PACK’s objective is to reduce customs congestion by drastically decreasing the number of trucks required to stop for physical inspection. This goal is achieved by developing and utilizing an integrated system of sensors, artificial intelligence, and advanced software, which enables automatic risk assessment and fully automated customs inspections without compromising security.

Brief Project description: 

The PACK project aims to drastically reduce the number of trucks required to stop for customs inspection through reliable and automated risk assessment during transport. To this end, the system integrates and upgrades advanced detection, monitoring, and data analysis capabilities, utilizing artificial intelligence algorithms. 

The PACK approach is based on a smart customs seal with Internet of Things capabilities to prevent tampering, combined with a smart sensor array equipped with artificial intelligence for continuous and autonomous cargo monitoring. With this setup, the system can independently assess risk and decide to issue alerts to the relevant supervisory authorities, significantly simplifying on-site and on-the-go checks.

Implementing PACK at EU level could significantly reduce truck waiting times at external borders. With only 10% market penetration, it is estimated to generate savings of €241 million and 2.35 million man-hours annually, reduce fuel consumption by about 70.5 million liters, and cut CO₂ emissions by approximately 190,000 tons per year. 

Role of ICCS: 

ICCS contributes to the project by developing and adapting a chemical detection device that constitutes a core component of the sensor array for cargo monitoring. The device is capable of real-time detection of the potential presence of target compounds, leveraging a field-deployable, state-of-the-art mass spectrometry-based analytical technique with fast response times. 

This approach provides chemical measurements with high accuracy, sensitivity, and minimum false alarms. Within the project, ICCS will investigate the application of artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics to further enhance detection performance.

Project website: https://pack-project.com/

LinkedIn page: PACK Horizon Europe project: Overview | LinkedIn

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement No. 101225875.

The Castilla y León Hydrogen Valley (CyLH2Valley) is a pioneering strategic initiative funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, designed to transform the Castilla y León region into a premier European hub for renewable energy innovation. By integrating the entire hydrogen value chain—from large-scale production using wind and solar power to distribution and multi-sectoral end-use—the project aims to produce over 1,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually during its initial stages, with a long-term roadmap to reach over 16,000 tonnes. The initiative encompasses eleven diverse pilot projects that demonstrate the versatility of green hydrogen, including its application in heavy-duty road transport, zero-emission maritime and aviation fuels, industrial decarbonization, and the production of green methanol and ammonia. 

Beyond its technical objectives, CyLH2Valley is a catalyst for regional economic growth, projected to create approximately 2,000 “green” jobs and attract significant sustainable investment, while utilizing advanced digital tools like a dedicated Data Space for transparent energy management. Ultimately, the project serves as a replicable blueprint for the European Green Deal, proving that regional energy autonomy and industrial decarbonization can be achieved through a coordinated, large-scale ecosystem approach.

This project receives funding from the HORIZON program, through the CLEAN HYDROGEN PARTNERSHIP, an organization with which the Region, through the Regional Energy Agency, has signed a Collaboration Agreement for the development of various activities.

The project develops five pilots that showcase AI across the energy landscape:
1️⃣ Smart Grids in Portugal: Advancing fault detection and resilience with AI-driven digital twins of the transmission system.
2️⃣ Microgrids in Spain: Predictive maintenance to keep renewable energy equipment reliable and efficient.
3️⃣ Hydrogen & Hybrid Energy Systems in France, Spain, and Italy: Optimizing electrolysers and hybrid plants through AI-powered digital twins.
4️⃣ Buildings in Latvia: Enhancing energy efficiency in residential complexes with AI-driven building digital twins.
5️⃣ Energy Communities in Italy: Improving the performance of local renewable energy communities through AI experimentation.

DSS Lab assumes the technical coordination of the Latvian pilot 4, where AI-powered digital twins are applied to multi-apartment residential buildings in Riga. By combining real consumption data with advanced modelling, the pilot explores how to optimize heating, cooling, and overall energy use in everyday living spaces. The aim is to demonstrate measurable efficiency gains and cost savings for residents, while contributing directly to Europe’s climate and digital transition goals. EFI-DSS tool developed by DSS Lab will play a key role in this process. More information on EFI-DSS can be found here.

Also, DSS Lab coordinates the Portuguese Pilot 1, where a digital twin of the country’s transmission system will be used along with forecasts of energy production and consumption. These forecasts will be provided by DeepTSF, which is an automated codeless forecasting application based on AI / ML algorithms, and developed by DSS Lab. The goal is to use these forecasts to validate energy market results while increasing efficiency and decreasing the imbalances of the grid. More information on DeepTSF can be found here.

