The Mediterranean Sea is undergoing severe changes driven by increasing anthropogenic pressures. Besides being among the most important charismatic species in the Mediterranean Sea, cetaceans and pelagic sea turtles (CEPTU hereafter) are crucial bioindicators of marine health conditions, since their wellbeing… Read more reflects integrity of both low and high ranks of the food pyramid. The conservation status of CEPTU species is still considered data deficient for most taxa and range/population/habitat info are “extrapolated from a limited amount of data” according to the last (2013-2018) Italian report Art 17 Habitats Directive Report. The data deficiency is mainly due to the fact that CEPTU species spent the majority of their life in remote offshore areas most difficult to monitor because of their extent, highly dynamic nature and the high costs involved in carrying out regular large scale surveys that overcome socio-political borders. With their transboundary movements, they are exposed to multiple anthropogenic stressors, such as maritime traffic and marine litter. Maritime traffic is responsible for underwater noise, regular and casualty-related pollution, transfer of alien species, and disturbance towards marine fauna. Disturbance by boats can determine short and long term changes in the behaviour and distribution of cetacean species and is directly related to the risk of collisions, especially during nighttime. Maritime traffic changes in density and composition during the year, as well as the vulnerable species change in distribution and abundance within the year, so that the potential impact varies among time and space. Marine litter is one of the main threats to CEPTU species, due to risk of entanglement, ingestion or toxicological effects. In the Mediterranean Sea there are no permanent structures able to retain floating items in the long-term so that the risk due to marine litter is scattered over broad areas, with high seasonal variability both in the amount and composition of items. Given the highly mobile nature of CEPTU species, the interactions between the vulnerable species and the pressure is possible almost anywhere in the species range, but with different intensity depending on areas and seasons. Therefore the effective management of CEPTU species requires a precise knowledge of their spatio-temporal distribution and the anthropogenic stressors to which they are exposed in offshore areas. Protected Areas (hereafter PA, i.e. Natura2000 sites, Marine Protected Areas) are cornerstones of marine biodiversity conservation, being among the most effective spatial management tools for the preservation of vulnerable species. However, PA are not isolated entities and, especially when the main vocation is the conservation of large migratory species (e.g. the Spanish Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor or the Pelagos Sanctuary), it is essential to consider the adjacent marine sectors, which could represent areas of importance for particular species ecological needs. Anyhow, most of these species spend the majority of their lifespan in large marine sea regions which are not specifically protected. To this aim, the legislation requires to activate “a strict protection regime across the species' entire natural range, both within and outside Natura 2000 sites” (Habitat Directive) identifying the important areas (e.g. buffer zones, stepping stones, feeding grounds and ecological corridors) to prioritize mitigation actions. Article 11 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) requires Member States to implement surveillance of the conservation status of species of Community Interest, tailoring the National Reports obligations on the measures implemented and their effectiveness (Art. 17 Habitats Directive), to be submitted to the European Commission every six years. Different methodologies for surveying species of Annex II, IV have been proposed by Member State, but still an effective systematic methodology for monitoring in the long term CEPTUs over the vast pelagic domain they occupy throughout their life cycle is lacking, because considered too expensive, resource intensive and support demanding. Main problems addressed: Lack of systematic information on spatio-temporal CEPTU ecological needs for mapping the important areas (e.g. buffer zones, stepping stones and ecological corridors) especially in offshore areas and in gap areas such as the southern Tyrrhenian, Sardinia-Sicily channels. Lack of systematic information on main threats (i.e. maritime traffic, marine litter) for mapping high risk areas/seasons where preservation measures are a priority. Lack of standard effective approach for the long term surveillance of species conservation status in their range. Lack of international cooperation and agreed procedures to support the identification of important areas and for the long term surveillance of species conservation status.

Icing affects the operational safety of much of our transport and general infrastructure. Although in the last decade there have been promising advancements in surface engineering and materials science, to achieve an effective and sustainable anti-icing technology requires that the physical processes… Read more involved in icing are better understood and applied to a rational design of anti-icing surfaces and systems. Furthermore, the arrival of hybrid or fully-electric engines, requires that new technologies also be developed for ice protection purposes suited to these new aircraft types. Already today, all new electric urban air mobility and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) developers and start-ups are experiencing difficulties in finding icing and inclement weather specialists. This is because such training is very specialized and the required skills take years to develop. SURFICE will address both aspects. 13 talented early stage researchers will be trained by an international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral consortium of experts in materials and surface science, physics and engineering. The project will address three major research objectives: (i) investigate icing physics on complex surfaces to understand and model ice formation, accretion and adhesion; (ii) achieve rational design for anti-icing materials and coatings based on a novel concept of discontinuity-enhanced icephobicity; and (iii) develop new technologies for efficient ice prevention and control. The proposed anti-icing solutions will be directly applied in aeronautics, energy systems and sensor technologies, as well as glass manufacturing and automotive industry through industrial partners. Intertwining surface science and engineering will benefit icing research, but also other innovative emerging technologies, where surface phenomena play a crucial role. Training on scientific, transferable and entrepreneurial skills will complete the CVs of the young researchers providing an innovation-oriented mind-set.

