Crop wild relatives (CWR) are wild plant taxa closely related to a crop. They represent an important source of genetic diversity for the improvement of agronomic traits. In the context of the One Health Initiative, temperate fruit trees are essential for human nutrition and health, yet CWR resources have hitherto been underused. Moreover, fruit tree long lifespan and a current production dominated by a few cultivars make them particularly vulnerable to the effects of global changes. To address this challenge, the FRUITDIV project will monitor, characterise, use, and conserve the diversity of emblematic fruit tree CWR, with a particular emphasis on Malus, Pyrus and Prunus. To better characterise the genetic and phenotypic diversity of CWR fruit trees and identify favourable traits for future introgression into cultivars, FRUITDIV will use a combination of floristic, ethnogeography and population genomics on genebanks and historical European hotspots of diversity. We will then develop new multiomics-based breeding strategies that combine marker-assisted introgression for traits of interest (e.g. resilience, resistance to pests and diseases, fruit quality) with pangenomic prediction and a reduction of CWR-associated genetic load. In addition to breeding programs, FRUITDIV will also work with networks of farmers and associations to help characterise CWR progeny in various pedo-climatic conditions in Europe. An European-wide online platform that provides genotyping and phenotyping data for free will be implemented to promote the use of CWR genitors by breeders and farmers and help disseminate plant material of interest for various usages and cultivation systems. Overall, the FRUITDIV multi-actor approach involving geneticists, forestry officers, germplasm curators, farmers and citizens, will foster the in- and ex-situ conservation of CWR and promote sustainable agricultural practices across Europe.

"The project ""Network of knowledge for efficient private forests - Net4Forest (2018 -2021)"" aimed to develop and promote the vocational education and training for private forest owners. Behind the delivery of the many services that forests provide are people - forest owners with a wide range of skills. The increasing multifunctional role of forests in the transition to a sustainable future requires more skills. Information on the marketing of forest products and valuation of forest services is widely available in the participating countries and in the EU, but there is a lack of information, guidelines and training materials suitable for practical application by forest owners. Therefore, the main long-term objective of Net4Forest was to develop training materials and practical tools for forest owners to increase income from their forests.Experts from 5 European countries (Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden and Spain) participated in the Net4Forest project. They all have different knowledge and traditions in managing private forests. The exchange of knowledge, experience and examples of good practice between the project partners gave us the opportunity to develop innovative training and information materials.The main target groups involved in this project were: trainers (they served as a tool to reach the large groups of private forest owners), forest owners (they were directly involved through local seminars), different stakeholders from the forest sector (especially educational and training organizations) and young people just entering the forest sector (students, young practitioners were involved through the presentation of tools through different social media platforms).Developed intellectual outputs represent a collection of existing knowledge and newly developed tools. They were presented and discussed in different events. Organized events provided an opportunity to raise awareness among all the target groups involved and beyond. A knowledge network was established by PP through events for the training of staff (Training of trainers - LTT). A total of 4 pieces of training were organized with 112 participants. During the trainings, trainers had the opportunity to learn from each other, share experiences and existing knowledge. Local seminars in each country (we organized 11 seminars in total) were organized to test and promote the project results and outcomes among the project target groups. We directly involved 360 participants in these seminars. At the end of the project, an international final conference was organized where we presented the project results and outcomes with 83 participants. Throughout the project, we used promotional and informational materials to share useful knowledge and information with our target groups. We published 21 articles and more than 60 posts and news on different internet platforms and social media, together reaching more than 60,000 people."

Forests have an important role in the achievement of the objectives of the European Green Deal. Forest trees are increasingly threatened by invasive pests, with many of them being regulated in the Union territory. FORSAID has as an overall goal to develop a comprehensive combination of innovative digital technologies aimed at detecting regulated forest pests at an early stage, surveying their occurrence in the territory, and providing essential information for the adoption of phytosanitary measures to limit their spread and impacts. The project adopts a multi-actor and multidisciplinary approach tailored to develop and favour the adoption of digital technologies at different spatial and temporal scales associated with a selected list of important regulated forest pests. The Internet of Things (IoT) will be used to create networks of insect traps for major guilds of insects, thanks to innovative deep learning analysis of images sent remotely from the traps. Robotized devices will be developed and tested for the automatic barcoding of the captured pests. Drones equipped with sensors will be used for the scanning of plant health status through the measure of physiological variables. Remote sensing techniques will be used to validate existing ground-truth data on the occurrence of tree alterations associated with abiotic and biotic factors, and models based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will be developed to discriminate different types of stresses as soon as they appear. An economic analysis will address the costs and benefits of using digital technologies for the detection and surveillance measures, considering the economic, environmental, and social impacts of regulated pests in EU forests. Stakeholders from the forest sector will be involved in a multi-actor approach to drive the research to applicable results and co-construct guidelines for the best use of new digital technologies for forest pest detection and monitoring.

