Metropolitan Inclusivity in Climate and Digital Transitions (MICAD), is an innovative project dedicated the creation of a framework for inclusive metropolitan planning focusing on climate and digital transitions. The primary objective is to advance inclusive metropolitan planning, a goal that will be realized through the creation of a toolkit for local and regional authorities. The effectiveness of this toolkit will be demonstrated with the elaboration of five roadmaps for digital or climate transition in different cities with diverse backgrounds, accompanied by the formulation of policy recommendations to amplify its impact. To achieve these ambitious objectives, a robust consortium, boasting diverse expertise in urban planning, co-creation, and living lab methodologies, has been assembled. Partners will collaborate closely to empower local and regional authorities with the necessary skills to implement these methodologies effectively. Capacity building efforts will extend to replication and exploitation partners, leveraging their extensive networks to disseminate these methodologies globally and assist other international actors in navigating similar transitions. The project will also contribute to the academic discourse by publishing a set of recommendations and articles, further expanding its impact. MICAD's significant contribution lies in fostering international cooperation among local, regional, and international actors. Through this collaboration, the project aims to identify the risks and opportunities associated with implementing inclusive and participatory planning processes. The study and application of community-held innovative processes will provide insights into the most effective and engaging participatory policy-making strategies. The results of these studies will be shared, leading to the proposal of solution models that can be adapted to various contexts.

Based on a detailed mapping of urban challenges and relevant nature-based solutions (NBS), Nature4Cities aims at developing complementary and interactive modules to engage urban stakeholders in a collective-learning process about re-naturing cities, develop and circulate new business, financial and governance models for NBS projects, as well as provide tools for the impacts assessment, valorisation and follow-up of NBS projects. The different modules are: • a database of generic NBS and associated environmental, economic and social performances • an observatory of NBS projects best practices / case studies • a set of innovative business, financial and governance models for the deployment of NBS in a range of different contexts, together with a tool to help urban stakeholders identify eligible models regarding their NBS project contexts • a NBS project impact assessment toolbox providing capabilities for environmental, economic and social impacts evaluation at different stages in the project development cycle from opportunity/feasibility studies to design steps and project follow-up). This toolbox will built on a range of tools, from generic indicator-based assessment for early project stages, down to detailed modelisations of NBS behaviors. These modules that already have a proper purpose on their own, will furthermore be integrated in a NBS dissemination and assessment self-learning platform [N4C Platform] to assist NBS project developers along the entire life cycle of their projects from opportunity studies and project definition down to performance monitoring. Nature4Cities indicators, methodologies, tools and platform will be field tested in real working environments and on real nature-based solution projects and developments in selected cities in Europe, which will be partners of the project and engage their technical urban and environmental planning teams.

The overall goal of MULTISOURCE is to, together with local, national, and international stakeholders, demonstrate a variety of about Enhanced Natural Treatment Solutions (ENTS) treating a wide range of urban waters and to develop innovative tools, methods, and business models that support citywide planning and long-term operations and maintenance of nature-based solutions for water treatment, storage, and reuse in urban areas worldwide. MULTISOURCE will allow users to identify multiple sources for local water reuse, promote increased uptake of nature-based solutions, and minimize discharge of water that has not received adequate treatment. MULTISOURCE will deliver new knowledge about ENTS and their ability to remove waterborne contaminants and provide effective risk reduction for chemical and biological hazards, as well as their capacity to be integrated into the landscape and contribute to the improvement of urban habitats. The project includes seven pilots treating a wide range of urban waters. Two individual municipalities (Girona, Spain; Oslo, Norway), two metropolitan municipalities (Lyon, France; Milan, Italy), and international partners in Brazil, Vietnam, and the USA will contribute to each of the main project activities: ENTS pilots, risk assessment, business models, technology selection, and the MULTISOURCE Planning Platform. The use of urban archetypes in the Planning Platform will enable users to quickly classify regions (in both developed or developing countries) suitable for the application of nature-based solutions for water treatment (NBSWT) and compare scenarios both with and without NBSWT. This unique approach provides the knowledge, business models, and modular tools that will enable stakeholders to conduct fit-to-purpose, large-scale planning in their local region and, in doing so, promote circularity and sustainable development in the urban water sector and overcome barriers to widespread uptake of nature based solutions for water treatment.

