Main Objective

The initiative aimed to reduce fragmentation in raw materials R&I funding by launching joint transnational calls—one EU cofunded in 2017 and additional ones in 2018 and 2019—covering the full value chain from exploration and mining to processing, recycling, and substitution of critical raw materials. This fostered pan-European and global cooperation while aligning with the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials.

Strategic Objectives

• Promote R&I cooperation and synergies between regional, national, and EU-level funding.
• Provide a support network with financial resources to enhance coordination and collaboration.
• Improve efficiency of investments in raw materials R&I, emphasizing sustainable supply, circular approaches, and demand-driven innovation.

Key Deliverables and Outcomes

Deliverables included lists of funded projects from the three calls (e.g., bio-hydrometallurgy for e-waste, mine tailings valorization), a Strategic Research Agenda, and liaison activities with industry and other initiatives to avoid duplication. It supported projects advancing exploration, mining closure, product design for recycling/substitution, and secondary resource recovery.

Main Objective

The project developed and validated a transferable Renaturing Urban Plans (RUP) methodology, integrating NBS into urban planning for climate adaptation, resource efficiency, and biodiversity enhancement. It piloted over 40 NBS interventions, such as green roofs/walls, rain gardens, urban forests, and pocket parks, while monitoring impacts via sensors and citizen engagement tools.

Strategic Objectives

• Create scalable RUP guidelines with diagnosis tools, NBS scenario modeling, zoning, and impact assessment frameworks.
• Implement transformative greening in demo sites, emphasizing blue-green infrastructure, water management, and social innovations like community gardens.
• Build a global network of follower cities (e.g., Mantova, Medellín) for replication, supported by handbooks, business models, and policy toolkits.

Key Deliverables and KPIs

Deliverables included the RUP Handbook, monitoring reports showing reduced urban heat (up to 5°C cooling), improved air/water quality, and 20% biodiversity gains, plus a global NBS platform. KPIs tracked NBS performance (e.g., CO2 sequestration, flood reduction), stakeholder engagement (thousands involved), and replication success in 20+ cities.

EC signature date25 October 2018
Start date1 November 2018
End date31 December 2021

WoodCircus was a Horizon 2020 EU project involving 17 partners from the forest-based sector, aimed at promoting circular bioeconomy practices in woodworking value chains, particularly for wood construction. It focused on resource efficiency, waste management, and recycling to boost the sector’s competitiveness and sustainability.

Main Objective

The project sought to identify, evaluate, and disseminate best practices in process efficiency, wood waste collection, management, and recycling across European woodworking chains. By validating transferable solutions and providing evidence-based decision support, it aimed to minimize waste, enhance cascade use of wood resources, and connect rural economies to urban construction demands.

Strategic Objectives

• Compile empirical knowledge on wood-based value chains, from mobilization and transformation to reuse/recycling.
• Raise awareness, engage stakeholders (industries, RTOs, policymakers), and address regulatory barriers.
• Foster a self-sustaining WoodCircus Network for ongoing collaboration beyond the project lifetime.

Key Deliverables

Outputs included typologies of best-performing supply chains, an RTDI plan for wood industries toward circular economy, a White Paper with policy recommendations endorsed by stakeholders, and establishment of the WoodCircus Network linking technical institutes, industries, and policymakers.

Main Objective

The project sought to develop new circular value chains by cross-fertilizing traditional SMEs with design thinking experts and circular disruptors. It selected 24 “Classic SMEs” for a 4-phase Circularity Program to create 12 innovative solutions, which were then replicated in 42 “Adopter SMEs” facing similar challenges, fostering regional “CE Champions” and a scalable methodology.

Key Programs

• Circularity Program: A 9-month acceleration scheme offering up to €60,000 vouchers per selected SME, plus designers-in-residence and mentors to develop circularity solutions.
• Value Chain Replication Program: 3-month support for adopter SMEs, providing €15,000 vouchers to create feasibility plans and integrate proven solutions.

Deliverables and Impact

Outputs included 24 circularity solutions, feasibility plans for adopters, a “Circular Design Toolkit for Regions” to mainstream the approach EU-wide, and leveraged €6 million in follow-on funding from investors. The initiative emphasized technology implementation, business coaching, and pitching support to ensure long-term adoption.

Main Objective

The core goal was to establish a sustainable platform uniting programme owners, research organizations, and diverse stakeholders—like civil society, industry, SMEs, cities, and investors—to drive efficient circular economy research, development, and innovation (RDI). This platform aimed to address national and regional diversity via benchmarking, stakeholder mapping, and consultation mechanisms, ultimately reducing fragmentation in priorities, funding, and legal frameworks.

Strategic Objectives

• Map the state-of-the-art through benchmarking to identify synergies, gaps, duplications, and best practices in circular economy RDI.
• Develop a prioritisation methodology, culminating in a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), ex-ante impact assessments, and a policy toolkit for decision-makers.
• Define the future platform’s governance, legal frameworks, and financial sustainability model to ensure longevity beyond the project end.

Key Deliverables

Key outputs included stakeholder consultations, a benchmarking report on RDI priorities and mechanisms, the SRIA for joint circular economy programming, policy recommendations with best practices, and foundational elements for the ongoing EU Circular Cooperation Hub platform. These were designed to foster systemic collaboration toward net-zero goals aligned with the EU Green Deal.

KPIs and Performance Indicators

Specific public KPIs were not detailed in project summaries, but success hinged on metrics like stakeholder engagement levels, platform adoption post-project, SRIA implementation uptake by programme owners, and identified improvements in RDI synergies or gap closures. Sustainability of the platform was a key target indicator.​

DOI

10.3030/776745

Project closed

EC signature date30 October 2017

Start date1 December 2017

End date31 December 2020

This summary provides a structured overview of the COLLECTORS project (2017–2020), which focused on harmonizing waste collection data to help European decision-makers transition to a circular economy.

 Project Context & Objectives

While the EU generates 2.5 billion tonnes of waste annually, much of it contains valuable industrial materials. The “bottleneck” to recycling is often the collection stage, which varies wildly across regions.

• Target Streams: Paper & Packaging, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and Construction & Demolition Waste (CDW).
• Primary Goal: To identify and “export” successful collection models from high-performing regions to those lagging behind.
• Assessment Pillars: Evaluating systems not just on volume, but on quality of materials, economics, environmental impact, and societal acceptance.

 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Results

The project focused on moving from raw data to actionable “Good Practices.”

 Main Deliverables & Phases

The project followed a sequential three-phase methodology:

1. Inventory Phase

• COLLECTORS Web Portal: A public, searchable database (www.collectors2020.eu) that standardizes how collection data is reported, allowing for “apples-to-apples” comparisons between different cities and countries.
• Knowledge Library: A centralized repository of existing studies and reports on waste management.

2. Assessment Phase

• Multicriteria Analysis: Beyond simple weight metrics, the project analyzed the purity of collected waste (crucial for recycling) and the cost-benefit ratio for local municipalities.
• Societal Acceptance: Studied how different collection methods (e.g., door-to-door vs. drop-off points) affect citizen participation and satisfaction.

3. Implementation (Ongoing/Future)

• Policy Guidelines: Translating the assessment of the 12 good practices into practical manuals for regional authorities.
• Capacity Building: Tools and workshops designed to increase the technical expertise of waste management decision-makers.

 Socio-Economic & Societal Impact

COLLECTORS acts as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), meaning its value lies in bridging the gap between theory and practice:

• Informed Decision-Making: Local authorities no longer have to “reinvent the wheel”; they can use the portal to find a region similar to theirs that has already solved a specific collection challenge.
• Secondary Raw Materials: By improving collection quality, the project directly supports European industry’s access to sustainable, recycled materials, reducing reliance on imports.
• Citizen Engagement: Through focus groups, the project highlighted that successful waste systems require “buy-in” from the public, emphasizing the human element in technical infrastructure.

DOI

10.3030/821479

Project closed

EC signature date3 May 2019

Start date1 June 2019

End date30 November 2023

This summary provides a comprehensive overview of the Pop-Machina project (2019–2023), a Horizon 2020 initiative that explored the synergy between the maker movement and the circular economy.

 Project Context & Objectives

Pop-Machina aimed to demonstrate that collaborative production—communities making things together—is a powerful tool for urban regeneration and circularity. Instead of “Take-Make-Waste,” the project empowered citizens to use secondary raw materials (waste) to create new products.

• Pilot Cities: Implemented in 7 European cities: Leuven (BE), Istanbul (TR), Thessaloniki & Piraeus (GR), Santander (ES), Venlo (NL), and Kaunas (LT).
• Maker Empowerment: Focused on providing the digital and physical infrastructure for “circular makerspaces” where people can repair, recycle, and upcycle.
• Inclusion: A strong focus on empowering underrepresented groups, including women and vulnerable communities, through skill development.

 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Innovation

The project utilized “Social Industry 4.0” technologies to bridge the gap between hobbyist making and professional circular business models.

 Main Deliverables & Demonstrators

1. The Social Collaboration Platform (SCP)

The “digital heart” of the project, the SCP allowed makers to:

• Connect & Share: Find nearby makers and makerspaces.
• Book Equipment: Real-time booking of digital fabrication tools (3D printers, laser cutters).
• Marketplace: A hub to sell circular products or services to the community.

2. Tokenization & Value Chain Certification

• Tokenization of Work: Using Blockchain (BaaS), the project introduced the POP token. Users earn tokens by performing circular tasks (e.g., uploading training videos, recycling materials) and can spend them on services or materials within the marketplace.
• Certification Framework: A mechanism to verify the “circularity” of a product’s value chain, ensuring that items produced in makerspaces meet sustainability standards.

3. Urban Metabolism & Maker Mapping

• Circular Maker Passport: A tool developed to characterize the unique “circular profile” of makers and spaces in each pilot city.
• Urban Metabolism Reports: Detailed analysis of how materials flow through cities and where makerspaces can intervene to “close the loop.”

 Socio-Economic & Societal Impact

Pop-Machina moved beyond academic research to create a lasting “circular maker ecosystem”:

• Entrepreneurship: The Circular Maker Accelerator helped transition DIY projects into viable, market-ready circular businesses.
• Social Welfare: By providing free access to high-tech tools and training, the project reduced inequalities and fostered social cohesion.
• Environmental Resilience: Reduced city dependence on raw material imports by maximizing the reuse of local waste streams.
• Legacy: The POP-MACHINA Replication Guides provide a blueprint for any city in the world to adopt this model and turn their “waste” into “wasterials.”

DOI

10.3030/821000

Project closed

EC signature date3 May 2019

Start date1 June 2019

End date30 November 2022

 Project Context & Objectives

Mineral wool (insulation) represents a significant environmental challenge. Although it makes up only 0.2% of CDW by weight, its low density means it occupies a disproportionately large volume in landfills, where costs are expected to rise above €100/t.

• The “Wasterial” Goal: Convert under-exploited mineral wool into sustainable raw materials for the construction industry.
• The Innovation: Using Alkali-activation (Geopolymerization) to turn the reactive silica and alumina in wool into a binder, replacing CO2-intensive Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC).
• The Circular Loop: Spans from pre-demolition audits and robotized demolition to smart sorting and final product manufacturing.

 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Results

The project successfully demonstrated that mineral wool is a viable secondary raw material at an industrial scale.

 Main Deliverables & Work Performed

The project moved through the entire value chain to prove the feasibility of the circular concept:

1. Smart Demolition & Sorting

• On-site Analysis: Utilized time-gated Raman spectroscopy and handheld XRF technology to identify material composition before demolition.
• Audit Guidelines: Created standardized procedures for pre-demolition audits involving mineral wool.

2. Pre-treatment Technologies

• Processing: Developed systems for compression, shredding, and ball milling to achieve the specific particle size required for geopolymerization.
• Environmental Safety: Successfully managed risks related to organic resin content and ammonia emissions during the activation process.

3. Novel Construction Products

Large-scale pilots produced a variety of AAM (Alkali-Activated Material) products:

• Precast Elements: Pavement slabs, facade elements, and reinforced wall panels.
• Acoustic Panels: Utilizing the inherent properties of the original wool.
• Dry Mixes: Floor screed and 3D-printing concrete materials.

 Impact & Policy Recommendations

WOOL2LOOP positioned itself as a key contributor to the EU Green Deal and the Paris Agreement by decoupling economic activity from resource depletion.

Key Barriers Identified

Despite the success, the project highlighted five hurdles for market uptake:

1. Shortage of traditional slag/binders.
2. Lack of collection infrastructure for secondary raw materials.
3. Outdated building codes.
4. High investment costs for upscaling.
5. Market conservatism toward non-OPC concrete.

Policy Recommendations

• Taxation: Implement taxes on virgin materials or landfilling to make “wasterials” more competitive.
• Performance Standards: Shift building codes from “material-based” to “performance-based” to allow for new low-carbon cements.
• Green Procurement: Encourage public bodies to require LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) data for all building products.

DOI

10.3030/690047

Project closed

EC signature date3 May 2016

Start date1 June 2016

End date31 May 2019

This summary provides a structured overview of the Urban_Wins project, which focused on the “Urban Metabolism” approach to transform waste management into a circular, participatory process across European cities.

 Project Context & Objectives

Urban_Wins addressed the inefficiency of traditional waste policies by applying Urban Metabolism (UM)—a model that treats cities like living organisms, analyzing the flow of materials, energy, and water to optimize consumption.

• The UMAn Model: Applied to 7 pilot cities to map material flows (inflows vs. outflows), identifying where raw materials come from and where waste ends up.
• Participatory Planning: Beyond just data, the project aimed to co-design waste strategies with the people actually living and working in these cities.
• The Goal: To move from reactive waste management to proactive, circular urban planning that reduces dependence on raw materials.

 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Outcomes

The project successfully integrated scientific data with massive stakeholder engagement to produce measurable results.

 Main Deliverables & Work Performed

Urban_Wins produced a comprehensive toolkit for city planners and researchers to replicate their success:

1. The Urban Metabolism Toolkit

• MFA Manual: A guide for collecting the 23 datasets needed to analyze a city’s material flows.
• Indicator Dashboard: A set of metabolism indicators for 8 pilot cities to monitor progress toward circularity.
• Policy Analysis: A review of waste strategies across 6 EU countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Austria).

2. The “Agoras” (Participatory Model)

• Physical & Online Agoras: Created a space for citizens, NGOs, and SMEs to co-design 164 action proposals.
• 26 Pilot Actions: Real-world testing of ideas, ranging from school awareness campaigns to local waste management plans (e.g., in Manresa).

3. Roadmaps for the Future

• 8 Local Roadmaps: Specific paths for pilot cities to reach a circular economy.
• 1 EU Roadmap: A high-level strategic document to guide future urban planning at the European level.

 Socio-Economic & Societal Impact

The project demonstrated that science-based planning is more effective when paired with social engagement.

• Environmental Benefit: Direct reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, soil use, and hazardous substances through optimized material flows.
• Social Cohesion: The “Agoras” strengthened the sense of community belonging, giving citizens a voice in “the common good” and urban welfare.
• Economic Shift: By involving 1,000 SMEs, the project catalyzed the transition to circular business models, reducing costs associated with raw material consumption.
• Replicability: The modular Urban_Wins toolkit allows any EU city to adopt these methods, whether they want to focus on data (MFA) or stakeholder participation (Agoras).

DOI

10.3030/776758

Project closed

EC signature date31 October 2017

Start date1 December 2017

End date31 August 2021

This summary provides a structured overview of the CLIC (Circular models Leveraging Investments in Cultural heritage adaptive reuse) project, highlighting its efforts to bridge cultural heritage with the circular economy paradigm.

 Project Context & Objectives

CLIC addressed the “abandonment crisis” of European cultural heritage. While many sites are seen as financial burdens, the project reframed them as investments that can drive sustainable development.

• The Paradigm Shift: Moving from a “Take-Make-Waste” demolition model to Adaptive Reuse, which conserves the “embodied energy” of buildings and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Human Dimension: Reframing heritage as a “Common Good”—a shared resource that builds relational values, community health, and social inclusion.
• Evaluation Tools: Developing methods to calculate the “complex social value” of heritage, making a business case for restoration over demolition.

 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Results

The project focused on validating circular models through local partnerships and competitive innovation.

 Main Deliverables & Work Performed

CLIC utilized a trans-disciplinary approach to provide practical tools for cities and investors:

1. Heritage Innovation Partnerships (HIPs)

The project established HIPs in four diverse pilot areas to co-create Local Action Plans (LAPs):

• Salerno (Italy): Focusing on urban regeneration.
• Rijeka (Croatia): Linking industrial heritage with the “European Capital of Culture” context.
• Västra Götaland (Sweden): Focusing on regional rural landscapes.
• Amsterdam (Netherlands): Collaboration with the Pakhuis de Zwijger cultural foundation.

2. Decision Support System (DSS)

• Developed a toolkit for policy-makers to assess the multidimensional impacts (cultural, social, environmental, and economic) of reuse projects.
• Included “tri-profit” metrics that integrate different forms of value into a single measure.

3. Circular Business & Financing Models

• Innovative Finance: Explored high-leverage tools like venture philanthropy, ethical banking, and impact investment.
• Governance Models: Experimented with public-private-people partnerships (PPPP) to ensure long-term, inclusive management of heritage assets.

 Socio-Economic & Societal Impact

CLIC proved that adaptive reuse is more than just “fixing old buildings”—it is a catalyst for modern urban life:

• Job Creation: Stimulated new skills in sustainable construction, digital management of heritage, and “circular” entrepreneurship.
• Waste Prevention: Direct environmental impact by avoiding the massive waste streams associated with building demolition.
• Wellbeing: Demonstrated how high-quality, culturally rich urban spaces improve the mental and physical health of local residents.
• Policy Influence: Contributed to the UN New Urban Agenda and provided recommendations for European legislation on circular city planning.

DOI

10.3030/821033

Project closed

EC signature date3 May 2019

Start date1 October 2019

End date30 September 2023

This summary captures the final reporting outcomes for CityLoops (2019–2023), an ambitious project that empowered European cities to manage their most impactful material streams: Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) and Bio-waste.

 Context & Strategic Objectives

CityLoops aimed to prove that city administrations are the primary agents of change in the circular transition. By focusing on CDW and Bio-waste, the project targeted materials that represent the highest volumes of urban waste and the greatest potential for CO2 reduction.

• Sector Focus: * CDW & Soil: Moving from “downcycling” to high-value reuse in new construction.
  • Bio-waste: Transitioning from simple disposal to nutrient recovery and food waste prevention.
• The “Lever” Strategy: Utilizing municipal powers—such as public procurement, zoning, and waste collection contracts—to create immediate market demand for circular products.
• Pilot Cities: Apeldoorn (NL), Bodø (NO), Høje-Taastrup & Roskilde (DK), Mikkeli (FI), Porto (PT), and Seville (ES).

 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Results

The project successfully moved beyond theory into a massive “demonstration phase” with quantifiable outputs.

 Main Deliverables & Innovations

1. Urban Circularity Assessment (UCA) & SCA

CityLoops pioneered the UCA methodology, a material flow and stock accounting method.

• UCA: Provides a high-level “metabolism” view of the entire city.
• SCA (Sector-wide): Deep-dives into specific biomass and construction flows.
• CHA (Circular Hotspot Analysis): Pinpoints specific areas where resource loss is highest.

2. CDW Solutions: From “Waste” to “Resource”

• Pre-demolition Audits: Digital scans and procedures to identify reusable components before a building is torn down.
• Material Passports: Creating digital identities for materials to track their quality and location for future reuse.
• Marketplaces: Platforms for the trade of secondary raw materials between construction sites.

3. Bio-waste Solutions: Valorisation & Prevention

• Food Waste Prevention: Tools for the tourism and social sectors to track and reduce surplus.
• Green Space Certification: Systems to ensure biomass from parks is composted or upcycled locally.
• Smart Collection: Implementing new separated collection systems and routes to improve the purity of organic waste.

 Socio-Economic & Societal Impact

CityLoops proved that a circular city is not just more sustainable, but more resilient and community-focused.

• Scientific Impact: Developed a standardized Circular City Indicator Set and monitoring framework to track progress across Europe.
• Economic Impact: Development of “Material Depots” and waste facilities created green jobs and supported local infrastructure.
• Procurement Power: The project’s Circular Procurement Toolkit showed cities how to use their buying power to force the market toward sustainable innovation.
• Environmental Impact: Documented significant reductions in carbon emissions and a measurable shift from landfilling to high-quality recycling and valorization.

DOI

10.3030/821366

Project closed

EC signature date6 May 2019

Start date1 June 2019

End date31 August 2024

This summary provides a structured overview of the CIRCULAR FLOORING project (2019–2023), which developed a technical solution to the “legacy additive” problem in PVC recycling.

 Project Context & Objectives

The primary obstacle to recycling flexible PVC (PVC-P) is the presence of legacy additives—specifically hazardous phthalate plasticizers like DEHP. Because these chemicals are restricted by EU regulations (REACH), traditional recycling often fails, leading to 26% of PVC waste being landfilled.

• Target Material: Post-consumer plasticized PVC flooring.
• Core Goal: Eliminate hazardous phthalates to produce high-quality, REACH-compliant recycled PVC (rPVC) and upcycle the waste plasticizers into safe alternatives.
• The “CreaSolv®” Process: A solvent-based dissolution technology designed to separate the PVC polymer from additives and impurities.

 Key Results & Technical Achievements

The project successfully moved the technology from the lab to a pilot scale (TRL 6), proving that high-purity recycling is technically and economically viable.

 Main Deliverables & Innovations

1. Dissolution-Based Recycling

Unlike mechanical recycling, which keeps additives in the mix, this process dissolves the PVC in a specific solvent. The hazardous plasticizers are separated, and the pure PVC polymer is precipitated. This allows for the production of “virgin-like” rPVC that can be used even in sensitive applications.

2. Plasticizer Upcycling (Hydrogenation)

CIRCULAR FLOORING did not just remove the waste phthalates; it transformed them. Through a combined transesterification-hydrogenation process, harmful waste phthalates were converted into DINCH—a safe, non-phthalate plasticizer widely used in modern industry.

3. Product Integration: Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT)

The project proved that rPVC could be re-integrated into new flooring production.

• The Bottom Layer: rPVC was found to be particularly suitable for the backing layers of heterogeneous floor coverings.
• Performance: Production tests confirmed that the recycled material could be restabilized and processed using standard industrial equipment, overcoming initial mixing challenges.

 Socio-Economic & Policy Impact

CIRCULAR FLOORING provides a roadmap for the flooring industry to meet the increasingly strict requirements of the EU Green Deal.

• Regulatory Compliance: Enables the industry to meet “recycled content” quotas mandated by the revised Construction Products Regulation and Green Public Procurement.
• Resource Independence: Reduces reliance on crude oil for virgin PVC production, contributing to a 20% reduction in non-renewable material intensity (SPIRE PPP target).
• Industrial Viability: With roughly 400,000 tonnes of PVC flooring waste generated annually in Europe, the project demonstrated that there is sufficient volume to support large-scale industrial plants (30,000 t/y).
• Societal Benefit: Removes hazardous “legacy” chemicals from the circular loop, ensuring that the next generation of building materials is safer for human health and the environment.

DOI

10.3030/821242

Project closed

EC signature date3 May 2019

Start date1 September 2019

End date29 February 2024

 Project Context & Objectives

CLEARING HOUSE addresses the growing need for resilient cities by treating urban trees and forests not just as “landscaping,” but as essential infrastructure.

