<< Background >>The EU launched an unprecedented, ambitious initiative “The European Green Deal” (EGD) as an integral part of the EU Commission’s strategy to implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda & the sustainable development goals. Reliable, comparable & verifiable information plays an important part in enabling consumers to make more sustainable decisions & reduces the risk of ‘greenwashing’. As part of EGD initiatives, companies will be required to report against a standard methodology & to assess their impact on the environment. In current practice, the Non-financial Reporting Directive (NFRD, no. 2014/95/EU) lays down the rules on disclosure of non-financial information by companies & is fully transposed in all EU Member States (including partners’ countries). Companies are required to include non-financial statements in their annual reports from 2018 onwards, regarding operational, social & environmental data. However, as the reporting obligation applies only to certain types of companies over 500 employees, the proportion of businesses disclosing non-financial information is very low. Moreover, several problems were identified, raising a question mark referring to the company’s capacity in delivering such reports; various analyses reveal that in many cases, information is provided at a general level and/or data are incomplete and non-comparable. Moreover, most SMEs and other organizations have been struggling to report on a voluntary basis due to their insufficient capacity and understanding of the issue. Nevertheless, the new Corporate Social Reporting Directive (CSRD) is currently in the legislative process that extends its scope to all companies over 250 employees and certain SMEs, which will be required to report on non-financial aspects of their business since 2024. The number of companies subject to the mandatory reporting will thus be many times higher and the managers and responsible employees will have to cope with new challenges. Therefore the project aims to fill a gap in VET programmes dealing with knowledge in sustainability strategic approach & reporting & build up a common approach for VET teachers & learners across the EU to respond to the requirements of the future & flexible job market, to: - Develop partnerships amongst educators, businesses & other stakeholders aimed at promoting work-based learning in all its forms & supporting VET learners in acquiring & developing skills & key competences in sustainability reporting & foster employability; - Introduce open education & innovative digital practices making education available for all & facilitating new learning methods by development of a new e-Learning platform; - Facilitation of the recognition & validation of competences for the SECuRe Manager job, covering the needs of companies, by the creation of an innovative VET course. Implement/test during short-term trainings & demo trainings the learning content & learning materials developed.<< Objectives >>The general idea of the proposed project is the creation of a new Vocational Educational Course & a corresponding Professional Skill/Competency profile, in line with ECVET, that will enable professional staff in a private and/or a public body & VET teachers, to become a certified SECuRe Managers (or specialized Trainer), able to either shape/establish a complete department focusing on sustainability strategy, reporting & related activities. The project will focus in developing knowledge, competences & strengthen key skills contributing to SECuRe education & promote open & innovative practices in the digital age, efficient use of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) in education, improving their teaching capacity through a creativity training program. The objectives are: - Develop partnerships amongst educators, businesses & stakeholders with the purpose of supporting VET learners in acquiring & developing skills & key competences in sustainability, CSR/financial data & SDGs reporting & foster employability. - Introduce open education & innovative digital practices & make education available for all & facilitate new learning methods, by development of a new e-Learning platform developed to assist the integration of sustainability issues through companies’ activities & manpower. - Facilitation of the recognition & validation of competences for the SECuRe Manager job, covering the needs of companies, by the creation of an innovative VET Course including gamification aspects - Implement/testing during short-term trainings & demo trainings the learning content & learning materials developed.<< Implementation >>The consortium will introduce a project management approach that will be based on the principles of Adaptive Project Framework concept. The key activities will be broken into four main areas: the initiation (starting the project on the right foot), the Intellectual Output/phases boundaries (commitment of resources), ad hoc direction (monitoring progress, providing advice & guidance, reacting to exception situations) & project closure (confirming the project outcome & controlled close). In order to achieve the timely & qualitative completion of the project, a coherent management approach, techniques & tools for managers to administrate, monitor & control the project resources, will be utilized. All partners will be involved in the delivery of intellectual outputs, they will be achieved by caring on activities according to the Work Plan & by applying specific methodologies & methods. The sequence of the activities follows a logical approach until the achievement of the final outcomes of the project. Those are connected to the main intellectual outputs as follows: The SECuRe Knowledge Repository (KR). Knowledge repositories help learners to connect with information & expertise globally via online searchable libraries, by providing a central location to collect, contribute & share digital learning resources