Improvements of the overall sustainability of process industries from an economic, environmental and social point of view require the adoption of a new industrial symbiosis paradigm - the human-mimetic symbiosis - where critical resources (materials, energy, waste and by-products) are coordinated among multiple autonomous Production Units organized in industrial clusters. SYMBIOPTIMA will improve European process industry efficiency levels by: (a) developing a cross-sectorial energy & resource management platform for intra- and inter-cluster streams, characterized by a holistic model for the definition, life-cycle assessment and business management of a human-mimetic symbiotic cluster. The platform multi-layer architecture integrates process optimization and demand response strategies for the synergetic optimization of energy and resources within the sectors and across value chains. (b) Developing extensive, multi-disciplinary, modular and “plug&play” monitoring and elaboration of all relevant information flows of the symbiotic cluster. (c) Integrating all thermal energy sources, flows and sinks of the cluster into a systemic unified vision, as nodes of smart thermal energy grid. (d) Taking into account disruptive increase of cross-sectorial re-use for particularly impacting waste streams, proposing advanced WASTE2RESOURCE initiatives for PET. The development of such a holistic framework will pave the way for future cross-sectorial interactions and potentialities. Furthermore, the adoption of available LCSA and interoperability standards will grant easy upgradability of legacy devices and a large adoption by device producers. Modularity, extendibility and upgradability of all developed tools will improve scalability and make the SYMBIOPTIMA approach suitable both at small and large scale. Rapid transfer from lab-scale to testing at demonstration sites will be eased by the presence of industrial partners and end-users, as Bilfinger, Siemens, SXS, and Neo Group.

To manage energy transition, DSOs require innovative tools. Volatile renewable energy sources in combination with less predictable consumption patterns call for higher levels of observability and exploitation of flexibility. While these two challenges are traditionally treated with separate means, PlatOne proposes an innovative approach to a joint data management for both. Fully respecting the existing regulatory framework, a layered set of platforms will allow to meet the needs of system operators, aggregators and end users. A blockchain based platform is the access layer to generators’ and customers’ flexibilities able to break traditional access barriers by providing certified measures to all the players. In conjunction, certified data and signals will be used for an innovative DSO platform to locally maintain system integrity fostering confidence in flexibility operations. An upper layer will implement a new concept of blockchain-based open market platform to link the local system to the TSO domains and enhance the overall system cost efficiency. Because flexibility means customer involvement, PlatOne puts the grid users at the centre, investigates their needs and expectations and uses the underlying blockchain to unlock the potentials of higher dynamics of response. The platforms will be tested in 3 large pilots in Europe and analysed in cooperation with a large research initiative in Canada. Thanks to strategic partnerships and a unique consortium structure with an excellent network, PlatOne can offer an unprecedented effort of dissemination and exploitation with focus on DSO experts and final users.

Sharing Cities has four key objectives. 1) To achieve scale in the European smart cities market by proving that properly designed smart city solutions, based around common needs, can be integrated in complex urban environments. This will be done in a way that exhibits their true potential and allows for the significant scale-up and consequent increase in social, economic and environmental value. 2) Adopt a digital first approach which proves the extent to which ICT integration can improve and connect up existing infrastructure, as well as the design and running of new city infrastructure. This will also allow for the creation of a new set of next stage digital services which will help citizens make better and beneficial choices around energy efficiency and mobility, which when scaled up will enhance the city’s ability to hit key targets for mobility, housing, energy efficiency and resilience, and economic development. 3) Accelerate the market to understand, develop and trial business, investment and governance models, essential for the true aggregation and replication (through collaboration) of smart city solutions in cities of different sizes and maturities. In doing this, we intend to accelerate the pace by which we make transformative improvements, and enhance sustainability in communities. 4) Share and collaborate for society: to respond to increasing demand for participation; to enhance mechanisms for citizens’ engagement; to improve local governments capacity for policy making and service delivery through collaboration and co-design; resulting in outcomes that are better for citizens, businesses and visitors. These will be delivered by a range of expert partners across 8 work packages.

Four major Distribution System Operators (in Italy, France, Spain and Sweden) with smart metering infrastructure in place, associated with electricity retailers, aggregators, software providers, research organizations and one large consumer, propose five large-scale demonstrations to show that the deployment of novel services in the electricity retail markets (ranging from advanced monitoring to local energy control, and flexibility services) can be accelerated thanks to an open European Market Place for standardized interactions among all the electricity stakeholders, opening up the energy market also to new players at EU level. The proposed virtual environment will empower real customers with higher quality and quantity of information on their energy consumptions (and generation in case of prosumers), addressing more efficient energy behaviours and usage as through advanced energy monitoring and control services. Accessibility of metering data, close to real time, made available by DSOs in a standardized and non-discriminatory way to all the players of electricity retail markets (e.g. electricity retailers, aggregators, ESCOs and end consumers), will facilitate the emergence of new markets for energy services, enhancing competitiveness and encouraging the entry of new players, benefitting the customers. Economic models of these new services will be proposed and assessed. Based on the five demonstrations, while connecting with parallel projects funded at EU or national levels on novel services provision, the dissemination activities will support the preparation of the Market Place exploitation strategies, as well as the promotion of the use cases tested during the demonstration activities.

EFFRA recommendations on Factories 4.0 and Beyond (Sept 2016) clearly stated the need for development of large scale experimentation and demonstration of data-driven “connected smart” Factories 4.0, to retain European manufacturing competitiveness. BOOST 4.0 will address this need, by demonstrating in a measurable and replicable way, an open standardised and transformative shared data-driven Factory 4.0 model through 10 lighthouse factories. BOOST 4.0 will also demonstrate how European industry can build unique strategies and competitive advantages through big data across all phases of product and process lifecycle (engineering, planning, operation, production and after-market services) building upon the connected smart Factory 4.0 model to meet the Industry 4.0 challenges (lot size one distributed manufacturing, operation of zero defect processes & products, zero break down sustainable operations, agile customer-driven manufacturing value network management and human centred manufacturing). Our chief objectives include: (1) Establish 10 big data lighthouse smart connected factories (VW, FILL, AutoEuropa, +GF+, FIAT, Phillips, Volvo, GESTAMP, Benteler, Whirlpool). (2) Provide the RAMI 4.0 and IDS based BOOST 4.0 open EU framework and governance model, for both services and data assets. (3) Put together methodologies, assets, models and communities in order to maximise visibility, mobilization, replication potential, and impact (business, financial, standardization) of BOOST 4.0 The investment leveraging factor of BOOST 4.0 will be well above the 4:1 ratio, up to 10:1. In terms of exploitation, in 5-years horizon after the project end, just only the participating lighthouse factories will make a direct follow-on investment above 33Meuro (ROI 10,61), while the commercialisation of the BOOST 4.0 products in the market is expected to generate some 96Meuro cumulative profits (ROI 4,73) for the rest of the partners.