• Defining UF-NBS: Includes everything from peri-urban forests and forested parks to individual street trees in public and private spaces.
• The Living Laboratory: By comparing cities in China and Europe, the project analyzed how different governance, economic, and institutional contexts affect the success of tree-based restoration.
• Core Goal: To enhance urban resilience, improve human well-being, and restore degraded environments through the strategic planning and management of tree-rich landscapes.

 Key Results & Achievements

The project moved from theoretical research to the creation of practical, cross-continental planning tools and a new global standard for forest typology.

 Main Deliverables & Tools

The project developed a suite of instruments designed for urban planners, landscape architects, and local authorities:

1. Digital Planning Platforms

• MyDynamicForest: A participatory platform that collects localized citizen perspectives and links them to specific green space characteristics.
• SIAC (Spatial Impact Classification & Assessment): A Q-GIS plugin that allows cities to assess tree-cover benefits and align them with IUCN Urban Nature Indexes.
• SIK-Hub (Spatial Information & Knowledge Hub): A benchmarking tool used to compare urban forest performance across different global settings.

2. Strategic Guidelines

The project published four comprehensive guidelines covering:

• Planning: How to integrate forests into dense urban fabrics.
• Management: Sustainable maintenance of urban tree health.
• Public Engagement: Methods to increase civic involvement in funding and implementation.
• Institutional Aspects: Navigating policy “silos” and administrative timelines.

 Socio-Economic & Global Impact

CLEARING HOUSE has created a lasting legacy for Sino-European environmental cooperation:

• Policy Influence: The project’s findings provide a scientific basis for cities to draft and implement Urban Nature Plans, ensuring they meet actual citizen needs.
• Cross-Continental Learning: By comparing Chinese and European case studies, the project identified shared challenges like land development pressure and infrastructure fragmentation, while sharing best practices for large-scale urban greening.
• Social Benefits: Proved that urban forests are a “common good” with massive public support, debunking myths that “disservices” (like falling leaves) are a major deterrent to urban residents.
• Long-term Sustainability: The project’s legacy is secured through the European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF), established as a legal entity in 2023 to continue this research and advocacy.

DOI

10.3030/730316

Project closed

EC signature date7 September 2016

Start date1 October 2016

End date30 September 2018

 Project Context & Objectives

CIRCULAR IMPACTS was designed to help the European Commission and Member States understand the multidimensional impacts—environmental, economic, and social—of adopting circularity.

• The Core Problem: While the “Circular Economy Package” provided a political goal, policy-makers lacked a centralized, data-driven evidence base to perform impact assessments and predict the outcomes of specific circular policies.
• Reframing Value: Shifting from the “Take-Make-Dispose” model to a regenerative system where components are kept in the economic process indefinitely.
• Project Mission: To provide the data and theoretical tools necessary to make the circular economy a measurable and manageable reality for EU governance.

 Key Results & Achievements

The project provided a mix of theoretical frameworks, digital tools, and real-world case studies to bridge the gap between abstract circular goals and practical policy-making.

 Deep-Dive Case Studies

To move beyond theory, the project conducted four specific case studies that highlighted the “Good Practices” and economic trade-offs of circularity:

1. Car Sharing (Germany): Explored “Product-as-a-Service” models, showing how intensifying vehicle use can reduce resource and energy demand.
2. Recycled Concrete (France): Investigated the reuse of construction and demolition waste (CDW) to reduce landfilling and the extraction of virgin minerals.
3. Lithium-Ion Batteries: Focused on the critical transition to electric vehicles and the management of high-value battery components.
4. Phosphorus Recycling: Addressed the recovery of this essential but scarce nutrient for agriculture, reducing dependency on imports.

 Socio-Economic & Policy Impact

The legacy of CIRCULAR IMPACTS lies in its contribution to European economic governance and scientific transparency:

• The European Semester: The project clarified how circular economy objectives can be integrated into the EU’s annual cycle of economic policy coordination, making circularity a fiscal and economic priority.
• Public Knowledge Hub: The Knowledge Library (circular-impacts.eu) was designed as a “one-stop shop” for journalists, scientists, and NGOs, not just government officials.
• Modelling for Practitioners: By comparing different macroeconomic modeling methodologies, the project helped practitioners choose the right tools for predicting employment gains, GDP changes, and resource efficiency.
• Impact Beyond the Project: The findings continue to support the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan and the European Green Deal.

CEWASTE project (2018–2021)

Grant agreement ID: 820859

DOI

10.3030/820859

Project closed

EC signature date3 October 2018

Start date1 November 2018

End date30 April 2021

This summary captures the outcomes of the CEWASTE project (2018–2021), which tackled one of the most difficult challenges in the circular economy: the recovery of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) from electronic waste and batteries.

 Context & Strategic Objectives

Europe is heavily dependent on foreign supplies for CRMs (like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements) essential for high-tech and green industries. While recycling is a solution, CRM recycling rates are currently near zero because it is technically difficult and economically unattractive.

• The Problem: Low and volatile prices for CRMs make the necessary high-capital recycling technologies risky for private firms.
• The Solution: A Voluntary Certification Scheme to ensure traceable, sustainable, and high-quality treatment of CRM-rich waste across the entire supply chain.
• Target Waste: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and waste batteries from both consumer electronics and End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs).

 Key Results & Technical Achievements

CEWASTE moved beyond existing general recycling standards to create specific, technical requirements for the recovery of 14 categories of Key CRM Equipment (KCE).

 Main Deliverables & The Certification Scheme

1. The Normative Requirements

CEWASTE built upon the CENELEC EN 50625 standard series. While previous standards focused on general depollution, CEWASTE added specific requirements for:

• Environmental & Social Performance: Ensuring “urban mining” doesn’t harm workers or the planet.
• Technical Performance: Specific mandates on how to identify and handle CRM-rich components (e.g., printed circuit boards, magnets).

2. The Pilot Audits

To prove the scheme worked in the “real world,” audits were performed across the entire value chain—from collection and transport to specialized treatment facilities. This validated that the standards were practical for both small operators and large industrial recyclers.

3. The CRM Roadmap

The project identified that technical standards alone aren’t enough. The roadmap suggests “clustering”—where Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) consolidate small amounts of CRM-rich waste into large enough batches to make industrial recycling profitable.

 Socio-Economic & Policy Impact

The legacy of CEWASTE is the creation of a “level playing field” where high-performing recyclers are rewarded for recovering difficult materials.

• Market Stabilization: By identifying best practices, the scheme creates a favorable environment for long-term investment in recovery technologies.
• Security of Supply: Increased recovery rates reduce the EU’s vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions of rare metals.
• Fair Competition: Standardized rules prevent “leakage” of valuable materials to sub-standard facilities or illegal transboundary shipments.

 Key Policy Recommendations

The project concluded that the responsibility for CRMs is a shared societal challenge, requiring specific legislative actions:

• Mandatory Integration: Integrating CEWASTE requirements into the EN 50625 series and making them legally binding.
• Market Incentives: Using fiscal tools to make secondary (recycled) CRMs as cheap or cheaper than virgin materials.
• Traceability: Ensuring all actors have access to information on which components contain CRMs to make monitoring easier.

Program: Romania Secondary Education Project (ROSE)

Funding: Ministry of Education / World Bank

Implementation Period: 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 (Cohorts)

1. Overview

STARRRHI+ is a secondary education project funded through the ROSE scheme. It supports a minimum of 80 first-year students (per annual cohort) at the Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM, who are identified as being at academic or social risk.

Through activities complementary to the standard curriculum—including awareness campaigns, mentoring, remedial programmes, and targeted equipment support—the project aims to ensure successful completion of the first year of study and significantly reduce the risk of dropout.

2. Role & Responsibilities: Adrian Ibric

Role: Mentor and Application Author (Writing Team Member)

Context: Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM

Strategic Contribution

• Funding Application Co-Writer: Member of the grant-writing and implementation team. Contributed to the preparation of the STARRRHI+ application, defining objectives, activities, the mentoring concept, and the monitoring framework.

Main Responsibilities

• Mentoring: Acted as a mentor for first-year architecture students in academic or social-risk situations. Conducted regular meetings to discuss difficulties (study rhythm, adaptation to university life, financial/personal issues) and identify solutions.
• Awareness Campaign: Contributed to campaigns addressing the target group, explaining dropout risks, available support measures, and the benefits of engaging with remedial activities.
• Remedial Design: Participated in the design and implementation of remedial activities (e.g., additional feedback sessions on studio work, time-management advice, exam preparation) based on team-identified needs.
• Monitoring: Supported the tracking of participation, individual progress of mentees, and qualitative feedback for reporting to ROSE management structures.

Key Achievements

• Program Design: Member of the core team that designed STARRRHI+ as a structured support mechanism, contributing to reduced dropout risk in the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 cohorts.
• Direct Impact: Provided direct guidance to students from vulnerable backgrounds, assisting their navigation of academic and personal challenges during the transition to university.

3. Main Objectives

• General Objective: To support at least 80 first-year students (in both 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 cohorts) at the Faculty of Architecture who are in academic or social-risk situations, thereby reducing dropout rates and improving results.
• OS1 – Awareness: Increase awareness of academic and social risk factors through dedicated information campaigns.
• OS2 – Mentoring: Provide structured mentoring to offer a safe space for identifying personalised solutions to student challenges.
• OS3 – Remedial Support: Offer activities complementary to the standard curriculum (guidance for key disciplines, learning skills) based on identified needs.
• OS4 – Infrastructure: Ensure necessary equipment and management support for implementing mentoring and remedial activities.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Target Group: At least 80 first-year students per cohort (2019/2020 & 2020/2021) identified as at-risk and included in the project.
• Engagement: High number of mentoring sessions held and students actively participating.
• Awareness: Execution of campaign actions (meetings, online materials) regarding dropout risks.
• Remedial Action: Implementation of additional classes, consultations, and workshops with tracked participation rates.
• retention: Improvement in progression from 1st to 2nd year (reduced dropout/failure rate) compared to previous cohorts.

5. Key Deliverables

• Mentoring Programme: A structured support system for at-risk students, implemented by a team of mentors (including Adrian Ibric).
• Campaign Materials: Awareness-raising resources regarding risk factors and support mechanisms.
• Remedial Curriculum: tailored activities complementing the first-year curriculum, focusing on critical courses and adaptation skills.
• Resources: Equipment and management resources secured under the ROSE framework.
• Policy Data: Experience and data generated to inform future UAUIM student-support policies and retention initiatives.

6. References & Links

• STARRRHI+ Project Page: https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/starrrhi/
• ROSE Programme Info: http://proiecte.pmu.ro/web/guest/rose/informatii
• Adrian Ibric – UAUIM Profile: https://www.uauim.ro/en/university/faculty/ionut-adrian-ibric/

Acronym: VIP Code: CNFIS-FDI-2020-0622 | Funding: CNFIS-FDI (Institutional Development Fund) Strategic Domain: D1 – Equity & Access in Higher Education Implementation Period: 21 April 2020 – 27 November 2020

1. Overview

“Designing the Future Together” (VIP) is an outreach project aimed at discovering and stimulating the artistic and creative potential of high-school pupils, with a specific focus on those from rural areas and small towns (under 10,000 inhabitants).

Co-financed by CNFIS-FDI 2020, the project promotes the educational offer of the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM) and supports access to higher education in architecture, urbanism, landscape, and interior design.

2. Role & Responsibilities: Adrian Ibric

Role: Project Assistant and Team Member Context: VIP 2020 (CNFIS-FDI-2020-0622)

Strategic Contribution

• Funding Application Co-Writer: Co-authored the VIP CNFIS-FDI-2020-0622 funding application. Contributed significantly to the formulation of objectives (O1–O6), the activity plan, performance indicators, and sustainability measures.

Main Responsibilities

• Outreach Planning: Supported the Project Director (Lect. dr. urb. Sorina-Georgiana Rusu) in planning activities targeting rural and small-urban high schools across multiple counties.
• Online Adaptation: Helped organize online information sessions and presentations adapted to the constraints of the 2020 pandemic context.
• Module Design: Participated in the design and implementation of the experimental counselling module “Architects, Urban Planners, Landscape Architects or Designers?”, helping pupils explore their vocation.
• Event Coordination: Assisted in coordinating the “Open Doors Day… Online! 2 September 2020” event for prospective applicants.
• Partnership Building: Contributed to establishing partnerships with high schools and external partners (ALLBIM NET, ASAR) and building the initial VIP database.

Key Achievements

• Foundation Building: Supported the delivery of the first VIP outreach cycle, creating the concept and network that underpinned later projects (ACCES VIP 2021, VIP 2022).
• Financial Support: Contributed to implementing the fee-exemption scheme for 30 high-school pupils, facilitating their access to the 2020–2022 admission process.

3. Main Objectives

• O1 – Potential Discovery: Discover and stimulate the creative potential of high-school pupils and familiarize them with the specific requirements of architecture and design fields.
• O2 – Promotion: Promote UAUIM’s educational offer and explain the impact of the built environment on local community development.
• O3 – Counselling: Provide career counselling to help pupils understand the professional profiles of architects, urban planners, and designers.
• O4 – Digital Tools: Develop and pilot digital/blended learning tools to support inclusive education, especially under pandemic conditions.
• O5 – Rural Access: Increase access to higher education for graduates from rural areas and small towns (pop. <10,000).
• O6 – Market Alignment: Align UAUIM’s offer with labor market demand through feedback from pupils, teachers, and partners.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Outreach: Multiple partner high schools reached in counties such as Călărași, Prahova, and Dâmbovița via online sessions.
• Participation: High number of pupils engaged in information sessions, counselling, and preparatory courses.
• Counselling: Delivery of the experimental module “Architects, Urban Planners, Landscape Architects or Designers?”.
• Financial Aid: Admission fee exemption approved for 30 pupils (Board request no. 3204/22.06.2020).
• Partnerships: Agreements signed with high schools and external partners (ALLBIM NET, ASAR).

5. Key Deliverables

Events & Education

• Online Information Sessions: Series of presentations delivered to partner high schools (June 2020).
• “Open Doors Day… Online!”: Live online event held on 2 September 2020.
• Experimental Module: Online questionnaire and introductory content for career orientation.

Strategic Partnerships

• ALLBIM NET (Partnership no. 7619/26.11.2020): Collaboration for the development of digital competencies and inclusive education.
• ASAR – Association of Architecture Firms (Partnership no. 7620/26.11.2020): Collaboration to facilitate contact with architecture offices as potential mentors.

Materials

• Publicity materials (Digital posters, brochures) distributed via UAUIM online channels.

6. References & Links

• VIP 2020 Project Page: https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/vip/
• “Open Doors Day… Online!” (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua4923K1tqw
• UAUIM VIP YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@uauimvip/videos

Strategic Domain: Development of Institutional Capacities for Research

Event Period: 4–8 October 2021 (Online)

1. Overview

INNOMINCU (“Innovation as Necessity, Opportunity and Registered Mark of University Research”) is an institutional research-support project at the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM).

The 2021 edition, titled “Sustainability and Research Days in UAUIM”, aimed to stimulate performance in Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI). The project focused on improving the research skills of academic staff, researchers, PhD candidates, and students through a week-long series of online conferences, workshops, and courses involving international speakers from the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Austria.

2. Role & Responsibilities: Adrian Ibric

Role: Scientific Researcher and Organising Committee Member

Context: INNOMINCU 2021 (CNFIS-FDI-2021-0508)

Strategic Contribution

• Funding Application Co-Writer: Co-authored the successful CNFIS-FDI funding application. Contributed to the design of objectives (OS1–OS3), activity planning, and the indicator framework for research capacity-building at UAUIM.

Main Responsibilities

• Programme Design: Contributed to the design and implementation of the conference programme, including sessions on digital modelling, energy efficiency, and the INNOSCAPES workshop.
• Coordination: Supported the management of calls for papers, abstract selection, and communication with speakers from UAUIM and international partner universities to ensure thematic coherence (sustainability, renewable energy, nZEB).
• Capacity Building: Supported the rollout of training activities regarding research funding and project preparation to help staff apply for competitive grants.
• Event Management: Assisted in the dissemination of conference materials (programmes, Zoom links) and the documentation of participation.

Key Achievements

• Event Organization: Part of the core team that organized the week-long online conference “Sustainability and Research Days in UAUIM.”
• Institutional Impact: Contributed to integrating existing research initiatives at UAUIM with new European research directions and funding opportunities.

3. Main Objectives

• OS1 – RDI Performance: Increase performance in RDI activities and support a stimulating academic environment for 250 academic staff and 30 PhD candidates, aligning UAUIM with new European research directions.
• OS2 – Institutional Visibility: Strengthen mechanisms for promoting research results and international collaboration through conferences, workshops, and digital platforms.
• OS3 – Interdisciplinary Cooperation: Encourage collaboration by inviting external speakers and building partnerships with public and private institutions related to architecture, urbanism, and the built environment.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Target Group: At least 250 academic staff and 30 PhD candidates targeted for research-skills development.
• Event Duration: One week-long conference (4–8 October 2021) held fully online.
• Content: Multiple sessions including plenary presentations, the INNOSCAPES workshop, digital modelling sessions, and a research funding initiation course.
• International Reach: Involvement of speakers and partners from universities in the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Austria.
• Impact: Enhanced research skills and awareness of sustainability topics among the academic community.

5. Key Deliverables

• Conference Event: The “Sustainability and Research Days in UAUIM” conference, featuring thematic sessions on innovation, nZEB, and sustainable resources.
• Workshops & Training: The INNOSCAPES workshop and a dedicated initiation course on research funding and project applications.
• Capacity Building Program: A structured programme for staff and PhD candidates that laid the foundation for future editions (e.g., INNOMINCU 2025) and integration with CULTADISER/CULRADISER.
• Documentation: Collection of abstracts, recorded sessions, and conference materials hosted via UAUIM platforms.

6. References & Links

• INNOMINCU Project Page (Overview): https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/innomincu/
• Conference Page 2021 (Programme & Feedback): https://www.uauim.ro/evenimente/conferinta-innomincu-2021/
• Workshops & Courses Listing (allBIM): https://uauim.allbim.net/catalog/cursuri-si-ateliere/620431d1-dc45-46a0-a865-d7a7fc5ab602
• INNOMINCU 2025 (Continuity): https://www.uauim.ro/en/events/innomincu-2025/

Strategic Domain: D1 – Equity & Access in Higher Education

Implementation Period: 12 May 2021 – 29 November 2021

1. Overview

ACCES VIP (“Acces Viitorul Împreună îl Proiectăm”) is a project aimed at discovering and stimulating the artistic and creative potential of high-school pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds and rural or small-urban areas.

The initiative supports the transition to higher education in architecture, urbanism, landscape, and interior architecture through online counselling, preparation, and digital learning tools, while raising awareness of the importance of academic specialisation in the built environment.

2. Role & Responsibilities: Adrian Ibric

Role: Project Assistant and Team Member

Context: ACCES VIP (CNFIS-FDI-2021-0510)

Strategic Contribution

• Funding Application Co-Writer: Co-authored the successful CNFIS-FDI funding application. Contributed significantly to defining the project objectives (OS1–OS3), activity plan, indicator framework, and sustainability measures.

Main Responsibilities

• Coordination: Supported the Project Director (Sorina-Georgiana Rusu) and the interdisciplinary team in planning and implementing outreach, counselling, and preparation activities.
• Content Design: Contributed to the design of online information sessions and webinars presenting UAUIM’s programmes and admission procedures.
• Course Management: Assisted in organizing initiation courses for selected pupils, including schedule coordination and preparation of learning materials.
• Communication: Managed the development and dissemination of visual identity materials (logo, digital poster, announcement, diplomas) and the project’s online presence.
• Data Management: Maintained the contact database for pupils and teachers from partner high schools, ensuring continuity with previous outreach projects (VIP 2020).

Key Achievements

• Program Launch: Helped implement the first edition of ACCES VIP as a structured equity and access programme.
• Impact: Supported the delivery of a full cycle of outreach activities (webinars, initiation courses, candidate’s guides) that informed the strategy for subsequent widening participation projects (such as VIP 2022).

3. Main Objectives

• OS1 – Promotion & Potential: Promote UAUIM’s educational offer in rural/small-urban high schools to discover and stimulate pupils’ artistic potential through targeted presentations and visual materials.
• OS2 – Inclusion & Access: Increase social equity by providing online counselling, guidance, and admission preparation for 200 pupils (grades IX–XII) from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• OS3 – Institutional Framework: Improve the framework for inclusive education by familiarising up to 30 selected pupils with new digital learning tools (e-learning) and developing basic competencies for future careers.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Target Group: 200 high-school pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds included in online guidance and orientation activities.
• Skill Development: 30 selected pupils familiarised with digital learning tools and engaged in intensive initiation courses.
• Outreach: Multiple partner high schools reached through online information sessions and webinars (including regions like Brașov and Constanța).
• Certification: Up to 200 electronic participation diplomas issued to participants.
• Financial Support: Implementation of an admission fee waiver scheme for pupils from partner high schools (Approved Board request no. 2505/07.06.2021).
• Sustainability: Completion of the ACCES VIP database to ensure long-term contact with partner schools.

5. Key Deliverables

Communication & Visibility

• Project Logo (R1) and Digital Poster (R2).
• Graphic Project Announcement (R3).
• Up to 200 Electronic Participation Diplomas (R4).

Educational & Guidance Materials

• Candidate’s Guide: “ACCES VIP – Ghidul candidatului UAUIM 2021” (PDF).
• Webinars: Online information sessions organised with partner high schools.
• Initiation Courses: A dedicated course package (5–9 July 2021) delivered via the allBIM.net platform.

Video Content

• Promotional Video: “UAUIM ACCES V.I.P. – The path of a student at MINCU” (showcasing student life and activities).

Sustainability

• Updated database of contacts (pupils/teachers) extending the network created in VIP 2020.

6. References & Links

• ACCES VIP Project Page: https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/acces-vip/
• Initiation Courses (Allbim platform): https://uauim.allbim.net/product/f49cead9-ba1b-41a4-8561-1f21d3518d84/acces-vip-cursuri-de-initiere
• Promotional Video (“The Path of a Student”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0VTPzxnss0
• Adrian Ibric – UAUIM Profile: https://www.uauim.ro/en/university/faculty/ionut-adrian-ibric/

Code: CNFIS-FDI-2021-0520 | Funding: CNFIS-FDI (Institutional Development Fund)

Strategic Domain: D4 – Supporting Student Entrepreneurial Societies (SAS)

Implementation Period: 2021 (Pilot Edition)

1. Overview

HUB UAUIM BUSINESS 2021 is a pilot institutional project of the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM) dedicated to developing entrepreneurial skills among students and recent graduates in architecture, urbanism, interior design, and related fields.

The project establishes the HUB UAUIM Business programme as a framework for training, mentoring, and practical entrepreneurial experience. It functions as a small-scale incubator for UAUIM’s creative community, culminating in an ideas and business-plan competition.

2. Role & Responsibilities: Adrian Ibric

Role: Project Director and Application Author

Context: HUB UAUIM BUSINESS 2021 (Pilot Edition)

Strategic Contribution

• Application Author: Principal author of the successful CNFIS-FDI-2021-0520 proposal. Defined the HUB concept, objectives, activities, indicators, and the institutional framework for entrepreneurship within UAUIM.