The EnergyGuard project is co-funded by the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Union under grant agreement No. 101172705. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

EnergyGuard brings together five large-scale laboratories and Meluxina (Europe’s greenest high-performance computer) into a unified service. The result is a one-stop platform where startups, SMEs, and researchers can develop, test, and certify AI solutions in realistic conditions without real-world risks.

As coordinator, DSS Lab steers a pan-European consortium into a single, service-oriented facility. The network spans Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Latvia, with each site offering unique assets — from grid-scale digital twins and hydrogen production lines to microgrids and Soviet-era apartment blocks. A curated catalogue of digital twins, datasets, models, and APIs makes these resources accessible through a common cloud portal.

Complementing the physical labs is the Meluxina supercomputer in Luxembourg, powered entirely by renewable energy. Developers can scale simulations across thousands of CPU and GPU cores while maintaining a transparent carbon footprint. Preconfigured container workspaces with open-source libraries give even small teams access to petascale computing, with results delivered in minutes.

For innovators, the benefits are clear: dramatically shorter development cycles, lower capital expenditure and a structured path to compliance with the forthcoming EU AI Act. The TEF’s Acceptance Environment measures algorithms against a comprehensive risk database, covering cybersecurity threats, data bias, functional safety and more. Passing solutions receive a digital badge that signals trustworthiness to investors, customers and regulators alike.

Looking ahead, DSS Lab will use its role as coordinator to seed pilot projects, open new datasets, and mentor early-stage companies. By combining world-class infrastructure with transparent governance, EnergyGuard aims to position Europe as the go-to market for responsible, high-impact energy AI.

👉 Call to innovators: AI startups, researchers, and technology providers can request access or subscribe to updates at EnergyGuard TEF Project.

The EnergyGuard project is co-funded by the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Union under grant agreement No. 101172705. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

The project will integrate five significant European large-scale testing and experimentation facilities that cover the full energy value chain, supported by European’s greenest HPC infrastructure (Meluxina). This includes a digital twin (DT) of the Portuguese Transmission Network (RDN), the CEDER-CIEMAT Microgrid with its Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), the Hydrogen testing platforms at CEA LITEN, CARTIF, BER and CIEMAT, a high-fidelity local DT of Riga’s multi-apartment residential buildings and the Antrodoco Renewable Energy Community. The process requires a wide range of elements to cover diverse AI test needs, including wind power, photovoltaic systems, hydropower plant, AEM, PEM and SO eletrolyzers, fuel cells, EV charging stations, electric and public buses and battery storage systems. The facilities will be accessible to EnergyGuard end-users through a set of properly configured Digital Twins (DTs) and curated assets, including data, models, inference APIs, services, and applications through an AI development Testing environment.

EnergyGuard will enable easy seamless access to assets from the EU ecosystem including AIOD, Data Spaces, DIHs and other TEFs. Moreover, the project facilitates users to validate their products with an Acceptance Environment and a common open AI risks database for a wide range of cybersecurity and trustworthy AI assessments.

The TEF will serve as full infrastructure to support national AI regulatory sandbox initiatives and deliver 5 pilot cases for the private and public sector. EnergyGuard will build upon a long-term, self-sustainable business model driven by a new entity, incorporating market-ready features early in the design, such as a subscription/plan framework, billing, and professional support.

The EnergyGuard project is co-funded by the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Union under grant agreement No. 101172705.

The AI-on-Demand Platform (AIoD) has significantly expanded to include new services for research and industry within a uniffied digital infrastructure: the EU flagship initiative provides a single, trusted access point for cutting-edge European AI tools, data, and services for research and industry. As a unified gateway, the AIoD connects previously fragmented resources across the European AI ecosystem, making them accessible, reusable, and tailored to user needs. Developed through the EU-funded DeployAI and AI4Europe projects, the AIoD represents a one-stop shop that bridges the gap between research and business. It is a cornerstone of Europe’s strategy to accelerate AI innovation, enhance technological sovereignty, and position European values of trustworthiness, transparency, and responsibility at the heart of global AI development.

