The Role of Universities in Innovation and Regional Development (RUNIN) is a European Training Network for Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) in the field of science and innovation studies. The aim of the network is to train researchers on how universities contribute to innovation and economic growth in their regions through research seeking to examine how universities fulfill their third mission in relation to regional industry and explore the range of university engagement with regional firms and institutions. The project operationalises the main research question of how universities can contribute to innovation and regional development through four main themes: People and Networks, Policies and Interventions, Places and Territories, and Practices and Governance. The aim of the training programme is to equip the next generation of researchers with the skills required to work across employment sectors, collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders and find the practical relevance of their specialist knowledge, in the process creating new knowledge on universities’ role in innovation and regional development. There is an increased focus on the instrumentalist position of universities as important drivers of regional development, and the aim of the training programme is therefore to equip a new generation of researchers who can work within this field in the academic world or as specialist policy makers at the regional, national or European level. The programme will capitalise on host institutions’ infrastructure, including supervision, methods training and quality assurance review systems. In addition, it will offer a comprehensive programme of learning through individual research projects, secondments, and eight targeted training events aimed at developing both research-specific and transferable skills.

TEMPA-3D offers a transdisciplinary approach to study endangered archaeological collections from Kamyana Mohyla, Ukraine and Rogaland, Norway. By fusing photogrammetry and experimental archaeology TEMPA-3D will initiate new research subfield and make an impact on the broader discourse about Mesolithic portable art. The study addresses the lack of targeted investigations of how the engraved ornaments were made, and moves beyond state-of-the-art by developing a method for linking specific surface modifications to particular engraving techniques. By attending art as a process of making, this project will contribute to our understanding of the complex nature of human craft-making and creativity – a topical subject in present society. The main objective is to assess the engraving techniques used for producing the Mesolithic portable art. The chosen case studies, each representing late Mesolithic fishing societies, reveal similarities and variation in art-making technologies and symbolic expressions during the 8-4th millennium BC. Through its innovative methodology, TEMPA-3D will analyse and contextualise 60 engraved sand- and soapstone artefacts. Through a three-stage process it will develop a fluent workflow augmenting the information that can be obtained about the engravings: 1) Artefacts’ individual biographies will be analysed by means of recent advancements in photogrammetric submillimetre 3D modelling, developed and patented by the PF. 2) A dataset that links specific engraving features to particular techniques will be obtained through actualistic experiments. 10 experimentally made replicas will be produced and 3D modelled. 3) To interpret the techniques that were employed by the prehistoric crafters, archaeological and experimental 3D datasets will be compared. The outcome of this multi-analytic study will be an open access high-resolution digital 3D catalogue and a visual referential database, for the benefit of the archaeological community and future research