foRMAtion aims to support students in higher education as potential research managers and administrators (RMAs) by reinforcing their high-level & transversal skills needed for developing & managing excellent European research, innovation and educational projects. foRMAtion addresses the growing need of professional research support staff due to the increasing competition for EU funds in the field of R&I projects, the gap between education and labour market needs and the serious shortage in RMA educational programmes, standardisation & certification. Based on the identified needs foRMAtion seeks to achieve the following objectives: 1) collecting and evaluating good practices in the field of RMA training from different EU countries;2) developing innovative tools, educational and training methods for the empowerment of potential RMAs among HEI students to acquire the necessary knowledge & skills (both soft & hard) as well as to support their career development;3) making the profession of research management and administration attractive and raising awareness on the importance of RMAs, contributing to the preparation and implementation of excellent European educational and research projects.To fulfil this ambitious mission, foRMAtion gathers highly experienced organizations from 5 European countries supplemented by 7 Advisory Board Members. Partners have different scientific background & profound experiences in education & research management. Activities will be carried out in their strong cooperation and through regular online & personal meetings.During its 3 years, foRMAtion will implement interlinked activities. First, a methodological guide & good practice collection will seek to identify & assess existing good practices, know-how, methods and tools in the field of training RMAs to develop a truly innovative & high-quality international module for potential RMAs at HEIs.The curriculum & teaching material of the international module will be developed and tested at partner HEIs. The courses can be accomplished by students from any fields but mainly targets students from the International Relations/European Studies programmes. It will focus on addressing market labour needs, enhancing work-based and project-based learning & improving a wide range of competences & skills, such as problem-solving & networking capacities, transversal and language competences, critical and creative thinking.The courses will be supplemented by mentorship programme & blended learning mobility of students through which trained staff at partners will mentor students to get work experience & hands-on knowledge.Besides, foRMAtion will develop a blended learning platform & online textbook as an interactive, user-friendly and targeted training opportunity available for anyone within & beyond the project. It will be tested through a summer school.Lastly, foRMAtion will prepare a guide&impact assessment for educating and training RMAs at HEIs, highlighting the transferable practices&formulating policy recommendations to channel the results & outcomes to national & EU decision-makers and other relevant stakeholders. This aim will be also supported by the organisation of multiplier events in PT, RO, IT, SI & BE.All activities & outputs will be publicly available at www.foRMAtion.eu & Erasmus+ pages and sustained after the project’s lifetime through the strong commitment of PPs. Outputs will be able to be introduced by other countries&organizations.These actions will enable that min. 40 students will get familiarized with RMA and get necessary high-level & transversal skills to launch their career in the field. HEIs will get into an intensive cooperation with research institutions fostering interaction through the knowledge triangle. The development of the international curriculum & teaching material including innovative & non-formal education methods will allow HEIs to expand their course offer and bring them closer to answer the needs of labour market. Min. 9 teachers will be trained to teach the foRMAtion module which will improve their skills too. Partners involved in the mentorship will get in touch with excellent students & get the chance to establish long-term cooperation with foreign universities. Students will have opportunity to work with 12 mentors, start to build up their professional network & getting work experiences. The blended learning platform will address a broaden number of persons by providing innovative knowledge and skill development.On the long-run foRMAtion will contribute to developing the course offers of involved HEIs, overcome the gap between labour market needs and education, grow the number of RMAs, thereby contributing to the professionalization & recognition of the profession. Policy recommendations channelled to stakeholders will enable the improvement of educational environment for potential RMAs & raise awareness on the importance of RMA in excellent research support across Europe.