for use. We will try to organise this collection by topics, so participants will have facile access to tailored information. The KR architecture will allow further enclosure by all partners of new released information, which is continuously developing in this area. Moreover, VET Teachers will be able to consult an open education resource in order to prepare for further courses, & stay updated to novelties. Development of the SECuRe VET Course; focusing on: Elaboration of the professional job profile for SECuRe Manager – according to the levels defined in the EQF job profile level, meaning a solid & realistic base for the training program development, which is explained in the project outcome 2. The Learning Outcomes will be structured in accordance with the standards outlined according to EQF) & ECVET. Development of SECuRe ICT elements: website & e-Learning platform. The ICT support tools are going to be developed simultaneously based on the elaborated content & will be tested in different phases of the project, the train the trainers course, the demo training & finally within the experimental online training. SECuRe Demo training of the draft course, all partners will undertake the following activities: (a) information, organizations & commitment of the target groups to participate in the demo training. (b) performance of the demo training in all countries (c) collecting feedback (d) summarizing feedback for further improvement of the course. Demo training will be performed in all countries, with the participation of all partners & the feedback shared among them with the final purpose to improve the course. SECuREOnline experimental course, the foreseen activities refer to preparing the content & make it ready for moving online, incorporation of interactivity in the content & conduction of the experimental Online Training. Project dissemination. Outputs: Communication & Dissemination Plan, common info tools developed to communicate results. According to the strategy, partners will have clear tasks & a timeframe to complete them. Five multiplier events are foreseen in all participating countries & are planned in systematic manner to disseminate the intellectual outputs & involve stakeholders at key steps of the project. Those will have the aim to involve the local stakeholders. Representation from all stakeholders is necessary in order to ensure that all interests are reflected in the course. A quality plan will be developed which includes qualitive and with it quantative measures in every activity.<< Results >>The foreseen results of the project are: - Development of the SECuRe Knowledge Repository - Development of the SECuRe VET COURSE prepared for certification in line with the European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System (ECVET) framework, - The course will be offered as a Free Open Educational Resource & will be accessible on the SECuRe e-Learning platform during the project lifetime & afterwards. By using modern, digital technologies & tools & software, the course aims at offering work-based learning & training to the companies’ staff, motivating & maximizing enjoyment & engagement of the staff to a “greener” & more sustainable behavior, meant to improve a company’s sustainability performance. Application of work based learning of SECuRe VET course within five pilot demos meant to collect feedback to be used to improve the Course. Massive online experimental online course for final validation of the SECuRe Educational Programme - SECuRe project is expected to have a significant impact on partners’ organizations, VET providers & institutions, consultants & professionals from any economic sector, & other relevant stakeholders that will be involved throughout the project lifetime & beyond. It is worth noting how the project will have an important impact in changing daily functions of enterprises, through the new role of certified staff/managers/trainers in SECuRe VET Course, & therefore, transforming, reshaping & reducing companies & organizations carbon footprint & environmental & social impacts.

Our vision of the European City Facility (EUCF) is one where European cities have their say on how the EUCF financial support will be used to meet their needs and help them overcome barriers they face in financing and implementing their ambitious energy and climate strategies. The ultimate objective of the EUCF is to build a substantial pipeline of sustainable energy investment projects across cities in Europe. This will be achieved by providing targeted financial, technical, legal and capacity building support to overcome critical barriers, develop credible investment packages and mobilise finance. Delivering this will require organisational, technical and financial innovation, in particular to bridge the capacity and capability gap for small and medium-sized municipalities. The specific objectives are to: - Provide hands-on locally rooted technical and financial expertise, inspired by ‘best in class’ European practice, to cities to deliver at least 225 credible and scalable investment concepts (hereafter referred to as IC) which should trigger more than EUR 320 M of public and private investment. - Build the capacity of at least 450 public authority staff to develop substantial project pipelines and provide them with tools, networking and knowledge transfer opportunities which will facilitate and accelerate the IC implementation, including via innovative financing mechanisms and project aggregation. - Facilitate access especially for small and medium-sized municipalities to private finance, EU funding streams and similar facilities (e.g. ESIF, H2020-PDA, Elena-EIB) and advisory services such as the EIB Advisory Hub to realise and amplify the expected investments. - Use the successful IC and knowledge of EUCF beneficiaries to reach out to more than 8,000 cities and communities, encourage replication and catalyse further action across European cities.

