Hyporheic zones (HZs) are key compartments for the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. As dynamic and complex transition regions between rivers and aquifers, they are characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of multiple physical, biological and chemical processes. Turnover and degradation of nutrients and pollutants figure among the prominent ecological services the HZ provides. We are facing a significant knowledge gap in the understanding of how hyporheic processes are linked and how they impact on each other. This can be attributed to a lack of truly supra-disciplinary research and harmonized and innovative investigation methods. The concept of HypoTRAIN has been tailored to fill this gap. Collaborative research with state-of-the art technologies from multiple disciplines (hydrology, ecology, microbiology, engineering, environmental physics, contaminant science, modelling) will generate new mechanistic insights into the functioning of HZs. A group of ESRs will be educated using the multi-faceted nature of HZs as the central theme of the training programme. The supra-disciplinary expertise within the network and the high-level training program will generate scientific knowledge that will set the ground for a more holistic design of river management plans and restoration measures. Research excellence as well as scientific and technological innovation is ensured as all partners have world-leading reputations and work at the forefront of their respective discipline areas. Participating in HypoTRAIN will make ESRs highly attractive for employers and open up doors for their successful careers in research, regulation, consulting, and industry. They will be experts for the better assessment of the ecological and chemical status of surface waters and for providing successful river restoration and management strategies. The strong involvement of the non-academic sector will provide the ESRs with a holistic perspective on career opportunities.

Soil and fluvial bioengineering is a technical and scientific discipline that combines technology and biology, making use of plants and plant communities to help protect land uses and infrastructure, and contribute to landscape development. It matches technical (protection and stabilisation), ecological (eco-systemic restoration), landscape (improve the landscape integration) and socioeconomic (more efficient and source of employment) The aim of this project is to generate a sector-specific theoretical and practical syllabus essential for the specialization process of the soil and water Mediterranean bioengineering sector. Also, to jointly develop a long term interaction scheme among the stakeholders of the bioengineering sector and to deliver a training courses programme technology enhanced in Soil and Fluvial Bioengineering, Hazard Assessment and Techniques Selection in Mediterranean Environment. This new syllabus will be generated during the implementation of the long term strategy of the proposal “Specialisation process for a soil and water bioengineering sector in the Mediterranean environment (ECOMED)”.The main objectives will be:- To develop and implement a long term interaction scheme between companies and HE centres related to bioengineering sector.- To take advantage of the accumulated experience of the sector throughout the Mediterranean environment by recording/implementing/standardising/transferring it throughout the bioengineering sector.- To develop modules tailored to bioengineering techniques planning, design and construction in Mediterranean environment.- To develop a virtual learning environment that facilitates experiential learning and assessment constructively aligned with the learning objectives- To improve the know-how of the sector by: * disseminating the results to a wider audience and in other similar climatic regions of the world. * exploiting the results by organising the knowledge transfer to other practitioners.

Regulators and industries are challenged by the difficulty to analyse and predict the impact of nonlinear environmental processes on short-term and long-term responses of ecosystems to environmental change. Until very recently, the development of most conventional monitoring, forecasting and prediction tools has been based on the assumption of stationary environmental systems. In the context of global change these tools are increasingly pushed towards and even beyond their design limits (the latter resulting in the first line from the prevailing limitations in spatial and temporal resolution of environmental observations). For this project, we propose a rationale stating that only novel, high-frequency/high-resolution environmental monitoring and predictive modelling will yield new process understanding of ecosystem functioning. Technological progress offers as many opportunities as it triggers challenges: what is needed now are new strategies to generate, manage and analyse BIG DATA at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. Innovation can only stand as a synonym for ‘significant positive changes’ if [a] we manage to clearly state the challenges (global change & non-stationarity) and problems (generating and managing high-frequency information) and [b] transform them into solutions, i.e. the quantification and prediction of environmental responses to global change as a prerequisite for designing and implementing adaptation and/or mitigation strategies wherever needed. The timely outcomes of this research project will hence be of great relevance for the scientific community, regulatory agencies, and the private sector.

Climate change is exacerbating the frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts worldwide. Despite this pressing reality, there exists a widespread underestimation of drought risk among the European population. In this critical context, wetlands emerge as a promising solution for enhancing water management and mitigating the impact of severe droughts, since they store a large portion of the Earth's freshwater and have the potential to recharge local aquifers. Despite the increasing recognition of wetlands as NBS, there remains a lack of comprehensive quantitative evidence and understanding regarding their cost-effectiveness under different European conditions. The objective of the NBS4Drought initiative is to systematically demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of wetland-based NBS in sustainable water management, particularly in alleviating the impacts of extreme droughts, and to expedite their widespread adoption across Europe. The outcomes will underscore the efficiency, replicability, and sustainability of NBS across diverse regions, furnishing stakeholders with compelling technical, economic, and social evidence to advocate for NBS in climate change adaptation strategies. To achieve this, 7 different wetland showcases identified from 5 distinct bioclimatic zones in Europe have been selected and will undergo a collaborative co-creation and co-development process, ensuring community involvement and the long-term maintenance of these NBS. The data gathered from the advanced monitoring program will drive hydrological, life cycle and socioeconomic assessments to demonstrate their cost-effectiveness, alongside the development of tools and policies to facilitate their replication throughout Europe. Citizen science initiatives and a multi-stakeholder approach, coupled with a robust communication and exploitation strategy, will be pivotal in fostering capacity building across European nations.