CEEGS (CO2 based electrothermal energy and geological storage system) is a cross-sectoral technology for energy transition, with a renewable energy storage system based on the transcritical CO2 cycle, CO2 storage in geological formations and geothermal heat extraction. It is a highly efficient, cost-effective, and scalable (small-to large-scale) concept for large-capacity renewable energy storage. Extended capacity is obtained due to the underground system. It can be integrated into the grid, heating and cooling districts and industries. It also has the capacity for partial CO2 sequestration. The main objective of the project is to provide scientific proof of the techno-economic feasibility of the technology, raising the current low TRL 2 to TRL 4 by addressing gaps in the interface between surface transcritical cycle and the subsurface CO2 storage. CEEGS follows a 3-phase approach: i) From theoretical principles to models, simulations and processes in which advanced numerical simulations integrate reservoir behaviour, wellbore design and surface plant design; ii) From models and simulations to systems/experimental verification addressing CEEGS integration and efficiency in energy systems, with digital functional and laboratory models developed and components validated with results from the CO2 pilot-scale projects and; iii) Social, economic and sustainability assessments where social acceptance studies, LCA and TEA tools evaluate impacts and concept deployment with renewables, hard-to-decarbonise industries, district heating and cooling, or in grid balance. The project is completed with WP1 for coordination and WP7 for results dissemination and exploitation. The project integrates the knowledge and networks for a successful implementation in 3 years with a consortium with partners from 5 EU countries, with multidisciplinary skills on energy systems, energy storage, geology, geothermal systems and CO2 geological storage

Geothermal fluids often carry high amounts of elements that the EU considers as 'critical' raw materials (CRM). Preliminary calculations show that even a single well has the potential to produce single-digit percentages of the EU needs. Combined extraction of heat and minerals maximises returns on investment, minimises environmental impact, requires no additional land use, leaves no mining legacies, has near-zero carbon footprint, and enables domestic supplies of CRM. To assess overall supply potential, CRM-geothermal will enlarge an existing geothermal fluid atlas by collecting new data and sampling wells for their CRM content in Europe and East Africa. The potential of different geological settings for combined extraction will be evaluated. Extraction/separation techniques exist, but need to be adapted to the harsh conditions of such systems (high temperature, pressure and salinities). Combinations of materials and flow-schemes will be assessed at lab-scale to optimise systems for different geothermal settings and CRM. A modular, mobile plant will be developed and deployed at existing geothermal sites to conduct pilot studies, investigating upscaling and system integration. The technological developments will be accompanied by assessments of environmental and social impacts to ensure good governance. An UNFC/UNRMS compliant reporting template will be developed to create trust among investors, regulators and the public. The project will advance key reference points for stakeholder engagement, in order to obtain and maintain a 'social license to operate'. Combined extraction creates new business opportunities for both SMEs and larger companies, and its economics under likely future market developments will be investigated with a view to proposing suitable business models. CRM-geothermal will open up a potentially huge untapped resource and deploy solutions to help Europe fulfil the strategic objectives of the EU Green Deal and the Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Groundwater represents the largest (and often the only practical) freshwater resource on oceanic islands. Due to the small area of many islands the amount of freshwater is limited, and it is particularly influenced by dynamic processes, including climate change. In the islands of Macaronesia any changes in climate conditions can have more severe negative effects on the available freshwater volume than in a continental environment, therefore, the protection of critical water infrastructure is of the highest priorities. The primary objective of GENESIS is to demonstrate that innovative, nature-based intelligent solutions for enhancing the climate resilience of critical water infrastructure can lead to more reliable and consistent/predictable water management practice by effectively protecting groundwater, by drastically improve the efficiency of water use and reuse, thus sustain social and economic activities while mitigating the potentially severe effects of climate change on local communities. The general concept of GENESIS is testing and showcasing local and regional NbS and delivering a deep demonstrator in the Macaronesian biogeographical area with the long term objective to provide climate-proof critical water infrastructure replicable for other islands and vulnerable zones of the EU mainland. The methodology is designed to provide the full workflow for implementing and demonstrating in operational environments how to capture, storage and protect water in an effective-strategic way (from diverse sources including storm runoff, treated wastewater and irrigation return flows) to mitigate the impacts of extreme events (droughts, floods, wildfires) and how to create climate resilient areas/islands. The development and implementation of systemic nature-based solutions for improved water management in Macaronesia will drastically improve these islands' resilience to climate change impacts by minimising stormwater runoff and soil erosion while enhancing infiltration and underground water storage.

Primary and secondary raw materials are fundamental to Europe’s economy and growth. They represent the most important link in the value chain of industrial goods production, which plays a prominent role as a source of prosperity in Europe. However, as stated in the call, there exists to-date no raw materials knowledge infrastructure at EU level. The Mineral Intelligence Capacity Analysis (MICA) project contributes to on-going efforts towards the establishment of such an infrastructure by projects such as ProMine, EURare, Minventory, EuroGeoSource, Minerals4EU, ProSum, I2Mine, INTRAW, MINATURA2020 and others. The main objectives of MICA are: - Identification and definition of stakeholder groups and their raw material intelligence (RMI) requirements, - Consolidation of relevant data on primary and secondary raw materials, - Determination of appropriate methods and tools to satisfy stakeholder RMI requirements, - Investigation of (RMI-) options for European mineral policy development, - Development of the EU-Raw Materials Intelligence Capacity Platform (EU-RMICP) integrating information on data and methods/tools with user interface capable of answering stakeholder questions, - Linking the derived intelligence to the European Union Raw Materials Knowledge Base developed by the Minerals4EU project. The MICA project brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts from natural and technical sciences, social sciences including political sciences, and information science and technology to ensure that raw material intelligence is collected, collated, stored and made accessible in the most useful way corresponding to stakeholder needs. Furthermore, the MICA project integrates a group of 15 European geological surveys that contribute to the work program as third parties. They have specific roles in the fulfilment of tasks and will provide feedback to the project from the diverse range of backgrounds that characterizes the European geoscience community.

ROBOMINERS will develop a bio-inspired, modular and reconfigurable robot-miner for small and difficult to access deposits. The aim is to create a prototype robot that is capable of mining underground, underwater or above water, and can be delivered in modules to the deposit via a large diameter borehole. In the envisioned ROBOMINERS technology line, mining will take place underground, underwater in a flooded environment. A large diameter borehole is drilled from the surface to the mineral deposit. A modular mining machine is delivered in modules via the borehole. This will then self-assemble and begin its operation. Powered by a water hydraulic drivetrain and artificial muscles, the robot will have high power density and environmentally safe operation. Situational awareness and sensing is provided by novel body sensors, including artificial whiskers that will merge data in realtime with production sensors, optimising the rate of production and selection between different production methods. The produced high-grade mineral slurry is pumped to the surface, where it will be processed. The waste slurry could then be returned to the mine where it will backfill mined-out areas. ROBOMINERS will deliver proof of concept (TRL-4) of the feasibility of this technology line that can enable the EU have access to mineral raw materials from otherwise inaccessible or uneconomic domestic sources. This proof of concept will be delivered in the format of a new amphibious robot Miner Prototype that will be designed and constructed as a result of merging technologies from advanced robotics, mechatronics and mining engineering. Laboratory experiments will confirm the Miner’s key functions, such as modularity, configurability, selective mining ability and resilience under a range of operating scenarios. The Prototype Miner will then be used to study and advance future research challenges concerning scalability, swarming behaviour and operation in harsh environments.