Wine production is one of the most historic and emblematic sector of European economy involving thousands of workers in the whole sector. Europe is the largest vine producing region in the world and wine exportation is a key economic sector. However, the quality and amount of wine production are threatened every year by grapevine virus diseases. Indeed, more than 60 different viruses can affect the vineyard.PAThOGEN aims to improve basic and transversal skills of wine professionals (winegrowers, nurserymen, consultants and advisors, students) by providing a relevant training ProgrAmme TO improve GrapEviNe virus knowledge and field management.PAThOGEN proposes an innovative training scheme combining e-learning with field trainings providing on-hand experience dispensed by high level trainers.PAThOGEN proposes three levels of training in order to be more efficient and adapted to the targeted audience. A first level, mainly dedicated to winegrowers, vineyard technicians and nurserymen enables them to detect, recognize, manage and prevent virus diseases. A more advanced level, addressed to consultants and advisors, who are key stakeholders as they are in contact with a lot of practitioners, provides deeper insight in the virus management with additionnal modules . In order to have a wider impact and multiply the available field sessions, a trainer level provides advisors with skills to give training sessions to practitioners on grapevine virus diseases. A special attention has been given to the scientific quality of the training by involving high level experts on grapevine viruses, but also to the organization of the modules giving a smooth progression, through interactive media and a common methodology for field sessions. An advisory board composed of winegrowers and advisors from France, Italy and Spain were consulted during the project to make sure that the content and progression is relevant for their profile. Besides, external and independent evaluators checked the content of the training to make sure the scientific content is accurate.PAThOGEN project was coordinated by the French Wine and Vine Institute and involved four other partners from Italy and Spain. High level trainers and vine virus experts from the French Wine and Vine Institute, the Italian Experimentation and Research Centre for viticulture and enology (CREA) and the viticulture and plant pathology group from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) were involved in the writing the content of the modules and in providing a progression adapted to each level. The eLearning platform and website were managed by HORTA, an Italian SME specialized in ICT tools for agriculture. The communication, dissemination and exploitation aspects were managed by FEUGA, a foundation representing the research groups of the University System of Galicia in Spain. The project was organized in several operational stages. First partners established and agreed on a common methodology to build the training and also evaluation methods and procedures. An important part of the project was to write and build the content of the eLearning modules and quality check them. Then, the modules were put into eLearning format on a dedicated platform. The combined training (eLearning and field training sessions) was then tested and evaluated by 200 volunteers trainees from different selected profiles (winegrowers, nursery professionals, advisors and technicians). Improvements were made in order to adapt the training to the professional’s needs. All through the project duration, communication and dissemination activities were made, focusing on our main targets (winegrowers, technicians and advisors in the wine sector). As a result, the project has enable to produce a high quality combined training, dedicated to wine professionals, for improving the knowledge and management of grapevine viruses. The elearning course is available in four languages (French, English, Spanish, Italian) and field sessions are available in France, Spain and Italy. We believe this innovative training will be highly beneficial for the wine sector. Professionals involved in the evaluation and testing of the training have been very positive and enthusiastic about it. Partners have agreed on a common exploitation plan in order to spread the knowledge on grapevine viruses in each partner country (France, Spain and Italy) and replicate the PAThOGEN training in other regions and at national level. Several promising contacts, including in Greece, are interested in adapting the training to their country. Also, the training has been promoted at international level, including Canada, Chile and South Africa where vineyards are also concerned by grapevine virus management. The objective is to train at least 100 new professionals per year from Spain, Italy or France and additional trainees from other countries in Europe or abroad.The report is written in English as it is the common language for partners.

Rangeland livestock farming systems (RLFS), despite facing challenges, play a significant role in achieving the sustainable development goals in Europe. Although RLFS have an important role in the transition towards the European Green Deal, with the provision of crucial ecosystem services, they still require support, including extension services, farmer to farmer network and participatory monitoring and evaluation. The use of innovative technologies has an important role to play and take part of a wider bundle of measures required to improve the future viability of such farming systems. DIGI-Rangeland network aims to create and expand an innovative network about digital innovations and data technologies with actors (farmers and other land-users) facing challenges in rangeland territories at regional, national, and European levels. Based on a multi-actor approach, the project aims to increase knowledge sharing and mutual understanding between EU stakeholders, and foster cross-fertilization between rangeland areas actors around the use of digital technologies and innovations (DTI). To achieve this, partners in 10 countries will be involved in: a) setting up an EU network with farmers groups, land-users, 10 innovation and demonstration HUBs, and important stakeholders in the 10 rural-AKIS; b) identifying, prioritising, and analysing needs, obstacles and expectations from farmers and land-users; c) identifying and analysing DTI solutions matching the needs of the RLFS farmers and other land-users; d) evaluating and assessing solutions and barriers, to foster DTI adoption within RFLS; e) improving knowledge level with a range of scaling activities, demonstrations, and training, for farmers, advisors, students, land-users. Partners will prepare and implement communication and dissemination activities through trusted channels to maximise the impact of the project’s outputs.

