The global agri-food system has transformed significantly in recent decades. Supply chains (SCs) have evolved from linear structures into complex networks with dynamic roles and behaviors. These changes have consolidated power among major food processors and retailers, leaving farmers with a smaller share of the added value of their produce [1]. This economic landscape discourages newcomers who see limited growth opportunities. Factors like climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical events have exposed the vulnerability of Mediterranean food systems, impacting consumers' purchasing power and prompting discussions about policies for more resilient supply chains. This has reinvigorated national dialogues concerning how to best frame our policies and regulatory environment to create more diversified and resilient food SCs [2]. In this context, many rural agri-food economies, especially in MENA countries, struggle due to low incomes, unfavourable environmental conditions, ageing farmers, inefficient agricultural practices, low interest of the younger generation in agriculture, lack of manpower, and limited digital education. These issues affect their livelihoods and lead to land abandonment and degradation. Furthermore, operators located in MENA countries often work under extremely challenging conditions, with inadequate infrastructure, complicated access to credit, limited business growth opportunities, and underdeveloped policy conditions. As the frequency and magnitude of disruptions increase, food organizations of any size and individuals, particularly farmers and smallholders, need to consider a novel range of options and adopt a comprehensive strategy to build resilience and ensure the viability of their businesses and cereal SCs.

INITIATE is a project that aims to empower higher education institutions to develop R&I through institution transformation. INITIATE, in its widening dimension, seeks to raise excellence in science and knowledge valorisation of Europe's universities through cooperation and knowledge circulation. Through stakeholder inclusion and co-design approach, INITIATE will design an approach for institution transformation that will reflect on the current needs and resources of the institution, external elements such as policy barriers, good practices from other initiatives and identification of possible collaboration areas with other institutions including local ecosystems. Through iterative process and R&I Labs supported by online tools such as Knowledge Hub, INITIATE will generate policy recommendations for helping stimulate R&I development and scientific excellence in Widening countries, in addition to research outputs and creation of joint applications for other funding sources (e.g. Horizon Europe). The approach will be demonstrated in Croatia, Portugal and north Macedonia. This will finally result in a roadmap for long term uptake of R&I in widening countries with identified replication cases and forming of the Alliance for green energy transition that will assure the long-term sustainability of INITIATE results. The action focuses on universities in Widening countries, in which the cases for the implementation of INITIATE approach will be conducted. Additionally, the project aims to achieve several outcomes, including the successful institutional reform and upgrade of higher education institutions in the R&I dimension, empowerment to be actors of change, and the mainstreaming of a culture of excellence in science and value creation amongst higher education institutions, particularly in less research-intensive institutions and countries. To achieve these outcomes, the project will engage universities as well as local ecosystems.

The CATALYST project “European VET Excellence Centre for Leading Sustainable Systems and Business Transformation” is designed with strong vision and motivation to contribute to realisation of the European Green Deal and the new Industrial and SME Strategies. The main goal is with the establishment of united CATALYST Centre of Vocational excellence in 5 countries to give support, create an educational offer to tackle personal and organisational development, and to embrace transformation in SMEs, enabling and inspiring them to re-think and re-design their business models, co-creating and sharing between educational and business organisations. The project fosters innovation and applied knowledge in approaches of learning and tailor-made VET program via the “Enable component”, as well as support of SMEs to create sustainable businesses via the “Inspire component”. The main project outputs are: 1. 5 CoVEs and CATALYST Network anchored the European VET eco-system; 2. 70 VET courses for up-skilling professionals and students; 3.Co-create and disseminate applied knowledge inspiring business-education partnerships involving students, professionals and SMEs; 4. Create CATALYST Platform which will unite all CoVEs on a European level; 5. Implement VET trainings, pilot-project with SMEs and applied joint research projects in selected sectors according to the national S3; 6. Raise awareness of the potential CATALYST CoVEs have and increase the demand and attractiveness of VET. Activities are focused on learning opportunities, applied joint research projects, innovative training methodologies and tools and support for SMEs on relevant topics, where more than 5000 beneficiaries (professionals, students and SMEs) can benefit. The desired impact of the project is the established CoVEs to be ‘catalyst’ on national, regional and European level, ‘enable’ change and ‘inspire’ and transformation of individuals and SMEs toward more sustainable systems and societies.

Athena Project aims to develop the digital skills of university professors, reinforcing their response to the challenges that universities face today and in the future. The project seeks to foster cooperative learning environments, making them transformative and inclusive through the adoption of new technologies, such as e-learning, gaming platforms, virtual and augmented reality, systematically modeled to activate key competences in digital learning. The project will create models that teachers can adopt and adapt to their classes, using different pedagogical approaches.

In the current business environment, increasingly dynamic, with numerous technological innovations, human resources and the know-how generated are volatile. Knowledge and the way it is shared and retained in organizations has become a source of competitive advantage. It is, therefore, necessary to develop tools to help companies manage their knowledge and use it to leverage value creation.  As a result of Additive Manufacturing (AM) being an emergent disruptive technology, studies on the impacts of this technology on business models are still scarce or even non-existent. Hence, it is necessary to develop research about this technology in order to identify and characterize knowledge management strategies that should be adopted to increase competitiveness and sustainability in new business models. The project also aims the development of a roadmap for the analysis of the impacts of the various alternatives that can improve decision-making processes.