This AgRefine European Training Network (ETN) will provide Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) with the necessary skills and knowledge to position Europe as the global leader in developing an agri-bioeconomy industry based on advanced biorefinery technologies. AgRefine disrupts the mechanism by which biomass is currently being used by cooperatively integrating innovative stand-alone technologies so that the highest value, socio economically beneficial products per input substrates, can be achieved. An integrated training programme will facilitate the amelioration of Europe’s agri-sector competitiveness and environmental sustainability challenges by creating new and optimising current agri-resource and agri-waste valorisation pathways. The ETN will consist of 15 highly interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral PhD projects, each specialising in specific aspects of the bioeconomy, and provide training in a number of cross-cutting multi-disciplinary and highly interdisciplinary advanced technical subject areas including chemical and process engineering, biological science, life cycle assessment, and economics. The network will combine assessment of legislation and policy as it applies to the bioeconomy, with industry-led innovation of AgRefine technology, and market-led experience of sustainable value chain creation. The ESRs will receive training on adopted RRI principles, project management, communication, presentation and media skills. The network will provide ESRs with access to partners with key-expertise in the bioeconomy, gaining a range of relevant transferable skills and expertise in environmental, economic and social aspects of AgRefine. AgRefine will build on successful partnerships from the H2020 AgroCycle project and will leverage the capabilities of the AgroCycle team as well as bring new partnerships into this ETN to provide key researcher training opportunities that the bioeconomy needs in order to be a successful “Bio-green Revolution” for Europe.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector since the 1970s and its most important purpose is to provide healthy and safe food adapted to consumer preferences. At the same time there are fundamental concerns about the ways we farm and transport food across the world, which are related to negative environmental impacts. Hence, sustainable aquaculture has been identified as the “greatest and most feasible” way to obtain adequate seafood for human consumption and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2, 4, 13 and 14 on food security, quality education, climate action and use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The objective of EATFish is a sustainable and profitable European aquaculture sector to secure healthy seafood for our growing society. With a truly multidisciplinary consortium composed of universities, research institutes and private sector partners we propose cutting-edge research related to the biology and technical aspects of aquaculture and have a similarly large effort directed towards socio-economic and governance aspects of aquaculture. Through this overarching approach we aim to: 1. Optimise resource economy in European aquaculture, such that it contributes to a circular bioeconomy 2. Ensure animal health and welfare 3. Develop novel aquaculture products targeted to specific market segments 4. Refine aquaculture governance to facilitate sustainable development of the sector 5. Enhance the skills and competences of future aquaculture professionals By addressing these issues, we intend to aid European aquaculture to address current and future challenges related to competition in the market place, sustainability, disease in aquaculture systems and governance.

The EU has set bold quantified and measurable targets to achieve its Ocean Mission objectives relating to protecting and restoring marine ecosystems and biodiversity (Mission Objective 1); preventing and eliminating pollution of our ocean (Mission Obj. 2); and making the sustainable blue economy carbon-neutral and circular (Mission Obj.3) by 2030. The EU Mission Implementation Plan has two demanding, but necessarily near-term phases: the first ‘development and piloting’ phase by 2025, and the second ‘deployment and upscaling’ phase from 2026-2030. PHAROS will be the logical stepping stone bridging Mission Phase 1 ‘development and piloting’ and the second ‘deployment and upscaling’ phase from 2026-2030. • PHAROS will have three demos in the Atlantic using a combination of newly developed innovative NBS and IMTA, tailored to the local context, resulting in multiple biodiversity and ecosystem restoration benefits (Mission Phase 1). These demos will also leverage key Mission projects including Ocean Citizen, Climarest, and Ultfarms (Mission phase 2). • PHAROS will also partner with H2020 ECOTIP to leverage and extend its project in a demo to reduce invasive species in Iceland with eDNA monitoring (Mission phase 1 and 2). • PHAROS will extending (TRL advancement) and rolling out leading Mission projects across the AA basin including Prep4Blue MPA platform and network, Nettagplus and Remedies Fisher Guardian and Citizen Litter Entrepreneur programs, and Probleu EU Blue School Network platform for education(bridge to phase 2) PHAROS will establish Living Labs, early in the project in each demo and replication region, securing participation for its co-creation approach, across all relevant and necessary actors including different levels of government, researchers and innovators, education institutions, small and large, businesses, investors and civil society.

The overarching objective of AtlantOS is to achieve a transition from a loosely-coordinated set of existing ocean observing activities to a sustainable, efficient, and fit-for-purpose Integrated Atlantic Ocean Observing System (IAOOS), by defining requirements and systems design, improving the readiness of observing networks and data systems, and engaging stakeholders around the Atlantic; and leaving a legacy and strengthened contribution to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). AtlantOS will fill existing in-situ observing system gaps and will ensure that data are readily accessible and useable. AtlantOS will demonstrate the utility of integrating in-situ and Earth observing satellite based observations towards informing a wide range of sectors using the Copernicus Marine Monitoring Services and the European Marine Observation and Data Network and connect them with similar activities around the Atlantic. AtlantOS will support activities to share,

VALIAS aims to match the need for managing the marine Invasive Alien Species (IAS) populations with the growing demand for marine derived-products. Under the frame of circular economy, the valorization of unexploited IAS feedstocks can represent a sustainable strategy for the realization of a circular bio-economy, with the production of stable and safe food, fish feed and cosmetic ingredients. Various compounds with high commercial value obtained from fish and other invasive aquatic species byproducts, including collagen, enzymes, bioactive peptides, minerals and functional fatty acids will be valorized in VALIAS. VALIAS proposal can turn the current problem represented by marine IAS into a "WinWin" solution both for the European fisheries and for the companies active in the sector of aquaculture, nutrition and cosmetology. Specifically, VALIAS will contribute to the limitation of IAS stocks and of their negative ecological and economic impact on marine life, fisheries, human welfare, and health in European seas. Finally, VALIAS will contribute to the enrichment of the knowledge of the biology of IAS, a key objective of European Directive 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of introduction and spread of alien species. VALIAS will bring together experts from industry and academia specialized in interdisciplinary/inter-sectorial, yet highly complementary, research areas of Marine-Maritime Research, Aquaculture, Feed-Food technology and safety and Cosmetology. As a joint research and innovation project, it will develop a strong partnership involving 8 partners from 5 EU countries (EL, CY, IT, IE and BG) and with different technical backgrounds from the academic and non-academic sectors. The execution of the project and the knowledge sharing will be based on secondments (exchanges) of research and innovation staff with an in-built return mechanism strengthening collaborative research among the different countries and sectors.