Europe is a reference in the global aerospace sector, with an extremely innovative aviation industry, responsible for the incorporation of new materials, technological processes and new work organization methods to enhance quality, safety, workers involvement, gender equality and better working conditions. Despite Europe’s leading position as a whole, there are remarkable differences in the participation of each European country in the aerospace industry. While Member-States and several EU initiatives seek to minimize these differences, they still persist and represent a challenge especially for SMEs of countries where the aerospace sector is less expressive. In this context, managing human resources is key to sustain the competitive position of this industry; the problem of skills mismatch and skills utilisation should be addressed from the perspective of enterprises.The HiPAir project - High Performance Work Practices for competitive SMEs in aviation sector - addresses the need for better human resources management skills in aviation SMEs. The project aims at stimulating higher effectiveness of skills utilization in aviation SMEs, using the latest developments in High Performance Work Practices (HPWP) and best practices within the sector. Capitalizing on previously acquired knowledge, HiPAir includes research of the most recent and successful work practices, testing and demonstration of novel solutions, as well as new methods and tools, which might later be integrated into regional, national or European polices /innovation systems and which also can be transferred beyond the aviation sector.The strategic objectives of this project are: - to reduce skills mismatches in the aviation sector, especially those connected to the competences of managers of SMEs of countries where the aeronautics industry is less representative, leading to a more efficient management of the workforce; - to promote High Performance Work Practices for competitive SMEs in the aviation sector by developing innovative approaches and tools which will increase the efficiency of public investments in VET addressed at the aviation sector; - to develop transversal skills of VET learners of the aerospace sector using innovative methods that imply a high engagement of learners, active participation in the learning process and effective conditions for future collaboration.This Strategic Partnership is composed of seven organizations from four countries, all sharing the common goals of overcoming the skills mismatches, rising skills utilisation and contributing for a more prepared workforce in the European aerospace sector with positive outcomes for their national contexts and for Europe. Project partners represent a variety of organisations from Poland (coordinator), Portugal, Spain and Turkey: VET providers, associations representing national aerospace clusters, one university and companies specialised in SME support and human resources for the aeronautics industry.HiPAir’s methodology applies innovative approaches and resources to provide SME managers with HPWP implementation tools including: updated information and best practices of HPWP, training materials in transversal skills, resources for collaboration among stakeholders of different countries. The main Intellectual Outputs of the project are: O1: REPORT ABOUT HPWP IN THE AVIATION SECTOR: knowledge and evidence of the HPWP effectiveness and identification of existing and future training needs. O2: TRAINING MATERIALS ABOUT HPWP IN AVIATION SMES: training curricula/materials addressed at aeronautics SMEs managers concerning HPWP.O3: HPWP IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP: measures and tools supporting implementation of HPWP in aviation SMEs to ensure high level of involvement and cooperation throughout the project and for the future.HiPAir will also organise blended learning activities for VET learners, including a “train-the-trainer” programme for 9 VET learners from Poland, Portugal and Turkey. Participants will acquire knowledge and skills enabling them to effectively implement HPWP training and support SMEs. In this way, a powerful multiplier effect will be initiated and the sustainability of the project results will be ensured. The project will promote the direct involvement of hundreds of SME managers, VET providers, experts, sectoral organisations and other relevant stakeholders from partner countries and beyond in activities such as: survey, multiplier events, evaluation and validation activities, action plan for the implementation of High Performance Work Practices. HiPAir will carry out specific activities dedicated to exploitation and sustainability, as these aspects are key to ensure a wide impact of the project’s results and are also often a fragility of European projects. The project’s methodology and objectives were designed to ensure that the outputs will remain available the results can be easily used, transferred and adapted to other contexts.

The Apisense project aims to address the problem of the spread of bee diseases, particularly American and European foulbrood, by creating a system for early detection, tracking, and prediction of these diseases. The system will be based on three main components: IoT sensors placed in hives, a satellite image processing application, and proprietary AI algorithms. IoT sensors will collect data on environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels, allowing for the detection of diseases in hives. Satellite images, providing information on the phenological phases of honey plants, will help predict the spread of diseases. The collected data will be analyzed by AI algorithms, enabling early detection of diseases and sending notifications to beekeepers. The main goal of the project is to reduce the economic losses of beekeepers resulting from the destruction of entire apiaries in the event of foulbrood detection. The system will also contribute to improving bee health, increasing honey production efficiency, and reducing the use of chemicals.

