Gathering 17 partners from 7 countries, METHAREN aims to demonstrate a cost-effective, innovative, more sustainable and circular biomethane production system enabling renewable energy sources intermittency management. To do so, METHAREN is providing improvements beyond the state-of-the art along four main axes related to: i) the biogas plant efficiency; ii) flexibility and energy management for RES integration; iii) the circularity approach for sustainable production and iv) innovative business models and adapted policies. The consortium will use the results of the engineering specifications (WP1) to develop the technologies related to the gasification plant (WP2), the methanation plant (WP3) and the development of the circularity (WP4) in the various processes as METHAREN will reuse water, O2 from the electrolysis, and heat to foster overall efficiency and sustainability. All individually developed and tested systems will then be integrated and tested in a pilot site (WP5) before being operated and optimised for more than a year (WP6). In parallel, the market uptake and exploitation of solutions will be carried out all along the project to ensure that the technologies develop will answer market needs (WP7) while dedicated communication and dissemination activities (WP8) will ensure that the results of the project are known and used by relevant stakeholders. Coordinated by a European industrial engineering world leader, the management of the project (WP9) will also be ensured by WP leaders, who all have strong experience and excellent expertise in their fields as research and technical centres, engineering development companies, or industrials. This combined expertise will allow METHAREN to demonstrate an increase of cost effectiveness by at least 20% while reaching a carbon conversion rate from biowaste to methane higher than 80%, a reduction of GHG emission compared to current process by 50% and the potential of replication on at least 30 other sites in Europe.

H2tALENT launches a flagship Hydrogen Valley in Alentejo-PT to consolidate the strong investment in place and boost the penetration of green hydrogen by deploying new initiatives across the entire value chain from local production to use including distribution for a range of applications in industry, mobility and buildings while also connecting with existing/planned infrastructures and initiatives. In the next 5 years are foreseen 2.1GW electrolysers, 180ktons/y of green H2, 2B€ investments and 5000 jobs in Alentejo. Safe design and operation is ensured to deliver certified green hydrogen. H2tALENT produces >1200 ton/y used by several off-takers in industry, mobility (public bus & truck) and building (municipal pool). The strategic position of the Sines Port is valorised as a key multi-modal hub for interconnection and import/export as well the industrial ecosystem surrounding it. Optimal energy system integration is ensured via technology assessment and impact modelling to contribute to the national energy transition strategy. H2tALENT generates investments around 20M€. Digital Twinning and tools for optimal planning and operation are delivered to support upscaling and replication, while professional upskilling and public perception equip the workforce with the needed competences and deliver social benefits. H2tALENT builds a global network where lessons learned from existing valleys are gathered, cooperation with Brazil fostered and replication promoted in 2 follower valleys in DE Saxony and UK Midlands. Roadmaps and concrete actions for upscaling and replication are defined for the Sines Port, Alentejo and Portugal. The consortium includes 29 partners from 6 countries covering the entire value chain including energy suppliers, DSO, technology manufacturer, system integrator, end users and RTO/university experts in digitalisation, public acceptance, environmental assessments and technology assessment with strong political support.

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) e.g. osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, joint & ligament wear, frailty fractures and associated complications in elderly are a severe threat frequently leading to a permanent decline of the patient’s general health and autonomy. NCD prevention is highly relevant to reduce the need for long-term care. The economic burden is expected to increase by 65% from 2020 to 2040 with a strong negative impact on patient’s quality of life. SmILE will provide a cross-sectoral, early risk detection methodology by holistic analysis of elderly patients’ health data. Co-creation with end-users and consideration of diverse needs, mental and physical abilities, living and socio-economic conditions as well as life-situation of older people are implemented. This includes training and enhanced stream of information to patients and other stakeholders. It will offer an AI-based patient analysis, incl. integration of smart wearables and medical devices incl. implants to support monitoring of general health status. Our approach will disrupt the cycle of frailty by minimizing physical decline and risk of re-fractures. To enhance the AI functions, new data sources will be established by instrumenting medical devices, mainly implants, to augment them into monitoring and actively supporting devices. SMILE will: (1) develop an integrated platform to collect, centralize, manage, analyze and share multimorbid geriatric patient data using technology such as AI & machine learning; (2) establish a pan-European bottom-up model of good governance of health data being patient-centered and patient-controlled in line with current regulations; and (3) establish a solution driven by the needs of citizens and patients of old age. SMILE will establish a new approach of outcome-monitoring to provide patient centered, personalized and integrated treatment of elderly NCD patients to improve quality of life, enable real empowerment and ease the financial burden in an ageing society.

AISym4Med aims at developing a platform that will provide healthcare data engineers, practitioners, and researchers access to a trustworthy dataset system augmented with controlled data synthesis for experimentation and modeling purposes. This platform will address data privacy and security by combining new anonymization techniques, attribute-based privacy measures, and trustworthy tracking systems. Moreover, data quality controlling measures, such as unbiased data and respect to ethical norms, context-aware search, and human-centered design for validation purposes will also be implemented to guarantee the representativeness of the synthetic data generated. Indeed, an augmentation module will be responsible for exploring and developing further the techniques of creating synthetic data, also dynamically on demand for specific use cases. Furthermore, this platform will exploit federated technologies for reproducing un-indentifiable data from closed borders, promoting the indirect assessment of a broader number of databases, while respecting the privacy, security, and GDPR-compliant guidelines. The proposed framework will support the development of innovative unbiased AI-based and distributed tools, technologies, and digital solutions for the benefit of researchers, patients, and providers of health services, while maintaining a high level of data privacy and ethical usage. AISym4Med will help in the creation of more robust machine learning (ML) algorithms for real-world readiness, while considering the most effective computation configuration. Furthermore, a machine-learning meta-engine will provide information on the quality of the generalized model by analyzing its limits and breaking points, contributing to the creation of a more robust system by supplying on-demand real and/or synthetic data. This platform will be validated against local, national, and cross-border use-cases for both data engineers, ML developers, and aid for clinicians’ operations.

Background We propose a holistic view of interrelated frailties: cognitive decline, physical frailty, depression and anxiety, social isolation and poor sleep quality, which are a major burden to older adults and social and health care systems. Early detection and intervention are crucial in sustaining active and healthy ageing (AHA) and slowing or reversing further decline. Aims and Relevance The main aim of my-AHA is to reduce frailty risk by improving physical activity and cognitive function, psychological state, social resources, nutrition, sleep and overall well-being. It will empower older citizens to better manage their own health, resulting in healthcare cost savings. my-AHA will use state-of-the-art analytical concepts to provide new ways of health monitoring and disease prevention through individualized profiling and personalized recommendations, feedback and support. Approach An ICT-based platform will detect defined risks in the frailty domains early and accurately via non-stigmatising embedded sensors and data readily available in the daily living environment of older adults. When risk is detected, my-AHA will provide targeted ICT-based interventions with a scientific evidence base of efficacy, including vetted offerings from established providers of medical and AHA support. These interventions will follow an integrated approach to motivate users to participate in exercise, cognitively stimulating games and social networking to achieve long-term behavioural change, sustained by continued end user engagement with my-AHA. Scale and Sustainability The proposed platform provides numerous incentives to engage diverse stakeholders, constituting a sustainable ecosystem with empowered end users and reliable standardised interfaces for solutions providers, which will be ready for larger scale deployment at project end. The ultimate aim is to deliver significant innovation in the area of AHA by cooperation with European health care organizations, SMEs, NGOs.