ROADMAP will foster transitions towards prudent antimicrobial use (AMU) in animal production in a large variety of contexts, by favouring a rethinking of antimicrobial decision-systems all along the food supply chain. Even if it is possible to learn from successful experiences, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to reduce AMU but various strategies working according to local conditions, defined by social, economic, technical and institutional variables. ROADMAP will develop innovative conceptual approaches within a transdisciplinary and multi-actor perspective to engage with animal health professionals, stakeholders and policy-makers. It will adapt, combine and produce tailored strategies to reduce AMU in diverse production systems in Europe and low- and middle-income countries (pig, poultry, cattle and fish sectors). Main objectives of ROADMAP are 1) to understand why and how AMU varies according to local contexts, by studying knowledge, practice and behaviours of farmers, veterinarians and upstream and downstream industries of the food supply chain; 2) to develop innovative socioeconomic and technical instruments to foster prudent AMU adapted to various production systems, by co-designing integrative strategies with animal health professionals and stakeholders; 3) to evaluate ROADMAP solutions and ensure their impact. Innovative communication, dissemination and exploitation tools will be implemented to reach a large community of end-users. ROADMAP will identify levers and incentives to encourage AMU change, by providing 1) scenarios and recommendations for efficient transitions towards prudent AMU and 2) solutions socially acceptable but also technically and economically feasible. ROADMAP will therefore contribute to the fight against antimicrobial resistance by allowing cross-learning from diverse successful experiences, encouraging a harmonization of AMU reduction trends across Europe and thus favouring a global decrease of AMU in animal production.

Root2Res will deliver a package of solutions to enhance the resilience of rotational cropping system by considering relevant root traits with respect to the impact of climate change. Innovations will include phenotyping, genetic and modelling tools that will help breeders evaluate, in field and controlled conditions, novel and existing genotypes of a range of crops (Cereals, Potatoes, Legumes) as root ideotypes for different soil and climatic environments across Europe. Root2Res will also investigate the potential role of emerging crops (Sweet potato, Lentil) to enhance resilience to environmental change, by assessing their genotypic and phenotypic variation. The environments targeted include those predicted to suffer from the largest impact of climate change on yield in Europe. Resilience to stress will focus on greater variation in water availability (both drought and waterlogging) and interactions with other stresses (temperature, reduced nutrient availability). We will also consider the impact of novel understanding of the plasticity of traits to stress. Traits to be assessed will focus on exploration, exploitation and rhizosphere microbiome related traits integrated in an extended phenotype. The impacts of the more resilient ideotypes designed in Root2Res on the delivery of climate change mitigation outcomes (soil carbon sequestration, nutrient utilisation and greenhouse gas emission) will be assessed in field. Root2Res will integrate a strong interaction with stakeholders all through the project, particularly breeders and farmers. The ambition of Root2Res is to deliver crops adapted to changing environments and able to mitigate climate change, by utilising existing genetic diversity for breeding programs in a range of crop species essential to cropping systems and then widening understanding to crops suitable for resilient future systems. This ambition will be supported by the joined commitment of a multidisciplinary partnerships across Europe and beyond.

Rural innovation ecosystems refer to the networks of individuals, organizations, and institutions in rural areas that work together to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development. In a rural innovation ecosystem, these actors collaborate to identify and develop new ideas, products, and services that address local challenges and opportunities. Successful rural innovation ecosystems typically have several key characteristics, including strong community engagement, supportive policies and regulations, access to capital and resources, and a culture of experimentation and learning. InnovationGUIDE objectives closely align with the European Commission Communication on a New European Innovation Agenda objectives by increasing the inclusion and interconnection of less represented regions and actors into a more strongly integrated European ecosystem. With this starting point InnovationGUIDE designed to pinpoint regional needs and possibilities for connecting them into international ecosystem which can be a driver of regional economic development, attract and retain talent, build local businesses, and create new jobs and industries. InnovationGUIDE will use 12 months to map the geography covered by the partners and design roadmaps and bi-annual plans for future to serve rural communities overcoming the disparities with proper services and activities compared to urban ecosystems. InnovationGUIDE will have a focus for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners interested in promoting sustainable, inclusive economic growth in rural areas. Connecting Dutch, Spanish, Maltese and Turkish experience and ecosystems InnovationGUIDE will enable information and knowledge diffusion from stronger innovator ecosystems to moderate innovator ecosystems.