The overarching objective of Connecting Nature is to position Europe as a global leader in the innovation and implementation of nature-based solutions. The project partners will form a community of cities fostering peer-to-peer, transdisciplinary capacity-building between front-runner, fast-follower and multiplier cities. Connecting Nature will co-develop the policy and practices necessary to scale up urban resilience, innovation and governance via nature-based solutions. An open innovation ecosystem approach bringing together city governments, SMEs, academia and civic society will be used to co-produce usable and actionable knowledge in all cities. Connecting Nature will provide the reference framework for a new generation of urban nature-based solution processes and empower transitioning ambassadors who will globalise this approach through a strategy targeting multiplier cities. This novel approach, coupled with the high capacity of the consortium, makes Connecting Nature an exciting prospect. In addition, linking all open-sourced data to the Oppla platform will ensure perpetuation beyond the end of the project.

DOORS will bring the four pillars of the SRIA into reality, turning the challenges into opportunities for a highly valued Black Sea. It will harmonise research and provide the infrastructure to better understand the Black Sea, particular ecosystem characteristics, develop the framework to support Blue Growth and early development of start-ups, and provide evidence to inform policy and behavioural change. To reach its ambitious objectives, the project team will work closely with stakeholders from the start to develop an open research system and establish a framework to support continuous stakeholder dialogue. DOORS will implement three Work Programmes: a System of Systems to harmonise approaches and provide an accessible data repository, a Blue Growth Accelerator to support enterprise, and Knowledge Transfer and Training to share best practice and build capacity. These will: • Engage stakeholders through communication, dissemination and training activities to raise awareness, build capacity and foster a stronger Black Sea identity • Harmonise data collation, analysis and access to optimise data use in decision and policy making • Strengthen the Black Sea scientific network through new collaborations, and bridge the gap between science and policy • Provide a range of products to support Black Sea innovation and enterprise DOORS will have long-lasting impact by giving stakeholders in the region the skillsets and understanding to: • Implement key policies and legislation • Improve environmental quality and reduce pollution risk • Design measures to mitigate pollution and remediate historically contaminated areas • Become resilient communities • Realise and sustainably develop potential economic growth for future well-being • Build capacity in existing industries, develop new start-ups and become actively involved in delivering Blue Growth • Create ocean informed citizens to better understand Black Sea’s potential

The project HERITAG aims to develop an interdisciplinary reform in higher education programmes at master level and continuing education integrating Geo-information Technologies (GIT) applied to cultural heritage documentation, tourism management and entrepreneurship.The project promotes the synergy of three main groups of stakeholders: Universities, industry and Administration. The curricular reform integrates the development of capacities in 3 main national and regional priorities in Georgia and Armenia: Geo-information technologies, cultural heritage preservation and documentation, and fostering tourism business and entrepreneurship.Specific goals of the project are: - To create interdisciplinary master specialities in GIT for cultural heritage and tourism, integrating marketing and entrepreneurship skills oriented to consolidate local industry, following the guidelines of the Bologna process.- To establish Geoinformation and Tourism Technology centres (GTTC) in partner countries devoted to train professionals in GIT applied to cultural heritage and tourism, documentation of architectural and historical monuments and to disseminate the history, culture and landscapes using modern geovisualization techniques.- To create three new GIS laboratories in Tourism Economics Departments and to update existing equipment in partner country universities.- To foster the continuous education in Higher Education institutions of current professionals by creating interdisciplinary training modules.- To re-train academic staff in GIT, tourism management and entrepreneurship.- To introduce and improve good practices for quality assurance in partner countries universities.- To establish organized links between universities, administration and society to train professionals, creating labor market days, introducing GIT in tourism industry, promoting local entrepreneurship and establishing the basis to protect, document and disseminate cultural heritage and history.