The motivation for this proposal is that the global reliance on fossil fuels is set to increase with the rapid growth of Asian economies and major discoveries of shale gas in developed nations. The strategic vision of the IDC is to develop a world-leading Centre for Industrial Doctoral Training focussed on delivering research leaders and next-generation innovators with broad economic, societal and contextual awareness, having strong technical skills and capable of operating in multi-disciplinary teams covering a range of knowledge transfer, deployment and policy roles. They will be able to analyse the overall economic context of projects and be aware of their social and ethical implications. These skills will enable them to contribute to stimulating UK-based industry to develop next-generation technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and ultimately improve the UK's position globally through increased jobs and exports. The Centre will involve over 50 recognised academics in carbon capture & storage (CCS) and cleaner fossil energy to provide comprehensive supervisory capacity across the theme for 70 doctoral students. It will provide an innovative training programme co-created in collaboration with our industrial partners to meet their advanced skills needs. The industrial letters of support demonstrate a strong need for the proposed Centre in terms of research to be conducted and PhDs that will be produced, with 10 new companies willing to join the proposed Centre including EDF Energy, Siemens, BOC Linde and Caterpillar, together with software companies, such as ANSYS, involved with power plant and CCS simulation. We maintain strong support from our current partners that include Doosan Babcock, Alstom Power, Air Products, the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), Tata Steel, SSE, RWE npower, Johnson Matthey, E.ON, CPL Industries, Clean Coal Ltd and Innospec, together with the Biomass & Fossil Fuels Research Alliance (BF2RA), a grouping of companies across the power sector. Further, we have engaged SMEs, including CMCL Innovation, 2Co Energy, PSE and C-Capture, that have recently received Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)/Technology Strategy Board (TSB)/ETI/EC support for CCS projects. The active involvement companies have in the research projects, make an IDC the most effective form of CDT to directly contribute to the UK maintaining a strong R&D base across the fossil energy power and allied sectors and to meet the aims of the DECC CCS Roadmap in enabling industry to define projects fitting their R&D priorities. The major technical challenges over the next 10-20 years identified by our industrial partners are: (i) implementing new, more flexible and efficient fossil fuel power plant to meet peak demand as recognised by electricity market reform incentives in the Energy Bill, with efficiency improvements involving materials challenges and maximising biomass use in coal-fired plant; (ii) deploying CCS at commercial scale for near-zero emission power plant and developing cost reduction technologies which involves improving first-generation solvent-based capture processes, developing next-generation capture processes, and understanding the impact of impurities on CO2 transport and storage; (iimaximising the potential of unconventional gas, including shale gas, 'tight' gas and syngas produced from underground coal gasification; and (iii) developing technologies for vastly reduced CO2 emissions in other industrial sectors: iron and steel making, cement, refineries, domestic fuels and small-scale diesel power generatort and These challenges match closely those defined in EPSRC's Priority Area of 'CCS and cleaner fossil energy'. Further, they cover biomass firing in conventional plant defined in the Bioenergy Priority Area, where specific issues concern erosion, corrosion, slagging, fouling and overall supply chain economics.

The AIdesignTEX project aims to enhance the research profile of Łódź University of Technology (TUL) FMTTD in sustainable textile production by leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to develop easily recyclable or biodegradable textiles. Through networking and partnership activities with EU counterparts, such as Stavanger University (UiS), Ghent University (GU), and the Catholic University of Avila (UCAV), TUL researchers seek to expand their knowledge of the circular economy principles and their application to textile production. The project aligns with the goals of the European Green Deal, which aims to promote a circular economy and reduce waste. The textile industry is a major contributor to environmental pollution, with large amounts of water consumption, CO2 emissions, and waste production. By implementing AI and ML tools, the project seeks to help textile producers adopt sustainable practices, save resources, and minimize environmental impact. During long-term visits and complementary activities with the advanced partners, TUL researchers will acquire expertise in sustainable technology, eco-design awareness, and administrative skills. Upon completion of the visits, TUL researchers will conduct training sessions for businesses and stakeholders in the Łódź region to share their newly acquired knowledge and skills. This knowledge dissemination will foster interest in cooperation and joint development of a Future Plan for sustainable textile production. Coordination and support activities will include lectures, workshops, and training sessions for experienced TUL researchers and ESRs to disseminate the gained knowledge and skills within the institution and beyond (Polish textile companies and interested entities from Asian countries).

<< Objectives >>SAYL enables young children (3-5) to engage in new adventurous stories. The project aims to build a book platform that includes excellent interactive digital stories in the majority and minority languages used in the five participating countries (Germany, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, and Turkey). The platform is online and constructed to allow free access through most modern devices. The platform can thus make books available to children for various reasons deprived of good picture books.<< Implementation >>The books will have multimedia features that make them helpful in supporting meaning-making. In addition, the books include the possibility of adapting the semantic richness to children's narrative understanding, choosing a language, and interacting with audio, video, and animation. We present the books on a platform that provides, apart from access, the possibility to select a book and a language. Furthermore, it is equipped with features to motivate children to return to the platform.<< Results >>We expect the book platform to increase and enrich book reading in ECEC organizations and families. In addition, families' close cooperation with ECEC organizations due to access to the same books can bolster a book reading routine in families. Furthermore, the platform may boost book reading, particularly in disadvantaged groups, like immigrant children, children speaking a minority language, or children deprived of good picture books due to socio-economic factors or a pandemic.