A Strategic Gateway: Connecting Research and Industry under One European Vision

The AIoD provides a dedicated dual-track system to meet the distinct needs of Europe’s research community and its industry players:

• Research: The AIoD delivers a powerful, researcher-focused suite of datasets, tools, and other AI resources, driving forward trustworthy, cutting-edge AI research across Europe. It aggregates results from EU-funded AI projects, making them discoverable, reusable, and shareable, and so helps foster a European community of AI developers, scientists, and innovators.
• Industry: The platform provides market-ready, enterprise-level AI tools and services as well as access to computing. It supports businesses, start-ups and SMEs, and public sector organisations in developing, training, and deploying AI applications efficiently and responsibly.

This strategic alignment ensures Europe’s AI ecosystem is not just competitive but also collaborative, fostering ecosystem building and cross-sector synergies and accelerating the time-to-impact for both scientific breakthroughs and industrial innovation.

Empowering European Research Excellence

The research track provides a version of the AIoD tailored for researchers and innovators. It introduces a modern, intuitive interface and access to over 500,000 harvested AI assets, including datasets, tools, and resources, enabling efficient AI tool development across diverse infrastructures. Crucially, it acts as a repository of publicly funded AI research, with built-in pathways for technology transfer, ensuring that datasets, tools, and results are not only preserved but actively reused, turning fragmented research outputs into a shared foundation for Europe’s AI future.

With tools like the Metadata Catalogue for unified searches, the AI Catalogue for resource organisation, and the Research and Innovation AI Lab (RAIL) for collaborative AI research, the platform empowers users at every stage of AI development. The AI Builder simplifies complex tasks, while the upcoming Success Stories service will connect users to experts, providing practical insights from real-world applications.

The platform also features the EU AI Ecosystem Mapping tool for collaboration, Eurocore, a European repository for robotics, and RoboCompass, which guides responsible innovation in robotics. All tools are integrated with secure, single sign-on access.

The coordinator of AI4Europe, Barry O’Sullivan (UCC), stated: “The new version of the AI-on-Demand Platform strengthens our ability to provide European researchers with trustworthy, cutting-edge AI tools. This upgrade will foster greater collaboration and innovation, driving tangible impact across Europe by enabling more efficient AI research, development, and application.”

Build, Train, Operate: AIoD supports the full lifecycle of AI innovation

The industry track equips businesses with the resources to harness AI effectively by lowering technical barriers, navigating regulatory requirements with confidence, and enabling the development of trustworthy AI aligned with European values. It contributes to Europe’s strategic sovereignty by offering strong, reliable alternatives to non-European providers.

The AIoD supports the full lifecycle of AI innovation, from research and development to deployment:

• Build: It provides a vendor-neutral development framework enabling efficient technology selection and application prototyping.
• Train: It offers direct access to EuroHPC resources for high-performance AI model training.
• Operate: It delivers a trusted, European-based hosting environment for deploying AI solutions, complemented by an AI-focused eCommerce marketplace.

A wide range of market-ready solutions has already been available since the first release of the platform. The industry track includes a robust suite of business-oriented tools:

• The Business Navigator, a dedicated mapping tool to help users discover and connect with European AI start-ups, technologies, and services across the ecosystem
• An open-source eCommerce platform and AI marketplace giving visibility to AI developers across the European Union
• Low-code AI development tools, including AI-Builder and AI-Runner
• HPC-as-a-Service for AI model training at scale
• Enterprise-ready Kubernetes for deploying AI applications
• Access to secure generative AI and large language model solutions

Joachim Köhler, Project Coordinator of DeployAI (Fraunhofer IAIS), said: “The AI-on-Demand Platform represents a unified approach to European AI, meeting the needs of both research and industry communities. Through the DeployAI project, we are delivering industry-ready solutions while ensuring alignment with European values of transparency and trustworthiness. This is just the beginning of our journey to create a comprehensive European AI infrastructure.”

Background and Funding

The AI-on-Demand Platform is developed through two complementary grants funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe Programmes: AI4Europe (€9M) and DeployAI (€28M). AI4Europe, led by the University of Cork, brings together 24 partners focused on expanding and enhancing the AIoD ecosystem for researchers, academics, innovators, and SMEs. The project started in June 2022 and concludes in December 2025. DeployAI, coordinated by Fraunhofer IAIS, unites 28 partners across 13 countries and runs from January 2024 to December 2027.

