This proposal SFS-03a-2014-aligned focuses to minimize the risk of introduction/impact of emerging pests threatening EU agriculture and forestry. The targets are: 1) Xylella fastidiosa and its vectors in olive, grapevine, citrus, stone fruit, ornamentals and landscape trees of high socio-economic importance; 2) ‘Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum’ and its vectors affecting a number of strategic crops such as potato, tomato and carrot; and 3) Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus (anomorph. Chalara fraxinea) and Phytophtora spp. seriously affecting broadleaf and conifer species in forest ecosystems. Targeted pests, their vectors and the host response will be explored using innovative approaches (NGS, transcriptomic). Diseases surveillance and epidemiology given by current methods will integrate improved survey protocols and remote sensing. Innovative IPM will include studies of microbiome to develop sustainable solutions in line with the EU plant health legislation. New knowledge gained with POnTE will result in an outcome-based pest prevention and management work plan to: a) implement area-wide pest risk assessments; b) prevent the entry and develop surveillance and early detection tools (diagnostic kits, lab-on-chip, new biomarkers); c) mitigate the spread and reduce the socio-economic impact; d) IPM based on disease resistance, disease-free seeds, cultural practices and physical environmentally-friendly treatments; e) support knowledge-based decision-making policies at EU level. The proposal fosters and promotes a multi-actor approach and transnational research collaborations among 25 Partners at the forefront of research in plant protection, agro-engineering and economics. It involves key industries/SMEs that develop diagnostic kits and services, agrochemical and seed companies, stakeholder groups. End-users will participate in the development of the project and immediately implement the practical solutions derived from the outcomes to solve these serious emerging diseases.

Healthy soil is at the heart of the European Green Deal and one of the main targets of the Mission Board. The EU is currently struggling with soil degradation which is undoubtedly linked to agriculture intensification. Thus, a new soil management paradigm on soil monitoring, restoration and protection must be an endeavour of farmers, scientists, businesses, politicians and citizens. LivingSoiLL intends to respond to these challenges by establishing 5 Living Labs (LLs) in PT, FR, ES, IT and PL focused on permanent crops (vineyards, olive groves, chestnuts, hazelnuts and apple orchards), comprising at least 50 demonstration sites and 10 lighthouses, and with active participation of more than 2000 local actors. These LLs will focus on improving healthy soils and ecosystem services through co-creating, co-implementing and co-testing (digital) solutions to reduce erosion, improve soil structure, reduce the impacts of the intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides, increase water storage, enhance soil biodiversity, and the overall resilience of soil. By promoting locally adjusted innovative solutions, spreading sustainable soil management practices and enhancing soil literacy, LivingSoilLL will contribute to the overall improvement of soil health and environmental resilience. This approach, applied in real-life settings, will mobilize farmers, farm advisors and local communities, facilitating the assemblage of formal, scientific knowledge with experience-based farmers know-how, fostering a forum for the exchange of experiences and best practices. LivingSoilLL is also designed to produce policy recommendations on best soil management practices on permanent crops to reduce erosion while promoting other soil health indicators. With its approach, LivingSoiLL projects intends to contribute to creating the necessary conditions to EU be able to sustain healthy soils for future generations

SMARTCHAIN is an ambitious, 3 year project with 43 partners from 11 European countries including key stakeholders from the domain of short food supply chain as actors in the project. The central objective is to foster and accelerate the shift towards collaborative short food supply chains and, through concrete actions and recommendations, to introduce new robust business models and innovative practical solutions that enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the European agri-food system. Using bottom-up, demand-driven research, the SMARTCHAIN consortium i) will perform a multi-perspective analysis of 18 case studies of short food supply chains in terms of technological, regulatory, social, economic and environmental factors, ii) will assess the linkages and interactions among all stakeholders involved in short food supply chains and iii) will identify the key parameters that influence sustainable food production and rural development among different regions in Europe. The project aims to establish 9 national communities of short food supply chains (Innovation and Collaboration Hubs) in different partner countries (France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland) and a virtual innovation hub in order to facilitate stakeholder engagement, bringing farmers and consumers together in a trust-enhancing environment enabling them to generate demand driven-innovations. Combination of scientific and practical knowledge and the use of innovation workshops will enable the development of practical innovative solutions as well as the promotion of a framework for different forms of collaborative short food supply chains in urban and rural areas. SMARTCHAIN will generate concrete actions for knowledge transfer, through the organisation of multi-stakeholder workshops and training activities for farmers and short food supply chain entrepreneurs.

The data intensive target sector selected for the DataBio project is the Data-Driven Bioeconomy, focusing in production of best possible raw materials from agriculture, forestry and fishery/aquaculture for the bioeconomy industry to produce food, energy and biomaterials taking into account also various responsibility and sustainability issues. DataBio proposes to deploy a state of the art, big data platform “on top of the existing partners’ infrastructure and solutions - the Big DATABIO Platform.The work will be continuous cooperation of experts from end user and technology provider companies, from bioeconomy and technology research institutes, and of other partners. In the pilots also associated partners and other stakeholders will be actively involved. The selected pilots and concepts will be transformed to pilot implementations utilizing co-innovative methods and tools where the bioeconomy sector end user experts and other stakeholders will give input to the user and sector domain understanding for the requirements specifications for ICT, Big Data and Earth Observation experts and for other solution providers in the consortium. Based on the preparation and requirement specifications work the pilots are implemented utilizing and selecting the best suitable market ready or almost market ready Big Data and Earth Observation methods, technologies, tools and services to be integrated to the common Big DATABIO Platform. During the pilots the close cooperation continues and feedback from the bioeconomy sector user companies will be utilized in the technical and methodological upgrades to pilot implementations. Based on the pilot results and the new solutions also new business opportunities are expected. In addition during the pilots the end user utilizers are participating trainings to learn how to use the solutions and developers also outside the consortium will be activated in the Hackathons to design and develop new tools, services and application for the platform.