Better Together Fund (Capacity Building Stream)

Understanding biomass flows in Europe is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes: enhanced understanding of the environmental, social and economic potential of the supply of different biomass types (from local to international perspectives), as well as its sustainability implications, including biodiversity and (air, water and soil) pollution, synergies and tensions; enhanced capacity of private and public stakeholders to increase resource efficiency in utilising primary and secondary biomass as well as biomass processing and use, including through digital tools which may involve artificial intelligence and remote sensing, and roadmaps towards sustainable biomass management; without undermining food security; enhanced support to businesses and administrations that optimise biomass supply, processing, and use, such that ecosystems and biodiversity are protected and restored, emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants reduced, and human needs for biomass satisfied in sufficient and fair way. Scope: There is a need to better understand the production and use of biomass, a limited resource, in its various types. Bioeconomy, and biomass as its essential feedstock, provides solutions on various dimensions (environmental, social and economic). However, there are biomass-related challenges to overcome: the EU forest carbon sink is below the target and declining in most countries and the need to restore ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss [1] . This implies that biomass supply is partly unsustainable. Simultaneously, companies see themselves challenged to satisfy the growing demand for biomass in the future. There are solutions to increase the sustainable production, including to reduce pollutants, and adjust the demand: e.g. better valorise unused or under-exploited sustainable biomass and degraded land, apply new breeding techniques and increase resource efficiency through circular design, new business models, consumption, recycling or repair. There is a need to better understand where biomass valorisation can be improved, to ensure local or regional added value increases and to drive innovative and competitive business solutions. For an optimal biomass production and effective use, matching supply and demand in the local or regional context, a better and more robust understanding of actual biomass flows is a fundamental prerequisite. Proposals should address all the following activities: Improve and develop innovative, administration-light biomass monitoring and modelling/assessment methods and digital tools at European level (regional, national, and continental scale) to optimise biomass flows, paying particular attention to areas with untapped (sustainable) biomass resources, in close cooperation with stakeholders. Provide an updated estimate of biomass supply and demand today and projected until 2050 at national and EU level, including associated countries, considering the quality of biomass, their potential use, the sustainability and risks (e.g. spread of pathogens) of supplied biomass, as well as potential non-satisfied (non-)industrial demand due to the limitation of availability of sustainable biomass. The 2050 outlook should be accompanied by scenarios on EU’s future bioresources regarding supply and demand. Test and demonstrate, in cooperation with stakeholders, the feasibility of biomass reporting in test regions of at least 10 countries across Europe with different potential of biomass supply. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding since the monitoring and assessment tools developed may contribute to the EU level assessment of biomass flows of the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy. Proposals are encouraged to work together with additional relevant initiatives including those of the Circular Biobased Europe Joint Undertaking, the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, the BIOEAST Initiative; build on results from Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, Bio-based Innovation Systems in the EU Bioeconomy Keywords: Bioeconomy, Blue Economy, bio-economies, bio-economy, bioeconomies, bioeconomy, biological, biomass, circular, flows, hub, materials, region, renewable, resource, resources, sustainability, sustainable

Decode the Immunoscience of age-related diseases is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Impact: The action under this topic is expected to achieve the following impacts: Accelerate EU access to more cost-effective interventions in an increasingly ageing population by identifying personalised treatment approaches for elderly-onset immune diseases. Decrease disease risk later in life by defining specific prevention strategies based on ageing biomarkers and risk factors. Halt age-associated disease exacerbation by the identification of predictive and digital biomarkers that can stratify patients for early intervention. Improve quality of life for healthy individuals and patients by preventing further health decline, avoiding escalating care costs, and properly stratifying individuals earlier in the diagnostic pathway. Accelerate adoption of innovative diagnostic, preventative, and therapeutic strategies, strengthening the EU’s position as a healthcare innovator. Evaluate digital biomarker as potential regulatory endpoints in the ultimate goal to develop medicines for ‘healthy ageing’. Integrate fragmented research efforts by bringing together health industry sectors and stakeholders to develop clinical and multi-omics data integration capabilities. Enable new data-driven research by building AI infrastructure on existing data and cohorts that no single organisation could develop independently Patients and citizens will benefit from improved medical practice and healthcare solutions, new targeted prevention strategies and ultimately healthier ageing. The action will support EU policy and priorities including the European Health Data Space Regulation (EHDS) and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, while contributing to European competitiveness in addressing one of society's major challenges. Expected Outcome: The action under this topic must contribute to all of the following outcomes: Researchers will benefit from a better understanding of the potential causal links between chronic inflammatory diseases and biological ageing , and the predictiveness of the accompanying biomarkers could allow for the definition of precise risk profiles for age-associated immune disease onset and exacerbations. Patients will benefit from new early detection strategies as well as new diagnostic approaches to differentiate disease onset in elderly people from onset in younger adults . This will inform a personalised medicine approach to treatment and will in turn help to prevent disease progression. Patients and healthcare professionals will benefit from the repurposing or development of novel therapies for ageing populations with chronic inflammatory diseases and precision medicine approaches that prevent health decline while reducing healthcare costs. Researchers and industry will benefit from the establishment of systematic collaborative approaches for the use of available biobanks across age ranges , immune diseases and comorbidities to adopt innovative approaches (by integration of multi-omics, immunophenotyping, digital biomarkers, ageing clocks, and artificial intelligence (AI) with comprehensive patient information). Patients and healthcare professionals will benefit from deeper insights into treatment response and the evaluation of the impact of ageing on treatment effectiveness. Industry and researchers will benefit from the establishment of regulatory pathways for novel intervention strategies and biomarkers , leading to the faster clinical development of drugs that improve age-associated disease exacerbations, ultimately enabling the translation of research findings into therapeutic solutions for vulnerable patient populations. This includes the field of digital biomarkers and their use in monitoring activity, strength and fatigue as exemplary readouts. Scope: The global population is undergoing an unprecedented demographic shift, with the number of individuals aged 65 and older projected to double by 2050, presenting one of the most significant public health challenges of our time. The transition to an ageing society Programme areas: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Health, Innovative Health Initiative, Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Biomarkers, Chronic diseases, Immunology, Innate immunity and inflammation, Molecular biology, Decode the Immunoscience of age-related diseases, IHI, IHI JU, Innovative Health Initiative, Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking, Joint Undertaking Deadline stages: 2026-10-08, 2027-04-21