PRESERVE aims at boosting the circular use of bio-based packaging. To shift from the current situation (fossil-based, limited recycling), we build on award-winning upcycling strategies from past and on-going projects. We will enhance the performance of primary food packaging via bio-based barrier coatings for bioplastic and paper/board substrates, as well as via eBeam irradiation and microfibrillar-reinforcement. From the biotechnological side, we will leverage the compounding of enzymes in bioplastics to stimulate biodegradation, the enzymatic recovery of functional oligomers and the delamination of multilayer packaging via enzymatic detergents to enable their layer separation and recycling. The processes required to produce at least 10 packaging demonstrators will be upscaled. The enhanced bio-packaging will be validated with different types of food and drinks. Recovered biopolymers will be upcycled in added value applications such as packaging for personal care products and reusable carrier packaging (using textiles and composites). The versatility of our end of life options, materials, flexible and rigid packaging types and compatibility with different processes, ensure that PRESERVE results are relevant to more than 60% of the plastic packaging on the market, which long term substitution potential will be maximised thanks to the participation of several leading companies in the consortium. Our 2030 roadmap will outline the pathways to significantly influence the emergence of bio-based packaging and create jobs and growth in the sector. To widen PRESERVE impact, we will also perform life cycle and safety assessments, user acceptance studies and contribute to standardisation and certification. All in all, by contributing to the EU Plastics Strategy in a circular economy, our PRESERVE circular renewably sourced packaging solutions and derived upcycled applications will not only optimally preserve the food and drink but also our environment and its finite resources

Scientific and technological progress is broadly underpinned by the ability to accurately predict and optimise complex fluid flows which arise across the physical and life sciences including climate research, as well as in the energy, chemical, automotive, aircraft, and ship building industries. The wide separation of length and time scales that need to be covered when designing and optimising flows and a large number of design parameters make numerical simulations highly demanding. Current capabilities are thus insufficient to meet future demands of users in academia and industry. We will tackle this challenge by developing a quantum software framework for solving a wide range of industrially relevant computational fluid dynamics problems. This will consist of platform-independent quantum algorithms and hardware optimized software for platforms in the European Quantum Technology Flagship Projects. Tensor-network simulations, gate-level classical simulations including realistic quantum noise models, and implementations on quantum hardware will provide detailed information on quantum hardware requirements, achievable quantum advantages, and provide feedback to hardware developers. The quantum software will be verified and benchmarked against standard computational fluid dynamics results. It will be developed in agile cycles to respond quickly to user demands and progress in the quality of quantum hardware. We will demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of the quantum approach starting from a core set of highly scalable and industrially relevant design examples arising in the thermal management of battery-electric-vehicles aimed at increasing their efficiency. Subsequently, we will extend our approach to a wider class of fluid flows and industry partners. We will create an interface between the quantum software framework and the industry standard computational fluid dynamics software OpenFOAM to make it widely available and maximise its impact.

planqc is a full-stack quantum technology company founded in 2022, specializing in developing neutral atom quantum hardware, quantum applications, and control software. Leveraging decades of fundamental research from the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ), planqc has already achieved significant milestones, including securing two major contracts. These achievements have been recognized by, for example, the German Federal Chancellery and the World Economic Forum. The company's mission is to become a global leader in quantum technology, driving innovation in areas like drug discovery, materials science, and climate science. The primary objective of the AIQCelerate is to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers by integrating novel AI techniques across the entire quantum computing stack. AIQCelerate aims to 1) improve uptime and reduce maintenance of quantum computing hardware, 2) enable low-latency circuit compilation for systems with tens of thousands of qubits, and 3) overcome the quantum knowledge threshold for customers, making quantum computing more accessible. To achieve these objectives, planqc will establish a dedicated AI taskforce to harness the latest advancements in machine learning methods with the aim accelerating the development of fault-tolerant neutral atom quantum computers. This high-risk initiative cannot be funded by private investments alone, and the EIC Accelerator would address this critical financing gap. AIQCelerate aligns well with the goals of the EIC Working Programme, particularly under the EIC Accelerator Challenge for "Enabling the Smart Edge & Quantum Technology Components”, as it represents a high-impact, deep-tech innovation with the potential to scale rapidly and create new markets or disrupt existing ones. Furthermore, planqc brings European public research to commercialization, fostering Europe’s technological sovereignty and industrial competitiveness.

