FoodTraNet is designed to provide high-level training of a new generation of high achieving early stage researchers (ESRs) in a common platform of advanced mass spectrometry tools for food quality, safety and security. Due to the fast growing and changing area in food science researchers need a multidisciplinary, intersectoral grounding in these tools to extract all the potential from traditional and new available methodologies and techniques. Although already available there is still a big gap between research capability and industrial uptake that needs to be bridged to assure their use in more practical and efficient way. The network is designed to bridge this translational gap by creating a multidisciplinary training and research network that will give ESRs the ability to transfer their knowledge from basic sciences to industrial applications. FoodTraNet will cover techniques including stable isotopes, target, suspect, non-target screening and mass spectrometry imaging to obtain the following objectives: 1) identify biomarkers and bioactive compounds to assure food quality and traceability; 2) characterize novel foods to support food safety and security; and 3) developed and characterize new products based on the latest advances in nanotechnology: edible photonic barcodes; nano-sensors; multi-functional polymer nanostructured materials; and new, active and intelligent packaging. These goals will be achieved by a unique combination of “hands-on” research training, non-academic placements/courses and workshops on scientific and complementary transferrable skills facilitated by the academic-non-academic composition of the consortium. Strong industry involvement in the project, with full participation of CONCAST and SMEs from different sectors, will provide ESRs with the transferable skills necessary for thriving careers in a burgeoning area that underpins food sustainability through innovative technological development across a range of diverse disciplines.

EUAqua.Org is aimed at boosting organic fish production in Europe by developing highly innovative solutions to fill key knowledge gaps and overcome the most relevant factors limiting the competitiveness for organic farming of Atlantic salmon, European sea bass, gilthead sea bream, and rainbow trout. Key technological advancements in phenotyping, genotyping, and genomic prediction methods will be developed by EUAqua.Org through the integration of different disciplines and approaches. This will provide essential tools for cost-effective, welfare- and environment-friendly organic aquaculture. The implementation of these tools at the industry level will be ensured by a comprehensive scientific, public, and industrial communication and dissemination programme, with exploitation of the project objectives and key results to create impact, including a multi-module open-access online training course that will be co-developed with key stakeholders (breeding companies, fish farmers, feed producers). In parallel, a tailored set of intervention strategies will be designed to promote awareness and acceptance of OA products in European consumers, through a behavioural economics approach. The project will build upon outputs of completed and ongoing national and EU projects, fully exploiting existing knowledge and leveraging the direct involvement of EUAqua.Org partners in multi-disciplinary research on advanced fish genomics, fish nutrition, fish health and welfare, consumer studies.

TO-SYN-FUEL will demonstrate the conversion of organic waste biomass (Sewage Sludge) into biofuels. The project implements a new integrated process combining Thermo-Catalytic Reforming (TCR©), with hydrogen separation through pressure swing adsorption (PSA), and hydro deoxygenation (HDO), to produce a fully equivalent gasoline and diesel substitute (compliant with EN228 and EN590 European Standards) and green hydrogen for use in transport . The TO-SYN-FUEL project consortium has undoubtedly bought together the leading researchers, industrial technology providers and renewable energy experts from across Europe, in a combined, committed and dedicated research effort to deliver the overarching ambition. Building and extending from previous framework funding this project is designed to set the benchmark for future sustainable development and growth within Europe and will provide a real example to the rest of the world of how sustainable energy, economic, social and environmental needs can successfully be addressed. This project will be the platform for deployment of a subsequent commercial scale facility. This will be the first of its kind to be built anywhere in the world, processing organic industrial wastes directly into transportation grade biofuels fuels which will be a demonstration showcase for future sustainable investment and economic growth across Europe. This project will mark the first pre-commercial scale deployment of the technology processing up to 2100 tonnes per year of dried sewage sludge into 210,000 litres per year of liquid biofuels and up to 30,000 kg of green hydrogen. The scale up of 100 of such plants installed throughout Europe would be sufficient to convert up to 32 million tonnes per year of organic wastes into sustainable biofuels, contributing towards 35 million tonnes of GHG savings and diversion of organic wastes from landfill. This proposal is responding to the European Innovation Call LCE-19.

FlexJet will build a pre-commercial demonstration plant for the production of advanced aviation biofuel (jet fuel) from waste vegetable oil and organic solid waste biomass (food waste), successfully demonstrating the SABR-TCR technology (traditional transesterification (TRANS) and Thermo-Catalytic Reforming (TCR) combined with hydrogen separation through pressure swing adsorption (PSA), and hydro deoxygenation (HDO) and hydro cracking/ isomerisation (HC)) to produce a fully equivalent jet fuel (compliant with ASTM D7566 Standards). This project will deliver respective environmental and social sustainability mapping and it will validate a comprehensive exploitation business plan, building on already established end user interest with existing offtake agreements already in place with British Airways. The project plant installed at the source of where the waste arises in BIGA Energie at Hohenstein (Germany) will produce 1,200 ton of jet fuel from 3,482 tonnes of dried organic waste and 1,153 tonnes of waste vegetable oil per year. A subsequent scale-up first commercial plant would be constructed immediately after the project end to produce 25,000 tonnes per year of aviation fuel. The FlexJet project consortium has undoubtedly bought together the leading researchers, industrial technology providers including airline off takers and renewable energy experts from across Europe, in a combined, committed and dedicated research effort to deliver the overarching ambition. Building and extending from previous framework funding this project is designed to set the benchmark for future sustainable aviation fuel development and growth within Europe and will provide a real example to the rest of the world of how sustainable aviation biofuels can be produced at both large and decentralised scales economically whilst simultaneously addressing social and environmental needs.