More Information

AI-on-Demand Platform: www.aiodp.eu

Contacts for Media

Breana Callan (DeployAI) Phone: +49 152 59520390

Email: contact@deployaiproject.eu

Joana Martinheira (AI4Europe) Phone: +351 915 530 272

Email: joanamartinheira@loba.com

By leveraging private capital and partnering with One-Stop Shops (OSS), the project provides holistic support, ensuring homes meet modern energy efficiency standards. The financing covers both home purchases and renovations, with buyers participating in advisory and support programs to guarantee high-quality renovations. This approach reduces risks for lenders and homeowners, making private financing accessible to low-income buyers and enabling immediate energy-efficiency improvements. LEG-Up will impact three key areas: increasing the availability of energy-efficient homes, improving housing affordability, and reducing carbon emissions. Pilot projects will be launched in Flanders and Spain to refine the financing model.

After thorough evaluation, the scheme will be ready for broader implementation. Strong ties with OSS in Spain and Belgium will facilitate rapid scaling in these regions, with plans for European-wide expansion following project completion. LEG-UP is expected to mobilize over €2 billion in private investments over six years, offering significant opportunities for securitization with an ESG focus. This scale will attract private investors and create sustainable, energy-efficient housing solutions. The project will reduce energy poverty, improve access to financing, and contribute to the EU’s climate goals by helping decarbonize the housing sector. By focusing on low-income buyers of older homes, LEG-UP fills a crucial market gap, and through strategic partnerships and an innovative financial model, it has the potential to create lasting change in the European housing market. This project aligns with the EU’s just transition goals.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

In the context of the Unit’s scientific interests and series of research projects (such as IAM COMPACT, DIAMOND, and TRANSIENCE), the lecture will focus on the latest scientific evidence regarding the physical science basis, impacts and adaptation, and climate change mitigation, as well as on the role of the scientific community, through the processes of the IPCC, ahead of its 7^th Assessment Report (AR7) cycle.

Opening remarks by Prof. John Psarras (ICCS Director, NTUA) and Dr. Christos Giannakopoulos (IERSD Research Director, NOA).

After the lecture, the audience will have the opportunity to engage in a discussion with Prof. Skea in Q&A, moderated by Dr. Alexandros Nikas (NTUA).

TwinShip aims to develop an open-source platform to support a Digital Twin (DT)-enabled Decision Support System (DSS) for the digital and environmental transformation of the maritime industry. The focus is on leveraging both existing and emerging clean fuels and technologies, prioritizing renewable energy sources, and advancing the implementation of unmanned vessels.

The platform will be enriched with data and powered by domain knowledge-based advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities. It seeks to establish an alliance of leading maritime technology providers, solution and service firms, ship designers, shipping companies, classification societies, ports, software developers, and research and academic institutions.

TwinShip sets ambitious benchmarks for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in international shipping, targeting a 30–40% reduction by 2030, 80–90% by 2040, and net-zero emissions by 2045, all relative to 2008 levels. These goals will be achieved through the deployment of Pilot Vessels and the Futuristic Unmanned Vessel Concept.

ReBoat aims at CoCreating an active and conscious island demand for creative solutions for the recycling and upcycling of collected waste objects and materials, primarily focusing on plastics and textile, coming from the local environment.

The main objective of the project is to activate the island ecosystem of citizens, tourists, artists, designers, architects, and small-scale producers as artisans’ laboratories, engaged in building together a sustainable and inclusive system, beautiful for eyes, minds and souls and encouraging dialogue across cultures, disciplines, professions, talents, genders, and ages. A local, flexible and modular decentralised circular systemic solution will be promoted in two European islands, namely Ionian (GR) and Eolian (IT).

Within these ecosystems, 4-week events will be organized around the mobile plant on board of a Boat container, that will be placed in the islands to process a sub-set of locally generated waste flows and to be open to all actors. Citizens and tourists will be involved to provide needs and challenges, artists and designers will be engaged through novel touristic packages to provide solutions inspired by local art and culture. Lessons learnt will be collected along the project, to define a replication strategy in multiple rural and peripheral eco-systems. The results described in the success stories will demonstrate future potential industrial uptake of the movable plant, the learning and the CoCreation system.

ReBoat is built upon an innovative research strategy that lays its groundwork on the Green Deal and new European Bauhaus initiative and focuses on laboratories activities and material knowledge to build up EU SMEs, artists and designers with a broad and transversal training. Likewise, ReBoat wants to promote a social change starting from the plastic and textile materials and regenerating circular processes’ knowledge, showing it through a flexible, accessible, mobile factory on the Boat.

ReBoat website: https://reboat-project.eu/

This project has received funding from the European Commission, HORIZON-IA