Main Responsibilities

• Concept Design: Designed the overall structure of the HUB UAUIM Business programme as a pilot initiative supporting entrepreneurial projects for students, PhD candidates, and staff.
• Strategic Planning: Defined project objectives (OS1–OS3), target groups, and the activity plan (workshops, mentoring, competition) in alignment with CNFIS-FDI D4 requirements and the Student Entrepreneurial Society (SAS) goals.
• Coordination: Managed an interdisciplinary implementation team, including mentors and invited practitioners, ensuring training content was relevant to the specific professional context of architecture and urbanism.
• Communication: Oversaw dissemination actions to recruit participants and foster an initial entrepreneurial community.
• Monitoring: Managed reporting on project indicators, including participation numbers and business ideas developed within the 2021 cohort.

Key Achievements

• Program Launch: Conceived and launched the first edition of HUB UAUIM Business, establishing the foundation for a long-term institutional programme that continued in 2022, 2023, and beyond.
• Curriculum Development: Led a pilot training and mentoring pathway that introduced students to business planning, creative entrepreneurship, and professional self-management.

3. Main Objectives

• OS1 – Establishment & Promotion: Set up the HUB programme within UAUIM to highlight the importance of entrepreneurial skills. Deliver an information package to at least 300 members of the academic community and build partnerships with professional associations.
• OS2 – Competence Development: Develop institutional capacity by organizing training workshops and mentoring sessions. Focus areas include business planning, financial literacy, marketing, and project management tailored to architecture and design.
• OS3 – Incubation Support: Offer a practical framework where students and graduates can propose, test, and refine business ideas through a competition functioning as a mini-incubator, connected to professional networks.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Outreach: Minimum 300 members of the target group (students, PhD candidates, young graduates, staff) reached via promotion activities.
• Training Events: Delivery of 4–6 workshops and mentoring sessions covering entrepreneurship, business planning, and creative industries.
• Engagement: A core cohort of 20–40 active participants engaged in intensive training.
• Output: Multiple business ideas and draft business plans developed and presented within the HUB competition.
• Network: Institutional partnerships activated with professional bodies (e.g., OAR, RUR) and relevant companies.

5. Key Deliverables

• Pilot Programme: A functional version of HUB UAUIM Business with a defined structure, governance model, and activity calendar.
• Communication Package: Presentation materials, calls for participation, and social media content targeting the UAUIM community.
• Educational Content: A series of workshops and lectures delivered by academics and practitioners on business models, cultural industries, and start-up financing.
• Competition Framework: An internal ideas and business-plan competition acting as a mini-incubator (offering feedback, mentoring, and selection).
• Strategic Legacy: Data and experience that informed the design of subsequent HUB editions (2022–2025), consolidating UAUIM’s entrepreneurship education strategy.

6. References & Links

• HUB UAUIM 2021 Project Page: https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/hub-2021/
• HUB UAUIM 2022 (Program Evolution): https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/hub/2022/
• HUB UAUIM 2025 (Current Edition): https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/hub/2025/
• Adrian Ibric – UAUIM Profile: https://www.uauim.ro/en/university/faculty/ionut-adrian-ibric/

Code: CNFIS-FDI-2022-0567 | Funding: CNFIS-FDI (Institutional Development Fund) Institution: “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM) Implementation Period: 1 April 2022 – 30 November 2022

1. Overview

“Designing the Future Together 2022” (VIP 2022) is an outreach and widening participation project funded by the CNFIS-FDI-2022-0567 grant. The initiative targets high-school students from rural and small-urban areas in Romania, promoting UAUIM’s educational offer and supporting their transition to higher education in architecture, urbanism, landscape, and interior design through digital learning tools and tailored guidance.

2. Role & Responsibilities: Adrian Ibric

Role: Assistant Manager and Project Team Member Department: Department for Research Management, UAUIM

Strategic Contribution

• Funding Application Co-Writer: Co-authored the CNFIS-FDI-2022-0567 funding application. Significantly contributed to defining objectives, target groups, work plans, performance indicators, and sustainability measures.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordination: Supported the Project Director (Sorina Rusu) in coordinating an interdisciplinary team of landscape planners, architects, and interior architects across three faculties to ensure coherent delivery of outreach activities.
• Campaign Management: Contributed to the design and implementation of the online information and marketing campaign, promoting VIP 2022 opportunities in up to 10 partner high schools (rural/small-urban).
• Educational Content: Helped structure and deliver online webinars regarding study paths, professional opportunities, and the impact of the built environment on local communities.
• Course Organization: Supported the organization of initiation courses (architecture, urbanism, landscape, interior design) for selected pupils, including the preparation of teaching materials and exercises aligned with admission requirements.
• Asset Management: Contributed to the development of digital/print materials (flyers, brochures, diplomas) and updated the VIP/ACCES-VIP databases to ensure the sustainability of FDI-D1 projects.

Key Deliverables

• Information Package: Co-developed the complete VIP 2022 info package (Announcement, Flyer, Brochure, Presentation) used in partner high schools.
• Event Delivery: Participated in the delivery of 11 online webinars and at least one initiation course for over 30 selected students.

3. Project Objectives

• OS1 (Promotion & Awareness): To promote UAUIM’s educational offer in up to 10 rural and small-urban high schools involving staff from all three faculties. This includes an online marketing campaign raising awareness of the positive impact of architecture and urbanism.
• OS2 (Inclusion & Access): To increase social inclusion and equity in higher education by providing online counselling, guidance, and admission preparation for up to 160 pupils (grades IX–XII) from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• OS3 (Sustainability & Skills): To improve the institutional framework for inclusive education by familiarizing up to 20 selected pupils with new digital learning tools (e-learning) and developing basic competencies for future built-environment professions.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Outreach: 10 rural/small-urban high schools reached; 11 formal partnership agreements signed.
• Engagement: Target group of up to 160 pupils engaged in counselling and orientation.
• Events: 11 webinars delivered presenting educational offers and admission procedures.
• Skill Building: 3 initiation courses (FU, FA, FAI) delivered to over 30 selected pupils; at least 20 pupils involved in e-learning initiation activities.
• Support: Up to 20 admission fee waivers approved for pupils from partner high schools (Senate decision 2971/09.06.2022).

5. Key Deliverables

Communication & Visibility

• Project Logo (R1), Digital Poster (R2.1), and Graphic Announcement (R3.1).
• Up to 160 Electronic Participation Diplomas (R4).

Graphic Materials

• VIP 2022 Flyer (R5).
• VIP 2022 Brochure (R6).
• Updated Project Presentation for webinars (R7).

Educational Outputs

• 11 Webinars for partner high schools (R8).
• 4 Video Interviews (Students, Alumni, Professors) on YouTube (R9).
• 3 Initiation Courses for pupils (R12).
• Vocational/Skills Test for aptitude exploration (R13.1).

Sustainability

• Updated database of contacts (pupils/teachers) building on VIP 2020/ACCES-VIP 2021 (R14).
• 11 Partnership Agreements with high schools (R15).

6. Reference Links

• Project Page (Overview & Results): https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/vip-2022/
• Project Brochure (PDF): Download Brochure
• Project Flyer (PDF): Download Flyer
• Video Interviews Playlist: YouTube Playlist

Contract No: 14020/16.09.2022 | Project Code: 169368083

Funding: National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP/PNRR), Component C15 – Education

Budget: 12,785,634.00 RON | Period: 16 Sept 2022 – 31 Mar 2026

1. Role & Responsibilities: Adrian Ibric

Role: Scientific Researcher and Expert, Department for Research Management

Focus: Digital Transformation Strategy & Implementation (2022–2026)

Overview

Served as Funding Application Co-Writer for the PNRR project, contributing to narrative sections on institutional context, objectives (OS1–OS10), work-package structure, digital infrastructure design, training plans, and the indicator framework.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordination: Supported the design and implementation of digital platforms and laboratories, specifically:
  • OS1: Online platforms for project topics and juries.
  • OS6: CAD & GIS lab for urban planning.
  • OS7: BIM-Lab and Fab-Lab for Interior Architecture.
  • OS8/OS9: HeritaDigi and Digital Library.
• Pedagogical Design: Defined technical specifications for digital teaching, examination, and research workflows (e.g., online juries, digital heritage documentation, geospatial analysis).
• Training Implementation: Designed and delivered training programmes on BIM, CAD/GIS, and digital workflows (Revit, Allplan, Lumion, AI rendering) for students and staff (2025–2026).
• Monitoring: Contributed to technical reports, documented training cohorts, and consolidated data on beneficiaries across all 10 specific objectives.

Key Achievements

• Grant Success: Co-developed sections of the winning PNRR application that secured 12.79 million RON for the university’s digital transformation.
• Capacity Building: Facilitated the rollout of free digital skills courses (BIM, AI rendering, etc.) for hundreds of students and staff, directly contributing to the project’s transversal training objectives.

2. Project Overview

General Objective

To strengthen UAUIM’s institutional capacity to support the digital transition through an EPR system, an integrated educational platform, and advanced technological infrastructure. The project aims to develop digital competencies for the academic community and prepare UAUIM’s transformation into an open university.

Specific Objectives (OS1 – OS10)

1. OS1 (General Architecture): Develop an online platform with three modules (project topics, assessments, international juries) and train 20 staff / 250 students.
2. OS2 (Design Basics): Equip 25 design studios with technology and provide transition training for 50 staff / 500 students.
3. OS3 (Design Synthesis): Equip 11 design studios and offer tool adoption training for 22 staff / 220 students.
4. OS4 (Technical Sciences): Equip the Building Physics Laboratory and digitalise the Materials Library for 23 staff / 50 students.
5. OS5 (History & Heritage): Equip the Restoration & Conservation Laboratory for interactive online teaching for 24 staff / 200 students.
6. OS6 (Urbanism): Establish a CAD & GIS Laboratory for urban design and geospatial analysis for 40 staff / 140 students.
7. OS7 (Interior Architecture): Equip a BIM-Lab, Fab-Lab, and “Mac Popescu” Experimental Studio for 28 staff / 280 students.
8. OS8 (Research): Equip HeritaDigi (Laboratory for digitalisation of architectural heritage) for 5 researchers / 20 students.
9. OS9 (Info & Doc): Create a Digital Library, BDAU mobile app, and mobile heritage lab for 28 staff / 280 students.
10. OS10 (Infrastructure): Upgrade IntraNet, digitalise Erasmus+ mobility and Doctoral Schools for 28 staff / 360 students.

3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

4. Key Deliverables

• Institutional Digital Backbone: A functional EPR-based system integrated with an extended educational platform.
• Physical Infrastructure: Fully equipped digital laboratories across all faculties (CAD/GIS, BIM, Fab-Lab, Heritage Labs).
• Training Ecosystem: A comprehensive suite of free professional development courses (Revit, Allplan, Lumion, AI rendering) open to all UAUIM students and staff.
• Process Digitalisation: Full migration of Erasmus+ mobilities and Doctoral School administration to digital workflows.
• Reporting: Periodic progress reports and communication materials adhering to “NextGenerationEU” visibility rules.

5. References & Links

• UAUIM Research Management: https://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/
• Training Announcements: https://www.uauim.ro/anunturi/cursuri-gratuite-de-formare-profesionala/
• PNRR Official Portal: https://mfe.gov.ro/pnrr/

Project Title: OPTIMINCU 2021 – Optimization of UAUIM management and the educational process through the implementation of digital solutions. Project Code: CNFIS-FDI-2021-0421

Domain: Enhancing the quality of teaching-learning activities and student-centered services.

Duration: April – December 2021.

Funding: Institutional Development Fund (FDI).

Host: “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM).

2. Adrian Ibric’s Achievements & Role

In this project, Adrian Ibric acted as a central figure in both the strategic acquisition of funding and the operational execution of the project’s digital goals.

• Primary Role: Assistant Manager & Funding Application Co-Writer.
• Designation: Scientific Researcher.
• Key Achievements:
  • Successful Grant Acquisition: Mr. Ibric co-authored the technical proposal that secured the FDI funding for the 2021 cycle.
  • Strategic Coordination: He served as the primary operational link between the Project Management and the implementation teams, ensuring project milestones were met.
  • Digital Transformation: He supervised the transition of legacy student workflows into streamlined digital formats during a critical institutional period.
• Responsibilities:
  • Technical Reporting: Drafting the mid-term and final performance reports for the funding agency.
  • Process Optimization: Identifying administrative bottlenecks and designing digital interventions to improve student-university communication.
  • Team Leadership: Managing administrative staff and technical experts during data migration and software testing phases.
• Key Deliverables:
  • The Funding Application (as Co-Writer).
  • Comprehensive Management Reports detailing the optimization of university resources.

3. Main Objectives

• O1: Digital Transition: Accelerating the adoption of digital management tools to support modern educational formats.
• O2: Administrative Efficiency: Streamlining document flows between students and the university secretariat.
• O3: Student-Centricity: Developing online platforms that provide 24/7 access to academic records and administrative requests.
• O4: Data Integrity: Ensuring the security and confidentiality of student information within the new digital modules.

4. KPIs of the Project

• Platform Deployment: Successful launch of the student-centered digital platform.
• Staff Training: Training over 50 administrative staff members in the use of the new management software.
• Resource Access: Migration of all essential student administrative forms to a digital, accessible format.
• Efficiency Gains: A measurable reduction in the average processing time for student administrative requests.

5. Key Deliverables

• Digital Infrastructure: The upgraded UAUIM student portal and back-end administrative modules.
• User Documentation: Digital manuals for staff and students regarding optimized administrative workflows.
• Scientific Impact Study: A report analyzing the effects of digital management on institutional transparency and efficiency.

6. Project Links (UAUIM Resources)

Detailed information and downloadable resources for the 2021 cycle are available at:

• UAUIM OPTIMINCU 2021 Project Page
• UAUIM FDI Projects Archive

1. Overview

Project Title: CULTADISER 2022 – Developing UAUIM’s institutional capacity for research in architecture and urbanism by creating a culture of results dissemination. Project Code: CNFIS-FDI-2022-0450

Domain: Development of institutional capacity for research in universities.

Duration: 9 months (April 1st – December 16th, 2022).

Funding: Institutional Development Fund (FDI).

Host Institution: “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM).

2. Adrian Ibric’s Achievements & Role

Position: Researcher / Implementation Team Member (Architect PhD).

• Personal Role: Expert in the management of interdisciplinary research activities and the curation of scientific content for dissemination.
• Responsibilities:
  • Scientific Coordination: Organizing calls for contributions and managing the peer-review process for doctoral and faculty research.
  • Activity Management: Leading and contributing to the LCDI (Interdisciplinary Doctoral Research Laboratory) workgroups.
  • Event Facilitation: Coordinating the UAUIM Research Networking Day and the INNOMINCU and CiSDAU conferences to ensure high academic participation.
  • Strategic Dissemination: Overseeing the transition of research materials into “Open Science” formats for the university’s web platforms.
• Key Deliverables: * Coordination of the LCDI Activity Reports (Workgroups: Inter-ACT, Danube, and Smart Research).
  • The structural layout and content selection for the INNOMINCU 2022 conference volume.

3. Main Objectives

• Objective 1 (O1): Establish the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Research Laboratory (LCDI) to attract innovative projects and develop collaborative research systems.
• Objective 2 (O2): Implement Open Science practices by publishing architectural design research results online in an open-access format.
• Objective 3 (O3): Continue the INNOMINCU conference series (Sustainability in University Research) to boost performance and experimental projects.
• Objective 4 (O4): Organize the CiSDAU international conference to improve doctoral writing skills and foster international cooperation.
• Objective 5 (O5): Publish representative doctoral theses, student articles, and faculty contributions through competitive financial support.

4. KPIs of the Project

• Involvement: Participation of at least 200 attendees for the INNOMINCU conference and 50 participants for the CiSDAU conference.
• Academic Output: Successful selection and publication of doctoral theses and faculty books through a peer-review system.
• Networking: Creation of 3 specialized workgroups (Inter-ACT, Danube, Smart Research) within the LCDI.
• Digital Presence: Development of a dedicated project website (lcdi.uauim.ro) to host all research results.
• Dissemination: Printing 200 copies of the collective conference volumes with ISBN.

5. Key Deliverables

• Scientific Events:
  • CiSDAU Conference: International session for doctoral schools with writing workshops.
  • INNOMINCU 2022: “Sustainability and Research Days at UAUIM” featuring 16 speakers.
• Publications:
  • CiSDAU Program and Abstracts Volume (Bilingual).
  • INNOMINCU 2022 Full Conference Volume (ISBN).
  • Selection of funded doctoral theses and faculty books in digital and print formats.
• Research Tools:
  • LCDI Website: A permanent digital environment for academic communication.
  • Databases: A comprehensive database of UAUIM interdisciplinary theses from 1990 to the present.
  • Strategy Reports: Action plans for Danube-related projects (INTERREG, DANUrB) and Digital Transition studies (Smart Research).

6. Project Links & Downloads (UAUIM Website)

• Official Project Page: CULTADISER 2022 Overview
• Full Conference Volume: INNOMINCU Dec 2022 (PDF)
• Conference Program: CiSDAU Abstracts & Program (PDF)
• Research Laboratory: LCDI Website (Interactive)
• Activity Reports: LCDI Activity 13-15 Reports

HUB UAUIM Business 2022 (Acronym: HUB) is the second edition of the entrepreneurship program initiated by the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM). Funded through the Institutional Development Fund (FDI-2022-0573), specifically within Strategic Area D4 (Supporting Student Entrepreneurial Societies – SAS), the project acts as an institutional incubator. It is designed to bridge the gap between creative academic training and the pragmatic requirements of the business world for students and recent graduates (2018–2020) in architecture, urbanism, and design.

2. Adrian Ibric: Leadership & Achievements

Ionuț Adrian Ibric served as the Project Director and Application Author for the 2022 edition, following his successful initiation of the pilot program in 2021.

Personal Role & Responsibilities:

• Project Directorship: Strategic coordination of the entire implementation team (including HR specialists, procurement experts, and activity implementers).
• Grant Writing & Acquisition: Authoring the winning funding application submitted to CNFIS-FDI.
• Curriculum Development: Editor-coordinator for the specialized course materials and pedagogical framework.
• Stakeholder Management: Coordinating with the Order of Architects (OAR) and successful entrepreneurs to integrate real-world mentorship into the academic environment.

Key Deliverables (Personal):

• Course Support Coordination: Leading the editorial team for the “Introduction to Entrepreneurship in Creative Services” volumes.
• Financial & Administrative Reporting: Ensuring compliance with FDI funding regulations and achieving institutional KPIs.
• Mentorship Framework: Designing the structure for the 12+ lectures featuring industry leaders.

3. Main Objectives

• OS1 (Capacity Building): Expanding the implementation team and providing a comprehensive information package on entrepreneurship to at least 150 target group members.
• OS2 (Dissemination): Promoting the benefits of entrepreneurial skills through lectures, interviews, and professional practice presentations for 100 members.
• OS3 (Skill Consolidation): Developing practical experience through modular entrepreneurship courses and dedicated mentoring sessions for 60 members.
• OS4 (Professional Development): Completing professional training with practical workshops focused on business plans and creative service management.

4. KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

• Target Group Reach: Enrollment and training of at least 150 students/graduates.
• Knowledge Transfer: Execution of a minimum of 6–12 specialized lectures featuring successful entrepreneurs.
• Practical Output: Generation of at least 2 specialized workshops focused on business plan writing and branding.
• Resource Creation: Publication and distribution of updated course supports (Physical and Digital).

5. Key Deliverables

• HUB UAUIM BUSINESS Course Support: A multi-volume guide (Vol. 1: Legal/Financial; Vol. 2: Entrepreneurial Lectures; Vol. 3: Marketing & Branding).
• The Entrepreneurial Library: A media collection of podcasts and interviews with successful architects and designers.
• Business Plan Portfolio: A collection of startup ideas and projects developed by students during the workshops.
• Institutional Reports: Comprehensive project reports (Raport Proiect FDI 2022) submitted to CNFIS.

6. Links to Downloadable Files

Related documents and reports can be accessed via the official UAUIM research portal:

• HUB UAUIM Business 2022 – Project Page
• FDI 2022 Project Report (PDF)
• Recruitment & Job Descriptions for HUB 2022
• Course Support Volume 2 (UAUIM Publishing)

The CULTADISER 2023 project (CNFIS-FDI-2023-F-0462) aimed to strengthen UAUIM’s institutional capacity for research in architecture and urbanism by fostering a culture of disseminating results and boosting visibility. It built on prior projects like CULTADISER 2022 and INNOMINCU 2021.

Achievements of Dr. Arch. Ionuț-Adrian Ibric

Personal Role, Responsabilities and Key Deliverables

As lead for A1 (RND 2023) and A2 (INNOMINCU 2023), Dr. Ibric drove core dissemination events. Documented achievements include:

• Organized RND 2023 with expo, networking, and bilingvual volume (meeting/exceeding targets like 50+ participants, 15 panels, ISBN volume).
• Hosted INNOMINCU 2023 online with 8+ speakers and 100+ participants, plus 50-copy abstracts volume.
  These advanced OS1–OS2, enhancing UAUIM’s research visibility. Specific outcomes (e.g., participant numbers, publications) align with R1–R8 indicators, per project reports and event pages.

Key objectives (OS1–OS6):

• OS1: Optimize national/international visibility via UAUIM Research Networking Day 2023.
• OS2: Continue INNOMINCU 2023 online conference for research skills and collaborations.
• OS3: Host international doctoral schools conference (CiSDAU) for research sharing and global partnerships.
• OS4: Publish and disseminate key contributions (theses, articles, conference papers) via a call for submissions.
• OS5: Expand the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Research Lab (LCDI) for innovative, collaborative research.
• OS6: Enhance research integration into “Architectural Design” teaching through edited outputs.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Deliverables

The project outlined 18 specific results (R1–R18) tied to activities (A1–A6), focusing on events, publications, partnerships, and participation metrics. Here’s a summary by activity:

Budget: 200,000 lei.

HUB UAUIM-BUSINESS 2023 (Acronym: HUB 2023) is the third consecutive edition of the UAUIM entrepreneurship program. It is designed for students, doctoral candidates, and graduates (2018-2022) to support entrepreneurial initiatives in architecture and urban planning.+2

• Financing: Financed by the National Council for Higher Education Financing (CNFIS) through the Institutional Development Fund (FDI) 2023.
• Strategic Domain: D4-SAS – Supporting the activities of Student Entrepreneurial Societies (SAS) within universities.
• Contract Code: CNFIS-FDI-2023-F-0700.
• Implementation Team: Led by Project Director Cercet. st. dr. arh. Ionuț-Adrian Ibric.+1

Main Objective

The project’s goal is to ensure the development of UAUIM’s institutional capacity to support entrepreneurial initiatives by its members and graduates. This is achieved by amplifying the H.U.B. program for training, competence development, and increasing practical experience in entrepreneurship.+1

Key Objectives

• Competence Development (OS1): Developing entrepreneurial skills for students and graduates through lectures with successful entrepreneurs, workshops, mentoring, and company visits.
• Business Initiative Support (OS2): Supporting start-up ideas and business initiatives through workshops dedicated to writing applications for specific types of entrepreneurship (cultural, creative services).
• Sustainable Program Development (OS3): Training staff and students in writing public funding projects, developing SAS regulations/procedures, and equipping university spaces dedicated to SAS activities.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

• Participation: A total of 135 participants attended the HUB 2023 lectures (exceeding the target of 100).
• Educational Resources: 4 volumes of Entrepreneurship courses were drafted.
• Institutional Framework: A framework document for HUB UAUIM BUSINESS as a Student Entrepreneurial Society (SAS) was created.
• Funding Success: One application submitted by trained doctoral students won 3rd place in the FCSU UAUIM 2023 competition.

