The research project “SustainableCommodities” studies the European Deforestation-free law (EUDR) intended and unintended effect on Agricultural Commodities (AC) Supply Chains (SC) social, economic and environmental sustainability, providing insight into related business opportunities and risks, and ultimately suggesting improvements and reinterpretations to the existing regulatory framework. To meet the growing AC demand more resources are required to increase production, such as land, labor force, technologies, logistics, transportation, storage, and production infrastructure. However, the AC production is also responsible for significant negative impacts on the environment and on the people and communities involved especially in developing countries,. In governing AC SC dynamics, the EU has taken a decisive step with the EUDR establishing that "any operator or trader who places these commodities on the EU market, or exports from it, must be able to prove that the products do not originate from recently deforested land." The aim of the project is to: i) Understand if the EUDR, is setting the stage for the de-commoditization of AC, its effect on social, economic, and environmental sustainability of SC’s. ii) Establish what characteristics should a certification have to ensure environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the SCs and identify what technologies are functional for this purpose. iii) Clarify the EUDR effect on global AC flows and predict any possible availability risk and product demand risk. Understand the effect of the global flow change on sustainability in the SC. iv) Evaluate whether and how a substantial rethinking of the AC SC in terms of production, transportation, and transformation strategies is required and if the interplay between regulators, multinational firms, and farmers needs to be redefined by different, regulatory strategies and rewarding mechanisms.

The MERID project (Middle East Research and Innovation Dialogue) proposes a comprehensive action to intensify and encourage research and innovation cooperation between the EU and the Middle East region, directly involving partners from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, directly involving partners from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. The project intends to build upon the experience carried out in countries of the region that have already participated in the previous framework programmes, and therefore are at a relatively advanced stage of research cooperation with Europe, like Egypt and Jordan. Attention is paid to calibrating in the most appropriate way the intervention logic of the project, adapting actions to the specific needs of the target countries and their research constituencies. The needs of Iran and Iraq will for sure prove different from those of countries where cooperation with the EU has a proven track record behind. The project is the first attempt to systematise support to the policy dialogue and involvement of research communities of Iran and Iraq in the H2020 programme, as well as an initiative that seeks to give continuity to collaboration frameworks already established between the EU and Middle East countries. The project has high potential to deliver long-lasting impact and structuring effects on cooperation between the EU and the Middle East region. It focuses on enhancing direct cooperation among researchers and on laying or consolidating preconditions, in the region, fostering joint research projects and initiatives with the EU, establishing optimal framework conditions for international cooperation and increasing coordination between policies and programmes. These objectives will be achieved through series of different on-line and in-person activities, among which are meetings of researchers, brokerage events, info-days, training and coaching, webinars and other tools, relevant for this project proposals.

The ATTRACT Phase-2 project aims to consolidate a European innovation ecosystem focused on breakthrough Detection & Imaging technologies. This ecosystem is backboned by three types of actors: National and European RIs, Industrial organizations and their associated communities. Although these actors understand and practice innovation under different rationales, the goal of ATTRACT Phase-2 merges their common aim for overcoming the innovation “Valley-of-Death”. Departing from the success of the ongoing project ATTRACT Phase-1, this project will focus and fund the proven and most promising breakthrough technology concepts from the previous phase showing a strong potential for scientific, industrial and societal applications. ATTRACT Phase-2 is conceived as an instrument to further support their development and substantially raise their Technology Readiness Level towards the market. ATTRACT Phase-2 is also scaling up the opportunities for young entrepreneurs with respect to the previous phase. Following from ATTRACT Phase-1, this project will provide up to 400 young innovators the opportunity, methodologies and mentoring for developing novel concepts and prototypes of technological solutions addressing Societal Challenges inspired and in collaboration by the detection and imaging technologies developed within the funded projects. Additionally, ATTRACT Phase-2 will deliver a first of a kind Socio Economic Study of an innovation ecosystem in the making, realised by top experts and addressing different points of view and practices. ATTRACT Phase-2 will also undertake serious efforts for exploring the possibility of blending public and private financing in an open dialogue with their respective stakeholders in order to provide future models to streamline innovation funding.