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The InDeV project addresses the second bullet point of the topic MG.3.4. i.e. “… in-depth understanding of road accident causation…”. The main objective of the project is to develop a tool-box for in-depth analysis of accident causation for Vulnerable Road Users (VRU) based on a combined use of accident databases, in-depth accident investigations, surrogate safety indicators, self-reported accidents and naturalistic behavioural data. The tool-box will help to link accident causation factors to VRUs’ accident risk, and provide a solid basis for developing preventive countermeasures and a better input for socio-economic cost calculations of VRU accidents. The proposed approach is to reveal the causational factors by focusing on the process of accident development, thus overcoming the main weakness of the traditional accident data based approach that might find correlations between various factors and accident frequency, but not show the causation chains. It will also employ, to a larger extent, observation of critical traffic events that are similar in process to real accidents, but are relatively more frequent and easier to collect in sufficient quantities. The InDeV project includes the following steps: i) review of methods and identification of the critical sites and road user groups; ii) observation studies at the selected sites; iii) development of technical tools for automated behaviour data collection; iv) analysis of the socio-economical costs; v) compilation of the project results and development of the safety analyst tool-box. The project has a clear focus on VRUs and the course of events in accidents they get injured in. It will provide solid knowledge, help to avoid a skewed view on the problem of VRUs’ safety, and facilitate the proposed tailor-made countermeasures for these groups. Moreover, with the use of surrogate safety indicators, there will be no need to wait for accidents to happen in order to learn how to prevent them from happening.

The overall objective of the ROAM project is to investigate and demonstrate the use of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes of light for communications and networking. Two are the primary objectives. The firs objective is to exploit the use of OAM modes in optical fibres as a disruptive means of increasing optical fibre transmission capacity for short-reach high data density applications. A transmission testbed utilising OAM multiplexing and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) dimensions will be demonstrated. The target will be a 10x or more capacity increase by employing 10 or more OAM multiplexed channels over a conventional WDM system. The combination of 10x OAM states with 16 wavelength channels will provide a total of 160 multiplexed channels. Full compatibility with legacy technologies will be demonstrated. Speciality fibres will be employed to support OAM modes transmission in the range up to 2 km. The second objective is to exploit the use of OAM domain as a switching resource in conjunctions with the wavelength domain to significantly improve the scalability and the power consumption of the switches in data-centres applications. A 10x improvement of the scalability of the data-centre switches will be targeted with the study and development of an OAM-based switch compatible with the WDM layer. A switch exploiting 10 OAM modes and 16 wavelengths as switching domains will be implemented. The developed two-layer switch will enable a more than 10x reduction of power consumption/Gb/s with respect to the current commercial switches. OAM switch configuration time of 100 ns will be demonstrated, with 8x improvement with respect to commercial switches. The project goals will be enabled by integrated high performance OAM components build on silicon photonics technology. ROAM consortium is composed by three universities, two research institutes, and two large companies, with the required knowledge and infrastructures to satisfy the project objectives.

Smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption are considered the single most important cause of preventable morbidity and premature mortality worldwide. Efforts to reduce the devastation of tobacco-related deaths and illness in the EU consist of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), and the ongoing implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The main objective of EUREST-PLUS is to monitor and evaluate the impact of the TPD within the context of FCTC ratification at an EU level. Our 4 specific objectives hence are: 1) To evaluate the psychosocial and behavioral impact of TPD implementation and FCTC implementation, through the creation of a longitudinal cohort of adult smokers in 6 EU MS (Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain; total n=6000) in a pre- vs. post-TPD study design. 2) To assess support for TPD implementation through secondary dataset analyses of the Special Eurobarometer on Tobacco Surveys (SETS), cross-sectional surveys performed among 27,000 adults in all 28 EU MS, before the TPD is implemented and to monitor progress in FCTC implementation in the EU over the past years through trend analyses on the merged datasets of the 2009, 2012 and 2015 SETS datasets (n=80,000). 3) To document changes in e-cigarette product parameters (technical design, labelling/packaging and chemical composition) following implementation of Article 20 of the TPD. 4) To enhance innovative joint research collaborations, through the pooling and comparisons across both other EU countries of the ITC Project (UK, NL, FR), and other non-EU countries . Tackling tobacco use is quintessential to reducing the impact of chronic NCDs, a topic EUREST-PLUS will stride to lead.

J-AGEII, the Coordination Action for implementation and alignment activities of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) 'More Years Better Lives – the Challenges and Opportunities of Demographic Change', will support and foster the overall management of the JPI, update the Strategic Research Agenda and support implementation through joint activities between Member States. Furthermore, the work plan will include dissemination and information exchange with scientific and societal stakeholders, policy makers and research funders as well as an evaluation and monitoring exercise. Ultimately, the project and the JPI seek to stimulate the alignment of relevant national programmes and EU initiatives, strengthen the base of multi-disciplinary and holistic ageing research in Europe and to provide scientific evidence for policy responses to demographic change.