Deliverables

• Course Materials (The “Entrepreneurship in Creative Services” Series):
  • Vol. I: “Introduction” (Legal, financial aspects, marketing, business plans) – Printed/Online.+1
  • Vol. II: “What Entrepreneurs Say” (Collection of lectures/case studies) – Printed/Online.+1
  • Vol. III: “Marketing and Branding” – Online.+1
  • Vol. IV: “The Basics of Negotiation” – Online.+1
• Digital Tools:
  • Digital Guide for accessing public funds (based on newsletters).
  • YouTube Playlist “Entrepreneurs in Architecture” featuring interviews with staff/entrepreneurs.
• Equipment: Acquisition of a 4K camera (GoPro) and a gimbal to upgrade the HUB’s media capabilities.
• Communication: 4 Newsletters regarding entrepreneurial opportunities and Artificial Intelligence.+1

• Implementation Period: 9 months (April 1, 2024 – December 16, 2024)
• Context: The project aims to bridge the gap between “project culture” (design/architecture practice) and standard academic “publication culture” to meet national accreditation (CNATDCU/ARACIS) standards.

Main Objective

The primary goal is to develop UAUIM’s capacity to sustain research by strengthening the culture of dissemination and increasing the visibility of results. This involves coagulating research actions ranging from doctoral studies to faculty work and continuing the development of the university’s Research-Development-Innovation (RDI) infrastructure.

Key Objectives

• Visibility Optimization: Enhancing the national and international visibility of Romanian research through the UAUIM Research Networking Day (RND).
• Academic Exchange: Continuing the INNOMINCU online thematic conference to stimulate performance and experimental collaborations.
• Publication Support: Financing the publication and dissemination of representative doctoral theses, articles, and conference presentations selected via peer review.
• Doctoral Research Support: Expanding the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Research Laboratory (LCDI) as a collaborative environment to attract innovative projects.
• Educational Integration: Supporting research involved in the teaching process (Architecture Design Studio) and implementing Open Science practices.
• Digital Access: Creating an Integrated Digital Library with open and free access to the university’s scientific and heritage funds.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

• Event Participation:
  • Min. 100 participants and 3 partners for UAUIM Research Networking Day.
  • Min. 200 participants and 12 speakers for the INNOMINCU Conference.
  • Min. 60 participants for the Visual Representations Symposium.
• Publishing Output:
  • Selection and funding of min. 10 doctoral theses/articles.
  • Min. 30 proposals accepted for the research results volume.
• Student Engagement:
  • Min. 15 students participating in the “Research, Design and Build” camp.
  • Min. 30 participants in “PHD TALKS” sessions.
• Digital Infrastructure: Creation of 1 Digital Library website and integration of 2 databases (PhD theses and heritage book collections).

Deliverables

• Publications:
  • Collective Volume for Research Networking Day (200 copies).
  • Book of Abstracts for INNOMINCU 2024 (100 copies).
  • Methodological Guide for the 3rd cycle of architectural studies (100 copies).
  • Symposium Catalog (200 copies).
• Events & Exhibitions:
  • Organization of UAUIM Research Networking Day 2024.
  • Organization of INNOMINCU 2024 Online Conference.
  • Exhibition panels (min. 30 for RND, min. 10 for Symposium).
  • “Research, Design and Build” inter-generational camp.
• Digital Tools:
  • UAUIM Digital Library Website.
  • Digitized content: Scanned PhD theses and heritage documents integrated into the Liberty5 system.
• Research Data: Archive research and graphic processing of min. 5-7 unpublished buildings relevant to local urban architecture.

This is a non-refundable project co-financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) under the Education and Employment Program (PEO) 2021-2027. It is implemented by a partnership led by Liceul de Arte Plastice „Nicolae Tonitza” in collaboration with UAUIM (Partner 1) and the Romanian Association for Health Promotion (ARPS) (Partner 2).

• Project Code: SMIS 324774
• Implementation Period: 36 months (March 1, 2025 – February 29, 2028)
• Total Budget: 7,625,883.98 RON (UAUIM share: 1,943,879.20 RON)

Main Objective

The primary goal is the prevention of early school leaving and supporting access to education for young people, particularly those from disadvantaged groups. The initiative aims to reduce the risk of both school and university dropouts by creating real learning opportunities and providing remedial support for students facing difficulties (including preparation for the baccalaureate exam).

Key Objectives

• Inclusion & Accessibility: Aligning with specific objective ESO4.6 to promote equal access to quality education from early stages to university level, emphasizing inclusion and mobility.
• University Dropout Prevention: Implementing specific activities to prevent and combat university dropout for students in the Bucharest-Ilfov region.
• Infrastructure Modernization: Improving educational accessibility through the modernization of university facilities.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

• Target Group Size: Support provided to 162 students from the Bucharest-Ilfov region.
• Academic Performance: Increase in the baccalaureate promotion rate and the university study completion rate.
• Vulnerability Focus: Specific increase in completion rates for young people from vulnerable backgrounds.

Deliverables

• Educational Activities: Remedial activities and support programs designed to prevent academic dropout.
• IT Infrastructure: Procurement and installation of IT equipment, specifically graphic stations for remedial activities at UAUIM.
• Digital Resources: Development of modern digital tools for education.
• Accessibility Equipment: Acquisition and placement of access platforms to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities within the university.

Fisier 1

Fisier 2

Fisier 3

Project Goals

It aimed to educate citizens on everyday bio-based items like cleaning products, insulation, and food packaging, translating complex science into simple messages via workshops and focus groups. The initiative emphasized sustainability benefits, such as reducing fossil fuel reliance, while addressing consumer uncertainties through neutral, evidence-based info.cordis.europa+2

Key Activities

BioCannDo ran from 2016 to 2019 under EU H2020 funding, creating journalistic articles, videos, and the AllThings.Bio hub for broad outreach. It built a stakeholder network for co-created content and ran educational competitions to engage youth.wbc-rti+2

Outcomes

The project successfully delivered tested key messages, synergies with other bioeconomy efforts, and materials that improved acceptance of bio-products across Europe. Its consumer-centric approach filled gaps in reliable communication, supporting a shift to a sustainable economy.europa+1

Project Overview

WeSenseIT, funded under the EU’s FP7 program, ran from December 2012 to late 2016 with a budget of about €7 million. The initiative shifted traditional top-down water monitoring to a two-way model involving citizens as stakeholders in capturing, evaluating, and sharing environmental data. It integrated physical sensors, citizen inputs like photos and messages, and social media mining to address floods and droughts across the hydrologic cycle.cordis.europa+1

Key Components

• Data Capture: Low-cost static/portable sensors used by citizens, plus “soft” layers from crowdsourcing social networks (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) and direct reports.[rbmplife.org]​
• Modeling and Tools: Adaptive physical/social models and decision-support systems to assimilate heterogeneous data for risk assessment.[cordis.europa]​
• Infrastructure: Platforms enabling discussion, monitoring, and feedback between citizens, authorities, and emergency responders.[copernicus]​

Demonstrations

Tested in real-world case studies with civil protection agencies in the UK, Netherlands, and Italy, focusing on flood- and drought-prone areas. Results influenced governance by promoting citizen engagement in planning and emergency response.rbmplife+1

Project Goals

The initiative aimed to reduce odor annoyance by empowering citizens as “human sensors” through a mobile app called OdoMap, where they could report smells in real time. It combined this with electronic noses (e-noses) for precise in-situ measurements, atmospheric dispersion models (sped up 100x for near-real-time use), and a web platform (OdoMis) for data visualization and alerts.[cordis.europa]​

Key Components

• Citizen Observatory: Monthly meetings and interactive tools to encourage participation and provide feedback on complaints.[cordis.europa]​
• Sensor Network: Innovative e-noses with improved pattern recognition to detect odor variations, especially from sources like wastewater treatment plants.ketmarket+1
• Information System: OdoMis platform offered maps, statistics, CSV downloads, and warnings for high-intensity odors, using open standards like OGC for interoperability.[cordis.europa]​

Outcomes and Impact

Tested at sites like the Burgo Ardennes paper mill in Virton, Belgium, the system helped identify odor sources and supported evidence-based limits. Though the project ended around 2015, extensions continued, with potential for wider European rollout pending harmonized odor legislation. It enhanced local governance by promoting transparency and stakeholder collaboration.ketmarket+1

Project Goals

CITCLOPS aimed to enable everyday people to collect environmental data using smartphones and simple tools, such as photographing sea surfaces from beaches, ferries, or boats. This supported long-term monitoring of issues like eutrophication, sediment loads, and biological activity in coastal waters.cordis.europa+1

Key Methods

Participants used apps like EyeOnWater to capture Forel-Ule scale color observations and Secchi disk variants for transparency. Data was automatically uploaded, georeferenced, and processed on community platforms, building on prior efforts like Secchi Dip-In and Coastwatch Europe.weobserve+1

Outcomes

The project expanded citizen science by deploying digital cameras and sensors, fostering public engagement while validating data against satellite remote sensing. Though funding ended, the EyeOnWater app continues for ongoing contributions.weobserve+1

Project Overview

CITI-SENSE, funded under EU FP7 from around 2012, created sensor-based systems linking distributed sensors, data platforms, products, and user engagement. The core chain was “sensors-platform-products-users,” enabling citizens to track issues like air quality and contribute to decisions.cordis.europa+2

Key Goals

• Raise environmental awareness and participation in governance.
• Support community priorities on air quality, noise, UV radiation, thermal comfort, and indoor school environments.
• Validate Earth Observation tools for citizen-led monitoring and feedback loops.citi-sense+2

Implementation Sites

Pilot “empowerment initiatives” ran in nine European cities: Barcelona, Vitoria, Oslo, Haifa, Vienna, Ostrava/Silesia, Belgrade, Edinburgh, and Ljubljana. These addressed urban air quality, public spaces, and school indoors via mobile apps and micro-sensors.nilu+1

Outcomes

The project tested novel tech like data fusion and mobile solutions, fostering co-participation in planning. It emphasized learning from citizen perceptions to enhance health, well-being, and policy impact.cordis.europa+1

Project Goals

It aimed to mobilize Europe’s building retrofitting market to meet 2020 and 2050 energy efficiency targets by developing cost-effective strategies at the district scale. The focus was on balancing economic, environmental, and social sustainability through scalable interventions like energy-efficient tech from SMEs. This addressed urban typologies across Europe, prioritizing sequential retrofits for maximum impact.scienceportal.tecnalia+2

Key Outputs

The main deliverable was an Integrated Decision Support Tool (IDST), a software with a 3D interface for modeling districts and buildings. It helped stakeholders rank optimal retrofitting options, from off-the-shelf tech to new business models leveraging economies of scale. Validation occurred in diverse urban case studies, producing CityGML models for planning.b4l.ectp+1

Projected Impacts

FASUDIR estimated annual energy savings up to €4.3 billion if scaled EU-wide, plus 15% less construction waste and jobs for 444,000 people. It targeted improving life quality for about 11 million residents in retrofitted districts.[cordis.europa]​

Project Goals

The tool, known as the Integrated Decision Support System (IDSS), promotes coordinated decisions on building and district renovations.[ectp]​
It adopts a holistic approach, integrating technology, environmental factors, and stakeholder collaboration for sustainable urban upgrades.[cordis.europa]​

Key Features

• Web-based dashboard with KPI calculation modules for energy, costs, and impacts.
• Design visualization, scoring tools, and crowd-sourcing for user-friendly analysis.[cordis.europa]​
• Flexible, modular structure supporting iterative decision-making across district scales.[cordis.europa]​

Outcomes and Status

Tested in five European case studies, it emphasizes context-specific KPIs over one-size-fits-all solutions.[cordis.europa]​
Funded under EU FP7 (project ID 608913), the open-source platform aids professionals in complex retrofit scenarios.cordis.europa+1

Project Goals

STREAMER targeted holistic optimization across building types like hospitals, clinics, offices, labs, and sports facilities in integrated districts. Key aims included better MEP/HVAC system efficiency linked to medical equipment, neighborhood energy interactions (e.g., smart grids), and participatory design via Integrated Project Delivery (IPD).sustainableplaces+1

Semantic Design Approach

The core innovation was “semantic labels” and models (BIM, BAM, BEM, BOOM) for interoperable info flow from design to operation. This enabled rules-based design, like room proximity constraints or floor separations for patient/office areas, validated in four real districts (NL, IT, FR, others).isprs-annals.copernicus+2

Validation and Outcomes

Results were tested in large-scale hospital retrofits/new builds, advancing open BIM-GIS standards (IFC-CityGML). Publications covered peer-reviewed papers on design rules and taxonomies for healthcare spaces.cordis.europa+1

Project Overview

The project ran from 2013 to 2017, creating a collaborative software platform with nine interconnected tools via APIs. These enabled multi-criteria optimization, simulating building performance across physical scales while factoring in urban surroundings.b4l.ectp+1

Key Features

• Innovative feedback-loop workflows linking design and multi-physical simulations (e.g., energy, structure, environment).cordis.europa+1
• Unified data model using standards like IFC, CityGML, and BCF for stakeholder collaboration beyond traditional coordination.[cordis.europa]​
• Focus on early design phases to validate options against regulations, comfort, and performance goals.[cordis.europa]​

Methodology and Validation

HOLISTEEC introduced a BIM-based methodology merging design and assessment, unlike siloed traditional practices. It was tested on five real-world cases, showing gains in time savings, process efficiency, and building value.cordis.europa+1

Project Overview

eeEmbedded, funded under EU FP7, created an open BIM-based virtual design laboratory for multidisciplinary teams. It enabled early-stage simulations of energy performance, costs, CO2 impact, and systems like HVAC and BACS across building lifecycles.b4l.ectp+1

Key goals included a multimodel approach extending BIM with neighborhood energy systems, validated on pilot buildings such as residential/office and hospital types.cordis.europa+1

Core Components

• Holistic Design Methodology: Used a hierarchical key-point system to guide multi-physics design, incorporating life-cycle assessments and user behaviors for faster, regulation-compliant decisions.cordis.europa+1
• Virtual Lab Platform: Configurable labs for simulations (CFD, controls, climate), linked via a service bus with cloud data servers for collaborative urban-to-detail analysis.eas.iis.fraunhofer+1
• Energy System Model (ESIM): Factored in surrounding buildings and alternative resources for optimized embedding.[cordis.europa]​

Outcomes and Impact

Pilots demonstrated timesavings through automated checks and variant evaluations, improving energy efficiency by an order of magnitude. The platform supports distributed experts with IFC/CityGML interoperability, influencing modern sustainable BIM workflows.b4l.ectp+1

Project Goals

TRIBUTE, funded under EU FP7, aimed to shrink the energy performance gap to within 5% (±2%) by enhancing Building Energy Performance Simulation (BEPS) tools. It targeted issues like poor use of metered data in Measurement and Verification (M&V) phases and occupancy behavior impacts.

Key Methods

The project developed automated monitoring systems for HVAC, lighting, plug loads, and occupancy in real buildings. These integrated real data with simulations for continuous health checks and energy flow management, tested in sites like La Rochelle and Torino.​

Outcomes

TRIBUTE delivered a model-based performance monitoring system that bridged design simulations and physical operations. It emphasized calibrated models and analytics to help facility managers automatically process data and cut gaps via better predictions.

Project Goals

PERFORMER aimed to create scalable methods for holistic building energy monitoring over the full lifecycle, incorporating KPIs, simulations, and ICT infrastructure like sensor kits and data warehouses. The core focus was exhaustive monitoring to identify deviations caused by building quality, operations, maintenance, occupancy, and behaviors. This addresses the EU’s challenge where buildings account for 40% of energy use and 36% of CO2 emissions.cordis.europa+1

Key Technologies

• PERFORMER Data Warehouse (PDW): Secure cloud or local storage for sensor data, with anomaly detection, fault diagnosis, and web services for integration.[cordis.europa]​
• Energy Instrumentation Kit (PERFORMER Box): Gateway for non-BMS sensors, enabling local data processing, edge analytics, and KPI computation.[cordis.europa]​
• Analytics Tools: Prediction algorithms using deep learning for baselines and forecasts, expert rules for gaps/faults, and visualization with heat maps.[cordis.europa]​
• Other Components: KPI library, sensor gap analysis spreadsheets, envelope performance assessment software, and building info templates.[cordis.europa]​

Pilot Sites and Results

Demonstrations occurred in four sites: St Teilo’s High School (UK), WOOPA offices (France), Iberostar Las Letras hotel (Spain), and a Polish building. Savings included 22% total energy at the UK school, 38% heating at the French office, and 10% electricity at the Spanish hotel through identified optimizations. The solution proved replicable EU-wide, contributing to standards like CEN/TC89.cordis.europa+1

Relevance to Architecture

For sustainable design pros using BIM like Revit, PERFORMER’s KPIs and monitoring align with energy modeling, aiding post-occupancy validation and retrofits—key for your eco-systemic architecture interests.cordis.europa+1

Project Goals

The initiative focused on automating optimal operational plans using weather forecasts, user behavior, and energy prices to minimize consumption while maintaining comfort. It advanced beyond traditional fixed-schedule controls by employing dynamic simulations and optimization algorithms. Additional features included fault detection, predictive maintenance, and decision support for retrofitting.cordis.europa+1

Key Components

• Simulation Models: Calibrated dynamic models (e.g., via IES software) for real-time building behavior prediction.[cordis.europa]​
• Control Layers: Operational plan generation (advance planning), supervision/reconfiguration (real-time adjustments), and execution via BEMS integration.[cordis.europa]​
• Remote Platform: Cloud-based centralized control for multiple buildings, with data acquisition from sensors.[energyintime]​

Demo Sites and Results

Tested in four European buildings: Faro Airport (Portugal), ICPE offices (Romania), Sanomatalo offices (Finland), and Levi Hotel (Finland). Savings varied: 11-26% in short demos, with yearly projections up to 30% in some cases (e.g., €40,000 at Sanomatalo). Methods followed IPMVP protocols, adjusting for weather and occupancy.[cordis.europa]​

Relevance to Architecture

As an architecture student in Bucharest—near the ICPE demo site—this project’s BIM-compatible simulations align with sustainable design and Revit/Dynamo workflows for energy modeling. It emphasizes operational efficiency, complementing your interests in eco-systemic buildings and tech transitions. [user context from personalization][cordis.europa]​

Project Overview

SESBE, or “Smart Elements for Sustainable Building Envelopes,” was an EU-funded initiative from 2013 to 2017. It targeted lightweight, multifunctional façade panels suitable for both new constructions and retrofits, emphasizing reduced weight, thickness, and improved insulation.

Key Innovations

• Incorporated aerogel-based materials like Quartzene® for superior thermal insulation, achieving lower conductivity (e.g., 34-39 mW/(m·K) in sealing tapes vs. standard 48 mW/(m·K)).​
• Developed fire-safe, nanomaterial-enhanced composites for energy efficiency, sealing, and structural integrity.
• Included life cycle assessments (LCA/LCC) to evaluate environmental impact and costs compared to conventional products.​

Outcomes and Impact

The project advanced sustainable building envelopes by integrating nanotechnology for decentralized energy solutions and resource conservation. Partners like Tremco Illbruck received EU funding (£69,829 for 2% of costs), with results published via CORDIS and project sites.

Project Goals

The initiative targeted Europe’s high building energy consumption (over 40% of total use) by creating cost-effective panels with superior thermal/acoustic insulation, mechanical strength, fire retardancy, and self-cleaning photocatalytic surfaces.​​
Nanofillers like CNTs, TiO2, and perlite enabled thinner designs (3-4 times slimmer than standard insulators, with thermal coefficients under 0.012 W/mK).
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) optimized sustainability using recycled materials and low-energy processes.​

Key Technologies

Panels featured a layered structure: an anchored polyurethane foam base with phase-change materials (PCMs) for thermal regulation; a geopolymer insulation core (density <1g/cm³, compressive strength 10MPa); and an external glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy with intumescent coating and TiO2 photocatalytic paint.​​
This setup cut internal temperature swings by up to 70% versus commercial panels and improved performance across simulated European climates.​​

Outcomes and Testing

Prototypes underwent in-situ testing in Coimbra, Portugal, with numerical models validating results under varied weather.​
The panels outperformed standards in fire tests, mechanical bending/tensile strength, and aging, paving the way for market commercialization by partners like Tremco Illbruck.

Project Goals

The initiative targeted reducing energy consumption to under 80 kWh/m² per year and increasing renewable energy sources (RES) share by over 50% compared to standard practices. This was achieved through a holistic, cost-effective approach without compromising user comfort or building functionality.

Key Technologies

• Thermal Insulation: Novel, affordable materials to minimize heat loss.​
• Daylighting Systems: Easy-to-install NLIS-based tech for better natural light and lower lighting costs.​
• HVAC Upgrades: RES-powered DC variable-speed heat pumps leveraging building thermal mass as a “thermal battery.”
• Automation: Intelligent Automation Unit (IAU) and mobile robots for precise monitoring, control, and maintenance.​

Outcomes

The project delivered a 58% overall energy efficiency gain, with guidelines for stakeholders on technical, economic, and legal retrofitting steps. Funded under EU FP7 around 2013, it emphasized practical integration of existing tech for scalable commercial applications.

Project Goals

The initiative targeted up to 75% energy demand reduction, peak power shaving, 50% more renewable energy integration, and better indoor environmental quality. It emphasized life-cycle assessments, integrated design tools, and economic evaluations for long-term impact.

Key Methods

Demonstrations occurred in three sites across Italy, Norway, and Spain, testing solutions like advanced facades, CO2 heat pumps, intelligent Building Energy Management Systems (iBEMS), and efficient lighting. These addressed major energy drains: lighting, HVAC, refrigeration, and architecture.​

Outcomes

The project, coordinated by EURAC Research from 2013-2017 with a 13.9M€ budget and 24 partners, proved retrofits could cut primary energy use while enhancing comfort and sustainability. It highlighted drivers like envelope optimization and micro-grids for broader EU adoption.

Project Goals

RESSEEPE combined design tools, advanced materials, and real-world pilots to retrofit public edifices at building and district levels. Key objectives included diagnosing energy issues, advancing retrofit tech via lab and in-situ testing, and addressing practical factors like costs, installation, and user acceptance.

Key Technologies

• Envelope solutions: Ventilated facades, aerogel-based superinsulating mortar, wooden insulating wall panels, and vacuum insulation panels (VIPs).​
• Renewable integration: PV systems and thermal solar collectors.​
• Storage and smart materials: Thermal storage, phase-change materials (PCMs), and electrochromic/PV windows.​
• Controls and ICT: Intelligent HVAC, building/district-level strategies.​

Outcomes

The project, funded under EU FP7 from around 2013, delivered a systemic process for selecting optimal retrofit mixes and produced best-practice guides for public building renovations. Demonstrations validated performance, influencing later sustainable architecture efforts.

Project Goals

BRICKER aimed to create a holistic system integrating passive and active technologies for public buildings like universities and hospitals. It emphasized demand reduction via envelope improvements and energy supply through renewable HVAC cogeneration with thermal storage. The approach connected buildings into efficient districts for energy sharing, aligning with EU 2020 energy and climate goals.

