COVID-X will bridge the collaboration divide between eHealth solution providers -with emphasis on lean startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)-, and the healthcare professional system to fight COVID-19. The purpose is to boost an end-to-end agile validation programme of cutting-edge technology in three real-world clinical scenarios, located in hotspots of the pandemic: Italy, Spain and Sweden. The project will fast-track value streams between the two poles under consideration: 1) attract, invest and empower a community of European eHealth SMEs –the beneficiaries of an acceleration program, selected by open calls- that will provide market-ready fast, cost-effective and easily deployable sampling, screening, diagnostic and prognostic systems and/or data-driven services and tools, already certified with -or close to receive- the CE marking (type 1 of the call); 2) actively involve some of the most relevant hospitals of Europe that have the resources, critical mass and ambition to scale-up their capabilities in the COVID-19 response; thanks to the support of an innovative data sandbox, released as an in-house asset of COVID-X, to facilitate access easily, uniformly and securely to various health data sources, and providing data services including Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based decision support systems, data security, visual analytics and intuitive dashboards capabilities. The project will invest dedicated efforts to enforce data privacy and security, ethical compliance and user acceptance. Besides a solid consortium to access world class startups/SMEs, deliver highly valuable technological & business services, provide an innovative data Sandbox with AI capabilities for COVID related services and access 3 piloting sites, COVID-X targets to attract +155 applications and select 31 to undertake through the COVID-X Programme, investing a total of €4.0mil in high impact solution providers.

Lower population and business density make it more challenging to develop private businesses and public services in rural areas, negatively impacting socio-economic indicators. Rural areas are key to solve climate change, food, biomass and energy challenges. Favourable climate for entrepreneurship is needed for better provision of jobs, basic services, including health and care, connectivity, smart transport, energy solutions and attractiveness as whole, overcoming digital divide between rural and urban areas. AURORAL focus on delivering a digital environment of interoperable services through platforms able to trigger dynamic rural ecosystems of innovation chains, applications and services. Thus, AURORAL contributes to increasing economic growth in rural areas and to tackle significant societal challenges. AURORAL digital environment is demonstrated by cost-efficient and flexible cross-domain applications through large-scale pilots in five European regions. AURORAL digital environment builds on an open, API-based, interoperable and federated IoT architecture and includes a reference implementation supporting flexible integration of heterogeneous services, bridging the interoperability gap of the smart object platforms and creating markets for services in rural areas. AURORAL digital environment addresses the integration of data and information across different platforms, establishment of an open market place, large-scale demonstration, multiplication of novel applications, the leverage of infrastructure and inclusion of public services. AURORAL pilots follow an evolutionary agile, well-delineated, and lean approach demonstrated in large-scale applications capable of meeting social and economic objectives critical to boost new rural services and business. AURORAL digital environment supports a vibrant ecosystem of developers, service providers and user communities and addresses barriers currently opposing the socio-economic development of rural areas.

Farming is facing many economic challenges in terms of productivity and cost-effectiveness, as well as an increasing labour shortage partly due to depopulation of rural areas. Furthermore, reliable detection, accurate identification and proper quantification of pathogens and other factors affecting both plant and animal health, are critical to be kept under control in order to reduce economic expenditures, trade disruptions and even human health risks. AFarCloud will provide a distributed platform for autonomous farming that will allow the integration and cooperation of agriculture Cyber Physical Systems in real-time in order to increase efficiency, productivity, animal health, food quality and reduce farm labour costs. This platform will be integrated with farm management software and will support monitoring and decision-making solutions based on big data and real time data mining techniques. The AFarCloud project also aims to make farming robots accessible to more users by enabling farming vehicles to work in a cooperative mesh, thus opening up new applications and ensuring re-usability, as heterogeneous standard vehicles can combine their capabilities in order to lift farmer revenue and reduce labour costs. The achievements from AFarCloud will be demonstrated in 3 holistic demonstrators (Finland, Spain and Italy), including cropping and livestock management scenarios and 8 local demonstrators (Latvia, Sweden, Spain and Czech Republic) in order to test specific functionalities and validate project results in relevant environments located in different European regions. AFarCloud outcomes will strengthen partners’ market position boosting their innovation capacity and addressing industrial needs both at EU and international levels. The consortium represents the whole ICT-based farming solutions’ value chain, including all key actors needed for the development, demonstration and future market uptake of the precision farming framework targeted in the project.

PRODUCTIVE4.0 - AMBITIOUS PROJECT WITH A UNIQUE MAIN OBJECTIVE The main objective of Productive4.0 is to achieve improvement of digitising the European industry by electronics and ICT. Ultimately, the project aims at suitability for everyday application across all industrial sectors – up to TRL8. It addresses various industrial domains with one single approach of digitalisation. What makes the project unique is the holistic system approach of consistently focusing on the three main pillars: digital automation, supply chain networks and product lifecycle management, all of which interact and influence each other. This is part of the new concept of introducing seamless automation and network solutions as well as enhancing the transparency of data, their consistence and overall efficiency. Currently, such a complex project can only be realised in ECSEL. The consortium consists of 45% AENEAS, 30% ARTEMIS-IA, 25% EPOSS partners, thus bringing together all ECSEL communities. Representing over 100 partners from 19 EU and other associated countries, it is a European project, indeed. HANDS-ON SOLUTIONS FOR THE EUROPEAN DIGITAL INDUSTRY • Productive4.0 tackles technological and conceptual approaches in the field of Industry 4.0. The term comprises IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), CPS (Cyber Physical Systems) and Automation. • The innovation project takes a step further towards hands-on solutions. In the process, practical reference implementations such as 3D printerfarms, customised production or self-learning robot systems will benefit in fields like service-oriented architecture (SOA), IOT components & infrastructures, process virtualisation or standardisation. These fields are addressed in the work packages WP1 through WP6. • In addition to furnishing the industry with tailor-made digital solutions, the Productive4.0 Framework will be provided. • Productive4.0 is a brain pool initiated to strengthen the international leadership of the European industry.