While Europeans can track and understand their personal transport emissions, they have little to no information regarding the impact of their online shopping deliveries and returns. This is due to a mix of challenges, including the complexity of calculating emissions across the e-commerce supply chain, and the limited regulatory levers public authorities have to influence greener practices. To overcome these challenges, GreenTurn brings together a diverse range of e-commerce stakeholders to co-create zero-emission logistics solutions, provide sound and transparent information on e-commerce footprints, and enable more sustainable delivery and return choices. The consortium comprises 14 partners from 7 different countries, and is further complemented by its Stakeholder Advisory Board, activated during key project moments. GreenTurn uses design thinking approaches to develop solutions which bridge between behavioural interventions (including incentives, nudges and gamification) and delivery and return options (such as time windows, in-store pick-ups and returnable packaging, among others). To test solutions, GreenTurn implements 5 complementary pilots involving 1 LSP, 1 marketplace provider and 1 retailer - as partners, and >8 LSPs, >3 marketplaces, >7 retailers - as stakeholders. Through the involvement of significant and diverse companies, the project has potential to reach and raise awareness among >30M e-commerce consumers from 5 countries: Poland, Spain, France, Greece and Austria. Advanced logistics systems allow the five pilots to offer, on average, 82% of delivery and return options as zero-emission. Besides, the GreenTurn pilots will touch upon social sustainability aspects too, for both customers (e.g., physical and digital accessibility), and e-commerce logistics employees (e.g., work conditions, market reintegration, etc.) Together with its public authorities, GreenTurn will translate results into policies that can secure uptake and long-term impact.

The Sky 4.0 project addressed the importance of workers’ soft skills to keep up with the technologic developments within aeronautic sector. According to the project research 6 main soft skills should complement technical digital and IT knowledge in order to fully improve employability and competences of current and future Industry 4.0 employees. The main objective of 7 Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish partners was to help aeronautical companies to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0 by improving the soft skills of their human resources. This goal was achieved by elaboration of curricula and training modules for the folllowing soft skills: Analytical Thinking, Change Adaptability, Critical Thinking, Cognitive Flexibility, Initiative and Intellectual Curiosity. The main project results are: curricula, training activities, guidelines and materials for 3 specific target groups. 1) CURRENT Industry 4.0 Aeronautical companies and their Industry 4.0 WORKERS profited from the project first output where they can improve their soft skills especially selected for aviation. The joint training programme, materials and resources developed by the Intellectual Output 1 and 2 supported development of their competences. 2) Second output aimed to increase the employ-ability of young people students of secondary and technical schools and universities students of professional schools (bachelor schools) that could become FUTURE WORKERS IN AERONAUTICAL INDUSTRY 4.0 COMPANIES. 3) TRAINERS and VET PROVIDERS, as well as HR and TEAM MANAGERS, involved in the implementation of industry 4.0 inside aeronautical companies. Those who manage teams or have HR responsibilities were able to share and promote new procedures among young students and other workers, received support in form of guidance of didactic program implementation and White Paper book.All target groups attended 13 national and international multiplier events (in total 334 attendants) and formed network of awareness and influence reached 12 528 stakeholders. The main outcomes and activities of the project are:O1. Selection of most valuable literature, reports and best practices on the transformation towards Industry 4.0 of the aerospace sector and preparing information set for current workers.The development of the output includes a set of activities aiming at elaboration of information & training packages on identified soft skills crucial for Industry 4.0 implementation in partnering countries. Industry 4.0 and Soft skills Framework Report has presented research on the specific soft skills required by aviation: Analytical Thinking, Change Adaptability, Cognitive Flexibility, Initiative, Critical Thinking and Intellectual Curiosity. Other deliverables: - SOFT SKILLS 4.0 Information & Training Packages (database of text files, links and videos)- SOFT SKILLS 4.0 Training curricula for soft skills courses with trainer - INDUSTRY 4.0 Soft Skills Text & Work Book (text file, book with 6 self-learning courses)O2. Training materials and curricula for Industry 4.0 Soft Skills for future workers of the aerospace sector were prepared as interactive materials designed for digital environment (e-learning courses, instructive videos, content of lessons identified by QR codes).Deliverables:- SOFT SKILLS 4.0 Training Lessons (25 training lessons for 6 soft skills, 25 Learning Maps with QR codes and 9 videos)- INDUSTRY 4.0 Soft Skills Text & Work Book: Sky4.0 Soft Skills Moodle Courses with 6 online courses (e-learning platform) O3. Guidelines for implementation and usage the information materials, training curricula and training materials of Industry 4.0. Soft Skills in the aerospace sector.Trainer´s manuals (guidelines) supported the implementation of training actions and White Paper addressed key issues for the implementation of the Industry 4.0, as well as introducing major change in a company. The soft skills didactic methodologies and training technics were discussed with participants of the Train the Trainers event in Poland where 21 participants learned how to implement the project results. Deliverables: - Guidelines for the CURRICULA implementation in companies and VET providers (PPP)- Guidelines for the Industry 4.0 lessons implementation in Schools (PPP)- Industry 4.0 Soft Skills White Paper (text file, book)Sky 4.0 Text & Work Book for current workers, Sky4.0 Training Lessons and Sky4.0 White Paper were translated to ES, PL, PT and TR. The results are available on the Sky 4.0 website under the Common License. For better guidance to produced materials consortium has developed special Map of deliverables and Learning maps for Sky4.0 lessons as well as Sky4.0 Youtube Channel with training and promoting videos. Most of the project results may certainly be implemented in other countries and have positive impact on the VET sector due to the expansion of the training offer for the aviation industry.