Key Technologies

Passive solutions included aerating windows for ventilation, PIR foam panels with phase-change materials (PCM) for insulation and thermal inertia, and ventilated facades from recycled concrete. Active technologies featured biomass boilers, ORC cogeneration units (90kW electric, 400kW thermal), and parabolic trough solar collectors up to 1.5MW thermal. These enabled trigeneration for power, heating, and cooling using local renewables.​

Demonstrations

Two sites were renovated: the University of Liège engineering school in Belgium (blocks with full envelope upgrades, biomass/ORC system, 16-68% heating demand cuts) and Adnan Menderes University Hospital in Aydın, Turkey (insulation, solar field, ORC, projected 17% electricity and 75% gas savings). A Spanish site withdrew, but simulations showed viability; challenges included regulations and procurement delays.

Outcomes and Impacts

Projects achieved up to 56% primary energy and CO2 reductions in simulations, with annual savings over €140,000 in high-demand sites like hospitals. Paybacks varied: 2 years for Turkish passives, 11-24 years for full systems at market prices; best for 24/7 operations. Replication suits hospitals/hotels via ESCO models, promoting renewables and district energy.

Project Goals

The initiative targeted public sector buildings, which account for a significant share of Europe’s non-residential energy consumption, by integrating proven and innovative solutions like super-insulated facades (using VIP panels), smart LED lighting with natural light systems, and district-level “Smart Dual Thermal Substations” for heating and cooling. It emphasized district-scale synergies, adaptability to different climates (continental, oceanic, Mediterranean), and financial viability with payback periods around 13 years.

Key Technologies

• High-performance envelope retrofits with external/internal insulation and smart windows.
• Smart lighting combining LEDs and daylight optimization.
• Advanced district heating via smart grid tech.

Demonstrations

Real-world pilots occurred at three sites across Europe, validated for replicability through virtual projects covering more climates and uses; results showed 30-50% energy reductions were achievable affordably. A “Train the Trainer” program supported rollout to SMEs and social housing.

Design Features

A central vertical garden courtyard, created with landscape architects Atelier Le Balto, connects the five-storey brick base to the lightweight steel-framed greenhouse above, featuring a zigzagging roofline. The galvanized steel trellis supports plants across floors, with walkways, a staircase, and balcony offering city views. Exposed materials and high ceilings in the warehouse-like offices allow flexible future use, such as conversion to apartments.

Sustainability Systems

Warm air and CO2 from offices feed the greenhouse to boost plant growth, while rainwater and treated greywater irrigate the vertical garden and support research by the Fraunhofer UMSICHT institute on building-integrated agriculture. This circular system enhances energy efficiency in the post-industrial urban context near Altmarkt.

Location and Purpose

Located in Oberhausen’s historic center, the U-shaped building blends with brick surroundings on its northern facade while opening southward to reveal the garden structure. Funded partly by Germany’s National Urban Development Projects, it combines administration, research, and public space innovation.

Core Concept

A Naturhus integrates a traditional home inside a greenhouse envelope, creating a temperate microclimate similar to southern Europe even in cold northern settings like Sweden. Residents benefit from natural warmth, abundant light, and fresh produce grown in surrounding plant beds.

Key Benefits

• Energy Savings: Solar gain reduces heating needs, with some models achieving near-zero operational carbon.​
• Food Production: 30-80m² of growing space per dwelling supports organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs, minimizing food miles.
• Health and Lifestyle: Improved air quality, biophilic design, and communal areas promote activity and community living.

Real-World Examples

• Rosenlund Naturhus (Sweden): A private home south of Vadstena with an ecosystem for year-round gardening.​
• Uppgrenna Naturhus: Features plant beds and terraces overlooking Lake Vättern, mimicking a Mediterranean climate.​
• Findhorn Proposal (Scotland): Multi-dwelling greenhouse with rainwater harvesting, composting toilets, and greywater recycling for sustainability.​

Sustainability Features

These homes often include rainwater collection, wastewater purification via plant beds, and low-embodied-carbon materials. They avoid municipal sewers by creating closed-loop systems, ideal for off-grid or eco-communities.

Project Overview

This 10-story building houses 120 independent residences, reimagining urban apartments as spacious homes with private outdoor spaces nearly doubling the indoor area. Traditional hallways are transformed into a central atrium resembling streets and plazas, fostering community while preserving privacy. Developed by Vox Property Group and Studio Arca, it emphasizes biophilic design with over 800 trees and shrubs on terraces and common areas.

Hanging Gardens and Greenery

Each apartment includes climate-adapted plants on large terraces, creating hanging gardens that extend living spaces and improve air quality. Lush vegetation provides shade, biodiversity, and natural comfort, integrated with passive features like shading slabs for energy efficiency. This setup turns balconies into verdant “backyards” in a high-rise context.

Sustainability Features

The project earned BREEAM Excellent certification through natural light optimization, thermal insulation, and airtightness. Glazed facades blur indoor-outdoor boundaries, while greenery and slabs manage sunlight, rain, and snow for year-round comfort. Amenities like pools, gyms, cinemas, and concierge services complement the eco-focused living.

Current Status

Under construction as of recent updates (last noted 2022–2024), it represents a pioneering Romanian model for vertical living with nature.

Core Objectives

The project focused on three main areas: standardizing definitions of green economy and eco-innovation, mapping global actors and policies for performance assessment, and fostering knowledge transfer via events and an online platform. It emphasized win-win opportunities, like adopting technologies that boost sustainability without harming competitiveness.

Key Outcomes

A major deliverable was the Inno4SD network and platform (demo at new.inno4sd.net), launched in 2018 for ongoing collaboration across sectors on sustainable development goals. Work packages covered networking, policy agendas, best practices, and lessons integration, with a European focus but global reach.

Related Initiatives

Distinct from the newer EU GREEN Alliance (a university network for sustainability in education), green.eu targeted broader R&D uptake. No active updates post-2018 appear in records, but its framework influenced eco-innovation efforts like Greenovate! Europe.

Project Overview

Developed by Ironstate and designed by Dutch firm Concrete, Urby Staten Island features 900 rental apartments across two phases, plus 35,000 square feet of commercial space like shops and cafes. Located on the North Shore waterfront near the ferry, it reconnects residents to green spaces and the esplanade.

Urban Farm Features

The 5,000-square-foot urban farm, one of NYC’s largest and first in a residential building, grows over 50 crop varieties in a greenhouse with picnic areas and composting. It includes NYC’s first farmer-in-residence, supplying produce for a communal kitchen that hosts classes and tastings.

Community Amenities

Shared facilities foster neighborly bonds, including a rooftop apiary for honey production, a 5,100-square-foot fitness center, outdoor pool, fire pits, bike storage, and EV chargers. Apartments offer smart tech like keyless entry, in-unit laundry, and built-ins.

Sustainability Focus

Eco-elements like filtered water stations and green spaces align with Urby’s goal of holistic urban living, influencing later sites like Jersey City.

Botanical Engineering Process
Baubotanik, coined in 2007 at the University of Stuttgart, involves “plant addition” where young trees are interconnected in scaffolds, allowing roots, stems, and branches to merge into a unified organism. Initially supported by temporary metal frameworks and irrigation, the structure evolves as trees thicken and transport water/nutrients naturally, eventually making scaffolds obsolete. This creates resilient, living buildings that adapt seasonally and provide ecological benefits like air purification.

Key Features

• Dimensions: Nearly 9 meters tall, 8 square meters footprint, three levels with steel platforms for maintenance.
• Plants: Started with hundreds of 2-meter Salix alba willows; 2017 update used fewer Betula pubescens for better site adaptation.​
• Growth Phases: Shaping (forming connections), development (loaded growth under weather exposure), and self-sufficiency.​

Project Goals

It aimed to build a global network for sharing knowledge on eco-innovation, green economy strategies, and sustainable development, with a European focus but worldwide reach. The project harmonized concepts, mapped actors and policies, and promoted best practices for technology adoption without harming economic competitiveness.

Key Outputs

Core results included the launch of the inno4sd online platform in November 2018 (demo at new.inno4sd.net) for collaboration across sectors like research, business, and policy. It organized events, created a knowledge repository, and launched a global initiative at the European Parliament in 2018.​

Timeline and Funding

Running from around 2015, it received H2020 grant No. 641974 and emphasized inter- and transdisciplinary networking to accelerate green transitions. Work packages covered networking, concept harmonization, policy agendas, and knowledge transfer.

Project Goals

It aimed to create multifunctional components for building envelopes and internal walls suitable for new constructions and renovations. Key priorities included reducing embodied energy and carbon footprints while enhancing thermal and acoustic comfort to foster healthier indoor environments by minimizing pollutants and noise.

Innovations Developed

Developers combined materials like hydrothermally produced ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), aerated autoclaved concrete (AAC), earth, wood, wood fiber, and cellulose into lightweight façade elements and partition systems. These improved durability, energy efficiency, moisture management, and recyclability through easy disassembly.

Materials Approach

On the material level, the project enhanced surface functionalization, vapor permeability, heat resistance, and reduced moisture transport using existing technologies. Composite elements on the component level boosted overall functionality for better indoor air quality and lower maintenance costs.

Project Goals

The 4-year EU FP7-funded initiative (completed around 2017) aimed to produce healthier, low-energy buildings meeting Passivhaus standards through multifunctional natural materials. Key benefits included reduced embodied carbon, better acoustics, and control of pollutants like mold and microbes.

Key Innovations

• Materials: Bio-based insulations (sheep’s wool, cellulose, hemp fibers), vapor-permeable finishes (clay/lime plasters), and low-VOC wood products.​
• Technologies: Hygrothermal regulators, VOC-absorbing insulations, and novel photocatalytic nanotech coatings applied to lime/wood for air purification—first-of-their-kind integration.
• Applications: Internal partitions and external walls forming a “breathing envelope” for thermal comfort and energy savings.​

Outcomes and Relevance

Prototypes demonstrated multifunctionality for affordability and durability over standard solutions. For architecture students like you interested in sustainable BIM design, ECO-SEE’s holistic approach aligns with eco-systemic principles, potentially adaptable in Revit/Dynamo workflows for energy modeling.

Project Goals

The initiative ran from July 2013 under FP7 funding (Grant 608910) to create customizable indoor materials that reduce building energy use and support low-energy designs. Key aims include combining bio-based origins with high performance for healthier indoor environments and scalability to panels like A2 sizes (40 x 60 x 1 cm).

Key Innovations

Materials feature NCC foams optimized for microstructure via freeze-drying, maximizing renewables for strong mechanical properties and low embodied energy. They act as barriers for heat/noise and pollutant absorbers, outperforming traditional insulators in sustainability.​

Outcomes

Final reports highlight successful upscaling and commercialization potential, with prototypes ready for energy-efficient building integration. No ongoing activity noted post-project, but results influence bio-based insulation trends.

Project Goals

ELISSA aimed to create nano-enhanced lightweight steel skeleton/dry wall systems with superior thermal insulation, fire resistance, seismic resilience, and acoustic performance. These used inorganic nanomaterials like Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs), aerogels, and intumescent paints to optimize energy efficiency and safety in modular construction.

Key Innovations

• Prefabricated elements tested as load-bearing structures under thermal, fire, and earthquake loads.
• Integration of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) for damping vibrations.
• Emphasis on recyclability, reduced material use, and lifecycle sustainability from production to decommissioning.

Funding and Timeline

Funded by the EU’s FP7 program (grant No. 609086), the project ran around 2013–2016, involving industries, SMEs, and research partners for testing and demonstration.

Project Goals

FOAM-BUILD aimed to cut CO2 emissions by improving external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS). Key targets included reducing thermal conductivity by up to 50% to 0.023 W/mK using nano-cellular polystyrene foams and aerogels.​

Nanomaterial Innovations

Researchers created halogen-free, flame-retardant foams with nano-scaled nucleating agents and high-pressure expansion processes. These lightweight materials boost insulation while enabling recyclability and low carbon footprints, verified through life-cycle analysis.

Smart Facade Features

A moisture control system used sensors and ventilation to prevent mold, algae, and fungi growth without chemicals, extending facade life to 20 years. This eco-friendly design powers itself via small solar inputs, addressing health and maintenance issues.

Outcomes and Relevance

The project delivered hybrid foams meeting EU building codes, with potential for standardization.

Project Overview

The project created climate-adaptive façade panels combining lightweight concrete with nano-additives (like nano-silica and PCM-impregnated aggregates) for thermal storage, switchable polymer insulation for variable resistance, and a total heat exchanger for moisture and air control.
This integration aimed to cut building energy use by over 50% compared to standard retrofits, reduce panel weight by 50%, and enable quick, low-cost installation on façades, roofs, or new builds.
Prototypes were tested at ACCIONA’s Demo Park in Spain, demonstrating solar heat harvesting, storage in concrete buffers, and on-demand release indoors.​

Key Features

• Adaptive Functions: Harvests outdoor heat for winter warming or expels indoor heat for summer cooling, based on real-time conditions.
• Materials Innovation: Uses nanomaterials for high thermal mass in lightweight concrete, plus nanostructured membranes for efficient ventilation (over 75% energy recovery).
• Benefits: Improves indoor comfort, fire safety, sound insulation, and load-bearing without extra HVAC systems; suitable for European climates.

Status and Relevance

Completed around 2016, the project focused on retrofitting but showed potential for broader use. As an architecture student interested in sustainable design, this aligns with BIM workflows for eco-friendly panels in tools like Revit.

Project Goals

The initiative aimed to cut the carbon footprint of asphalt roads significantly without sacrificing durability. Funded under Europe’s FP7 program, it targeted sustainable materials that perform comparably to conventional ones across their lifecycle.

Key Innovations

• Bio-fluxing agents enabled lower production temperatures and higher recycled content (RAP and C&DW).​
• Greener binders nearly fully substituted crude oil-derived bitumen.​
• Integrated designs optimized for asphalt plants with minimal equipment changes.​

Testing and Results

Lab validation, prototypes in the UK, and full-scale trials in Poland and Spain confirmed structural integrity and surface performance. Lifecycle analysis showed environmental benefits and lifetime cost savings versus standard pavements.

Project Overview

This EU-funded initiative (around 2012-2014) aimed to create eco-friendly cement by mimicking natural microbial processes, targeting reductions in greenhouse gases by 11%, construction waste by 20%, and production costs by 21%. It focused on revalorizing waste streams like cement kiln dust (for calcium), biological wastes (for urea), and dairy wastes (for nutrients). The process avoids traditional cement’s high-energy kiln firing, which contributes about 5% to global CO2 emissions.

Bacterial Process

Sporosarcina pasteurii was selected as the key bacterium due to its high urease activity, calcite precipitation rate (up to 100% efficiency at 3-4 mg/mL Ca2+), and resilience to harsh conditions like cement kiln dust. The bacteria hydrolyze urea into ammonia and CO2, forming carbonate ions that bind with calcium to create crystalline calcite, which acts as a cement binder when mixed with aggregates like sand or rice husk ash. Tests showed improved hardness (e.g., Shore A of 64 vs. 54 for controls) and potential applications in tiles, plasters, mortars, and self-healing materials.

Outcomes and Impact

Life-cycle assessments confirmed superior sustainability over Portland cement, with pilot trials validating strength and scalability. The project proposed dry bacterial inoculants for easy on-site use and anticipated 2,000 jobs in Europe. While not yet mainstream, it inspired ongoing bacterial concrete research for self-healing and low-carbon builds.

Project Overview

ISOBIO was an EU-funded Horizon 2020 initiative (grant 636835) running from February 2015 to early 2019, coordinated by TWI in Cambridge, UK, with a 6.3 million euro budget. It focused on creating durable bio-based composites like panels and renders from low-embodied-carbon aggregates (e.g., pretreated natural fibers). The approach integrated raw material production to finished systems for scalability in mass housing.

Key Innovations

Materials used hydrophobic sol-gel treatments on bio-aggregates to boost biodegradation resistance while preserving hygrothermal properties for moisture management. These composites leveraged natural moisture sorption for better indoor air quality and reduced air conditioning needs. Outcomes included prototypes tested in real buildings, advancing sustainable envelopes.

Performance Targets

Targets included 20% better thermal insulation than mineral wool or closed-cell foams, 50% lower embodied energy/carbon, and 15% cost reduction versus traditional systems. Whole-life benefits projected 5% total energy savings per building via carbon sequestration. Results confirmed viability for retrofits and new eco-builds.

Project Overview

This EU-funded initiative, running primarily from 2012-2015 under the 7th Framework Programme, aimed to redesign solar modules for complete material recovery and reuse, unlike traditional recycling that often degrades material quality. It targeted innovations like thinner silicon wafers for lower energy use in production and higher efficiencies over 19% in back-contact cells. A related ongoing effort, C2C-PV at Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg (HI ERN) led by Dr. Ian Marius Peters, continues this work with ERC funding to prototype fully circular modules using green engineering principles.

Key Innovations

• Developed recycling methods like thermal processing in fluidized bed reactors and chemical extraction to recover intact silicon cells, glass, and metals with reduced resource use.​
• Explored thermoplastic encapsulants instead of EVA to minimize cell breakage during disassembly, enabling economic reuse in new modules.​
• Demonstrated semi-automated lines for testing scalability and conducted lifecycle analyses for techno-economic viability.

Relevance to Sustainability

These designs address PV waste challenges as modules near end-of-life after 20-30 years, promoting a closed-loop system where materials retain value for multiple generations. For architecture applications like yours in sustainable design, CU-PV principles could integrate into BIM workflows for modeling recyclable building-integrated PV (BIPV) systems.

Project Goals

Funded by the EU’s FP7 program with €3.2 million, it extracted silica, lignin, and cellulose from wheat straw via integrated biorefinery processes, plus microfibrillated cellulose from paper pulp. These became biodegradable matrices and reinforcements mimicking wood’s properties without compromising strength.

Key Achievements

Innovations included novel silica extraction at industrial scale and low-energy biocomposites exceeding 95% bio-based content for panels and building elements. Coordinated by Tecnalia (Spain) with partners like VTT (Finland) and EMPA (Switzerland), it targeted green construction markets while cutting resource use and emissions.

Project Overview

I-PAN, or Innovative Poplar Low Density Structural Panel, was an EU-funded FP7 initiative (completed around 2016) aimed at creating sustainable, low-density wood panels (450-500 kg/m³) for applications like construction and furniture. It combined 50% recycled wood (from poplar tops) with 50% fast-growing poplar from 7-8 year cycles, reducing forest pressure and waste.

Key Innovations

A novel process, derived from OSB technology, produced “light strand board” (LSB) with modified low-energy resins that cut VOC emissions, drying/pressing costs, and energy use. Panels matched lightweight structural needs while boosting EU competitiveness in eco-friendly materials.

Applications and Impact

LSB panels suit doors, furniture, kitchens, and even yachting/shipbuilding for their strength-to-weight ratio. The project emphasized a “virtuous circle” of sustainability through material efficiency and minimal pollutants.

Design Features

Oasia Hotel Downtown in Singapore features a facade covered in green vegetation.
The 190-meter tower stands out with its red aluminum mesh facade supporting 21 species of climbing plants, creating a dynamic “living” exterior that evolves with seasons and weather. Four sky terraces at levels 6, 12, 21, and 27—spanning communal spaces like pools, gyms, lawns, and lounges—are naturally ventilated via breezeway atria, reducing reliance on air conditioning. About 40% of the building’s volume is open-air green space, attracting birds, insects, and wildlife comparable to nearby parks.

Sustainability Impact

It achieves a green plot ratio (GPR) of 1,100%, providing over 10 times the greenery of the original site (which it replaced), with 54 plant species total across terraces and facades. Passive cooling, cross-ventilation, and porous design make it a prototype for tropical skyscrapers, earning it the title of Best Tall Building Worldwide in 2018 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. A BioSEA study found 18 wildlife species thriving there.

Mixed-Use Function

Lower levels house 100 office units, while the 314-room hotel starts at level 12, blending work, leisure, and nature in a dense urban core. Unlike typical towers with centralized cores, its four corner cores maximize open floorplates for terraces, fostering communal and ecological harmony

The OSIRYS project developed innovative forest-based biocomposites for building facades and interior partitions. It focused on enhancing indoor air quality in new constructions and retrofits.​

Project Goals

OSIRYS aimed to create sustainable materials from forest wastes, like thermoset epoxy resins and lignin-based polymers reinforced with natural fibers (wood, flax, hemp) and cork for insulation. These biocomposites (>75% biomass) reduce VOCs, formaldehyde, particulates, and microbes while improving thermal/acoustic insulation, breathability, and fire safety.

Key Developments

Materials included light foam biocomposites for panels, profiles via pultrusion, and photocatalytic coatings for air purification. Products encompassed multilayer facades, curtain walls, and partitions, tested for structural stability, hygrothermal performance, and compliance with building codes.

Applications and Testing

Demonstrations occurred in Spain and Sweden, validating energy efficiency (25% embodied energy reduction) across climates. Systems supported prefabricated or hybrid assembly for residential and tertiary buildings.

Project Link: osirysproject.eu

Design Philosophy

The hospital maximizes natural views through a central sunken courtyard, floor-level landscapes, roof gardens, and full-height glazing overlooking Yishun Pond. This creates calming, rejuvenating spaces for patients and staff, with greenery from basement to rooftop fostering biodiversity—home to numerous bird, plant, butterfly, and aquatic species.

Therapeutic Benefits

Gardens aid recovery by reducing stress, providing privacy for family visits, and enhancing the microclimate (e.g., 2°C cooler in courtyards). Indigenous tropical plants ensure low maintenance, while adopted adjacent ponds with aquatic habitats expanded accessible green space by 400%, achieving a green plot ratio of 3.92.

Structure and Functioning of the Symbiosis

In Kalundborg, nine legal entities—private and public companies—are interconnected through a resource exchange network, where waste from one company becomes an input for another. Notable examples include the Asnæs power plant, which supplies steam and ash to other companies, and by-products from insulin production being transformed into agricultural fertilizers. These exchanges are not just economic; they create interdependence, enhancing local resilience and reducing reliance on external resources.​

Economic Benefits

• Companies benefit from local resources at lower costs, increasing competitiveness and reducing production costs.​
• The municipality saves significantly on waste management and treatment, while business taxation ensures a stable revenue stream.​
• The symbiosis has generated total savings of over $28 million, with estimated socio-economic effects of $16.5 million.​

Social and Urban Impact

• Jobs are created and maintained locally, supporting community development and a higher standard of living.​
• Citizens benefit from a healthier environment due to reduced pollution and waste, improving quality of life.​
• Engagement of local actors and social institutions strengthens public services and promotes sustainable practices among residents.​

Environmental Benefits

• By recycling resources and transforming waste into raw materials, CO₂ emissions have been reduced by 635,000 tons, and water and energy consumption have decreased significantly.​
• Reducing the amount of waste deposited and greenhouse gas emissions contributes to local and global climate goals.​
• The model demonstrates how a circular economy can be an effective solution for sustainable urban development and green transition.​

Replicability and Innovation

Kalundborg’s industrial symbiosis has become a replicable model for other cities and industrial parks, inspiring circular practices and cross-sector collaboration. Through innovation and cooperation, the Danish city shows how transitioning to a circular economy can turn waste into opportunities and communities into active agents of change.​

This model highlights the importance of public-private partnerships, citizen involvement, and efficient resource management for developing more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities.

