In 2009, the European Union identified Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) for their potential impact in strengthening Europe’s industrial and innovation capacity [COM(2009)512 final]. In particular, KETs were recognized, as playing increasingly vital role in developing the required industrial and technological base indispensable for the delivery of smart, sustainable and inclusive European Growth [SEC(2010)1276 final, COM(2010)614 final].In order to exploit KETs technological fields and their industrial dimension, new skills and competencies are necessary. Particularly, the future of innovations calls the students to acquire understanding of different scientific and technical skills, as well as business and personal skills that will allow them to easily adapt to new tasks, job functions or even different scientific areas and will lead to efficient interdisciplinary work.Involving employers in the design and delivery of the university programmes, supporting staff exchanges and including practical experience in courses can help attune curricula to current and emerging labour market needs and foster employability and entrepreneurship [SEC(2011)1063 final]. This was particularly highlighted in the Cefic study on “Critical Needs for Innovation in the Chemical Industry”.Cefic, national associations, companies and universities in Slovakia, Greece and the Czech Republic built up partnership that was particularly focused on entrepreneurial skills and knowledge of current and future trends in product innovations in the sectors using chemistry in manufacturing their products. The project established close cooperation of higher education institutions (HEIs) and employers that worked together on meeting the current needs through tailored, concrete actions. The overall objective of the projects was to build up Strategic Partnership between the European chemical sector and HEIs and facilitated effective collaboration in building up entrepreneurial competencies with focus on the future innovations in the sectors using chemistry for manufacturing their products, especially SMEs needed from HEIs to develop specific set of competencies in future innovators working in their companies. This has been particularly essential for SMEs operating in the EU border regions to use emerging investment opportunities in KETs to support regional development and competitiveness of the local industries populated by SMEs. The projects seek to exploited know-how available in chemical industry to enhance these competencies in future generations of scientists and engineers through the effective engagement of industry and higher education institutions (HEIs).The Innochem project led to:• Analysis of status quo in the target countries with respect of needs in innovation-related entrepreneurial competencies and analysis of obstacles in addressing these needs effectively;• Formulating roadmaps for implementing know-how and recommendations in this area developed by Cefic and partner organizations aimed at enhancing the tertiary education to include innovation related entrepreneurial competences (skills and knowledge);• Endorsement of the roadmaps by relevant authorities and organizations, including HEIs and industry with specific time frame and action plan for implementation;• Dissemination of the project results using the network of associations and companies managed by the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic).The Innochem project developed framework that:• Facilitated constructive dialogue and sharing knowledge and know-how between HEIs and employers on set of competencies needed for companies, particularly for SMEs, and current trends in product innovations to enhance academic teaching; • Facilitated constructive dialogue and exchange of ideas between stakeholders on the best way to enhance academic teaching;• Engaged with key stakeholders in European industry and academia – in particular:- HEIs that have been actively using or developing leading edge innovative teaching methods,- National Associations affiliating chemical companies, including SMEs and having strong links to downstream users belonging to different sectors and using chemistry or chemical products in manufacturing consumer good and products for professional use.

HARMONI aims at bringing together all the relevant stakeholders of the process industry to jointly identify, analyse and propose solutions to the regulatory bottlenecks and standardization needs that hamper their innovation processes and the market uptake of their results, necessary to move towards a more sustainable and competitive European process industry. In order to achieve HARMONI’s overarching goal, the consortium will develop and apply a methodology for ensuring an effective collaboration of the 8 sectors involved in SPIRE PPP to elaborate the solutions to the common challenges they face due to non-technological barriers, such as regulatory issues or the lack of European Standards when trying to improve their resource efficiency. In addition, HARMONI will analyse, compare and propose recommendations to trigger the transferability of technical solutions among and beyond the SPIRE sectors. The methodology will include the utilisation of the existing SPIRE Knowledge platform and the creation of another platform to be linked with CEN/CENELEC STAIR WG for the coordination of the project’s standardization activities. The project activities will result in an optimized EU regulatory and standardization framework that facilitates and supports innovation in the process industry; a better participation of the SPIRE community in the EU regulatory and procedures, thus providing the most adequate input to the regulatory authorities; an earlier and more active involvement of the SPIRE community in the EU standardization process; and an overall better environment to maximize transferability rates of technologies across SPIRE sectors. HARMONI consortium includes 3 SPIRE sectorial associations (chemicals, cement and equipment), A.SPIRE, 2 RTDs coming from two SPIRE sectors (steel, ceramic), 1 National Standardization body (DIN) and an experienced RTO to coordinate them (CIRCE). In addition, an Advisory Board will involve the other 5 SPIRE sectorial associations and CEN/CENELE

VERAM aims to provide an umbrella and coordination function for the raw materials related research and innovation activities across the relevant ETPs and their national technology platforms (while maintaining the flexibility and individual visions of each ETP network) as well as related other stakeholders across the raw materials value chain in order to increase synergies and facilitate uptake of research results and innovation across the sectors and their value chains. The project will encourage capacity building as well as transfer of knowledge and innovation capability. It will coordinate the network of people involved in the different Horizon 2020 and other projects and initiatives and will provide a platform for identifying gaps and complementarities and bridge these. We will also advise the European Commission and national governments of future research needs and tools to stimulate innovation and assist in overcoming the fragmentation in the implementation of the EIP on RM SIP. We will look for mutually beneficial information exchange, encourage cross-fertilization between actions undertaken by different raw material industries and will speed-up exploitation of breakthrough innovations. The final result of the activities will be a common long term 2050 vision and roadmap for the relevant raw materials, including metals, industrial minerals and aggregates and wood. The following main deliverables are foreseen as major project results: • Deliver a mapping of on-going initiatives in the field of raw materials at the EU and Member States level as well as regional and local levels, both from the R&I and policy side. The mapping will also consider other international initiatives. • Propose a 2050 roadmap/research agenda for raw materials in coordination and cooperation with all stakeholders across the value chain, based on a comprehensive gap analysis while paying close attention to the specificities of critical industrial sectors as well as possible synergies.