Analysis of the Status of Research and Innovation Actions on Electrofuels under Horizon 2020

Europe stated the ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 to combat climate change and meet the requirements imposed by the Paris Agreement, and renewable energy has proved to be a promising solution for the decarbonization of many sectors. Nonetheless, their aleatory nature leads to grid unbalances due to the difference between supply and demand. Storage solutions are needed, and electrofuels become a key factor in this context: they are fuels produced from electricity, which leads to carbon-neutral fuels if it originates from renewable sources. These can constitute a key solution to store the surplus energy and to decarbonize the so-called hard-to-abate sectors. Electrofuel production technologies have not yet been fully developed, and, in this context, extensive study of the state-of-the-art of existing projects can be very useful for researchers and developers. This work researches the European projects funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme regarding electrofuel production. The projects were analyzed in-depth using specific features, and the results were presented.

What do we know about dynamic glucose-enhanced (DGE) MRI and how close is it to the clinics? Horizon 2020 GLINT consortium report

Cancer is one of the most devastating diseases that the world is currently facing, accounting for 10 million deaths in 2020 (WHO). In the last two decades, advanced medical imaging has played an ever more important role in the early detection of the disease, as it increases the chances of survival and the potential for full recovery. To date, dynamic glucose-enhanced (DGE) MRI using glucose-based chemical exchange saturation transfer (glucoCEST) has demonstrated the sensitivity to detect both d-glucose and glucose analogs, such as 3-oxy-methyl-d-glucose (3OMG) uptake in tumors. As one of the recent international efforts aiming at pushing the boundaries of translation of the DGE MRI technique into clinical practice, a multidisciplinary team of eight partners came together to form the “glucoCEST Imaging of Neoplastic Tumors (GLINT)” consortium, funded by the Horizon 2020 European Commission. This paper summarizes the progress made to date both by these groups and others in increasing our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms related to this technique as well as translating it into clinical practice.

Sustainability and Agricultural Regeneration in Hungarian Agriculture

Generational renewal is a core issue in European agriculture. Despite the continuous efforts of governments and the EU Council, the ageing of farmers seems an unstoppable process, accompanied by land concentration, the decrease in agricultural activity and the transformation of the European countryside. Consequently, there is a very rich scientific literature analysing the problem; a great part of it argues that the young farmer problem consists, in fact, in a number of different problems, with these problems showing huge regional differences. Hungary, as a new member state, with a heterogeneous (both fragmented and concentrated) land-use structure offers a good field to analyse generational renewal. Our paper is based on the first results of an ongoing Horizon 2020 project analysing rural regeneration. As a part of the research study, 48 semi-structured interviews were conducted with young farmers, successors of farmers and new entrants into farming. In our paper, we explore how education, access to land and family traditions influenced generational renewal and how it impacts sustainability practices.

A Review on Connecting Research, Policies and Networking in the Area of Climate-Related Extreme Events in the EU with Highlights of French Case Studies

The increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events (e.g., floods, heat and cold waves, storms, forest fires) resulting from climate change-compounded vulnerabilities and exposure require a specific research focus. Climate-related extreme events are part of disaster risk reduction policies ruled at international, EU, and national levels, covering various sectors and features such as awareness-raising, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, monitoring and detection, response, and recovery. A wide range of research and technological developments, as well as capacity-building and training projects, has supported the development and implementation of these policies and strategies. In particular, research and innovation actions support the paradigm shift from managing “disasters” to managing “risks” and enhancing resilience needs. In this respect, a huge body of knowledge and technology has been developed in the EU-funded Seventh Framework Programme (2007–2013) and Horizon 2020 (2014–2020), for example in the area of measures and technologies needed to enhance the response capacity to extreme weather and climate events affecting the security of people and assets. In addition, networking initiatives have been developed to connect scientists, policy-makers, practitioners, and industry and civil society representatives in order to boost research uptake, identify gaps, and elaborate research programs at EU level. Research and networking efforts are pursued within the newly starting framework program Horizon Europe (2021–2027), with a focus on supporting civil protection operations. This paper provides a general overview of relevant EU policies and examples of past and developing research in the area of weather and climate extreme events and highlights current networking efforts in this area.