• Composition: Made from recycled glass waste, sewage sludge, and incinerator ash.
• Performance: It requires significantly less energy to produce than standard concrete and exhibits higher resistance.

The Concept of Carbon Sequestration:

Blue Planet produces innovative construction blocks using a sustainable cement created by storing CO_2through a biomimetic mineralization process. This method is inspired by the way corals form reefs, resulting in the permanent sequestration of carbon into solid mineral forms.

Technical Characteristics:

• Mineral Aggregates: The process creates new aggregates through carbon sequestration, forming “mega-ooids” (layered mineral structures).
• Mineral Upcycling: The technology can also be used for the upcycling of mineral waste, coating existing waste particles with a new layer of sequestered carbon.
• Virtus Concrete: This proprietary concrete used in “Blockwalls” allows for a reduction of up to 80% in CO2 emissions during the manufacturing process.

Sustainability Impact:

• Landfill Diversion: By using waste from other industrial activities as aggregates, the process prevents materials from being sent to landfills.
• Climate Mitigation: The architecture effectively acts as a carbon storage unit, transforming a greenhouse gas into a stable, structural building component.

The Vision of Paul Stamets: According to world-renowned expert Paul Stamets (Fungi Perfecti), mushroom cultivation is a “significant tool for restoring, replenishing, and remedying Earth’s overburdened ecosphere.” Mycelium—the fibrous root structure of fungi—is viewed not just as a material, but as a healing agent for ecosystems, addressing resource depletion and toxic environmental release.

Key Case Studies in Mycelium Architecture

• The Circular Garden (Milan Design Week 2019): Designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, this installation featured arches grown from mycelium bars totaling 1km in length. As a temporary, compostable structure, it returned to the soil at the end of the event, drastically reducing the typical waste generated by architectural exhibitions.
• Hy-Fi Tower (MoMA PS1, 2014): Architect David Benjamin (The Living) created a grand tower made of bio-bricks produced by Ecovative.
  • Composition: A mix of mycelium, corn stalks, and hemp.
  • Process: Cast in rectangular molds and grown for 5 days until the filaments bound the organic waste into a solid brick.
  • Lifecycle: The structure was 100% biodegradable, with carbon emissions and energy consumption during production tending toward zero.

Architectural Autonomy: Developed by Michael Reynolds, Earthships (or “land ships”) are buildings designed to be completely off-grid. They integrate passive systems for water harvesting, sewage treatment, and climate control.

Waste Integration:

• Structural Mass: Used tires packed with earth are used for load-bearing walls, providing immense thermal mass.
• Secondary Materials: Glass bottles, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans are used as aggregates in adobe or cement walls, often creating aesthetic, light-filtering “bottle walls.”

The Concept of Archiculture: Earthships combine living spaces with integrated greenhouses. This allows for food independence (even growing exotic plants like bananas in cold climates) while the plants help filter greywater and oxygenate the air. It is a “bottom-up” knowledge model that has spread globally through building workshops.

The Paradigm Shift: EcoCradle represents a move away from traditional manufacturing toward growing materials. This technology uses agricultural by-products to create compostable and biodegradable packaging and insulation.

Key Components:

• Mycelium Power: It uses fungi (mycelium) as a natural resin. The mycelium grows on wood chips or agricultural waste, binding the fragments together into a solid structure.
• Biomimicry: It imitates the cyclical material flows of nature, replacing harmful plastics like EPS (expanded polystyrene).

Architectural Application: Beyond packaging, this technology has been used to create “fungi walls” and bricks. Notable examples include the Hi-Fi Tower at MoMA PS1, built from mycelium, corn, and hemp bricks, which was entirely compostable at the end of its life cycle.

Technical Characteristics:

• Process: Waste is broken down at an atomic level. A plasma torch generates heat more intense than the surface of the sun, decomposing gases into atomic elements.
• Result: A composite material that is extremely stable, chemically resistant, and structurally solid. It has a glassy, angular appearance.
• Efficiency: 100 kg of waste yields approximately 20 kg of PlasmaRock, along with syngas that can be stored and used for energy consumption.

Ecosystemic Impact: This material addresses the toxic infiltration of soil and water caused by old landfills. By artificially recreating a natural process in a very short time, it cleans up environmental hazards while providing a durable material for tiles or glass-like architectural elements.

The central concept developed by NAIAD is the “natural assurance scheme” (NAS), which incorporates the risk reduction and prevention value of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) into insurance and investment schemes.

🎯 Main Objectives (Conceptual Frame)

NAIAD’s approach was structured around three pillars:

1. Building Resilience: To foster a resilience approach to risk management using Nature-Based Solutions (NBS).
2. Operationalization: To operationalize and test methods for valuing NBS in nine demonstration (DEMO) sites across Europe.
3. Uptake Facilitation: To facilitate the uptake of cost-effective NBS that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits.

🗓️ Main Results and Work Performed (2018-06-01 to 2020-08-31)

1. Assessment and Evidence Generation

• Biophysical Assessment: Completed at the nine DEMO sites to provide evidence of the role of NBS in managing water risks and to characterize the biophysical hazards present.
• Ecosystem Services Assessment: Assessed the ecosystem services delivered using various tools and risk modeling approaches

.

• Socio-economic Assessment: Developed a standardized method for economic, life cycle, damage costs, and co-benefits assessments. Principles for evaluating the cost of NBS implementation were presented.

2. Stakeholder Engagement and Tools

• Risk Perception: Developed a framework to assess the risk perception and risk management behavior of different actors, exploring the underlying social drivers and testing crowdsourcing systems to involve local stakeholders (e.g., Ambiguity analysis, trade-off assessment).
• Knowledge Integration: Developed tools to enhance decision-making and policy-planning by integrating scientific and societal knowledge, including a multi-criteria decision-making toolkit, participatory modeling, and an integrative modeling approach.

3. Business and Policy Uptake

• Business Models: Developed innovative business models to successfully deliver value from NBS.
• Financial Instruments: Developed methods to understand the different funding and finance options necessary for the operationalization of NAS.

📈 Progress Beyond the State of the Art and Impact

NAIAD provided new insights and evidence, moving beyond the traditional view of risk management:

• Positive Assurance Value: NAIAD demonstrated that NBS are an important part of the risk reduction portfolio, increasing system resilience and providing co-benefits. The evidence shows that NAS can better prepare and avoid potential costs from water risks.
• NBS as a Component, Not a “Silver Bullet”: The project highlighted that while effective, NBS are not always the sole solution, and the best option may sometimes be a combination of NBS with traditional (grey) solutions.
• Specific Effectiveness: Simulations indicated that NBS are particularly well-suited to frequent events rather than the most extreme ones, and display their highest assurance value at the prevention stage against water risks.
• Policy Mobilization: The ability to evaluate NBS and NAS will facilitate their incorporation into River Basin Management and risk planning, helping to mobilize resources for financing by shifting the focus toward prevention in the adaptive management cycle.
• Addressing Barriers: The project identified that the different risk perceptions and ambiguity among stakeholders are critical barriers, but also latent opportunities for collective action and uptake of NBS.

NAIAD’s Six-Step NAS Cookbook

The project produced a transferable methodology for others to follow:

1. UNDERSTAND the underlying conceptual frame of natural assurance.
2. CHOOSE the NAS tools, methods, and co-design processes that suit specific needs.
3. TEST their applications in a demonstration site.
4. DEVELOP the business models and financing schemes necessary for adoption.
5. IMPLEMENT the NAS, ensuring MONITORING and EVALUATION of avoided damages and co-benefits.
6. SHARE the experience for transferability across Europe and beyond.

🎯 Overall Objective and Context

The primary goal of EU4IPBES is to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services to support conservation, sustainable use, long-term human well-being, and sustainable development.

The IPBES rolling work programme (up to 2030) is entirely demand-driven, based on requests from multilateral environmental agreements and governments. It is expected to inform global policy efforts, including the implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity, and the Paris Agreement related to climate-biodiversity links.

The work programme aims to advance the four core functions of IPBES:

1. Identify and prioritize key scientific information (catalyzing new knowledge).
2. Perform regular and timely assessments of knowledge.
3. Support policy formulation by identifying tools and methodologies.
4. Prioritize and provide support for capacity-building needs.

🗓️ Main Results (May 2022 – April 2023)

During this reporting period, progress was made in implementing all six objectives of the IPBES work programme, with several major assessments finalized and task force work progressing.

1. Assessment Progress (Objective 1)

Two key assessments were finalized in July 2022:

• Values Assessment: A methodological assessment regarding the diverse conceptualization of multiple values of nature and its benefits.
• Wild Species Assessment: A thematic assessment of the sustainable use of wild species.

Additionally, work progressed on four other major assessments:

• Thematic assessment of invasive alien species.
• Thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, and health (Nexus Assessment).
• Thematic assessment of the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and options for achieving the 2050 Vision (Transformative Change Assessment).
• Methodological Assessment of the Impact and Dependence of Business on Biodiversity and Nature’s Contributions to People.

2. Task Force Implementation

Work progressed under five dedicated task forces to implement objectives 2, 3, and 4 of the work programme:

• Task force on capacity-building.
• Task force on knowledge and data.
• Task force on indigenous and local knowledge systems.
• Task force on policy support.
• Task force on scenarios and models.

3. Communication and Engagement

Continued implementation of the IPBES communications and stakeholder engagement strategies (Objective 5) was maintained.

📈 Expected Impact

The work programme is structured to achieve six strategic objectives by 2030, reinforcing the foundation for a sustainable future by integrating scientific knowledge into global policy:

1. Assessing knowledge: Deliver the state of knowledge on biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people.
2. Building capacity: Improve the skills and institutional strength for a robust science-policy interface.
3. Strengthening the knowledge foundations: Promote the generation and management of essential data.
4. Supporting policy: Promote the development and use of relevant policy instruments and tools.
5. Communicating and engaging: Increase the visibility and use of IPBES products among members and stakeholders.
6. Improving the effectiveness of the Platform: Ensure regular review of IPBES’s operational efficiency.

The OPERANDUM project (OPEn-air laboRAtories for Nature baseD solUtions to Manage hydro-meteo risks) addressed the critical need to mitigate the impact of severe hydro-meteorological phenomena (like floods, droughts, and landslides) through Nature-Based Solutions (NBS).

🎯 Core Objectives

The project’s primary goal was to reduce hydro-meteorological risks in European territories by co-designing, deploying, and demonstrating innovative green, blue, grey, and hybrid NBS. It aimed to provide science-based evidence for the usability of NBS, establish frameworks for strengthening NBS-based policies, and push for business exploitation and market development.

💡 Main Results and Innovations

1. Open-Air Laboratories (OALs)

• Concept: OPERANDUM established Open-Air Laboratories (OALs), expanding the Living Lab concept to natural and rural areas to test NBS effectiveness in real-world scenarios.
• Implementation: Novel NBS were implemented in seven European countries and three international locations (China and Australia) to address specific risks.
• Specific NBS: Over 20 types of NBS were co-designed and developed against major hazards like river/coastal flooding, droughts, landslides, and coastal erosion. Notable innovations included a patented vegetated dune with sensor-embedded textiles for structural monitoring.

2. GeoIKP Platform

• A major outcome was the OPERANDUM Geospatial Information Knowledge Platform (GeoIKP) (available at www.geoikp.operandum-project.eu). This multi-dimensional, open platform enables stakeholders to improve knowledge on NBS, mitigate climate change, and exploit business opportunities.

3. Scientific Advancement

• Risk Assessment: Conducted unprecedented detailed syntheses of hydro-meteorological forcing of hazards in each OAL using re-analysis (ERA-5) and satellite data.
• Modelling: Achieved crucial advancements in multi-scale impact modelling, fostering original assessments of NBS efficacy that account for non-stationary climate conditions.

🚀 Impact and Legacy

OPERANDUM successfully advanced the state-of-the-art by:

• Policy & Society: Identifying and addressing social and political barriers to NBS uptake, with key findings published in top-ranked journals.
• Global Reach: The project was presented as a UNESCO NBS flagship project at several international events and contributed to the Global Assessment Report for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 via the GeoIKP.
• Knowledge Transfer: Facilitated through public webinars organized by UNESCO and the widespread dissemination of results via the GeoIKP platform.

💧 Project Context and Objectives

The project addressed the dual challenge of severe water scarcity and poor groundwater quality (over 60% too saline) in India, where conventional desalination and recycling are often prohibitively expensive and energy-intensive.

The overall objectives were to:

1. Develop and demonstrate low-cost water treatment systems for saline groundwater and domestic/industrial wastewaters.
2. Use emerging membrane technologies (Batch Reverse Osmosis – BRO and Forward Osmosis – FO) combined with natural biological processes (phyto-treatment) to raise energy efficiency and reduce costs.
3. Conserve groundwater and utilize waste brine streams for economic benefit.

🛠️ Key Results and Work Performed (2022-02-01 to 2024-07-31)

1. Technology Deployment and Performance

• Operational Sites: Integrated BRO/FO technology is operational at two sites in Gujarat: Lodhva village (producing around 800 litres of clean water per hour) and the Centre of Excellence in Water Treatment and Management at PDEU (which was officially opened in 2022).
• Energy Efficiency: Achieved high recovery ratios of 70–75% and a low specific energy consumption (SEC) of 0.37 kWh/m³. The Lodhva system can produce safe drinking water using only solar power .

2. Sustainable Brine and Wastewater Management

• Phyto-treatment: Developed and designed plant-based treatment solutions for domestic wastewater, with a larger-scale system constructed for integration with the FO/BRO system at PDEU .
• Brine Utilization (Halophytes): Successfully demonstrated the use of brine reject from the BRO system for irrigating halophytic crops (Salicornia and Sarcocornia). Plantations were established and harvested at the Lodhva site, turning a waste product into a potential commercial crop.

3. Industrial Water Recycling

• Integrated Solutions: Developed and validated integrated solutions utilizing FO, BRO, and nanofiltration for effluents from the dairy, textile, and tannery industries.
• Recycling Levels: These solutions enable high industrial water recycling levels of 60–80% with minimum liquid discharge.

4. Commercialization and Governance

• Spin-out Company: The University of Birmingham licensed the hybrid BRO technology to Salinity Solutions, a spin-out company that has raised over EUR 1.4 million.
• Commercial Exploitation: Indian Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI) is commercializing project-developed sensor and monitoring technologies. Aquaporin (FO membrane developer) was listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen.
• Policy: A policy brief on sustainable and equitable groundwater management was produced for India policymakers.

🚀 Progress Beyond State of the Art and Impact

The project made significant strides beyond conventional water treatment by focusing on cost reduction and sustainability:

• Cost and Accessibility: The combined BRO/FO technologies drastically reduced energy consumption, enabling efficient operation on renewable energy. The system costs less than 30 rupees per cubic metre (~EUR 0.35), offering a real lifeline to communities.
• FO Draw Solutions: Provided detailed new knowledge on Forward Osmosis draw solutions, enabling the deployment of FO in industrial applications where it was previously restricted.
• Integrated Knowledge: Developed new understanding of sustainable water management in rural and semi-urban settings by integrating membrane and phyto-technologies powered by renewables.
• Circular Economy: The novel approach of using brine discharge to grow commercial halophytic crops represents a significant breakthrough in knowledge for India, effectively eliminating harmful brine discharges while creating economic opportunities.

The GREEN SURGE project aimed to identify, develop, and test ways of linking urban green spaces, biodiversity, people, and the green economy to tackle major urban challenges like land-use conflicts, climate change adaptation, demographic changes, and public health.

It provided an evidence base for Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) planning and implementation, focusing on better linking environmental, social, and economic ecosystem services (ESS) with local communities.

🎯 Main Project Objectives & Achievements

The project addressed three interlinked objectives through an innovative, three-tiered, transdisciplinary approach.

1. Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) Planning and ESS

• Multifunctional UGI: Identified key elements of multifunctional UGI (e.g., parks, woodlands, green roofs, “blue” elements, community gardens) and provided evidence on the diverse ESS and benefits they generate.
• Supply and Demand: Assessed the balances and imbalances between supply and demand of ESS in different cities and urban areas across Europe.
• Good Practice: Assessed the implementation of UGI planning in practice to identify and transfer strategic approaches.

2. Biocultural Diversity (BCD) and Governance

• Conceptual Framework: Developed a conceptual framework of BCD for the urban context, which is an innovative approach to UGI planning and governance.
• Socio-Ecological Integration: Examined how residents with different cultural backgrounds and socio-economic situations value, use, and help maintain urban green spaces, supported by a field survey of ~3,800 people in the Urban Learning Labs.
• Innovative Governance: Focused on developing governance arrangements that integrate participatory (bottom-up) approaches with planning (top-down) approaches to facilitate local engagement.

3. Valuation and Green Economy Integration

• Integrated Valuation: Developed a multi-criteria evaluation framework—a “do-it-yourself” guideline—to assess and integrate monetary and non-monetary values of ESS and biodiversity.
• Market Integration: Identified mechanisms for unlocking cash flows from urban green spaces and evaluated existing instruments, with a focus on integrating ESS into real economies.
• Innovative Methods: Applied innovative methods like hedonic pricing models to analyze relationships between property prices and different qualitative aspects of green spaces.

🛠️ Methodology (Three-Tiered Approach)

The project utilized a comprehensive three-tiered approach and Learning Alliances (LAs) for shared learning and stakeholder involvement in situations of high complexity.

📚 Dissemination and Legacy

• Handbook: Produced the “Urban green infrastructure: connecting people and nature for sustainable cities” Handbook (D1.3), a collection of policy briefs, factsheets, and guidelines for planners, policy-makers, and practitioners.
• Dissemination: The project provided recommendations for policy makers, UGI planners, citizens, NGOs, and business actors to promote the creation and management of high-quality green spaces.

The OpenNESS project’s overall objective was to translate the concepts of ecosystem services (ES) and natural capital (NC) into operational frameworks that provide tested, practical, and tailored solutions for informing sustainable land, water, and urban management at various scales.

🔬 Conceptual and Methodological Advances

OpenNESS focused on advancing the science of ES to a mature phase, ensuring concepts could be rigorously applied by practitioners.

Key Conceptual Tools

• Glossary and Reference Book: Created a comprehensive Glossary of over 200 terms and an Ecosystem Service Reference Book (compiling 27 Synthesis Papers) to promote common understanding and consistent terminology.
• Cascade Model: Promoted the application and customization of the Ecosystem Service Cascade Model

as a framework to link society and nature, acting as a common reference point and a tool for “awareness-raising” with non-specialist stakeholders.

• OpenNESS Conceptual Nexus (ONEX): Developed ONEX as a digital “working environment” (utilizing social media tools like TRELLO) to support deliberative processes among stakeholders and help structure decision-making around the four key societal challenges: human well-being, sustainable ecosystem management, governance, and competitiveness.

Assessment Methods and Guidance

• The project tested 43 biophysical, socio-cultural, and monetary methods across its case studies.
• Results led to the development of an integrative ecosystem service assessment framework and a set of decision trees and a Bayesian Belief Network to guide users in selecting methods that are “fit for purpose”.
• A classification translator tool was created (using HUGIN) to help users cross-reference different ES classifications (MA, TEEB, UKNEA, CICES) rigorously.

🗺️ Operationalization in Case Studies

The OpenNESS approach was highly empirical, basing its work on real-world application and refinement.

• Place-Based Application: The concepts and methods were applied in 27 real-life case studies covering different social-ecological systems in 23 European and 4 non-European countries.
• Stakeholder Involvement: The key finding from these applications is that ES knowledge is most effective and operational when decision-makers, practitioners, and key stakeholders are closely involved (a participatory action research approach) to ensure the information is relevant, reliable, and actionable.

🏛️ Policy Impact and Dissemination

• Policy Analysis: Analysis of key EU regulatory frameworks found that the ES concept is not yet mainstreamed across all policy sectors, being largely confined to biodiversity, forestry, and agricultural policies. Policy messages were summarized in briefs on various sectors.
• Scenarios and IPBES: Developed four EU level scenario storylines to assess future impacts on ES. These OpenNESS scenarios have since been used in the IPBES regional assessment for Europe and Central Asia.
• Knowledge Platform: All project results, guidelines, and conceptual tools are synthesized into Oppla (www.oppla.eu), a joint knowledge platform established with the OPERAs project, ensuring the project’s long-term accessibility and perennity.
• Outreach: The project produced 99 scientific articles and engaged in over 200 local outreach events.

Urban MAESTRO was a Coordination and Support Action that aimed to identify, document, analyze, and encourage innovative strategies for the governance of urban design. The core focus was to look beyond sophisticated, formal regulatory frameworks (‘hard-power’)—which often lead to disappointing urban quality—and explore the contribution of alternative, non-regulatory (‘soft-power’) approaches.

🎯 Overall Objectives and Core Focus

The project was driven by the observation that while existing laws prevent the worst development, they often fail to ensure high-quality, sustainable, and livable places.

• Soft-Power Governance: Urban MAESTRO emphasized strategies where public authorities act as enablers, brokers, or inspirational leaders rather than just regulators or direct investors.
• Tool Synergy: The project focused on the synergy between formal tools (like zoning) and informal tools (like architectural competitions, peer review, temporary interventions, and non-mandatory guidance).
• Financial Mechanisms: A particular focus was placed on the relationship between informal tools and financial mechanisms to enhance the effectiveness of both approaches in achieving better design and social objectives.

💡 Main Results and Key Outputs

Over the project’s lifespan, the team conducted a Europe-wide survey, developed detailed case studies, and engaged with stakeholders through workshops and a Policy Dialogue.

Key Deliverables and Outputs

1. Typology of Urban Design Governance Tools: Conceptualizing a new framework to categorize and relate different formal and informal practices.
2. Case Studies: Collected data on over 95 governance practices and elaborated 37 detailed case studies focusing on innovative approaches.
3. Policy Recommendations: Summarized key findings into a set of practical recommendations for public authorities, disseminated through an online publication.

🚀 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art and Impact

Urban MAESTRO’s primary innovation was the unique, pan-European focus on the full gamut of informal urban design governance tools, moving the debate beyond traditional regulation.

Contribution Beyond the State-of-the-Art

• New Policy Agenda: Successfully placed informal urban design governance on the policy agenda in Europe.
• Common Language: Established a typology of tools and formulated a new common language for discussing urban design governance practices.
• Value Connection: Demonstrated the link between urban design governance tools and instruments of development finance, showing how this synergy can enhance place value.
• Guiding Principles: Identified six overarching principles for effective urban design governance practice.

The project aims to provide a boost for less advanced practices globally, ultimately leading to a widespread improvement in the quality, sustainability, and liveability of the built environment.

The SUST-BLACK project (Sustainable development at the Black Sea) was a targeted effort to create a common, basin-wide strategy to ensure a healthy, productive, and resilient Black Sea. This was crucial because, despite recovery efforts following a major ecological crisis in the late 1980s–1990s, the sea faced a high risk of regression due to uncontrolled development, old practices, and the supplementary pressure of climate change.

🎯 Overall Objectives and Context

The project’s central goal was to finalise and launch the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for the Black Sea (SRIA).

