AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB is a first-of-its-kind excellence hub in sustainable agriculture and circular bio-economy aimed at strengthening R&I capabilities and innovation ecosystems of 3 Widening countries, including one emerging ecosystem (PL, LV and UA). Building on experience of 2 more developed countries (ES and BE), and in particular on a frontrunner region (“Catalonia”), a leading European regional ecosystems in the field, we aim to respond to the common needs and challenges of these ecosystems, fully aligned with key strategic areas for the development of the smart specializations of these regions. By bringing together relevant European and regional actors, with track record in R&I ecosystems and bioeconomy, we aim at leveraging the q-helix innovation model by creating and strengthening links between academia, business, government and society: - To promote and foster cross-border and interregional R&I cooperation, we will design and deliver a long-term R&I action plan, across key strategic R&I themes towards a sustainable and biocircular agriculture; - To enhance the R&I capabilities of 3 targeted Widening countries, we propose to design, pilot and scale up (TRL3-6) a pipeline of R&I business cases, driven by regional challenges and local innovative SMEs; -To foster and promote transfer of knowledge and good practices across regions, we will deliver capacity building, training and networking activities for innovation and entrepreneurship diffusion as well as tailored mentoring module targeting the needs of an emerging ecosystem – UA; - To promote entrepreneurship, provide support in bringing innovations to farmers, we will deliver an open innovation and entrepreneurship mentoring programme; - To promote innovation, biocircular and sustainable agriculture practices, we propose development of a cascade funding scheme to support SMEs engaged in the development and adoption of smart and circular technologies and innovation towards sustainable agriculture.

CARINA is built on a multi-actor consortium and participative decision-making process through mutual learning, transparent communication, and inclusive multi-perspectives and transdisciplinary engagement. From the proposal clearly emerges the importance of social innovation as the nerve center for the evolution of the whole project. Nine Lighthouses, 5 Living Labs, and 9 Policy Innovation Labs will be established across Europe playing a leading role in the co-creation of CARINA innovation actions. CARINA focuses on new sustainable and diversified farming systems including 2 new oilseed crops, carinata and camelina, able to provide multiple low iLUC feedstocks for the bio-based economy. We firmly believe that a participatory approach is necessary for successfully scaling-up innovative farming systems. Engaging farmers and other stakeholders in jointly developing solutions under specific environmental, technical, and social conditions has been highly considered in CARINA. We estimate about 3M farmers being potentially reached by CARINA thanks to the direct cooperation with its partners. To find a broad consensus by primary producers, a new crop should enable to promote and harness biodiversity, be easy-to-grow, and technically feasible within current cropping systems. Carinata and camelina fully meet these requirements, able to successfully grow almost everywhere in Europe and in northern Africa. Carinata and camelina provide high quality oils that will be transformed into innovative bio-based products (bioherbicides, bioplastics). The co-product from oil extraction is a protein-rich cake, which will be valorized as animal feed, and in a multitude of high added-value products, exploiting the mucilage and glucosinolates contained within. CARINA capitalizes on a highly experienced team of 20 partners, +6 affiliated entities, from 13 EU and Associated Countries (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, UK, Serbia, Tunisia, Morocco, Switzerland).

Armenia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan have shared a common historical background. Since their independence in the 90s, agriculture has undergone a period of transformation. The social, economic and political changes have had an impact on the entire higher education system.TOPAS aims at filling the gap within a common former soviet inherited agricultural sciences higher education system in these countries and practical training in real working environment to provide a better match between job market needs and the qualifications offered. The vocationally oriented practical programs should be introduced and improved based on learning outcomes and competencies approach with flexible learning pathways and permeability among the different agrarian management programs. Within the program partnership between universities and stakeholders (farm industry and associations) will be fostered.A wide-range of activities will facilitate the transition from teacher centered knowledge-based form of education to student-centered practice based education in Agrarian studies and hence employability by enhancing the cooperation between universities and agriculture enterprises through adequate internship schemes with government support to recognize formal and informal learning and endorse ECQIP.Another innovative aspect of the project is the creation of a databank for applied sciences on the field of agriculture management for teaching purposes in the field of data collection of students, teachers and researchers. This databank will consist of data on production inputs, costs and outputs of major cash crops of these countries and will offer valid data for agricultural management study courses.The experience of the last decade showed, that missing practical orientation and knowledge of BA and MA students is one of the most important obstacles for professional qualification. While curricula development was well adapted in many fields, the cooperation with farms and industry has to be built up

Researchers’ Night in Poznan is back! UNIGHTED is “United Europe – United Science – United Culture – United Night”! The project is a unique undertaking of science united, an opportunity to see in action scientists from different fields working together. Discover the interdisciplinary character of science, check out how various areas of science complement each other to make our life better. Take part in an innovative interdisciplinary event “Where sciences converge” and observe how scientists in various areas of science collaborate for the common good. Have a glance into research laboratories and see up close the nature of researchers’ work; observe how robots help in telemedicine, enter FutureSmartSpace and see how new technologies influence interpersonal relationships; carry out experiments in a biotechnology laboratory; uncover the mysteries of meteorites, join in dance and sports. Find out that people of science are ordinary people and their work is simply fascinating. In the context of “United Europe – United Science – United Culture” learn how common European heritage has been influencing a variety of sciences, and how researchers have been working for the common good of entire Europe. And all that thanks to science presented in a fun and straightforward way (edutainment). The UNIGHTED project contains a continuation of projects from previous 11 editions as well as many new ideas. Year after year more participants are attracted to Researchers’ Night as new generations grow up, interested in science and people of science. Every year new venues are opened and programmes are enlarged in order to accept all those interested. This year’s project aims to build on the previous ones and to shed light on novel aspects of science: its interdisciplinary character, common research work for Europe and Europeans. Researchers’ Night both in 2018 and 2019 shall be a great celebration of science, a family fun as well as an alternative to traditional Friday night activities.