levels of protection and restoration measures on their functioning and services. SEAMPHONI will also tackle the complexity of the regulatory framework governing marine conservation and the fragmentation of rights within these zones, by evaluating limitations and underlining the need for clearer frameworks and improved coordination. The project will support the enforcement of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs), and advance the 2030 GBF targets. Finally, SEAMPHONI will address the “emotional disconnect between society and aquatic ecosystems” (EC report, 2021) especially in offshore areas where the principle of "out of sight, out of mind" is most pronounced. Confronted with the challenges of engaging citizens in remote offshore areas, where traditional citizen science approaches are impractical, SEAMPHONI has embraced an artistic strategy.