Thermal Qualification of the UHTCMCs Produced Using RF-CVI Technique with VMK Facility at DLR

Ultra high-temperature ceramic matrix composites (UHTCMCs) based on carbon fibre (Cf) have been shown to offer excellent temperature stability exceeding 2000 °C in highly corrosive environments, which are prime requirements for various aerospace applications. In C3Harme, a recent European Union-funded Horizon 2020 project, an experimental campaign has been carried out to assess and screen a range of UHTCMC materials for near-zero ablation rocket nozzle and thermal protection systems. Samples with ZrB2-impregnated pyrolytic carbon matrices and 2.5D woven continuous carbon fibre preforms, produced by slurry impregnation and radio frequency aided chemical vapour infiltration (RF-CVI), were tested using the vertical free jet facility at DLR, Cologne using solid propellants. When compared to standard CVI, RFCVI accelerates pyrolytic carbon densification, resulting in a much shorter manufacturing time. The samples survived the initial thermal shock and subsequent surface temperatures of >2000 °C with a minimal ablation rate. Post-test characterisation revealed a correlation between surface temperature and an accelerated catalytic activity, which lead to an understanding of the crucial role of preserving the bulk of the sample.

Review of the research programme on the Mortella III wreck (2010-2020, Corsica, France): A contribution to the knowledge of the Mediterranean naval architecture and material culture of the Renaissance.

The Mortella wrecks are the remains of two navi, Genoese seagoing merchant ships, sunk in 1527 in the Bay of Saint-Florent (Upper-Corsica, France) during the Seventh Italian War. A programme of archaeological excavations and historical research has been held on one of them, Mortella III, between 2010 and 2020. It has involved a multidisciplinary team around a European research project called ModernShip (Horizon 2020), whose objective is to shed light on Mediterranean shipbuilding during the Renaissance, a field still little known to this day. At the end of these 10 years, the aim of the present article is to conclude this research programme with the presentation of a scientific review that complements a recently published monograph on the Mortella III wreck. This study presents the latest results on the ship's architecture obtained during the excavation of the wreck in 2019, including a study of the wood of the framework. Finally, this article broadens our understanding of the nave presenting the results of a collaborative line of research on material culture with three studies in close connection with the ship architecture: artillery, anchors and ceramics.

Drone-based electromagnetic survey system for geophysical applications

Geophysical electromagnetic (EM) methods are used in geological mapping, mineral exploration, groundwater studies and geotechnical investigations. Airborne EM methods have the benefit of avoiding terrain obstacles such as lakes, rivers, swamps, and ravines. Compared to manned aircrafts, drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have benefits of their own. Drone-based surveys are versatile, fast to deploy, economical and ecologically more friendly. Presently, magnetic surveying is the only geophysical method that is routinely conducted with drones. The modest maximum payload limit of drones imposes severe restrictions on the applicability of other methods including EM and radiometric methods, for example. Finnish company, Radai Ltd has been developing Louhi, a novel drone-based frequency-domain EM survey system, in an EU funded Horizon 2020 project NEXT – New Exploration Technologies. The EM system has two operation options – the first uses a large loop on the ground as an EM source and the other uses a small portable EM transmitter loop. Both systems utilize a stand-alone and light-weight three-component EM receiver that can be towed by a drone. This article presents the theoretical background of the EM methods, the solution developed by Radai Ltd, the current version of the EM device, and results from field and flight tests that demonstrate the applicability of the drone-based EM system under development.

Introduction

In 2020, for the first time in history, there were more people in the world aged 60 years and over than there were children below the age of 5 years. The population aged over 65 years is projected to increase from one billion in 2019 to more than two billion in 2050, and those aged over 80 years are projected to increase from 143 to 426 million, with the largest increase occurring in the developing world (UN World Population Prospects, 2019). This demographic trend constitutes the largest global health challenge, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The European Union has set it as one of the major challenges in Horizon 2020 and it has important societal implications (European Commission, 2020). The proportion of retired individuals will increase, leading to an increased ratio between those who have exited the workforce and those still active in the labour market. Thus, ageing represents a global societal and scientific challenge requiring integrated efforts, multidisciplinary translational research approaches and social innovations that build on ideas of potentials and capabilities, emphasising the value of old age.

A Milk Blockchain-Enabled Supply Chain

Blockchain is proven to support businesses in traceability, data reliability, and data retrieval in all the steps of the supply chain, but still has limited use in the food sector. Through the EU-Horizon 2020-backed example of an Italian regional milk value chain, the chapter describes a real case toward the implementation of such technology in the food sector for the benefit of multiple stakeholders. The case sheds light on the gathering of information concerning the milk production through a network of advanced internet of things sensors, the output of which is employed both for data-driven decision-making and for information certification through blockchain. This trustable and certified information could be shared and employed by other stakeholders to get informed about the status of the production process and, in turn, to potentially deliver an enlarged set of details about the product, progressively up to the end consumers, with implications of technology adoption for food tech-firms and on related impacts on a circular economy.