"The aeronautics industry has presented a sustained growth, representing a high potential for Europe’s economy and sustainable employment. At the same time underachievement in basic skills such as mathematics, technical science and school drop-out are two persisting problems in several European countries, in the countries/regions where aeronautics industry is a driving-force of the regional economy (such as south-east part of Poland, Bask Country in Spain and centrally located regions of Portugal). In Portugal and Spain the rates of school dropout, under-achievement in STEM related subjects and unemployment are particularly high and draw a negative combination of factor. Also in Poland some improvements need to be achieved. The south-east part of Poland is a good example of trans sectoral collaboration of local stakeholders related to education training and careers related to aeronautics. In this context, the Learn & Fly project was implemented by a partnership of seven organisations from Poland, Portugal and Spain. Learn&Fly project attempted to address two objectives: 1) underachievement in STEM subjects through more effective, innovative teaching methods using the world of aeronautics as inspirational theme; 2) supporting schools (especially teachers) to tackle early school leaving (ESL) and disadvantage, by providing information and materials about career opportunities in the aeronautics field and different education/training paths available to embrace them.The results of the project are: supporting educational, innovative materials and tools and the innovative methodology for the Learn & Fly Challenge which was created and tested during the project. These teaching materials are targeted to school teachers of maths and science related subjects, to be implemented with their 15-17 years old students. All deliverables and materials are available in four languages English, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.Output 1: THE LEARN & FLY STEM KIT consists in a series of modules for students and a notebook for teachers, that can be used by teachers in different subjects, such as maths, science, physics. It provides new teaching materials around the main challenge of “building an airplane”. This kit can be used as single tool to support teaching of STEM related subjects, but can also be used in conciliation with the challenge, which in turn can be carried out within a group of students, a whole school, and several schools or among different countries.Deliverables:D1/O1 Learn & Fly STEM KIT – 7 modules – materials and activities for learnersD2/O1 Teacher Notebook – guidelines and materials for teachers Output 2: The Learn & Fly Careers Kit is the comprehensive guide to aviation sector that allows young people to plan their career path. It is an important tool to be used by the teachers, parents and professionals connected to careers counselling or employment centers and even employers (aeronautics companies) who need to display their job offers.Deliverables:D1/O2 Identification of careers counsellors and other professionalsD2/O2 Learn & Fly CAREERS KIT – career opportunities, training and education in aeronautics industry Output 3: THE LEARN&FLY CHALLENGE is the central activity of the Learn&Fly project. The challenge consists in a competition where the students are invited to build an airplane. This competition is divided in two phases. First runs a national competition in each partner country. After that the winners compete in an international competition. Deliverables:D1/O3, D2/O3 Learn & Fly Challenge Supporting Tools: Regulations and Report TemplateD3/O3 Learn & Fly Challenge Supporting Tools: Moodle Platform contentWithin the ""Learn&Fly Challenge"", national competitions and an international competition among pupils of different schools were held to put in practice the challenge of building an airplane (explored in the Learn&Fly STEM Kit). The international competition culminated in the international event ""Aeroweek"" and “Aeroweek Close-up” in Poland, with various activities and award ceremony with the challenge winners from Portugal and Spain. The project involved different types of participants:-teams participating in the National Learn & Fly Challenges: 34 teachers, Portugal: 9 teams / 30 Students, Poland: 17 teams / 59 Students, Spain: 8 teams / 32 Students,-national multiplier events: 389 students/ professors / Parents / counselors,-international multiplier events: 142 teachers and students and 60 teachers directly involved in the project. Learn & Fly raised pupils’ interest for STEM related subjects, including those leading to a career in the aerospace sector. It supports their career decisions, in a context where teachers, parents and professionals work together to ensure a positive environment for a proper human, social and professional development of the younger generations."