The AquaSpace project has the goal of providing increased space for aquaculture to allow increased production. Following the call, we will achieve this by identifying the key constraints experienced by aquaculture development in a wide range of contexts and aquaculture types, taking into account all relevant factors and advised by a Reference User Group. We will then map these constraints against a wide variety of tools/methods that have already been developed in national and EU projects for spatial planning purposes, including some that have been designed specifically for aquaculture. In the freshwater sector only, we will also consider ecosystem services provided by aquaculture that are relevant to integrated catchment planning and management. At 16 case study sites having a variety of scales, aquaculture at different trophic levels with different environmental interactions and most importantly with a range of key space-related development constraints as defined by local stakeholders, we will assess appropriate tools using a common process so as to facilitate synthesis and comparison. This case study approach will generate a large amount of information and is allocated about a third of the project’s resources. The project will develop the outcomes leading to a set of evaluated tools for facilitating the aquaculture planning process by overcoming present constraints. This information will be presented on an interactive web-based platform with tailored entry points for specific user types (e.g. planners, farmers, public) to enable them to navigate to the tools most appropriate to their application. The knowledge and information gained during this process will be developed into an on-line module at Masters Level which will also be developed into a short CPD course aimed at aquaculture planning professionals. The public will be engaged by an innovative school video competition and a vehicle to ensure project legacy will be established.

The main objective of the HemAcure project is to develop and refine the tools and technologies for a novel ex vivo prepared cell based therapy to treat the bleeding disease haemophilia A (caused by genetic deficiency in clotting factor VIII (FVIII)) that should ultimately lead to improved quality of life of the patients. The concept is a further development of our approach, established during the FP7 ReLiver project led by Medicyte. From the very beginning, we balance two important goals, maximizing the product’s efficacy and safety profile on one side and minimizing production cost on the other by enhancing the product’s manufacturability. HemAcure relates to the work program as we focus on the refinement of all steps and tools of our ex vivo gene therapy approach. These steps involve 1) isolation and culture of cells from patients’ blood, 2) manipulation of patient cells to repair its genetic defect by ex vivo introducing the correct genetic copy of FVIII (mutations in this gene lead to hemophilia A), 3) automation of cell expansion in a novel and passage-less scalable bioreactor, 4) continuously monitoring of cells during and after expansion with respect to their safety profile and functionality, 5) cell implantation into a worldwide unique medical device for targeted delivery of therapeutic Factor VIII and 6) proof-of-concept and safety studies in appropriate haemophilia A animal models. The aim of adapting the proof-of-concept to GMP requires a risk based approach, by means of a clear understanding of the whole process from design to production of the therapeutic cells and a systematic way to identify and prevent risks that are not acceptable for the patient. All steps will be designed and conducted according to European GMP-regulations to ensure that the product will fully comply to the requirements for quality of the European authorities.

AGILE targets multidisciplinary optimization using distributed analysis frameworks. The involvement of many disciplinary analyses ranging up to high levels of fidelity and agile workflow management are considered to be state-of-the-art and starting point for AGILE. Advanced optimization techniques and strategies will be developed in order to exploit available computing systems and to gain faster convergence to optimal solutions. Surrogates, decomposition, robust design and uncertainties, global-local optimization, mixed fidelity optimization and system-of-system optimization are central fields of research. Operating the coupled numerical system and interpreting the high fidelity results requires collaboration of heterogeneous specialists. Techniques for collaboration are the second scientific objective of AGILE using the research on optimization techniques as use case. The interactions between humans and the interactions of the design team with the numerical system both are investigated. Knowledge-enabled information technologies will be developed in order to support the collaboration process constituting the third, outer-most layer of the nested research concept. Novel technologies are iteratively implemented, tested and enhanced. Use cases are realistic overall aircraft design tasks for conventional, strut-braced, box-wing and BWB configurations. The project is set up to proof a speed up of 40% for solving realistic MDO problems compared to today’s state-of-the-art. The resulting technologies will be made available; amongst others via an Open MDO Test Suite. Reduced development costs and reduced time to market will enable a more agile way of collaboration and joint development and experimenting on innovative products. AGILE pronounces the collaboration of SME, RES and HES in order to contribute to IND-centred virtual extended enterprises. AGILE considers all pre-existing conventions and will contribute to the CRESCENDO results and dissemination plan.

Despite the fact that iodine deficiency (ID) can easily be prevented by iodine fortification of table salt, industrial salt and cattle food, Europe belongs to the worst regions in terms of access to iodized salt and is seriously ID, resulting in the perpetuation of the single most important, preventable cause of brain damage. European ID is due to significant heterogeneity in prevention and monitoring programs, leading to inappropriate interventions, increased disease burden, health inequities and increased health care costs. Up to 360 Million European citizens are exposed to ID disorders. An effective European monitoring program is a crucial step towards eradication of ID disorders with significant benefits for European citizens and the sustainability of health care systems. The effects of ID in total cause tremendous, preventable costs in health care systems of affected regions. The overall aim of EUthyroid is to evaluate ID prevention and monitoring programs in 24 European countries, to initiate capacity building for harmonized European ID prevention and monitoring programs, and to disseminate project outcomes for supporting measures on national and EU level in order to eradicate ID disorders in Europe. The project will position itself as international hub of current national initiatives in the attempt to coordinate and support existing national activities. EUthyroid will generate the first harmonized data set of ID resulting in the first valid map of iodine status in Europe. With a dedicated dissemination program about the unfavorable health outcomes of ID, EUthyroid will pave the way for a harmonized EU-wide regulation of iodination, a common approach to iodine and outcome monitoring and establish recommendations for scientists on how to monitor IDD prevention programs. The project aims to make Europe a benchmark for ID disorder prevention worldwide.