The 4PRIMA Coordination and Support Action will create the bases and will develop a set of activities aimed at supporting the establishment of a long-term, well-structured and integrated partnership for research and innovation (R&I) on food systems and water resources, among countries from both sides of the Mediterranean Sea (“PRIMA Initiative”). In order to enable a sustainable development in this area, 4PRIMA will facilitate the establishment of favourable and stable conditions for a reinforced international cooperation on food systems and water research, based on a better coordination, collective ownership of R&I programmes and, consequently, clear and tangible mutual benefits. 4PRIMA will develop a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and an associated implementation plan, as a result of an extensive participatory process that will target a critical mass of key players at international level and all relevant stakeholders of the food and water sectors. To achieve this main objective, 4PRIMA will take advantage of a wide portfolio of results and relationship generated in previous and on-going EU projects, as well as it will seek cooperation between EU and Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs), in coherence with the activities of the Strategic Forum for International Cooperation. Given the strategic relevance of an appropriate development and uptake of the SRIA to establish a long lasting partnership in the region, 4PRIMA science diplomacy actions will be essential to ensure the support to R&I policy dialogue addressing sensitive challenges between EU and MPCs. Moreover, in order to maximise its expected impact, 4PRIMA project will explore avenues for awareness raising and development of strategic alliances with key stakeholders, including EU, AC and MPCs countries that did not take part to the PRIMA joint programming process, with the goal to enlarge the participation to the “PRIMA Initiative”.

Internationalization of the markets has allowed for the globalization of agriculture, benefiting - directly or indirectly – relevant countries or even entire regions like the EU, who is the first trader in agriculture products of the world. Among the different varieties of agriculture species, the wine-grapes are specially threatened by climate change, since subtle differences in microclimate impacts directly through over-ripening, rising acidity levels, greater vulnerability to pests and diseases, etc., resulting in changes in wine quality and properties. The wine industry needs therefore to tackle adaptation measures, and long term adaptation planning will provide producers with a comparative advantage over competitors. VISCA is a Climate Service (CS) and Decision Support System (DSS) that integrates climate, agricultural and end-users´ specifications in order to design medium- and long-term adaptation strategies to climate change. VISCA will be validated by real demonstration with end-users on three demo sites belonging to three wine stakeholders from Spain, Italy and Portugal, which are included as partners in the consortium (Codorniu, Mastroberardino and Symington). The main objective of VISCA is making South-European wine industries resilient to climate changes, while minimizing costs and risks through an improvement of the production management (quality and quantity of final product). This objective will be achieved with the integration of climatic data, phenological , irrigation models, and end-users’ requirements into a Decision Support System (DSS) co-designed with wine producers from Spain, Italy and Portugal. VISCA will supply well-founded decisions of specific aspects of crop planning (e.g., budburst, harvesting, defoliation, minimum water needs), and suggest preventive actions against extreme events and long-term suitability maps.

NIAGARA compiles all the necessary approaches to provide a comprehensive response to the phenomenon of spread of pollution (chemical, microbiological and plastic) from drinking water sources to human exposure, through the Driking Water Treatment Plants. These approaches and their solutions are: (1) Real-time monitoring. NIAGARA will develop multi-analyte biosensors able to quantify simultaneously 4 highly concerning pollutants of very different chemical nature: BPA, imazalil, H. pylori and paracetamol/ibuprofen. Using pre-concentration units, detection limits will reach pg/mL for chemicals and 10-100 viable cells for H. pylori, which are below harmful levels for human exposure. (2) Remediation. A removal and disinfection system based on a tandem formed by two IEDS biofilters (immobilized-enzymes degradation systems) and a UV/TiO2 photoreactor. With this solution, we will achieve total removal of the 4 analytes (concentrations below detection limits of water laboratory techniques) and a Total Organic Carbon removal of >70%, exceeding current State of Art. The DBPs formed will be identified, and their appearance mechanisms and toxicity will be predicted. (3) A fast and cost-effective method for real-time monitoring of the propagation of these 4 contaminants using a hydraulic model that exceeds the performance of current methods (seconds vs weeks, > 60% accuracy). These solutions will be validated up to a pilot scale (TRL=5) in a case study in the city of Valencia, in a DWTP, and using the drinking water supply system of district #9 (Jesús), with the participation of the Municipal Drinking Water Company, and accomplishing safety and sustainability-by-design. Finally, the Communication and Exploitation plan has been specially designed to have an clear projection ouside EU to enhance its competitiveness in the water sector and to foster its position and role in the global water scene, with the participation of previously established EU and non-EU networks.

The overarching objective of FutureLakes is to demonstrate innovative solutions needed to transform lake restoration, integrated into lake management. These aim to significantly improve ecological and chemical status of European lakes, restore biodiversity, recover valuable resources, enhance the services that lakes provide and make society more resilient to climate change. FutureLakes aims to deliver this through an integrated framework for lake protection and restoration that demonstrates a range of technical solutions that include innovations in Nature-based Solutions, Circular Blue Economy Solutions and Biodiversity-focused Solutions. Demonstrating integration of these solutions in operational lake management in six large European lakes (Demo Basins) which will deliver a Blueprint for lake protection and restoration. The FutureLakes Blueprint will incorporate a catalogue of innovations and guidance on the enabling environment needed to turn promising technical innovations from niche measures to become mainstream approaches in lake basin management planning. This includes demonstrating more effective and inclusive collaboration in water governance and showcasing innovations in policy implementation and green financing. FutureLakes will also develop a Roadmap for Upscaling European Lake Restoration in support of the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters deployment and upscaling phase. Upscaling of measures across Europe will be tested through activities aimed at replicating the FutureLakes approach in three associated regions. FutureLakes will not only contribute to delivering to the three objectives of the Mission (to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems and their biodiversity; to reduce pollution; and to build a sustainable carbon-neutral and circular blue economy) but it includes specific objectives to develop the Mission’s two enablers: creating a European Lakes Digital Innovation Hub and demonstrating innovative approaches to enhancing public engagement.