The main goal of the SEEDS project is to transfer knowledge on seed yield-regulating genes obtained in Arabidopsis thaliana to its close relative, the crop plant oilseed rape (Brassica napus), and use it for practical breeding. Oilseed rape is one of the most recently domesticated major crop species, and due to intensive breeding has become the most important oilseed crop in Europe. Germany and France are the main producers and cover together more than 50% of the European production. Yield per hectare varies in different countries, reflecting different input levels and production efficiency. Rapeseed is thus likely to respond strongly to programs aimed at selectively enhancing genetic variation for key economic input and output traits. Indeed, its future sustainable use requires a substantial increase in productivity. The objective of this proposal is to increase productivity of commercial varieties of oilseed rape by enhancing the capacity to form seeds which is currently limited by the activity, size and number of the reproductive structures. Increased productivity will be achieved primarily by increasing the size of the inflorescence and floral meristems, which determines pod number. The activity of the ovule-forming placenta tissue will be enhanced to increase the seed number per pod. Finally, research will be undertaken to increase the seed size which is expected to enhance the sink capacity. Recent research has shown that the hormone cytokinin has a central role in regulating these traits quantitatively. The genes involved have been identified and various tools to change the cytokinin status of plants in a targeted fashion have been developed. Proof-of-concept has been obtained in model species as well as in oilseed rape and further work to extend the knowledge on cytokinin-related genes involved in regulating seed yield in oilseed rape is planned by transgenic and non-transgenic approaches. The availability of the B. napus genome sequence and highly efficient TiLLING procedures are prerequisites to implement these research results in practical plant breeding as a contribution to a sustainable use of oilseed rape. The collaboration between a research laboratory that has discovered the cytokinin yield genes in Arabidopsis and an international commercial oilseed rape breeding company is ideal for the commercial exploitation of the results obtained by the SEEDS project. The consortium is completed by one SME performing oilseed rape transformation and analysis.

The escalating global emissions of greenhouse gases threaten our planet's foundation. Atmospheric CO2 levels have reached 422 ppm, with an annual increase of 2.5 ppm; we are already witnessing the catastrophic effects on ecosystems, economies, and human societies worldwide. The main challenge for CO2-emitting industries is complying with the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and thus, quickly deploying cost-effective solutions that will ensure this compliance. The actual price in 2024 corresponds to €65 per ton of CO2 equivalent. BloombergNEF expects the price will stay at this average during this year, before more than doubling to €146/t by 2030. Planeteers has developed an innovative solution, to store CO2, that mimics the natural weathering of limestone but accelerates it from thousands of years to just a few minutes using the same natural ingredients. CO2 from biogenic or fossil point sources is dissolved in water through our scrubber and mixed with a limestone (CaCO3) solution in our alkalinity reactor. During the reaction, CO2 is converted into bicarbonate (HCO3-) and stored in the water. After equilibration with the atmosphere and the local aquatic environment in our diffuser system, it can be released in a controlled way to water bodies which transport the mineralized water to the ocean. There, the CO2 is stored as bicarbonate on a long-term basis (10,000-100,000 years) helping at the same time to reduce the water acidification locally. The Compliance carbon market (CCM) is our target for entry supported by the EIC Accelerator. The REACT CARBON project lays the foundation for our expansion into the CCM, emphasising its strategic importance. We will focus initially on cement and limestone industries emissions: they currently emit around 160 million tons of CO2. Considering the EU Fit-for-55 reduction targets and CCS prices increasing to €146 per ton, Planeteers market value in the EU is conservatively estimated to be at least €2.0 billion.