The transition to Circular Economy (CE) is an essential contribution to the EU efforts of developing a sustainable, low carbon, resource efficient and competitive economy (Closing the loop – An EU action plan for the CE, 2015). Such a transition represents the opportunity to transform our economy, generate green jobs and build up sustainable competitive advantages for Europe. This project aims to fill a gap in Vocational Education and Training (VET) programmes dealing with zero waste and circular economy.Skills and competences for Zero Waste and Circular Economy (ZW&CE) are becoming extremely important. In Europe, we are using per person 16 t/a (tons per year) of material, of which 5 t/a become waste. Although waste management continues to improve, the EU economy still loses a significant fraction of potential 'secondary raw materials' in waste streams. The CE package, adopted by the Commission in 2015, has created an important momentum to support the transition towards a more CE in the EU. CE gained more significance in 2018 when the new CE Action Plan and a series of more restrictive waste and product policies have been adopted (eg, plastic policy). Transition to CE may only be successful if the corresponding awareness, competences and skills are deeply embedded in the knowledge and daily routine of EU professionals and companies and from this perspective VET education for ZW&CE is critical.The primary goal of EduZWaCE Strategic Partnerships is to supporting exchange of good practices, enabling stakeholders to deepen and spread out knowledge, develop and reinforce networks, increase their capacity to operate at transnational level, and share and confront ideas, practices and methods. The project aims to create new VET programmes dealing with waste and circular economy, and focuses on developing the interdisciplinary skills needed for the jobs of the future that are tailor-made for the needs of the employers/SMEs. With this project we would like to build up a common approach for VET Teachers and learners across EU to respond to the requirements of the future and flexible job market. The project will focus on the following specific objectives:• Develop partnerships amongst educators, businesses and stakeholders with the purpose of supporting VET learners in acquiring and developing skills and key competences in CE and foster employability • Facilitate recognition and validation of competences for new jobs: the ZW&CE Manager and the ZW&CE Technician, by building two Skill Card Sets, structured in accordance with the standards and designed based on the ECVET requirements.• Make education in ZW&CE available for all, by setting the EduZWaCE as an Open Education Resource (OER)The project will be implemented based on a collaborative approach: cooperation between the project partners and collaboration between the consortium and the stakeholders at the local, national, and international level. EduZWaCE will respect the Sociocracy 3.0 collaborative approach. The project outcomes will be delivered using free, open, collective purpose based framework of patterns, will support exchange of good practices allowing organisations to develop and reinforce networks. It will increase their capacity to operate at transnational level, share and confront ideas, practices and methods whilst respecting co-creativity principles, fostering transparency and guaranteeing the equivalence of all participants in decision making.Through its deliverables: (1) EduZWaCE Knowledge HUB; (2) EduZWaCE Skill Card Sets for two jobs roles; (3) EduZWaCE online collaborative platform; (4) EduZWaCE course and (5) EduZWaCE diagnosis tool, the project will foster cooperation between companies, stakeholders and VET educators. It will increase motivation of VET Teachers to use/re-use, adapt and/or modify the training materials, with the aim to improve the acquisition of key competences for their learners/students and to raise awareness of the local and regional policy makers on the importance of taking measures for promoting best practices and flexible learning pathways in VET from an interdisciplinary perspective. On long term the project will have a strong impact on the creation of better interdisciplinary competences directly used for current or future professions and to the adoption of more circular economy solutions.The project involves an appropriate mix of complementary participating organisations with the necessary profile, experience and expertise to successfully deliver all aspects of the project. They will become the facilitators of the EduZWaCE platform, support its utilization and the co-creation of CE solutions through cooperation and exchange – this will empower them as main stakeholders of ZW&CE application in the countries and will contribute to their organisational development.

The CARISMA project has two overall objectives. First, through effective stakeholder consultation and communication leading to improved coordination and assessment of climate change mitigation options, it aims to benefit research and innovation efficiency as well as international cooperation on research and innovation and technology transfer. Second, it seeks to assess policy and governance questions that shape the prospects of climate change mitigation options, and discuss the results with representatives from the CARISMA target audiences to incorporate what can be learned for the benefit of climate change mitigation. The experienced, interdisciplinary and diverse CARISMA consortium has an extensive track record of collaborating in Framework Programme projects. It combines capacity for technological, environmental, economic and social assessment with deep expertise across a range of climate change mitigation options, encompassing mature and emerging technologies as well as practices and governance, which are increasingly identified as important areas to achieve deep greenhouse gas emission reductions. Communication with, and support to, the CARISMA target audiences are an integral part of the project. In all inventory and assessment activities envisaged in the project, interaction with stakeholders is a key part. To facilitate coordination and avoid overlap, these activities are overseen by a dedicated work package. The target audiences include national and local policymakers, innovation and strategy managers in business and industry, research funding organisations and the research community. The CARISMA project will result in online platform services, face-to-face interactions, policy briefs and publications and increased capacity in the EU, Accession Countries and beyond, to address the climate change challenge and move towards a green, innovative and thriving global economy.

The industrial sector could reduce its energy use by at least 13%. 75% of the potential savings can be found in steam and electric motor systems. Actions to tap the full potential in steam systems have been taken in the past but without success since findings from energy audits were not, or partly, implemented. The following barriers have been identified:  There is no business case for steam saving measures for enterprise decision makers;  There is a lack of technical (steam) expertise of energy auditors and within enterprises generally;  There is no formal organisational structure for dealing with energy efficiency (energy management). The objectives and goals of the STEAM-UP proposal are: • Bridging the gap between audit results and implementation by developing an in-depth steam audit covering:  state of the art steam expertise;  involvement of all stakeholders in the enterprise;  identification of non-energy benefits to strengthen business cases;  energy management to secure prolongation. • Reducing the effort for measure implementation by developing an integrated solution for business case reporting and energy management implementation. • Achieve energy savings during this action of 55,6 GWh/a through piloting 75 of the in-depth steam audits. • Building capacity amongst 400 energy auditors for the use of the in-depth steam audit methodology in their daily practise. • Building capacity amongst stakeholders in 75 enterprises on steam and the business benefits to increase steam efficiency. • Building capacity amongst 40 energy management training providers to enable integration of the in-depth steam audit methodology in regular energy training programmes. • Promote knowledge transfer on steam and the benefits to increase steam efficiency. This project focuses on the large, energy-intensive industry but the methodology will also be applicable for SMEs. The developed methodology can be made applicable for a wide range of utilities and processes.