The ESTELAR project is dedicated to modernizing power grids to accommodate renewable energy sources and enhance energy efficiency, focusing specifically on the virtualization of substations to improve the grid's sustainability and resilience. By redefining the operation and concept of substations—key components within the power grid infrastructure—ESTELAR aims to facilitate the energy transition towards carbon neutrality. ESTELAR is based on three innovative pillars: advanced communication strategies, a robust computational framework, and the transformative Digital Substation of the Future architecture. The first pillar focuses on enhancing substation communication systems to facilitate seamless and real-time integration of physical and virtual components. The second pillar aims to boost the processing and data handling capabilities of substations across both cloud and edge computing platforms for future computational demands. The third pillar is centered on developing a modular and scalable substation architecture that incorporates advanced monitoring, protection, and control through digital twinning. To ensure the efficacy and readiness of these technologies, ESTELAR will conduct rigorous validations in two Virtualization Testing Laboratories located in Spain and The Netherlands. These facilities will allow for realistic, controlled testing environments to refine and perfect the technologies prior to widespread implementation. The project unites nine partners from four EU countries, combining expertise from research centers, technology providers, and distribution system operators to comprehensively approach substation virtualization. ESTELAR facilitates renewable energy integration, bolsters grid resilience, and supports wider electrification. This positions it as a key player in accelerating the EU's transition to a climate-neutral economy.

The W2W project will produce and validate a comprehensive framework for multi-dimensional cascade valorisation of wood from C&D and furniture waste, consisting of four core components: 1) Advanced separation & sorting technologies: Adaptive Separation and Sorting system based on cascade valorisation thresholds, making use of human-robot collaboration and mixed reality technologies 2) Upcycling Processes and Technologies: mechanical, chemical, and bioremediation processes to recover wood or resources from waste and use them in new products which have the same quality as the ones produced by primary resources3) Digital Tools for Improving Circular Flows of Secondary Materials: LCA-based tool to predict and assess the impact of different cascade paths, Supply Chain Management Tool for the optimisation of upcycling of secondary materials, Digital Product Passport, and Digital Platform for circularity/upcycling information exchange.4) Supportive Framework in Policy, Market, and Skills: Framework for CDW Cascade Valorisation, Harmonised Waste Wood Classification Framework, skills development, contribution to standards and certification schemes, business models. W2W will demonstrate efficient and sustainable value chains in 3 Use Cases for the production of: wood without pollutants; biocomposite building materials; biopolymers; polyols; chemical detergents; and the recovery of nutrients, through the use of technologies and tools that allow the selection of optimal cascade paths for further uses of wood products and their materials.The W2W holistic approach will reduce the demand for virgin materials, reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or incineration facilities, allow for the creation of new value-added products from waste materials, and support the transition towards a circular economy by promoting closed-loop systems where materials are continually repurposed and reused, extending their useful life.

NURISH aims to enhance climate resilience and sustainable development in rural and small urban communities by implementing transformative nature-based, technological and circular economy solutions. It supports the EU’s long-term vision for stronger, connected, resilient, and prosperous rural areas by 2040, contributing to territorial cohesion, innovation, job creation, skills development, better infrastructure and sustainable agriculture. The project will develop the Regenerative Rural Resilience Framework to help rural areas mitigate climate risks through nature-based solutions (NBS), fostering entrepreneurship and creating green jobs. Resilience Hubs (RHs) in Greece, Cyprus, Finland and the UK will demonstrate tailored NBS to address flooding, water scarcity and land degradation, while digital tools will support real-time monitoring and decision-making. Communities in the demonstration and replication areas will actively participate in the EU Rural Pact, promoting rural perspectives, fostering collaboration and advancing nature restoration and conservation through NBS. By sharing knowledge and scaling solutions across rural regions, NURISH ensures its strategies are adaptable and replicable throughout Europe, contributing to the EU Green Deal, the Climate Adaptation Strategy and rural prosperity goals by 2040.

In a context of ecosystems pressured by nutrient pollution and record-high fertiliser prices, the recovery of nitrogen and phosphorous from waste streams provides a solution to tackle both issues, allowing the supply of new fertilisers (and other products for the food value chain) at a competitive price while enabling cleaner soil, air and water systems. However, to effectively do so, an intensive political, regulatory and governance effort is required to bring all key stakeholders on board. NENUPHAR was conceived to solve this need by developing new governance and value chain solutions addressing three waste streams widely present and the EU: manure, sewage sludges and dairy wastewaters, addressing four main innovations (i) a methodology for estimating N/P emissions from the application of a fertiliser on soil (ii) new governance models based on a network governance approach (iii) innovative economic and financial incentives for public and private entities; (iv) enabling technologies to treat manure, sludges and dairy wastewaters to recover the nutrient loads. NENUPHAR approach will be demonstrated in three different regional clusters from geographically diverse river basins: the Ebro river basin (Spain), the Lielupe river basin (Latvia-Lithuania), and the Danube river basin (Hungary-Slovakia branch) and they will be replicated in two insular systems: Cyprus and Bornholm (Denmark). All the regions involved gather a population of 5,4 M people and an area of 109,000 km2. This demonstration will allow the direct recovery of 273 ton of N and 71.5 ton of P, while the involved regions shows and overall potential of 38.3 Mton of manure, 252 kton of dry sludges and 4.3 m3 of dairy wastewater that can be treated. NENUPHAR will employ a multi-stakeholder approach, gathering 21 entities representing farmers and irrigators, waste managers, research experts in circularity and agronomics, social science experts, environmental organisations and public administrations.