Although previous EU funded projects have defined tools and concepts to ensure safety of nano-enabled products through design, many hurdles still hinder the implementation of these procedures in real production processes. ASINA will use the production value chains (VCs) of two representative… Read more categories of nano-enabled products (NEPs): coatings in environmental (clean) nanotechnology and nano-encapsulating systems in cosmetics, to formulate design hypothesis and make design decisions by applying a data-driven approach and methodology (the “ASINASMM”). Molded on industrial six sigma practices, the ASINA-SMM can be easily adopted by manufactures to deliver NEPs designed to be as safe as possible, so achieving ASINA vision to increase stakeholders (entrepreneurs, scientists, regulators, innovators, policy makers, consumers) confidence in SbD nanomanufacturing. The methodology encompasses distinct phases that ASINA will follow to deliver SbD solutions and supporting tools, at TRL6: define NEP, its intended use, production technologies and known quality, safety and cost requirements; measure performance attributes (techno-economic features, hazard and exposure potential along the entire life cycle) in relation to material (M) and process (P) design options; analyse data gathered from internal and external sources and derive/combine response functions, to identify the best compromise between possible design options; design new versions of the product/process that minimise risk, maximising performance; establish a pilot action to verify the capacity of ASINASMM to deliver practical, relevant, reliable and reproducible M- or P-SbD solutions. By its end, ASINA will provide a roadmap to generalise ASINA-SMM, and maximizing the positive impacts of further products, designed to improve environmental quality and human health/wellness, offering the transparency required to promote consumer acceptance and, as a consequence, the growth of reference industrial sectors.

Polyurethane (PUR) products, which include foams for building, construction, automotive and furniture and bedding, are petroleum-based and usually lack important properties. The need for sustainability in these industries leads to the development of cost-efficient processes and sustainable added-value products from low carbon… Read more footprint materials. The main objective of BIOMAT is to establish an Open Innovation Test Bed (TB) for the benefit of industries and SMEs, aiming to facilitate the cross-border partnership and accelerate innovation in nano-enabled bio-based insulation materials for these industries. Through the creation of a Single-Entry Point (SEP), SMEs and other industrial parties will have open access at a competitive price to physical facilities (pilot production lines) and services (characterisation, nanosafety, standardisation/ regulation, business/marketing plans as well as technological and business-oriented mentoring) which will be focused on manufacturing and testing of nanoparticle-enabled functional PUR-based foams for the above mentioned industrial sectors. The SEP will follow all EC guidelines related to the establishment of new entities providing services through different testbeds across Europe. BIOMAT ecosystem will cover the entire Value Chain (VC) from fundamental biomaterials and functional nanoparticles to the final products and their proof of concept in an industrial environment, thus accelerating the market uptake of the new nano-enabled sustainable bio-based products. BIOMAT will, therefore, fill the existing gaps in the VC of these industrial sectors, by providing new services and support at different levels the use of such materials in these key industries.

Cadmium is a well recognized carcinogen, primarily released into the environment by anthropogenic activities (30,000 tons/year). In the effort to understand the early events responsible for cadmium carcinogenesis, we propose the use an in vitro biological system (the Cell Transformation… Read more Assay, CTA), that has been shown to closely model some key stages of the conversion of normal cells into malignant ones. Cadmium-triggered early responses in CTA will be analysed through microarray-based toxicogenomics. Protein expression of specific and non-specific targets of cadmium will be investigated consequently to transcripts analysis. The comparison of early events with those features in transformed cells (foci) will suggest the triggering mechanisms, and will provide hints on possible protective and/or preventive substances. Along with carcinogenesis, a role of cadmium in neurotoxicity and neurodegenerative diseases is emerging. For example, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting the voluntary motor nervous system. Genetic factors play a major role in the familial form, represented by 10% of cases. Whereas, in the remaining 90% sporadic cases a multifactorial origin is supposed, in which environmental factors may be involved. Particularly, the involvement of metal toxicity is proposed, based on epidemiologic data and on the increasing number of case reports of ALS-like syndromes associated to metal exposure. Studies of neurodegenerative diseases mainly rely on the use of animal models and on stem cells. Already ten years ago in a Nature Report the validity of neurodegenerative disease animal models was questioned, and direction towards the reduction of transgenic models is mandatory. In this direction, to investigate cadmium neurotoxic effects a human neuronal cell line will be used. The application of a toxicogenomic approach will evidence deregulated pathways in SH-SY5Y human neuronal cells exposed to cadmium to unravel neuronal specific and non-specific responses to the toxic metal. All the results from different techniques and approaches (toxicogenomics, specific markers expression, in silico and in vitro methods) will be integrated to better understand the carcinogenic and neurotoxic potential of cadmium.