FAIR Action wanted to change mind-sets of SMEs towards apprenticeships, through the activation of a broad network bringing together companies, key stakeholders from employment and education sectors and relevant policy makers. The project was conceived for three countries Italy,Romania and Spain where traditionally apprenticeship and dual system, until recently, were not part of the educational system like in other EU countries. All the partners demonstrated a genuine committment in implementing activities and received great participatory feedback from project targets such as SMEs, students, potential apprentices, schools and policy makers.FAIR project was implemented in a very important moment of transition from the point of view of national and regional regulatory frameworks that launched new forms and rules for apprenticeship and WBL schemes, very often unknown by companies. The FAIR project objectives and achievements have been focused on 3 components: The first component is related to Networking and Dialogue between stakeholders for a SMEs supporting policy framework. The core of Erasmus+ KA3 – Policy Reform, has been reached throught the very succesful activities of the Think Tanks established at regional level and Roundtables where stakeholders had the opportunity of dialogue and interaction with relevant policy makers. The main achievement is the signature of a “Statement of Apprenticeship” which is an output that was not foreseen in the project, but it summarises both a process and a vision to create favourable conditions for the diffusion of apprenticeship.The second component is related to Information and Services delivery to SMEs where,thanks to FAIR Action, Formaper, Valencia Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of Commerce of Giurgiu, in coordination with the other partners,have became permanent territorial landmarks for the delivery of SMEs information and support services and for fostering the WBL culture in enterprises.The main result of the project was the development of a FAIR Promoting Apprenticeship Model which is based on various steps from the first informative contacts to SMEs up to customized assistance to SMEs and students /schools to develop succesful learning paths. The model has created a FAIR Good Practice which can be replicated and disseminated in other projects and activities, generating sustainability for the action. A very rich FAIR website Help Desk has been developed, and continously updated, where stakholeders can find guides, matching databases,videos and webinars on apprenticeship for different targets: www.fairapprenticeship.euUseful documents and elearning modules and videos were made available on the website help desk and they will be available to a much wider audience than the one directly touched by the project.An extensive FAIR campaing, launched by 4 workshops in each country, has been carried out through social media (https://www.facebook.com/Erasmus.FAIR.Project/)and institutional communication channels reaching around 300.000 SMEs in the three countries.The FAIR key message to the 2.500 SMEs participating in events, pilot activities, workshops, was focused on how the involvement of students and young people can represent grow and innovation factors for companies. The FAIR key learning issue for the 2.600 young potential potential apprentices and 100 teachers involved in FAIR activities, was centered on the importance of soft skills development to bring value at workplace.The FAIR Brand based on the CSR value of SMEs engaged in apprenticeship was launched and is now recognizable at local level.FAIR project has exercised a strong capacity building action-third component-both for beneficiaries and targets: 24 Chambers’ Apprenticeship Promotion Angels have been trained and delivered pilot activites in each region, involving more than 600 SMEs.The Action, its activities and results have generated a notable impact both at policy level and at target level.

Water is central to all human activities, to all components of the EU Green Deal and to several UN SDGs. The Water4All Partnership aims at enabling water security for all on the long term through boosting systemic transformations and changes across the entire research – water innovation pipeline, fostering the matchmaking between problem owners and solution providers. It gathers more than 70 partners, R&I funders, environment ministries, local authorities, European, national and regional-scale networks, research performing organisations. It will collaborate with other relevant R&I initiatives. Water4All proposes a portfolio of multi-national, cross-sectoral activities, targeting a variety of actors, intending to generate the following outputs: - Strengthen the water R&I collaboration at European and international levels, across at least 31 countries, notably through Joint Transnational Calls - Coordinate and leverage the activities of the Water R&I community - Support and promote the demonstration and access to market of innovative solutions - Produce, share and better communicate water-related knowledge & data, from local to global scales - Enhance talent development of water R&I professionals - Foster capacity development and life-long training of water policy-makers, stakeholders and civil society - Design & implement approaches for participatory development of innovation Water4All will run its activities across 7 themes of its strategic agenda: water for circular economy; water for ecosystems and biodiversity; sustainable water management; water and health; water infrastructure; international cooperation; water governance. Water4All’s outputs will contribute to: - Deliver sound knowledge, tools and evidence basis on water for policy- & decision-making - Improve consideration of water impacts in all relevant policies - Enhance the field/market use of innovative solutions to water challenges - Increase citizens’ awareness and engagement for an inclusive water