The EU aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be climate-neutral by 2050. Serbia has also adopted the Clean Energy for all Europeans package and agreed to a decarbonization roadmap. The transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions includes the decarbonization of the power sector. However, up to date, the majority of the energy in Serbia is fossil-fueled, with very little or no progress towards energy decarbonization. Moreover, pollution in Serbia is reaching alarming numbers, placing it as one of the leading countries in Europe related to bad air quality and pollution. Nonetheless, research capacity in the power system decarbonization domain at UB, as well as other actors in Serbia and the region, are undeveloped and insufficient for competitive R & I. Therefore, SUNRISE aims to support the Power System Department (the University of Belgrade – School of Electrical Engineering) in improving excellence capacity in the field of Power system decarbonization. Research excellence will be promoted in three dimensions by improving research infrastructure through the development of Real-Time Simulation Laboratory for power system simulation, upskilling research staff through training and mobility, the development of new approaches in exploratory research projects with partners. Furthermore, as network and collaboration between UB and other research institutions in the EU is modest or non-existent, as well as low linkages between UB and industry, the special focus in SUNRISE will be given to mobility and networking activities. One more SUNRISE objective is to improve the research management and administrative skills of the staff at UB, to enhance funding attraction and participation in international research projects. SUNRISE partners have a long experience and high scientific impact in the power system decarbonization field, and they can support UB to improve scientific performance and research profile, as well as participation success in HE.

The European economy's Digital Transformation (DT) is crucial for preserving and boosting international competitive advantages (Digital European Programme). A green and sustainable transformation is a vital step for protecting the health and wellbeing of citizens from environment-related risks and impacts where digital techs are considered a critical enabler for attaining the European Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is urgent to define innovative R&D models to systematically integrate artistic collaboration in Digital Innovation Hubs to provide companies with new forms of transdisciplinary collaboration aiming to explore future scenarios for technologies application using artistic practice to anticipate innovative products and services to meet the SDGs for innovation towards a sustainable and healthy planet. The project aims to set up the MUSAE Factory Model based on the Design Future Art-driven (DFA) method to be included in the (E)DIHs to strategically guide digital technology innovation and address future challenges in the food domain to improve people and planet wellbeing. MUSAE will build on a DFA method that merges the Design Futures method by POLIMI with Art Thinking approach by STARTS partner Gluon and UB - School of Art. The DFA will help artists envision future scenarios (5-10 years), critically reflect on them, and collaborate with technology providers to develop new technological solutions that meet the future humanity needs with a human-centred approach, opening up new markets and activities. Four technological partners will empower the approach by bringing relevant expertise in Artificial Intelligence-UB, wearables-ABACUS, robotics-PAL, human-machine-interaction-UoM. To validate replicability, the MUSAE project will set up and activate one factory within the DIH partner (MADE) and create the Factory Model Pack that will allow other DIHs to adopt it. The project focusing on Food as Medicine includes an expert in food and wellbeing themes (UCD)

The CITADELS project aims to contribute towards transforming the 7 widening countries represented in the Project into CITADELS of human-centric Industry 5.0 development. The Project brings together a consortium of 10 partners from 9 countries, including 4 large academic institutions that are highly influential within their innovation ecosystems, 3 exemplary DeepTech companies, and 1 science and technology park, where academia meets industry to make innovations happen and grow into the business. Additionally, CITADELS is supported by the 2 EU-leading partners to bring know-how in cross-sectoral collaboration, to ensure stakeholder engagement and pan-European impact (EIT Manufacturing), and to introduce a sustainable, responsible research and innovation approach (K&I). CITADELS combines the excellence of DeepTech talents and social scientists to comply with EC’s “ERA industrial technologies roadmap on human-centric research and innovation for the manufacturing sector” to ensure sustainable DeepTech careers and the progress of DeepTech. The CITADELS project seizes the opportunity presented by recent investments in advanced public R&I infrastructure and the growing demand for DeepTech expertise across Europe to combat the brain drain in widening countries. By aligning academic research excellence with industry needs, CITADELS focuses on talent circulation (20 research talents and 20 R&I support talents will be involved as a whole), creating attractive career pathways in DeepTech and building the capacity of local ecosystems to adopt cutting-edge technologies. This project will support translating research into high-value industrial applications and position widening countries as competitive players in the global DeepTech landscape. Ultimately, CITADELS will boost regional economic resilience and foster social cohesion by modernizing local industries and creating high-value jobs, driving long-term economic growth and resilience in widening countries.

MINDtheGEPs takes a multidisciplinary multidimensional approach to challenging gender unbalances across five different countries with still traditional gender regimes (Italy, Spain, Serbia, Ireland, Poland) and across various types of Research Performing Organisations: 4 public universities (Turin, Tralee, Gdansk, Jagiellonian) and 1 public non-academic research institute (CNR); 1 academic (Belgrade) and 1 private technological institute center (Galicia). The consortium, led by the University of Turin’s CIRSDe, comprises also three non-implementing organizations bringing complementary expertise in monitoring and evaluation (Knowledge and Innovation), research communication (Uppsala University) and scientific publishing (Elsevier). In order to promote systemic institutional change and following the “no data-no policy” principle, the project will map the existing data and, building on the tools developed within an ongoing research project of the project coordinator, will produce new quali-quantitative evidence. On this basis, both structural and cultural actions can be effectively designed. At cultural level, the project will organize a virtuous chain of trainings, starting from across-partners "train the trainers" workshops to within-partners laboratories addressed to young women, but, endorsing the approach of "fixing the system not the women", also to men and senior researchers. At structural level, the project will introduce work-family measures addressed also to men, equality targets in decision-making boards and gender-sensitive research. The establishment of proper figures and bodies creates conditions for the endurance of GEPs beyond the project’s life. A multidisciplinary team (also including key-persons in middle or top management), coupled with a multi-skilled Advisory Board (including relevant national authorities), and 4 professional associations both in STEMM and SSH, will contribute to a successful change in RPOs and in society at large.