Thousands of sites across Europe are polluted with toxic metals and organic solvents; many more exist worldwide. As EU population grows, clean water will determine the quality of life and economic stability. Most sites remain contaminated because existing technology is costly and disruptive. Society needs an innovative way to decontaminate soil and groundwater directly underground. In METAL-AID, we will develop new technologies through fundamental knowledge. We are a consortium of experts in natural materials, contaminant reactivity, groundwater treatment and environment policy, spread over 4 consulting firms, 6 universities and a government agency. We will train 14 early stage researchers (ESRs) through integrated, intersectoral research, using advanced technology, ranging from nanometre to field scale. ESRs will gain technical, business and personal skills, as they push a promising soil and groundwater remediation technology toward commercialisation. To meet the METAL-AID goals, the ESRs will: 1) Test known layered double hydroxide (LDH) and redox active green rust (GR) reactants that show promise for remediating toxic metals and chlorinated compounds and invent new ones; 2) Derive thermodynamic and kinetic data, essential for safety assessment modelling; 3) Quantify reactant effectiveness and reacted phase stability and compare these with natural analogues; 4) Inject the new reactants at field sites operated by our beneficiaries. METAL-AID begins at technology readiness level, TRL 1 and runs to TRL 6, implementation. The government agency will provide guidance so our new technology complies with regulations and has promised R&D funding after the ETN ends, to carry it into full commercialisation. The ESRs will be trained to tackle challenges of concern to society, to communicate across sector boundaries and with the public, in a network that will last long after the project ends. We will provide a pool of scientists for roles in EU's knowledge based economy.

The importance of an increased exploitation of renewable energy sources is highlighted by the recent geo-political events with their impact on energy security and pricing, together with the global efforts to mitigate the anthropogenic climate change. Floating offshore wind, with its tremendous potential, will play an important role in the future to achieve the European Commission’s ambitious goals towards a climate-neutral energy transition. However, the required expansion of floating offshore wind capacity to achieve, e.g., the EU’s SET Plan targets, challenges the goal to protect and preserve bio-diversity (habitats and species) in the EU sea basins as set forth, e.g., by the Mission Healthy oceans. The INF4INiTY project (INtegrated designs for Future Floating oFFshore wINd farm TechnologY) aims to support the solution of this challenge. By developing critical technologies for the offshore wind farm of the future which enable balancing human needs (clean energy) with nature’s and society’s demands (decreased negative environmental and social impact). In particular, INF4INiTY provides two major technology innovations: an innovative nature inclusive design for gravity anchors and their associated scour protection system and (2) an innovative primary artificial reef structure combined with the floating structure of a floating offshore wind turbine. To that end, INF4INiTY combines world class numerical modelling and experimental analysis expertise with leading industrial technology development. Being immersed in a holistic techno-environomic, multi-level, multi-objective optimisation framework, INF4INiTY’s technology development results in truly innovative, economically viable, and sustainable solutions for the current techno-socio-enviro-economic challenges of the floating offshore wind industry.

Soil contamination is a severe hazard to humans and the environment. We propose Achieving Remediation And GOverning Restoration of contaminated soils Now (ARAGORN) through development and implementation of a complete framework. The framework starts from the identification of contaminated sites and presents a decision-making tree to identify remediation and restoration strategies, and contribute to the aims of the EU Soil Strategy. The framework is grounded in scientific progress and adapted to fully support public and private land managers to take effective actions to protect, remediate and restore the environment on Europe’s polluted soils. ARAGORN will provide better insights into contaminated sites and improve remediation and restoration decision-making by implementing robust mapping and monitoring tools that are fit-for-purpose and covers a wide range of contaminants. Neglected hotspot polluted sites will be identified by fit-for-purpose monitoring and decision strategies. This will enable public and private stakeholders of contaminated sites to move from regrettable remediation to restorative remediation. ARAGORN will compile and test remediation strategies and sustainable soil decontamination solutions, and will develop and put in practice nature-based solutions, improve knowledge on biodiversity and deliver a framework for step-by-step decision making in terms of what is the best approach for resilient restoration in various European countries. The complete framework will be developed together with strategic engagement of land managers throughout Europe, and by rooting knowledge through co-creative processes and sustainable infrastructures. The implementation will be done through a strong team of multidisciplinary scientists and practitioners with ongoing commitments with a diverse set of stakeholders across Europe at the local, national and EU level. We will interlink land managers and sectors across Europe to take effective action on soil health and provide longevity links and support to several EU policy and international commitments.

RESIST will strengthen the resilience and accelerate the transformation and increase adaptive capacity of 12 climate-vulnerable EU regions, implementing 4 large-scale demonstrators of resilient innovations for Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) with quintuple-helix partnerships (including 1 in a less developed region) and promote transfer of know-how and innovative solutions to 8 twin regions (of which 4 less developed regions) through both physical mutual-learning activities and innovative immersive digital twins. The consortium will engage EU associations, CCA research groups, scientific experts, social engagement and communication institutions, innovation agencies and 1 Venture Capital Fund to co-create and validate innovative solutions, raise awareness, leverage citizens participation and promote sustainable exploitation of results towards the markets. RESIST will contribute to the EU agenda on CCA, through intervention in 3 main areas: Promote and demonstrate an innovative, more participative approach to resilience and CC adaptation in 4 demonstrator and 8 twinning regions (including 5 less developed regions in total) demonstrating >12 new solution lines, accelerating regional resilience and helping reach the adaptation-mission objectives of ‘building resilience and upscaling solutions through 100 demonstrators and accelerating the transition in 200 pilot regions and communities by 2030’ reaching already 4% and 6% of these aims by 2027, with 4 demonstrators and involvement of 12 regions Co-design and contribute to the development of new regional measures, policy instruments and social and technological solutions in 12 regions involving 22m citizens, increasing awareness/resilience by 10% and levels of green investments by 20%, reducing economic losses due to natural hazards such as floods by 14% and climate protection gap by 50%; Reduce time-to-market/risk for >100 new CCA Solutions from providers across Europe, offering them scale-up for their products.