The PharmaLedger project will create a blockchain-based framework for the efficient digitization of the healthcare industry. The goal of the project is to provide a widely trusted platform that will support the design and adoption of blockchain-enabled healthcare solutions while accelerating delivery of innovation that will benefit the entire ecosystem, from manufacturers to patients. PharmaLedger will serve as a single source of truth for the healthcare ecosystem and will be designed for efficient decentralized governance, wide adoption by the stakeholders of the ecosystem, compliance with extant and emerging standards and regulation, and end-to-end connectivity and interoperability. Sustainability of the platform will be ensured by leveraging existing, successful blockchain technologies; open source reference implementation; and a fully documented, actionable methodology for evolutionary digitization of the healthcare industry. The project will address the key challenges of the healthcare ecosystem through prioritized delivery of applications and validation of business use cases, including but not be limited to end-to-end product tracking for combating counterfeit medicines and medical supplies; supply chain integrity; efficiency of recruitment and submission in clinical trials; and machine-learning health data marketplaces. The platform will support integrated use of medical devices across the use cases. The PharmaLedger project brings together 28 partners from 10 EU Member States, including 11 large pharmaceutical companies; highly innovative technology SMEs specializing in blockchain development, security, privacy and business intelligence; universities and research institutes specializing in pharmacoeconomic analysis, research of patient requirements, big data analytics and electronic health records; leading clinical trials companies; supply chain partners; patient representatives; and leading healthcare service providers.

The FORGE project has been specified as necessary by our energy-intensive industrial members, who, in order to intensify and update their future processes, need to improve equipment capability to withstand corrosion, erosion and brittle failures from gas collection and kiln operations, to maintain the equipment’s up-time and production efficiency. Current materials used in these exceptionally harsh environments, (and the corresponding design models) are not capable of robustly resisting degradation, leading to the constant need to inspect and repair damage. The FORGE project will train a machine-learning model to guide high-throughput experiments, to develop novel high performance coatings of targeted “Compositionally Complex Alloys" and Ceramic counterparts, to be applied to the key specified vulnerable process stages (eg CO2 capture and waste heat recovery pipework, heat exchangers, kiln refractories) in response to the specific degradation forces we find at each point. We will also capture the underlying principles of the material resistance, to proactively design the equipment for performance while minimising overall capex costs from these new alloys. The FORGE consortium has industrial user members from steel, cement, aluminium and ceramic industries and specialist materials, to ensure the project's focus on real-world issues, coupled with world-leading experience in the development of materials, protective coatings and their application to harsh environments. In addition to developing the new coating materials and techniques, we also aim to provide a new overarching set of design paradigms and generate an underpinning Knowledge Based System to inform this and future work in other energy intensive industries.

Thermal end-uses (space heating, hot tap water, cooling) represent a major part of electricity consumption in Europe and cause consumption peaks, often when electricity is expensive. Hot tap water is the only thermal end-use provided as a base load over a year and that is stored. Space heating and air conditioning are seasonal thermal end-uses with a high residential electricity consumption. They are not stored at the buildings scale to allow peak shaving of the residential electricity consumption. These statements show the interest to develop appropriate thermal energy storages, suitable for buildings, to reduce the electricity bill of end-users. ComBioTES will thus develop a modular compact thermal energy storage (TES) solution for heating, hot tap water and cooling fully adapted for electricity load shifting. A first modular TES will be able to store hot tap water to be converted into ice storage during summer (cooling needs). A second compact latent TES, using high performances (ΔH≈260kJ/kg) bio-based non-aggressive PCM, will store high heating energy amount, for space heating or hot tap water demands. As thermal end-uses in buildings are different regarding seasonal needs, this concept combines the advantage of a modular TES (high utilization rate) with the high volumetric energy density of a latent TES using a bio-based PCM (high compactness: ≥ 100kWh/m3 ΔT=50°C). The ComBioTES consortium and associated External Advisory Board (Idex, Danfoss and Passive House) involve all relevant key players in energy storage and management: RTOs for development and testing infrastructure and SMEs for manufacturing & commercialization of the technology, and representative of potential customers and end users (building owners &operators). In line with IC7, two partners from CHINA (The Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and The Henan Province GuoanHeating Equipment Co., LTD) will promote the ComBioTES concept in this country.

The GEAR-UP proposal, is a comprehensive initiative to revolutionize the manufacturing sector through sustainable practices and advanced technologies. The project's central objective is to develop digital tools and methodologies that address recycled materials variability. It covers stainless steel, aluminum alloys, and fiber-reinforced plastics for additive manufacturing (AM). It employs simulation-driven approaches for optimizing various AM processes, including laser beam-directed energy deposition, metal laser beam powder bed fusion, and fiber-reinforced polymer material extrusion. GEAR-UP also emphasizes environmental conservation by using recycled materials in engineering design, significantly reducing virgin resources, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. The project intends to overcome challenges associated with secondary materials, such as performance variability, through resilient design and life-cycle environmental impact assessment. Moreover, the proposal outlines ambitious objectives for enhancing sustainable product design using innovative simulation and modeling software. It also implements the Digital Product Passport initiative and fosters human involvement in advancing circularity and sustainable technology adoption. This is done through training and global collaborative networks. GEAR-UP's approach represents a paradigm shift in engineering design, focusing on the circular value chain and developing universally adaptable AM technologies resilient to material variability. This endeavor is expected to directly impact the high-performance consumer products, green energy, & high-tech robotics markets. The key outcomes are: Cost savings: 25 % Increased productivity: 20-50 % Extended fatigue life: 50-80 % Defects reduced: 50-80 % Material waste reduced: 25-30 % CO2 emissions reduced: 25-50 % Reduced quality failures: 70-90 % Reduced design time: 20-50 % Reduced component weight: 25-30%

Geothermal is the most under-utilized of renewable sources due to high investment costs and long development cycle. A big part (53%) of the cost is in drilling and it is time-dependent. Geo-Drill aims to reduce drilling cost with increased ROP and reduced tripping with improved tools lives. Geo-Drill is proposing drilling technology incorporating bi-stable fluidic amplifier driven mud hammer, low cost 3D printed sensors & cables, drill monitoring system, Graphene based materials and coatings. Geo-Drill fluidic amplifier driven hammer is less sensitive to issues with mud and tolerances, less impact of erosion on hammer efficiency and it continues to operate with varying mud quality in efficient manner. It is also less affected by the environmental influences such as shocks, vibrations, accelerations, temperature and high pressures. Low cost and robust 3D-printed sensors & cables along the surface of the whole length of the drill string provides real-time high bandwidth data during drilling; e.g. estimation of rock formation hardness, mud flow speed, density, temp, etc. Flow assurance simulations combined with sensor readings and knowledge-based system will assist in optimizing drilling parameters and cuttings transport performance and safety conditions. Graphene's ability to tune the particular form lends itself uniquely as a component in a wide variety of matrices for coating developments with enhanced adhesion and dispersion properties and improved resistance to abrasion, erosion, corrosion and impact. Placing few mm hard-strength materials on drill bit, drill stabilizer through diffusion bonding improves their wear resistance and improve the lifetime. Geo-Drill's hammers improved efficiency and lifetime, drill parameter optimisation and CTP via sensors, reduced time in replacing tools with improved lifetime work together to improve ROP & lifetime resulting in reduced drilling time. Thereby, Geo-Drill will reduce drilling cost by 29-60%.