• Context: The Black Sea is the world’s largest land-locked sea, unique for its anoxic layer below 200 meters. Its importance is both ecological and geopolitical, bordering the EU and sitting at the boundary between Europe and Asia.
• Need: Following earlier stakeholder meetings and the Burgas Vision Paper (2018), there was an urgent need for a coordinated, basin-wide Strategic Agenda to manage the sea’s problems.
• Key Event: The project was built around the “Conference for Sustainable Development at the Black Sea” held during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council (May 2019) to effectively present the SRIA.

💡 Main Results and Endorsement

The main objectives were fully fulfilled, culminating in the successful launch and high-level endorsement of the SRIA.

1. Finalisation and Launch of the SRIA

• The project team prepared and finalised the SRIA and the resulting Conference document, the Bucharest Declaration.
• The SUST-BLACK Conference took place on May 8-9, 2019, in Bucharest, involving significant personalities in marine sciences and stakeholders from various European programs.

2. Political and International Endorsement

The SRIA quickly achieved high-level political backing:

• EU Council: The SRIA was presented to and endorsed by the EU ministers of research at the COMPET Council meeting in Bucharest (April 4, 2019).
• Black Sea Governments: The SRIA was integrally included in the wider Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea and subsequently endorsed by the ministers of the six riparian countries and the Republic of Moldova (along with the EC and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation) at the Ministerial Meeting on May 21, 2019.
• International Dissemination: The SRIA was also presented at major European and international events, such as the EUROCEAN Conference in Paris (June 2019).

🚀 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art

The most significant achievement of SUST-BLACK was the creation and official existence of the SRIA itself.

• First Basin-Wide Strategy: The SRIA represents the first-ever basin-wide strategy aimed at the profound understanding of the Black Sea ecosystems and processes to support the sustainable development and implementation of Blue Growth in the region.
• Policy Integration: Romania began sustained efforts to introduce the SRIA into its national strategy for research and innovation for 2021–2027 and in other key national documents (e.g., water management, Marine Spatial Planning).
• Expanded Cooperation: The project opened up basin-wide cooperation with other initiatives supporting Blue Growth in other European seas.

The European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) was the first major international research effort dedicated to understanding the biological, ecological, biogeochemical, and societal implications of ocean acidification (OA). OA is caused by the ocean absorbing massive amounts of human-made carbon dioxide, leading to a reduction in pH and carbonate ion concentration.

🎯 Overall Objectives and Research Themes

Launched in May 2008, EPOCA involved over 160 scientists from 32 institutions in 10 European countries. Its overall goal was to fill critical knowledge gaps and predict the future impact of OA on marine life and the Earth system.

The research was structured around four core themes:

Theme 1: Changes in Ocean Chemistry and Biogeography

• Objective: Document past and present spatial and temporal fluctuations in ocean carbonate chemistry and the distribution of marine species.
• Methods: Used paleo-reconstruction (e.g., on deep-sea corals and foraminifera) to assess past variability and continuous sampling at time-series stations (e.g., in the Arctic) for present-day observations.

Theme 2: Biological Responses

• Objective: Quantify the impact of OA on marine organisms and ecosystems, including the potential for acclimation and adaptation.
• Methods: Conducted extensive laboratory and field perturbation experiments (mesocosms and natural $\text{CO}_2$ venting sites) on key organisms across various taxonomic groups (e.g., calcifiers, plankton).

Theme 3: Biogeochemical Impacts and Feedbacks

• Objective: Integrate chemical and biological findings into models to project how OA will alter ocean biogeochemistry over the next 200 years and how these changes will feedback on climate.
• Methods: Used Earth System Models (ESMs), forced global/regional ocean models, and a sediment model to investigate impacts on the carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and iron cycles.

Theme 4: Synthesis, Dissemination, and Outreach

• Objective: Synthesize results from the other themes, assess uncertainties, risks, and critical thresholds (‘tipping points’), and communicate these findings to policymakers and the public.
• Method: Formed the EPOCA Reference User Group (RUG) to ensure scientific accuracy and effective dissemination through policy guides, media, and educational materials.

💡 Major Scientific Results

EPOCA generated over 200 publications and significantly advanced the understanding of ocean acidification.

Key Findings by Theme

Legacy and Outreach

• Data Archiving: Maintained two critical databases: one for EPOCA’s observational/experimental data and another—the EPOCA/EUR-OCEANS data compilation—archiving all published data on biological responses to OA, ensuring long-term accessibility.
• Standards and Best Practices: Led the community-reviewed ‘Guide to best practices in ocean acidification research and data reporting,’ which has been widely distributed to standardize research protocols.
• Policy Impact: Played a significant role in raising global awareness, contributing to major policy activities (e.g., IPCC AR5) and producing multilingual guides for policymakers.
• Educational Content: Produced award-winning outreach materials, including the animation ‘The other CO2 problem and the movie ‘Tipping point’.

The PHUSICOS project (‘According to nature’) aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and nature-inspired solutions for reducing the impact of extreme weather events and natural hazards in vulnerable rural mountain landscapes.

🎯 Overall Objectives and Approach

The main objective was to mainstream NBS into Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practices in mountainous regions, which are often overlooked in national DRR plans despite their high exposure to hydro-meteorological and geological hazards.

Core Approach

• Demonstration: Implement and monitor NBS interventions at large-scale demonstrator case sites.
• Engagement: Utilize a Living Labs approach to foster co-creation and cooperation among diverse stakeholders.
• Evidence: Develop a robust framework and collect long-term monitoring data to prove the performance and co-benefits of NBS in risk reduction.

Case Sites and Interventions

• Large-scale Demonstrators: Serchio River Basin (Italy), French and Spanish Pyrenees, and Gudbrandsdalen valley (Norway).
• Concept Cases: Kaunertal (Austria) and Isar River (Germany).
• Total Actions: 15 NBS interventions were implemented, including 11 physical measures and 4 educational/Living Lab activities, addressing hazards like flooding, debris flows, erosion, rockfall, and snow avalanches.

💡 Main Results and Key Achievements

PHUSICOS successfully bridged the knowledge gap on the effectiveness of NBS in mitigating hydro-meteorological hazards in mountain environments.

1. Implementation of Hybrid Solutions

• Physical Measures: Interventions included creating buffer strips, establishing purification/sedimentation basins, modifying canal cross-sections, afforestation, using dry masonry walls and timber gabions for terracing, and installing stone/wooden structures to secure rocks.
  • The project emphasized hybrid solutions, combining vegetation with revitalized traditional building techniques.
• Learning Tools: Developed a PHUSICOS-VR simulation and virtual reality game as an innovative learning tool for stakeholders.
• Knowledge Hub: The PHUSICOS platform hosts 176 NBS entries, serving as a searchable library of resources.

2. Frameworks and Governance

• Assessment Framework: Developed the ‘Comprehensive Framework for NBS Assessment’ to evaluate and verify NBS performance, supporting decision-making and incorporating modeling of different climatic scenarios.
• Living Labs Success: Stakeholders viewed the Living Labs as a highly useful tool for engaging a broad range of actors and generating NBS knowledge.
• Inclusivity Analysis: Identified the lack of fairness in stakeholder engagement and benefit distribution as a major obstacle to successful NBS implementation, emphasizing the crucial role of co-design and co-creation.

🚀 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art and Policy Impact

PHUSICOS generated specific recommendations intended for transfer into European policy, focusing on funding and regulation.

• Policy Recommendations:
  • Climate & DRR Integration: Advocated for leveraging the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change to promote NBS for adaptation and integrate them into the EU policy sector of Disaster Risk Reduction.
  • Investment & Finance: Recommended extending the scope of the EU Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive to enforce compulsory EIAs, and extending the EU Taxonomy to classify and discourage nature-negative investing.
  • Sectoral Integration: Highlighted the Farm to Fork strategy as a relevant mechanism to encourage farmers in areas like the Serchio River Basin to maximize the potential of NBS.
• Legacy: The project’s post-PHUSICOS plans include long-term monitoring to continuously collect data, validate modeling outcomes, and build the evidence base needed to bolster stakeholders’ confidence and mainstream NBS.

The proGIreg project (productive Green Infrastructure for post-industrial urban regeneration) focused on using Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to transform post-industrial urban areas plagued by social, economic, and environmental disadvantages.

🎯 Project Context and Objectives

The primary goal was to create Living Labs (LLs) in cities lacking quality green spaces to improve human health, well-being, and climate resilience. Innovations occurred on three levels:

• Technical: Deployment of specific NBS (e.g., aquaponics, soil regeneration).
• Social: Co-design and co-implementation involving state, market, and civil society.
• Economic: Development of new business models (BMs) for NBS.

🏙️ Participating Cities

The project structure relied on “Front-runner” cities implementing solutions and “Follower” cities testing replicability.

💡 Key Results and Implementation

Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project successfully moved from methodology establishment to full implementation by Period 3.

1. NBS Implementation and Types

All planned NBS were implemented and documented via fact sheets and the OPPLA platform. Examples of tested solutions include:

• Regenerating soils with biotic compounds.
• Urban agriculture and community-based aquaponics.
• Green corridors and therapeutic gardens.
• Green walls (indoor and outdoor) and pollinator-friendly vegetation.

2. Benefit Assessment

The project defined ten assessment tools across four domains: socio-cultural inclusiveness, human health, ecological restoration, and economic benefits.

1.

This framework aligns with the project’s goal to measure how biophysical structures (NBS) flow into benefits for human well-being and the economy.

3. Business Models and Governance

• New Tools: Created a specific NBS business model canvas and an interactive Business Model Catalogue (iBMC).
• Analysis: Using the Pestoff-triangle, the project analyzed the “third sector” (collaborations between state, market, and civil society) as a decisive actor in creating urban NBS.

4. Education and Outreach

• MOOC: A course titled “Nature-based urban regeneration” was distributed via edX, reaching learners in over 100 countries.
• Community of Practice: Established through internal and external replication events in all Front-runner cities.

🚀 Strategic Impact and Policy Alignment

The project achieved progress beyond the state of the art by translating co-design experiences into concrete guidelines and roadmaps.

• EU Policy Contribution:
  • Climate Adaptation: Reduced heat island effects and heat stress through greening buildings.
  • Climate Mitigation: Demonstrated NBS as urban carbon sinks (COP Agreements).
  • Farm to Fork: Created opportunities for urban food production via community gardens and aquaponics.
  • Biodiversity Strategy: Involved citizens in creating habitats for pollinators.
• Market & Ownership:
  • Shifted the understanding of Green Infrastructure to an urban common resource.
  • Provided open-source knowledge (monitoring guidelines, iBMC) to enable SMEs, NGOs, and cities to enter the NBS market.

The REGREEN project aimed to foster Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for smart, green, and healthy urban transitions in Europe and China. The project focused on generating knowledge, developing tools, consolidating business models, and promoting awareness of NbS to address urban challenges like public health pressures, inequalities, and climate change vulnerability.

🎯 Overall Objectives and Insights

REGREEN worked along four main objectives:

1. Knowledge Generation: Produce evidence on the benefits of NbS.
2. Tools Development: Create and test tools to guide the design and planning of NbS.
3. Business Models: Consolidate business and investment models for sustainable NbS implementation.
4. Awareness Promotion: Foster awareness in education, governance, and planning.

Key insights for accelerating the transition to equitable, healthy cities include integrating cities with research organizations, involving children, creating enabling funding conditions, breaking silos, and ensuring transparency in sustainable investments.

💡 Main Results and Outputs

The project produced substantial academic and practical outputs, including 34 peer-reviewed articles (with 29 more in progress) and the comprehensive REGREEN Transition Handbook.

Urban Living Labs (ULLs)

Central to the project were Urban Living Labs in both regions:

• Europe: Aarhus (Denmark), Velika Gorica (Croatia), Paris Region (France).
• China: Beijing, Shanghai, Ningbo. These labs catalyzed strategic shifts in planning and capacity building, securing mandates for further NbS exploration.

Tools and Methodologies

• Education: Developed interactive tools like walkable floormaps, citizen science projects for biodiversity, and digital educational tools for children from kindergarten to youth.
• Planning & De-paving: Created approaches to reduce urban land take and tools to identify de-paving potential and re-greening strategies.
• Modelling: Developed six improved ecosystem models to calculate benefits related to air/noise pollution, urban heat islands, and water flow, integrated into the City Explorer Toolkit for Aarhus.

Business and Decision Support

REGREEN elaborated an overall approach for sustainable business models, including public-private, consultancy-driven, and citizen-driven models. A Decision Support Tool was also launched to guide stakeholders through the NbS process.

🚀 Impact and Innovation

REGREEN advanced the state-of-the-art by demonstrating the importance of understanding NbS benefits from multiple perspectives and taking a complex systems thinking approach.

Shutterstock

Explorează

• Urban-Rural Resilience: Explored the role of NbS in enhancing resilience by focusing on “peoplesheds” within the larger context of watersheds and airsheds.
• Typology and Evidence: Developed an internally consistent typology of NbS backed by evidence for the ecosystem services they provide.
• Mapping: Created tools for high-resolution land-cover/land-use mapping and scenarios up to 2030.

It aims to create “Healthy corridors as drivers of social housing neighbourhoods” by focusing on the co-creation of social, environmental, and marketable NBS.

To achieve this, the deliverable focuses on three primary objectives:

1. Identifying Actors and Conditions: Identifying the key actors involved in participation and defining the conditions necessary for active, positive, and ethically sound engagement.
2. Stocktaking of Methods: Taking stock of existing participatory methods and tools (including digital technologies) currently used or likely to be used in frontrunner and follower cities. This involves assessing the “participatory culture” of these cities.
3. Strategic Design: Gathering insights to strategically design participatory solutions and digital tools that support NBS uptake. This work directly informs subsequent tasks (Task 3.2) to tailor methods for specific city cultures.

The ultimate goal is to empower citizens and stakeholders to co-create solutions that improve the environmental and social livability of their communities.

The BiodivScen project was an initiative to address the critical gap between insufficient knowledge and the escalating issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services (ESS) degradation. The project aimed to promote and support coordinated international research focused on developing scenarios of biodiversity and ESS to inform policy and raise public awareness, similar to how scenarios are used for climate change.

🎯 Overall Objectives and Global Coordination

BiodivScen networked 27 funding agencies from 24 countries across Europe and other continents. Its main purpose was to strengthen research program coordination and provide policy-makers with the adequate knowledge, tools, and practical solutions needed for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems.

Core Objectives

• Coordinate Research: Agree on shared research priorities related to scenarios of biodiversity and ESS among major European and international research funders.
• Implement Joint Call: Design and implement an ambitious joint call for research proposals on the development of these scenarios.
• Promote Collaboration: Foster trans-national and trans-disciplinary research collaboration to build capacity and overcome fragmentation.
• Encourage Dialogue: Support dialogue and collaboration between academia, research stakeholders, and relevant socio-economic sectors to increase the impact of research on policy and practice.
• Ease Uptake: Ensure the rapid and efficient uptake of funded research results by the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) for its future assessments.
• Data Sharing: Reinforce open access to data and data sharing, and evaluate the added value of long-term collaboration between BiodivERsA and the Belmont Forum.

💡 Main Results and Achievements

The project’s success was largely driven by the implementation of its joint call and the structuring of additional activities to maximize impact.

Joint Call Success

• Funding Scale: Successfully launched and implemented a joint call for research proposals on biodiversity scenarios.
• Results: Despite a large number of applications, 21 projects were selected for funding, totaling €28 million, which exceeded the announced reserved budget by €3 million. This resulted in a satisfactory success rate of approximately 16%.
• Trans-continental Scope: The call achieved massive international collaboration, with a large majority of funded projects being trans-continental and all continents being represented.

Additional Activities (Uptake and Capacity Building)

• Internationalization: Established a Working Group (WG) to map research collaborations between different global regions, enhancing the international vision.
• Data Management: Developed a WG on open access to data, incorporating national practices and Belmont Forum data principles. This led to the production of a guidance document for funded projects and future applicants.
• Science-Policy Interfacing: Finalized an implementation plan for the uptake of research results, outlining objectives, priorities, and organizations to be targeted, including collaborations with socio-economic sectors.
• IPBES Collaboration: Explored and drafted a cooperation framework with the IPBES Technical Support Unit on Scenarios and Models.

🚀 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art and Expected Impact

BiodivScen pushed the state-of-the-art by aligning global research on ESS, ensuring that the research produced is directly relevant and useful for high-level decision-making.

Global Capacity: The trans-continental success of the call and the mapping assignment on international research collaborations enhance the global capacity for developing and utilizing biodiversity scenarios.

Filling Knowledge Gaps: The 21 funded projects implement the recommendations made by IPBES in its methodological assessment, specifically by developing multiscale and multidriver scenarios and explicitly considering uncertainty.

Enhanced Policy Relevance: The projects demonstrate potential policy/societal relevance and integrate stakeholder engagement from the outset, ensuring the resulting scenarios are appropriate to support decision-making and are expected to feed future IPBES assessments.

Harmonized Voice: By strengthening collaboration within the European Research Area (ERA) and globally (with the Belmont Forum), the program will ultimately result in a more credible and harmonized voice in terms of research on biodiversity scenarios and their use by decision-makers.

Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2023-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In proGIreg, four front-runner cities (FRC) (Dortmund DE; Turin IT; Zagreb HR; Ningbo CN) have created Living Labs (LLs). These areas suffer from social and economic disadvantages, inequality and other problems related to the decline of industries. They lack quality greenspaces, have a negative impact on human health and wellbeing and are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The LLs have implemented Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) which are citizen-owned and co-developed by state, market and civil society stakeholders. Innovation took place on the technical level through the NBS deployments, on the social level through co-designing, co-creating and co-implementing NBS and on the economic level through developing new NBS business models (BMs). Four follower cities (Cascais PT, Cluj-Napoca RO, Piraeus GR, Zenica BA) have tested the replicability of the NBS in new contexts. Each Follower City (FC) has organised a co-design process which has led to urban plans for NBS. The NBS that are tested i.a. include: regenerating soils with biotic compounds, creating community-based urban agriculture and aquaponics and making green corridors accessible. Scientific benefit assessment and monitoring results have been made available via numerous channels, including the EU NBS platform OPPLA, and contribute to the European reference framework for NBS, e.g. through the NBS monitoring guidelines and an interactive Business Model Catalogue (iBMC). Global impact has been achieved by the MOOC “Nature-based urban regeneration” distributed via edX and attended by learners from more than 100 countries. Internal and external replication events have been organized in all FRC to create and extend a community of practice in NBS.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The first RP has laid the foundation for a successful project implementation. All work packages (WPs) have established the methodologies for fulfilling their tasks and objectives throughout the project duration.
Co-design processes in FRCs: Based on the quad helix model, local partnerships including government, universities, citizen organisations and SMEs have been established and developed LL vision maps representing the planned transformation.
Assessment methodology for NBS benefits: Ten assessment tools have been defined to measure the impact within the four assessment domains: socio-cultural inclusiveness, human health and wellbeing, ecological and environmental restoration and economic and labour market benefits. Data for a baseline assessment on the level of the FRC, the LL and the NBS intervention sites have been collected.
The second RP has been fully under the impact of the CoViD-19 pandemic. It was mainly devoted to starting the implementation of NBS in the LLs leading to the identification of technical and non-technical barriers which were collected and assessed. Several NBS have been adapted to the local conditions and unforeseen risks. This co-creative process has also led to improvements, e.g. through the introduction of a therapeutic garden. The elaboration of urban plans for NBS replication in FCs started by establishing a roadmap for the co-design processes.
The third RP has included the possibility to come back from CoVid-related restrictions to a normal working situation. The period allowed to overcome the barriers and delays in NBS implementation: all NBS have been implemented by project end are documented on fact sheets, in short brochures and on the OPPLA platform.
The results of NBS benefit assessment have been published in extensive reports on the LL level and on the NBS level and also been wrapped-up in a short report with success stories and take-home messages.
NBS implementation and management also allowed to collect data on the business and governance models of the co-created NBS. A new NBS business model canvas has been created to better depict the societal and environmental benefits provided. Results of the analysis of BMs found in proGIreg with the help of the Pestoff-triangle show that different options for creating and managing NBS between the state, the market and the civil society exist and that the third sector, bringing together different types of stakeholders from the three domains, can play a decisive role in creating more NBS in cities.
The learnings from NBS implementation in FRCs and their BMs allowed the replication of NBS in FCs in local co-design processes. The most suitable among the eight proGIreg NBS have been selected and adapted to the FC’s local urban context and stakeholder settings.
A number of supporting tasks guaranteed project impact on research and practise. All FRCs hosted replication events for the NBS community of practise and the final conference in Zagreb was the occasion to present the project results to a wide audience. The proGIreg MOOC is available on edX and reaches a global learner community.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The co-design experience in the proGIreg FRCs has been translated into co-design guidelines and a roadmap for NBS co-creation. These allow to anchor investments of European funds into NBS within local communities. ProGIreg has led to a large number of mainstreaming and spin-off projects for NBS, as well on the local as on the international level (EU funding schemes INTERREG, DUT, NetZeroCities, NEB). Project knowledge is also shared in national NBS hubs and in an international RIA with Africa.
ProGIreg has provided major contributions to the guidelines “Evaluating the impact of Nature-based Solutions: a handbook for practitioners” and created own guidelines for upscaling NBS monitoring.
Impact has been created in the following fields:
1) A community of practice in NBS has been forged between the proGIreg cities and beyond the consortium through replication events. The community can rely on scientific evidence from proGIreg concerning NBS benefits and the iBMC.
2) citizen ownership: A new understanding of Green Infrastructure (GI) as an urban common resource has been at the core of proGIreg. The transdisciplinary LLs and the new participatory processes give guidance how actors from state, market and civil society can join forces for NBS. BMs for citizen governance of NBS have been developed and disseminated through the iBMC.
3) global market opportunities: the project has created and disseminated open source knowledge which enables cities, NGOs, local SMEs and citizens to find and use their opportunities in NBS. The roadmap to NBS co-creation, the guidelines for NBS monitoring and the iBMC are provided by the project partners for free replication.
4) EU policies: The results of proGIreg have proven that NBS can help to implement EU programmes and strategies:
– greening buildings and the improved greening of urban areas in other NBS contribute to the EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy by reducing the heat island effect and reducing indoor and outdoor heat stress.
– proGIreg has demonstrated that NBS can function as carbon sinks in urban areas and thus contribute to the EU’s achievement of the COP Agreements on climate change mitigation.
– with NBS that foster productive outputs of Gi like the creation of new soil, urban community gardens and urban aquaponics proGIreg has created techniques and BMs that are new opportunities for the farm to fork strategy to increase urban food production.
– proGIreg has shown how the EU Biodiversity Strategy can be implemented in cooperation with local communities by involving citizens in the creation of new habitats for pollinators.NBS 8 Turin: Butterfly monitoring activities involving youngsters and fragile peopleNBS5 Turin: indoor green wall in via Torrazza schoolNBS3 Zagreb: Therapeutic gardenNBS7 Ningbo: Long-term observation of water quality provides data for environmental compensationNBS6&8 Dortmund: new green corridor to Deusenberg landfill with pollinator friendly vegetationNBS3 Ningbo: Green lake shore. Planting of aquatic plants in Moon Lake completed and in maintenanceNBS3 Dortmund: raised urban gardening beds at St. UrbanusNBS3 Zagreb: Using the therapeutic gardenNBS 3 Turin: Educational garden within the Orti Generali community gardens siteNBS5 Turin: outdoor green wall at homeless shelter in June 2022NBS4 Dortmund: Openening of the aquaponics at Hansa coking plant in June 2023NBS 3 Zagreb: Therapeutic garden in May 2022The proGIreg NBS 1-8NBS3 Zagreb: modernization of urban gardensNBS4&8 Dortmund: The selected aquaponics site is also pollinator friendly

The Edible Cities Network (EdiCitNet) project addressed urgent urban societal challenges—such as mass urbanization, social inequity, and environmental change—by promoting the systemic use of urban landscapes for food production. The project’s core focus was raising awareness and facilitating the implementation of Edible City Solutions (ECS), which are initiatives that empower local communities through inclusive, participatory dynamics to foster social cohesion and green economic growth.

