There is a need to develop an autonomous, reliable, cost effective technology to map vast terrains, in terms of mineral and raw material contents which will aid in reducing the cost of mineral exploration, currently performed by ROVs and dedicated SSVs and crew. Furthermore there is a need to identify, in an efficient and non-intrusive manner (minimum impact to the environment), the most rich mineral sites. This technology will aid the seabed mining industry, reduce the cost of exploration and especially the detailed identification of the raw materials contained in a mining sites and enable targeted mining only of the richest resources existing. The ROBUST proposal aims to tackle the aforementioned issue by developing sea bed in situ material identification through the fusion of two technologies, namely laser-based in-situ element-analyzing capability merged with underwater AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) technologies for sea bed 3D mapping. This will enable resource identification done by robotic control enabled by the synergy between AUV hovering and manipulator capabilities. The underwater robotic laser process is the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), used for identification of materials on the sea bed. The AUV Robotic vehicle will dive, identify the resources that are targeted for LIBS scanning through 3D real time mapping of the terrain (hydro-acoustically, laser scanners, photogrammetry) and position the LIBS in the required locations of mineral deposits on the ocean floor to autonomously perform qualitative and quantitative analyses.

Innovation in the food industry has been positioned as a societal challenge with high potential for sustainable competiveness, innovation and growth. This requires the development and further application of technologies for a sustainable food chain; safe foods and healthy diets for all. Particularly, the increase of productivity will contribute to meet the demands of a growing population, but also the market will become more financially sustainable and attractive to the growth of new food businesses. One of the key benefits the SUIT4FOOD project hopes to achieve, is the application and scaling-up of alternative food processes resulting in higher product quality, longer shelf-life, fewer lost sales, reduction in costs due to water and energy. Alternatives to current technologies are also important in support of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Bioeconomy Policy. The overall aim of this strategic partnership is to introduce, teach and train early stage researchers in the area of sustainable Intervention technologies for controlling food safety and stability through a multilateral trans-European cooperation, which fosters both institutional collaboration and innovative problem based learning initiatives. Development of sound Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs), optimisation of alternative sustainable intervention technologies for food processing, transferring knowledge to industry are of great importance to support food industry and food management (traceability, food safety). The specific objectives are outlined hereunder: (i) To develop each participants’ capacity to get familiar with the main principles, mode of action and current applications of a number of physical intervention technologies for controlling microorganisms and enzymatic activity in food matrices. (ii) To build up skills in setting-up these technologies at laboratory, pilot and industrial scale and identifying critical operating parameters. (iii) To provide transversal competences of the participating teachers to develop autonomous initiatives in problem based studies of complex food processes including the quantitative analysis of the microbial and enzymatic activity following the application of these technologies. (iv) To expose the students to current legislation aspects (v) To provide the knowledge of transfer strategies in order to implement these technologies in the European food industry. (vi) To create awareness of public acceptance challenges knowledge transfer strategies and entrepreneurial opportunities to implement these technologies. The consortium of the SUIT4FOOD project will be consisted of experts in different novel food processes from institutions within EU. This include Research and Development Institutes such as: • University of Malta (Malta) which will bring an expertise in ultrasound processing, kinetic modelling as well as on developing (e-learning) educational material in higher education and also on engagement public to scientific outcomes. • National Technical University of Athens (Greece) which will bring expertise in high pressure, pulsed electric field processing of food products, kinetic modelling and developing educational material. • The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) is bringing expertise in cold atmospheric plasma technology, and high pressure processing and training graduate and post-graduate researchers. • The SP-Technical Research Institute of Sweden (Sweden) will bring expertise in the area of microwave processing and training graduate and post-graduate researchers. • The Spanish National Research Council (Spain) and the Research Group on Quality, Safety and Bioactivity of Plant Foods will bering expertise in the area of UV light processing and training graduate and post-graduate researchers. Industrial partners such as: • Neoplas GmbH (Germany), a service provider for technology transfer, technology development and technology management will bring expertise in the area of plasma processing and scale up issues. • Creta Farm (Greece) is the market leader in deli meats and will bring expertise in high pressure processing in the real food chain. And Stakeholders such as: • The Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI) (Austria) will bring expertise in the area of harmonization of global food safety regulations and legislation. •ILSI Europe (Belgium) will organise webinar recordings and e-learning modules, provide feedback on the teaching material via its Microbiological Food Safety Task Force and provide suggestions for relevant speakers at the workshops and other dissemination events. The target group of this strategic partnership are MSc or early stage PhD researchers working in the areas of food engineering, food safety, process automation, food manufacturing. The programme will aim to promote an interactive participation, which will stimulate frank and open discussions between young and experienced postgraduate researchers.

The veterinary sector urgently needs to revolutionize their treatment methods in order to solve the present antibiotic overconsumption and related growing resistance. This constitutes an important market opportunity for new technologies. Current non-pharmacological infection treatments such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, laser or LED, are less efficient, given their cost, unpleasant feeling, treatment-time or required area. Therefore, neoplas GmbH successfully developed kINPen®VET, a non-pharmacological, high-innovative and portable cold plasma device for efficient healing of chronic wounds in farm and pet animals. It stimulates and accelerates physiological wound healing and is highly effective against typical wound bacteria, multidrug-resistant microorganisms and fungi, obtaining antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects on the treated surface without the need of antibiotics or developing microorganism resistance. It is based on cold plasma and uses the advantages of the Plasma Effect (ionized gas, electrons and ions, as well as radicals, excited species, UV radiation and electromagnetic fields). KINPen®VET will provide a 100% safe and manoeuvrable device, leading to a more cost-effective and sustainable veterinary medical treatment. kINPen®VET’s commercialization will generate high revenues in the targeted market segments of animal health and wellbeing and organic animal farming (market share 50%). This equals to an approximate number of more than 110.000 systems presenting a turnover of €950 million only in Europe. This ambitious target is reachable by forming a European network of regional suppliers, representatives and costumers in each targeted country. The production costs have been calculated with 5.900 €/ unit in the first 3 years and with a rising production the costs will be reduced to ca. 4.600 €/unit. The sales price is targeted with 8.900 €/unit and will allow a calculated return on investment in under 18 months.

EUR 9.01 trillion – this is the shockingly high amount of added value in manufacturing, which drained off from Europe to other world regions (particularly to regions with low production factor costs like Asia) in the last years. The reason for this can be mainly seen in cost differences of production factors. To retrieve added value to Europe, particularly manufacturing and machining processes have to be improved to greater efficiency. Driven by the vision of Smart Factories of the Future and Industry 4.0, the European Commission therefore starts a lot of initiatives, like the Digital Single Market in 2016. The EC expects that digitisation of products and services can add more than EUR 110 billion of annual revenue in Europe in the next five years. A technology predestined for making machining more efficient and for implementing Industry 4.0 in manufacturing is laser technology (as processing is contactless and therefore very flexible), especially the next level of laser machining based on ultrashort laser pulses resulting in high precision never existed before. Up to now, existing laser machining systems are fixed to only one incorporated laser and therefore limited in parameters and application. This results in the need of having many different laser systems for different applications and in long retooling and adjustment times. For the broad introduction of advanced laser machining in Europe’s manufacturing industry, neoLASE and GFH will during this project integrate the prototype of unique laser amplifier technology in a modular, self-adjusting and self-intelligent laser machining system to reach the next level of manufacturing. This system incorporates several seed lasers and optics, all combinable by the amplifier technology, and therefore has the functionalities of many laser systems in only one machine. This meets actual needs of economically producing highly individualised and customised products like implants also with a lot comprising one single item.