Due to environmental benefits, scalability, competitive cost and limited maintenance, photovoltaic (PV) systems are the fastest-growing renewable energy technology enabling large-scale carbon-free electricity production. Within the family of PV systems, Metal Halide perovskite (MHPs) solar cells are the most performant at converting sunlight to electricity, due to their excellent optoelectronic properties and cheap fabrication process. MHP based on hybrid organic–inorganic lead halides are the most effective perovskite solar cells. Yet, there are two major challenges to widespread adoption of lead based LHP PV: (i) Instability, especially against moisture and ii) High level of lead (Pb) and lead leakage which are toxic to humans and wildlife; according to EU’s “Restriction of Hazardous Substances” (RoHS) directive. This proposal will develop for the first-time perovskite photovoltaics with self-healing capabilities while decreasing lead leakage to near zero, by transferring the microconcentrator PV concept to MHP. Such a configuration enables to save 90 to 99% raw materials compared to a planar device. More importantly, it increases the theorical efficiency and reduces the Pb content and leakage. So, the main goal of this proposal is to boost the stability of lead halide perovskite PV systems by introducing microconentrator PV concept and concentrated light to MHP in addition to taking advantages of microconcentrator PV i.e., physical separation and embedding of each microcell, to enable the PV system to theoretically exceed the Shockley–Queisser limit and reduce toxic lead levels to below RoHS requirements. SHERPA’s achievements will make advancements on cutting edge MHP solar cells that are pivotal to reach EU’s environmental targets for a reliable and green energy transition at low-cost.

The ONEPlanET project aims to develop a common nexus modelling framework to simulate and evaluate pathways to define a more sustainable future in Africa through the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure. In this way, it will be possible to stimulate a green energy transition in the continent as well as a decarbonization of existing energy plants. The ONEPlanET model will be tailored to the needs of different stakeholders and end-users (public and private actors, policy and decision-makers, experts, and citizens) and will be totally open source to stimulate its future upgrades. The model will include information on Water, Energy, Food (WEF) and interlinkages with other sectors as Economy, Ecosystems, Society, Climate and Land for delivering a multi-sectoral assessment consistent with socio-economic and climate scenarios. The ONEPlanET modelling approach will integrate Earth Observation data (e.g., Copernicus, ESA or GEOSS), statistical data and information from basins to national and regional, via three representative case studies in the Songwe (Malawi/Tanzania), Inkomati-Usuthu (South Africa) and Niger (Nigeria) river basins, which show different types of basins and socio-ecological systems. ONEPlanET will help to better understand the interactions between Nexus sectors to deliver sound technical and policy recommendations towards the implementation of energy infrastructure to build a more climate neutral and resilient society.

Surface patterning is crucial for the progress of key enabling technologies (KETs) such as advanced manufacturing, microelectronics, nano/biotechnology and photonics. The current paradigm in surface patterning is optical projection lithography (OPL), a paradigm designed for high-resolution. However, emerging green technologies like micropatterned photovoltaics (PV) require high quality patterning at scale/throughput that is hardly attainable by OPL economically and sustainably. Importantly, half-pitch resolutions on the tens of μm-scale are totally acceptable for such applications, which does not justify the use of high-end OPL. In these cases, OPL is unsuited, because it relies on disposable masks with extremely high embodied energy. While the key asset of OPL is the mask, it is the component that currently makes it low-throughput and energy/material inefficient. Extensive efforts have been directed to develop maskless strategies, but most fall short when it comes to throughput and design flexibility. REMAP envisions a radically new and green surface patterning technique based on the spontaneous formation of reusable magnetic masks. Such masks are possible using fully adjustable and reversible interactions of "magnetorheological electrolytes" (MRE) on a substrate and microstructured magnetic fields generated by a permanent array of electromagnets below the substrate. By selectively activating each micro-electromagnet, it is possible to modulate the intensity and shape of the magnetic field (hence the mask) over space and time. This way, REMAP enables high-throughput area-selective additive and subtractive patterning on a surface at room temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the newly devised MREs and the tuneable magnetic array developed within REMAP will pave the way to a plethora of future applications from lab-on-a-chip biomedicine, NMR analysis and smart fluids for robotic space exploration.

The internet of things (IoT) is promising as it drives the datafication of our everyday life and thus, leverages synergies between originally considered “dead” things and enables them to proactively serve humans. IoT leads to a high automation potential with which we improve the life of billions of people and compensate for societal problems such as a growingly old population, missing high-skilled labour across Europe or the efficiency limits in current production capabilities. IoT5.0, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) -assisted Internet of Things, could even more benefit society, as the devices could even learn how to provide more value. But the ubiquitous connectivity comes at a cost. Security levels have to rise tremendously to ensure a network stays secure and safe for humans. This additional effort often is a burden for small and medium sized enterprises as the complexity and security demands of such systems rise faster than available resources. This is especially dangerous as a single corrupted, malicious device can result in the exploitation of the entire network of connected devices by an attacker. Consequently, RESILIENT TRUST focuses on end-to-end security of IoT processing chains with a focus on strong exploitation for SMEs. This vision will be realized by developing specialized hardware to establish TRUST in-between a network and a wall of RESILIENCE even against new attack methods such as post quantum attacks and AI based attacks. The architecture of the secure processing chain will be carefully built after threat modelling, asset identification, risk analysis, security objectives and requirements definition. Consequently, RESILIENT TRUST will address and significantly mitigate these major risks to enable IoT5.0. That way this project will be a driver for sustainable development and the generation of convenience and wealth. A solution is proposed to ensure end-to-end security by boosting RESILIENCE and TRUST along different key supply chains of IoT device