🎯 Overall Objectives and Approach

EdiCitNet used a multi-stakeholder-oriented and transdisciplinary approach to formally implement project outcomes and encourage citizen co-creation across 11 global cities, spanning Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.

City Implementation Models

• Living Lab Cities (5): Andernach, Berlin, Oslo, Havana, and Rotterdam demonstrated their unique ECS experiences through closely monitored, co-created Living Labs.
• Masterplanning Cities (7): St. Feliu de Llobregat, Šempeter pri Gorici, Montevideo, Guangzhou, Lomé, Berlin, and Carthage focused on anchoring ECS within their urban planning frameworks using the Transition Pathway Methodology for replication.

Local & Global Structure

• City Teams (CTs): Interdisciplinary local teams served as the “local communities of practice and knowledge,” forming the backbone of the global Edible Cities network.
• EdiCitNet Platform: Established as the project’s open and global knowledge base, functioning as a hub for networking, collaboration, business consultancy, and urban design tools.

💡 Main Results and Key Achievements

The project’s key results focused on practical tools, knowledge consolidation, and community expansion leading up to its end in February 2024:

1. Knowledge and Digital Tools

• EdiCitNet Platform: Consolidated three former websites (Toolbox, Marketplace, Community Management Tool) into a single multifunctional platform.
  • The platform and its database now host nearly 500 profiles of ECS and over 90 urban food initiatives.
  • It offers resources, networking opportunities, and access to consulting services.
• “Making Cities Edible” MOOC: Established as a structured, tailor-made knowledge base of project content. It will be part of a new elective course at the University of Ljubljana.
• Serious Game: Successfully designed and tested for integration into the Transition Pathway Methodology.
• Business Support Tools: Developed the Diamond Model tool, the Growing Jobs in Agriculture Playbook, and the Consulting Guidebook to help urban food initiatives set up successful businesses.

2. Implementation and Replication

• Masterplans: The Transition Pathway Methodology was adapted to seven cities, resulting in seven co-created masterplans for anchoring ECS in urban planning frameworks.
• Business Support: Organized 23 tailored Business Model Workshops and 12 one-on-one consultancies for urban food initiatives in the participating cities.
• Lessons Learned: Conducted extensive interviews ($\approx 219$ total) and surveys with urban food initiatives to gather valuable insights on (Up)scaling ECS.

3. Network and Outreach

• The project network experienced substantial growth, attracting 2,402 members/newsletter recipients in 33 countries.
• Produced over 250 pieces of translated educational and dissemination content.
• Strengthened collaboration with sister projects through joint campaigns and participation in NBS taskforces.

🚀 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art and Impact

EdiCitNet made significant strides in advancing the urban food movement by formalizing and networking previously isolated initiatives.

• Network-Based Governance: The project successfully initiated a transition towards a network-based governance model, strengthening CTs and actively dismantling silo-thinking as a barrier to ECS implementation.
• Inclusiveness and Social Impact: Demonstrated that inclusive urban regeneration and social impact can be achieved through co-creation and the formation of innovative, transdisciplinary local partnerships.
• Diverse Living Labs: Established five diverse Living Labs that go beyond simple urban landscaping, addressing complex social challenges like densification in disadvantaged neighborhoods, fostering bottom-up stakeholder involvement, and increasing food sovereignty and security.
• Sustainable Legacy: The establishment of the long-term platform and the MOOC ensures that the knowledge base and networking opportunities will prevail beyond the project’s lifetime.

The CLEVER Cities project utilizes Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to address urban challenges and promote social inclusion across cities in Europe, South America, and China. The project’s core innovation lies in the concept of co-creation, where local governments, civil society, universities, and businesses work directly with citizens to design, test, and implement NBS.

🎯 Overall Objectives and Approach

The project sought to position NBS as a means to improve public health, social cohesion, citizen security, and economic opportunities in often deprived urban areas lacking quality green spaces.

Core Objectives

• Increase and improve local knowledge of nature-based solutions.
• Demonstrate that greener cities work better for people and communities.
• Contribute data and information to EU policy-making.
• Promote and enable the global uptake of nature-based solutions in urban planning.

Implementation Strategy

• Front-runner (FR) Cities: Hamburg, London, and Milan established CLEVER Action Labs (CALs)—specific areas where NBS were implemented through intensive co-creation with local citizens (the “experts of their areas”).
• Follower (FE) Cities: Sfantu Gheorghe, Quito, Madrid, Belgrade, Larissa, and Malmö replicated and tailored the NBS solutions to their local needs, guided by roadmaps and governance/business/financial guidance co-created by the project team.
• Knowledge Transfer: The project established learning platforms and training opportunities to share best practices globally, raising the profile of EU leadership in the NBS market.

💡 Main Results and Innovation

The project focused on testing and proving an innovative, participatory methodology for NBS implementation.

1. Co-creation and Governance

• CLEVER Cities Guidance: The project launched comprehensive guidance and promotional materials detailing its co-creation approach.
• Co-design of NBS: FR cities built the basis of innovative NBS, investing significant effort in keeping Urban Innovation Partnerships (UIPs) engaged and active throughout the process.
• Replication Strategies: FE cities successfully established new urban governance schemes and developed robust plans and strategies for NBS replication and mainstreaming.

2. Monitoring and Economic Embedding

• Co-monitoring Activities: Significant effort was placed on involving local stakeholders in co-monitoring activities to customize Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the monitoring process to the specific expected outcomes of the CALs.
• Policy and Economic Impact: Strategies were developed to embed the implemented solutions into a broader economic perspective, gathering impact assessment results to directly influence policy-making.

3. Global Outreach and Scaling

• The project successfully scaled out the CLEVER Cities approach globally, using the UrbanByNature (UbN) hubs to accelerate global awareness of the benefits and co-benefits of urban NBS interventions.
• The project’s outcomes were disseminated at more than 100 events (academic, local, and political), maximizing the impact and fostering future uptake of NBS.

🚀 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art and Impact

CLEVER Cities made substantial progress by testing a novel, “bottom-up” approach to urban regeneration.

• Testing Co-Design: The project went beyond the state-of-the-art by offering an opportunity to test the co-design of NBS with diverse stakeholders and citizen-based urban living labs. This practical, comparative assessment unlocked innovative ways to interact with traditional urban planning policies.
• Focus on Inclusiveness: The central inquiry—whether a co-creation, co-design, and co-management approach would successfully dictate social inclusiveness and positive impacts on citizen health, safety, and economic prosperity—is a key advancement in NBS research.
• Legacy: The project contributes valuable evidence to the field where little research was available at the time of its inception. The commitment by partners to continue monitoring the impacts of the implemented NBS in future years will serve as a vital long-term legacy for policy-makers and practitioners.

The GROW GREEN project aimed to develop and implement Nature-Based Solution (NBS) strategies in cities globally to bring about systemic changes in long-term urban planning, development, and management. The central focus was utilizing NBS, specifically Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS), to enhance climate and water resilience while generating significant co-benefits.

🎯 Approach and Implementation

The project centered around three demonstrator pilot cities (Manchester, UK; Valencia, Spain; and Wroclaw, Poland) and engaged the Chinese city of Wuhan to learn from its expansive ‘Sponge Cities’ program . Three additional replication cities (Brest, Modena, and Zadar) were involved to learn and apply the outcomes.

Pilot Demonstrators

💡 Main Results and Evidence-Based Outcomes

The project used a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan covering climatic, environmental, and social indicators. The evidence gathered demonstrated the high efficacy of the implemented NBS features:

Environmental and Climatic Impact

• Water Management and Flood Risk: Monitoring showed the ability of NBS features to reduce urban runoff with high performance figures ($\approx 99-100\%$).
• Heat Stress: Outcomes confirm that NBS can significantly reduce the occurrence of heat stress through processes like evapotranspiration.
• CO2 Savings: NbS features (especially on buildings) offer immediate benefits on thermal behavior, and carbon sequestration in trees and vegetation plays a significant role.
• Biodiversity: All demonstration areas showed significant biodiversity uplift due to the introduction of diverse plants and the protection of mature trees.
• Water Quality: NbS features have the ability to ameliorate and reduce contaminated runoff.

Social and Governance Impact

• Participatory Planning: The project strongly validated that the development and provision of NBS benefits from a participatory planning approach, which successfully engaged local communities and fostered a sense of ownership and involvement.
• Health and Wellbeing: Demonstrated tangible positive impacts on community health and wellbeing.
• Management & Maintenance: Highlighted the critical need for bespoke maintenance schedules and dedicated SuDS management plans.

🚀 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art and Legacy

GROW GREEN provided a global platform for sharing best practice and achieved significant governance changes:

• Green City Framework: Produced an easy-to-use, replicable approach called the Green City Framework, which serves as a template for cities starting their journey of green infrastructure strategy development.
• Strategic Influence: The project had a direct and significant influence on partner cities’ strategies. For example, in Wroclaw, all municipal investments must now include NBS (e.g., green tram tracks are standard), and in Manchester, the project directly influenced the design of the first new park in over 100 years.
• Long-Term Monitoring: All pilots will be monitored for the next 5 years (up to 2027), ensuring a robust, longitudinal data set on NBS performance is made publicly available.
• Innovation: The use of participatory planning processes to integrate local residents and stakeholders into the design, ensuring that relevant KPIs were included and engendering community involvement, stands out as a key innovation.

The URBAN GreenUP project aimed to address severe urban environmental issues (like poor air quality, floods, and heatwaves) resulting from urbanization and climate change. It did this by pioneering Renaturing Urban Planning (RUP), an innovative approach that integrates city planning with Nature-Based Solutions (NBS).

🎯 Overall Objectives and Approach

The core objective was to implement NBS through the RUP methodology and establish a replicable framework to achieve large-scale impact and foster a global EU-driven NBS market.

Implementation Strategy

• Front-runner Cities: Liverpool, Valladolid, and Izmir implemented over 100 actions (74 NBS and 28 non-technical interventions).
• NBS Types: Actions ranged from green cycle lanes and street trees (contributing to carbon sinks) to noise barriers and green roofs (improving water management and air quality).
• Replication: The developed RUP methodology was successfully adapted by Follower cities (Mantova, Ludwigsburg, QuyNhon, and Medellin), creating a global network.

💡 Main Results and Achievements

The project focused on the development, deployment, monitoring, and dissemination of the RUP methodology.

1. Renaturing Urban Planning (RUP) Methodology

• Development: The RUP methodology was developed collaboratively by experts, Front-runner, and Follower cities.
• Key Components: The methodology includes procedures for City and area diagnosis, baseline calculation, NBS scenarios generation, City zoning and evaluation, and scaling up guidelines.
• Validation: The RUP methodology was finalized and successfully validated with feedback from the Follower cities.

2. Deployment and Monitoring

• Intensive Transformation: Front-runner cities executed intensive transformations based on their re-naturing Plans.
• Comprehensive Monitoring: A comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy generated an extensive database, accessible via Zenodo and stored for at least 50 years. This yielded a detailed catalog of KPIs and NBS performance metrics.
• Non-technical Interventions: Cities also engaged in non-technical activities, like citizen awareness campaigns, to promote inclusivity and acceptance.

3. Market Development and Exploitation

• Business Models: The project developed methodologies to evaluate social and economic impacts and designed innovative financial mechanisms and business models to foster NBS implementation.
• Key Exploitable Results: In total, the project delivered 58 key exploitable results, including 16 with commercial marketability.

🚀 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art and Legacy

URBAN GreenUP set a new standard in urban sustainability by moving beyond traditional approaches to NBS.

• Integrated Strategy: Demonstrated the effective, integrated use of NBS (green, blue, and non-technical actions) directly into the Urban Resilience Strategy via RUP.
• Replicability and Scalability: The successful adaptation and validation of the RUP methodology by a global network of Follower cities proves its replicability and scalability, positioning it for widespread international impact.
• Long-Term Impact:
  • Environmental/Public Health: NBS remain in place, providing lasting benefits to environmental quality and public health.
  • Economic: Contribution to the growth of the global EU-driven NBS market through defined business models and expected growth in job creation and economic activity.
  • Social: Enhancement of social inclusion and equity by promoting accessibility and engaging citizens through participatory planning.
• Knowledge Legacy: The project’s experience, including lessons learned from unforeseen events like the COVID-19 challenge, is captured in a comprehensive library and a final handbook for future urban development initiatives.

The UNALAB project (Urban Nature Labs) had the overarching goal of developing a robust evidence base and European framework for innovative, replicable, and locally attuned Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to enhance the climate and water resilience of cities. The project emphasized a socially engaged, citizen-driven paradigm and the use of Urban Living Labs (ULLs) to co-create, implement, and test NBS.

🎯 Core Objectives and Approach

UNaLab sought to reinvent the role of local government by focusing on co-creation, scenario thinking, and collaborative action to achieve multiple social, environmental, and economic co-benefits.

Core Objectives

1. Foster Urban Innovation Ecosystems: Establish ULLs where stakeholders co-create and optimize NBS.
2. Develop Evidence Base: Create a robust evidence base and European framework for replicable NBS.
3. Develop Open Data Platforms: Demonstrate the capability of city-level open data platforms to accelerate NBS co-creation and implementation.
4. Transfer Knowledge: Successfully transfer NBS innovations and support the development of NBS roadmaps in follower cities.

Implementation Strategy

• Demonstration ULLs: Partner cities Eindhoven, Genova, and Tampere engaged in systematic co-creation to implement 17 integrated NBS actions, demonstrating their benefits and viability within a living lab framework.
• Replication Focus: Five partner cities (Başakşehir, Cannes, Castellón, Prague, and Stavanger) and two international cities (Buenos Aires and Hong Kong) developed green, sustainable future visions, with the aim of replication.

💡 Key Results and Innovation

UNaLab made significant contributions to the state-of-the-art by developing a comprehensive suite of frameworks, handbooks, and digital tools tailored for NBS adoption:

1. Fostering Innovation Ecosystems (Objective 1)

• ULL Framework: Developed the ULL framework and an Urban Living Lab Handbook.
• Co-creation Tools: Created an Urban Living Lab Online Toolkit featuring a wide range of co-creation tools and methods.
• Barriers Analysis: Conducted an in-depth analysis of barriers hindering NBS implementation.

2. Developing the Evidence Base (Objective 2)

• Impact Analysis: Created the NBS impact analysis framework and NBS Technical Handbook.
• Economic Tools: Developed an NBS value chain analysis and value model, and detailed NBS business models and financing strategies.
• Monitoring: Established NBS performance and impact monitoring protocols.

3. Open Data Platforms and Digital Tools (Objective 3)

• ICT Architecture: Defined the UNaLab ICT framework architecture.
• Decision Support: Developed the Systemic Decision Support Tool and NBS impact simulator for analyzing trade-offs.
• Online Tools: Created the Online Nature Innovation Arena, City Performance Monitor, and the online Nature Recommender tool.

4. Knowledge Transfer and Replication (Objective 4)

• Replication Framework: The UNaLab Replication Framework online content management system captures all project outputs and learnings.
• Support System: Launched the UNaLab Buddy System and webinar series to facilitate knowledge transfer.
• Guidance Documents: Produced the NBS Implementation Handbook, including lessons learned, and an Urban Living Lab Roadmapping toolkit.

🚀 Impact and Legacy

UNaLab’s systematic approach strongly supports the mainstreaming of NBS by addressing the practical and digital needs of city officials:

• Multi-Project Leadership: UNaLab took a leading role in European NBS Taskforces, leading TF1 on Data Management and co-leading TF2 on Integrated Assessment Frameworks, significantly contributing to wider EU guidance and handbooks on NBS impact evaluation.
• Tangible Outcomes: The 17 co-created NBS actions in the demonstration cities are published as case studies on the Oppla platform, providing real-world examples for replication.
• Widespread Dissemination: Project outcomes were disseminated at 141 events in 27 countries and resulted in 43 peer-reviewed publications, validating the project’s scientific and practical contributions.

🎯 Main Objective and Framework

The principal outcome of the project is the Connecting Nature Framework—a process tool designed to guide cities and organizations toward the large-scale implementation of NBS.

The framework is structured into three phases (Planning, Delivery, Stewardship) and seven essential elements that must be considered throughout the process:

1. Technical solutions
2. Governance
3. Financing and business models
4. Nature-based enterprises
5. Co-production
6. Impact assessment
7. Reflexive monitoring

💡 Key Results and Innovation Impact

CONNECTING Nature has successfully deployed its framework in ten partner cities, resulting in significant achievements in capacity building, innovation, and global outreach.

1. Capacity Building and Assessment

• Connecting Nature Framework Embedding: The framework elements were successfully adapted and embedded in the planning and implementation processes of all partner cities, contributing to their climate action and adaptation plans.
• Impact Assessment Tools: Developed the CO-IMPACT decision-support tool and the Assessment Toolkit to help assess NBS impact across multiple indicators.
• Knowledge Transfer: Established an effective NBS peer-to-peer knowledge transfer process between cities and coordinated three global Connecting Nature Summit Series events with over 2,000 participants.

2. Innovation and Enterprises

The project was highly successful in creating sustainable innovations and spin-off enterprises:

• Nature-Based Enterprise (NBE) Platform: Established the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform, now the world’s largest community of NBEs, to raise awareness of the economic potential of NBS.
• Spin-off Innovations: Led to 92 new project innovations and the creation of 3 spin-off enterprises to ensure project sustainability:
  • UrbanByNature (2019): A global capacity-building programme.
  • EM|Path (2021): Focuses on co-production and engagement techniques for sustainable community development.
  • Connecting Ecology (2022): Specializes in biodiversity surveys and NBS impact evaluation.
  • Co-Impact (2022): An open-source app for creating NBS project evaluation and monitoring plans.

3. Global and Policy Outreach

• UrbanByNature Programme: Successfully launched global hubs (in Brazil, China, Korea, etc.) in collaboration with CitiesWithNature and ICLEI, sustaining the project’s outcomes globally.
• Policy Contribution: Lead authors contributed to two pivotal EC Expert Publications on NBS impact and the nature positive economy, significantly enriching the global knowledge base.
• Practice Impact: Project outcomes were embedded into the RTPI accreditation of planning courses across the UK and Ireland and are being delivered through Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training for professionals in Ireland, Poland, and Spain.

🚀 Impact and Legacy

The deployment of the Connecting Nature framework has resulted in substantial, measurable impacts on cities and the wider policy landscape:

• Leveraged Funding: Several partner cities secured significant funding for scaling up NBS implementation (e.g., Nicosia secured €8m, Ioannina secured €10m).
• Strategic Alignment: 5 Connecting Nature cities were selected for the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030, confirming the framework’s relevance.
• Global Recognition: The UrbanByNature program is now hosted by CitiesWithNature (a registry with over 215 signatory cities), ensuring the project’s longevity and global reach.

The project brought together 24 Funding Agencies (FAs)—17 from Europe and 7 from outside the EU—to align research and innovation (R&I) agendas and foster global, transdisciplinary collaboration.

🎯 Main Objectives and Impact

The primary goal of EN-SUGI was to support the development of practical innovations and new collaborative research that allow urban areas to understand and address the challenges of the FEW Nexus.

💡 Key Activities and Results

The project’s work centered on the preparation, launch, and management of a joint, open call for research proposals on the Urban FEW Nexus.

1. Call Management and Selection

• Global Coordination: Achieved successful joint coordination of the call activities among 24 FAs, representing 20 nations.
• Selection Process: Applied well-proven procedures using a competitive, two-stage process with four reviewers from different fields.
  • Results: 88 proposals were initially submitted; 40 were invited for Stage 2; and 15 transdisciplinary projects were ultimately funded.
• Incubator Workshops: Organized three workshops to foster co-creative and transdisciplinary project development.

2. Monitoring and Assessment

• Proactive Approach: Defined a proactive approach to monitoring and assessing innovation and impact delivery at both the program and project levels.
• Tools Developed: Defined the Terms of Reference evaluation and monitoring framework and the IAIID toolkit (Innovation and Impact Delivery).

3. Communication and Dissemination

• SUGI Connect Platform: Created the SUGI Connect platform to facilitate two-way communication among the funded projects and external stakeholders. This platform aims to encourage knowledge transfer and dissemination of results beyond the project teams’ own channels.
• Outreach: Created the SUGI website, a call promotion toolkit, and defined a joint communication and exploitation strategy.

🌎 Progress Beyond State-of-the-Art

The EN-SUGI project achieved significant progress by effectively creating a fully aligned, global research funding mechanism between European and international agencies on a major urban challenge. This established a precedent for transdisciplinary collaboration and co-creation on a continental scale, successfully bridging expertise across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

🎯 Core Goals and Approach

Despite growing interest, a significant gap existed between the potential of NBS and their practical implementation. NATURVATION focused on three core goals:

1. Evidence Base and Assessment: Develop the evidence base and assessment processes required to evaluate the benefits of NBS for sustainability.
2. Innovation and Implementation: Investigate the innovation taking place, focusing on governance arrangements, business models, finance, and citizen engagement needed to implement NBS.
3. Partnership and Capacity: Work with municipal governments and stakeholders through Urban Regional Innovation Partnerships (URIPs) and a Task Force to create the knowledge, capacity, and tools for delivering NBS on the ground.

💡 Main Results and Key Findings

The project successfully generated a vast body of knowledge and practical tools:

1. Building the Evidence Base

• Urban Nature Atlas: Created the first Urban Nature Atlas for Europe, which is a key unique achievement. The Atlas received over 49,000 visits and is continually cross-referenced.
• Benefits and Values: Found that NBS are generating significant benefits, and that it is possible to value these benefits in monetary terms while still recognizing the diversity of values generated.
• Tensions and Trade-offs: Identified a critical research gap, finding that past efforts often celebrated the multi-functional benefits while paying less attention to the tensions and trade-offs (e.g., related to social and environmental justice) that new forms of value introduce into the urban landscape.

2. Tools for Uptake and Decision Support

A suite of tools was developed to aid decision-making and project design:

• Urban Nature Navigator: A decision-support tool that enables multi-criteria decision-making for diverse NBS.
• Urban Nature Explorer: Supports the design stage of project development by helping to assess potential and trade-offs between different NBS options.

3. Capacity Building and Communication

• URIPs Experience: Produced the “Making Nature Bloom” report, co-produced by the URIPs, to share their real-world experiences—both good and bad—of developing NBS in six European cities.
• Training: Developed the Urban Nature MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), which had 54,000 original visitors and 14,000 course enrolments, significantly building capacity across the global community.
• Dissemination: Achieved widespread outreach, including over 140,000 website visits, publications in 20 different journals, and a final conference involving over 600 participants online.

🚀 Impact and Legacy

NATURVATION successfully achieved impact through three pathways:

The project’s legacy includes taking the Urban Nature Atlas forward with increased global coverage, developing the Urban Nature Explorer for commercial use, and ensuring results are available through the Network Nature platform and the CitiesWithNature global network.