Widening Countries (WCs) such as Türkiye, Poland, Greece, Malta, North Macedonia are falling behind in the rapidly evolving Alternative Proteins (APros) sector, which is crucial for addressing global food security and climate change. Closing the skills gap in these regions is essential for ensuring competitiveness and driving sustainable food innovation. The APRISE project focuses on enhancing the capacities of diverse talents in these WCs, providing advanced training and promoting collaboration to strengthen the APros sector. By uniting 18 partners from academia, industry, and non-profit sectors, APRISE delivers a comprehensive approach to talent development. The project emphasizes interdisciplinary knowledge transfer, including technical training in APros production, sustainable practices, and consumer science, as well as professional skills such as policy advocacy, project management, and entrepreneurship. Through secondments and structured training programs, APRISE equips talents to address sector-specific challenges and contribute to sustainable growth. Additionally, APRISE offers a Return Plan to support reintegration into home institutions, ensuring that the skills and knowledge gained are applied to long-term career development. The project’s efforts will significantly increase the capacity of talents across WCs, enabling them to play key roles in the future of the APros sector and ensuring lasting impact in both research and innovation ecosystems.

<< Objectives >>Drone4HER will offer newcomer organizations the possibility of sharing their know-how to create an upskilling pathway for professional gardeners working in historic gardens that are part of our cultural heritage. The drone technology will address the digital transformation between traditional ways of working and the needs of the labor market. Drone4Her will strengthen the employability of gardeners, a ‘green’ professional, in line with the Europa 2020 Strategy for new skills and jobs.<< Implementation >>The partners will engage in cross-border cooperation at the European level to merge the fields of drones and gardening into an analysis report that will address the needs for historic gardens preservation and maintenance. The partners will use the report results to create a manual for practical use and an online training course for professional gardeners. The e-learning materials will be available as OER in ES, EN, and IT on a Moodle web platform, and onsite in a working environment.<< Results >>The three organizations will acquire the capacity to work transnationally and across sectors. An online manual, course, and training on drone technology for professional gardeners will be available as OER and respond to the needs of a digital transformation of the profession of gardeners, especially those of the European Route of Historic Gardens. 15 gardeners will complete the course and use new technologies in the restoration, conservation, and valorization of gardens.