Call for Optimizing PFAS Treatment Systems Project

Evaluating Scalability, Reproducibility, and Impact of GenAI and Agentic AI in the Water and Wastewater Sector is a grant from the Water Research Foundation (Project 5394) that funds research to identify ways for water and wastewater utilities to overcome barriers to adopting Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Agentic AI. The project scope includes identifying at least four GenAI pilot applications within the water and wastewater sector and implementing each at two additional utilities, documenting data governance requirements and lessons on reproducibility. The research also catalogs Agentic AI applications currently in use and reproduces at least one low-effort Agentic AI application at another utility. One application must focus on knowledge transfer and training. Eligible applicants are organizations with expertise in water and wastewater utility operations and AI technology deployment. Proposals must be submitted through an organizational account.

Bio-based chemicals and/or materials from woody residues is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Successful proposals will contribute to the EU Forest Strategy for 2030, the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the Carbon Removal Certification Framework Regulation, the updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the upcoming Circular Economy Act. Projects’ results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes: Increased availability of bio-based chemicals and/or bio-based materials from woody residues. Increased sustainability of forest-based value chains in cooperation with local forestry owners/cooperatives. Improved end-of-life (EoL) of bio-based products from woody residues. Scope: Besides thin branches, leaves and needles, which are usually left on the soil to maintain the long-term viability of the forest and soil in good condition, forestry and forest industry operations generate large amounts of woody residues which are typically used for energy or low value applications. Established process technologies for round wood and wood chips are not well suited for other streams from the forest industry which are abundantly available at production sites and could be exploited as a source of feedstock for the bio-based industries. Thus, there is the need to demonstrate techno-economic feasibility of innovative valorisation pathways to increase the value which can be derived from residues from the wood and forest-based industries while also improving sustainability compared to state-of the art valorisation routes. Proposals under this topic should: Demonstrate (TRL 6 and above) innovative technologies to obtain bio-based chemicals and/or materials from woody residues. Feedstock in scope includes woody residues generated at forestry and/or at industrial processing sites, including, but not limited to, bark, sawdust or residues from wood harvesting and processing. Demonstration should cover the optimal combination of innovative and scalable technologies aimed at maximising yield, selectivity and productivity across upstream pretreatment/fractionation, further conversion into chemicals/materials, separation/purification processes. The proposed technologies should address flexibility to feedstock quality variability. Validate (TRL 5 and above) the obtained chemicals/materials into end products. Assess the products’ performance and ensure that they fulfil technical performance requirements according to the end market application(s). Apply the eco-design principles, in line with the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation , to the end-product(s) for sustainable EoL and test it at TRL5 and above. Incineration is not in scope. In addition to the specific requirements applicable for the type of action, as described in section 2.2.3.1 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2026 [1] , proposals under this topic should: As part of the multi-actor approach (MAA), ensure close collaboration with local forest owners and managers, including cooperatives and/or sectorial associations. Optimise biomass supply chain models, including sourcing, storage and/or transport as relevant for selected woody residues. Include a task to apply the SSbD framework, developed by the European Commission for the assessment of targeted chemicals/materials and derived bio-based product(s). For more information on the SSbD framework and criteria, refer to Safe and sustainable by design . Ensure complementarities with past and ongoing R&I projects addressing similar challenges, including projects funded under Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe (under Cluster 6 and other Clusters of Horizon Europe) and BBI JU/CBE JU projects. [1] https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents Programme areas: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, Bio-based Innovation Systems in the EU Bioeconomy, Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Keywords: Forest ecosystem services, Forestry, Forestry, biomass production (e.g. for biofuels), Materials engineering, bio-based chemicals, bio-based materials, bio-conversion, biomass logistics, biomass supply, eco-design, forest management, forestry, safe and sustainable by design, woody residues, STEP-Biotech

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

ERCAP (Energy Research Computing Allocations Process) allocates compute time on NERSC's Perlmutter supercomputer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, one of the world's largest GPU-based systems with over 7,000 NVIDIA A100 GPUs alongside AMD EPYC CPUs. ERCAP is the primary mechanism for the broader DOE Office of Science research community (and partner researchers) to access leadership-class GPU resources for AI/ML, foundation model training, scientific AI, climate AI, materials AI, and AI-coupled simulation. Annual allocation cycle: submissions typically open in August and close in early October, with allocations starting January 1 of the following year. The 2026-cycle ERCAP call closed October 8, 2026 for 2027 allocations. NERSC supports both pre-trained foundation model fine-tuning and pre-training campaigns, with a growing AI/ML user community. Recipients receive both compute hours and consultation from NERSC's NESAP for AI program providing hands-on optimization, MLOps support, and access to advanced features (interactive nodes, Jupyter at scale, ML-optimized storage). ERCAP complements DOE's INCITE (largest) and ALCC (mission-aligned) allocation pathways.