Cancer in the Upper Aerodigestive Tract (UADT) is still among the leading cancer types worldwide, with both incidence rate and mortality rate constantly rising. Treatment of these diseases is by Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) surgeons, operating with incomplete knowledge of the tumor geometry, under non-ergonomic conditions and with limited precision on fragile cancerous tissue. AIRCARE will bring clinical practice in diagnosis and surgical treatment to the next level, by introducing advanced AI and robotic technology into the clinical workflow. For diagnosis, AIRCARE will enable real-time on-the-spot AI-powered optical/electric biopsies, helping to optimize a patient-specific surgical approach. For surgery, AIRCARE will provide a more controlled and ergonomic setting. Novel robotic stabilizing and controlling tools will further allow manipulation of tissue and removal of cancer with unprecedented levels of precision. A newly developed intuitive 3D visualization will simplify the understanding of the complex surgical scene. Aside from increase of safety, quality and efficiency of the surgical procedure, also less experienced surgeons may become able to perform complex image guided treatments. Within this innovation action, our European partners spanning universities, research centers, industry and 3 hospitals, will join forces across disciplines to advance promising research prototypes into two advanced integrated systems: one for diagnosis, one for surgery, thus supporting clinicians from the detection and diagnosis of UADT diseases until their surgical treatment. Within the framework of the project, the superiority of AIRCARE technology will be demonstrated in real operational environments through three clinical studies. By doing so, we aim to demonstrate the benefits of AI and robotics to healthcare professionals and UADT patients and put the seeds to translate this technology into the next standard of care for improved clinical outcomes.

NFFA-EUROPE PILOT (NEP) aims at expanding and consolidating the operation of a Interoperable Distributed Research Infrastructure for Nanoscience (IDRIN) supporting research on materials and functional systems at the nanoscale and at the microscale. NEP provides a unique overarching offer of experimental and theoretical facilities to be combined to suit user needs ranging from materials synthesis, growth, nanofabrication to nanocharacterization, microscopy and spectroscopies also with fine analysis methods at large scale X and neutron radiation sources, and to numerical simulation. The model IDRIN fostered by NEP builds on the four-year experience of transnational access provision of NFFA-Europe that delivered combined scientific services to over one thousand European users. NEP expands the catalogue of facilities with new offer of cleanroom services, high-end electron microscopy, unique 50-100 fs sources for optical and electron spectroscopies, Free Electron Laser beamlines and chemistry based mesoscale material science. An overarching metadata and data management tool (Metastore) will realize the interoperability of the NEP results and a unique open access archive of FAIR nanoscience data to merge with the EOSC. The multi-technique character of the NEP user proposals leads to advanced reproducibility of results, research goals and effectiveness in multi-disciplinary research for curiosity driven, mission-oriented and application-oriented projects by academic or industrial users. The transnational access is proposed in modalities that help coping with the post COVID-19 conditions of restricted user mobility: interactive remote access (IRA) will be available from the beginning in some TA facilities and will be further generalized through the Joint Activities along with innovative Virtual Access and pilots of FAIR-by-design data generation. The construction of the IDRIN will address the issues for Long Term Sustainability of the NEP infrastructure services.

PhotonHub Europe will establish a single pan-EU Photonics Innovation Hub which integrates the best-in-class photonics technologies, facilities, expertise and experience of 53 partners from all over Europe, including the coordinators of EU pilot lines and local photonics hubs representing 18 regions, as a one-stop-shop solution offering a comprehensive range of supports to industry for the accelerated uptake and deployment of photonics. PhotonHub will provide European companies, in particular “non-photonics” SMEs and mid-caps that are first users and early adopters of photonics, with open access and guided orienteering to the following key support services: training and upskilling opportunities within PhotonHub’s Demo and Experience Centres throughout Europe and enhanced by digital tools for online learning; “test before invest” innovation support capabilities to engage with companies on highly collaborative Innovation Projects aimed at TRL acceleration from prototyping (TRL3-4) to upscaling (TRL5-6) to manufacturing (TRL7-8), and complemented by targeted business and IP advisory supports; and support to find investment through investment-readiness coaching and investor match-making organised in collaboration with major regional and European venture fora and deep tech Investor Days. PhotonHub will uniquely support cross-border innovation activities of European companies, while simultaneously working closely with the local photonics hubs to develop and roll out best practices of the “lighthouse” regions for ongoing regional financial support of SME innovation activities and to support the creation of new innovation hubs covering most regions of Europe. Finally, PhotonHub will fine-tune and implement its business plan for long-term sustainability in the form of the PhotonHub Europe Association as a durable entity which is deeply rooted within the wider ecosystem of local, regional and EU-DIHs for maximum leverage and impact on European competitiveness and sovereignty.