PAPILLONS will elucidate ecological and socioeconomic sustainability of agricultural plastics (APs) in relation to releases and impacts of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in European soils. We will advance knowledge on sources, behaviour and impacts through cross-disciplinary research, bringing together scientists from chemistry, materials engineering, agronomy, soil ecology, toxicology and social sciences. We will transform the scientific knowledge generated into guidance on specific solutions by applying a Multi-actor approach, involving actors in the agricultural and policy sector and world-leading industries. This will enable co-creation of knowledge and provide the scientific background to enable policy, agricultural and industrial innovation towards sustainable farm production systems. We will deliver the first digital European atlas of AP use, management and waste production to estimate sources of MNP to agricultural soils. We will run integrative studies at laboratory, mesocosm and field scales in different parts of Europe to address: occurrence of AP-derived MNPs; MNP behaviour and transport in soil; uptake by biota and crops; long-term impacts on soil properties, fertility and ecological services; effects on biological and functional diversity across multiple scales; effects on plant production and quality; and socioeconomic impacts of AP-based practices. We will focus on multigenerational effect studies for relevant traditional and biodegradable polymers, at realistic and future high-exposure scenarios. PAPILLONS partners pioneered soil MNP research, host the majority of European analytical capacity for assessing soil contamination and will provide validated, high-throughput analysis for MNPs in soil. Using innovative applications of state-of-the-art analytical chemistry, we will advance analysis down to the nanoscale range and develop novel radiolabelled nanoplastics for accurately tracking behaviour and transport in soil and uptake by biota and crops.

Aquaculture is one of five sectors in the EU's Blue Growth Strategy, aimed at harnessing untapped potential for food production and jobs whilst focusing on environmental sustainability. TAPAS addresses this challenge by supporting member states to establish a coherent and efficient regulatory framework aimed at sustainable growth. TAPAS will use a requirements analysis to evaluate existing regulatory and licensing frameworks across the EU, taking account of the range of production environments and specificities and emerging approaches such as offshore technologies, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, and integration with other sectors. We will propose new, flexible approaches to open methods of coordination, working to unified, common standards. TAPAS will also evaluate existing tools for economic assessment of aquaculture sustainability affecting sectoral growth. TAPAS will critically evaluate the capabilities and verification level of existing ecosystem planning tools and will develop new approaches for evaluation of carrying capacities, environmental impact and future risk. TAPAS will improve existing and develop new models for far- and near-field environmental assessment providing better monitoring, observation, forecasting and early warning technologies. The innovative methodologies and components emerging from TAPAS will be integrated in an Aquaculture Sustainability Toolbox complemented by a decision support system to support the development and implementation of coastal and marine spatial planning enabling less costly, more transparent and more efficient licensing. TAPAS partners will collaborate with key industry regulators and certifiers through case studies to ensure the acceptability and utility of project approach and outcomes. Training, dissemination and outreach activities will specifically target improvement of the image of European aquaculture and uptake of outputs by regulators, while promoting an integrated sustainable strategy for development.

Water theft claims between 30% and 50% of the global water supply, and despite policy efforts to tackle it, is still on the rise. The policy failure to tackle water theft has been attributed to the nonlinear adaptive responses by economic agents such as irrigators, which can affect and be affected by other socioeconomic (e.g., growing crop prices) and ecological processes (e.g., water scarcity) via feedback loops with cascading impacts that are difficult to foresee. This has led to adaptation surprises with unexpected policy consequences, which have increased rather than reduced water theft, thus depleting water bodies and hampering sustainable development. Here I aim to break new ground by developing a novel approach to forecast adaptation surprises in complex human-water systems. To this end, I will 1) combine microeconomic mathematical programming models with behavioral economic methods to forecast the nonlinear adaptive responses of individual agents over time; 2) integrate the behavior of individual agents into agent-based models and macroeconomic models to forecast nonlinear spatial trends emerging from human interactions at the local to global level; 3) endogenize these socioeconomic processes into human-water system models to forecast nonlinear socio-hydrological phenomena; and 4) use ensemble experiments to quantify scenario and modeling uncertainties, and forecast nonlinearities that may emerge or be amplified due to issues of model parameterization/structure or scenario design. These innovations will allow me to predict the emergence of nonlinearities and track their impact across coupled human-water systems, thus discovering adaptation surprises and their drivers. Methods will be empirically applied and tested in 3 living labs in Spain, Australia, and the US experiencing water theft.

The project will bring together researchers to the general public and will increase awareness of research and innovation activities, with a view to supporting the public recognition of researchers. The European Researchers' Night in Madrid will bring together researchers to the general public and will increase awareness of research and innovation activities, with a view to supporting the public recognition of researchers, creating an understanding of the impact of researchers' work on citizen's daily life, and encouraging young people to embark on scientific careers. The project will implement it by means of a set of festive activities to be carried out in the Region of Madrid on the morning and evening of the last Friday of September. The activities will be addressed to public at large, science-addicts and science-reluctant, children, families, teachers, elderly, people regardless their scientific background with a special focus on young people: secondary and primary school students with the main purpose of encouraging STEM subjects and science careers, university students and also vocational education and training students. The event will involve researchers, benefited by EU funds, especially the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Their presence in the activities at the European corners will point out the transnational and diversity aspects of research, showing the attractiveness of their jobs that can be done everywhere in Europe. Regional and Academic authorities, stakeholders and managers from universities, research centres, museums, hospitals, NGOs, foundations and industry (Spin offs, SME or Large Companies) in the Region of Madrid will be at the core of the project.

The European Researchers' Night in Madrid will bring together researchers to the general public and will increase awareness of the importance and benefits of research and innovation, creating an understanding of the impact of researchers' work on citizen's daily life, and raising young people’s interest in science and research careers. The project will achieve these objectives by means of festive activities to be carried out in the Region of Madrid in the morning and evening of the last Friday and Saturday of September 2022-2023. Pre events and post events will be also organized. The Madrid Night project also includes Researchers at Schools activities throughout the year. In these activities, researchers will be visiting schools, allowing teachers and pupils to engage with them on important topics faced by our societies, such as those included in the missions in Horizon Europe: cancer, adaptation to climate change, healthy oceans, seas coastal and inland waters, climate-neutral and smart cities and soil health and food. Students and teachers will also visit the researchers’ workplaces. The MADRIDNIGHT activities will be addressed to public at large, science-addicts and science-reluctant, children, families, teachers, elderly, people regardless their scientific background with a special focus on families, pupils, and students, with the main purpose of encouraging STEM subjects and science careers, university students and also vocational education and training students. Different activities will be offered focused on the missions in Horizon Europe. The project will involve researchers, benefited by EU funds, especially the MSCA. The activities will point out the transnational and diversity aspects of research, showing the attractiveness of their jobs that can be done everywhere in Europe. Universities, research centres, museums, hospitals, NGOs, foundations and Industry (Spin offs, SME or Large Companies) in the Region of Madrid will be at the core of the project.