Bio-Engineering of Leather: Structure Design, Biosynthesis - Towards Zero Emission Production

Bio-engineering of leather: structure design, biosynthesis - Towards zero emission production

The project addresses the most prominent issues of European Tanneries: availability, quality and yield of raw material, as well as pollution prevention and control.
Major goal is to develop a new, cost effective bio-manufacturing process for the production of a smart, innovative product, tailored for the specific needs of footwear manufacturers, to be used as raw material by tanneries, that will guarantee: controlled biochemical composition, standard and consistent quality, process yield increase, substitution of chemical with high tech biological processes, 50 – 60% reduction in water consumption and in pollution loads.
The complexity and strategic importance of the problem is a challenge that cannot be addressed by single SMEs; therefore the project complies with the objectives and falls within the scope of application of Collective Research.
Expertise from two Universities and three sectorial research institutions, as well as Bioreactor and Tannery Machines developers will be amalgamated with eight SMEs technical skills, under the leadership of six IAGs. Starting from the product specification definition, attained with the participation of all industrial partners, tissue engineering techniques used for biomedical applications will be transferred, adapted, optimised and validated. The stepwise research approach comprises design, development and testing of cells, materials, protocols and bioreactors. The project is expected to yield demonstrators tested at lab and pilot scale, including bioreactors, matrices, culturing protocols and a stabilisation system as well as a waste treatment / recycling system, towards a closed loop production approach.
Moreover, industrial feasibility of Dermagenesis will be assessed in conjunction to fitness for end use of Bio techno leather (model shoes). In parallel, training of skilled personnel and the definition and exploration of exploitation pathways, will involve directly SMEs and IAGs. The project is expected to last 48 months.

·  Acronym: DERMAGENESIS

·  Contract number: 500224.0

·  Project type: Collective

·  Duration: 48.0 month

·  Global project cost: €4176523

·  EC contribution: €2088233

Coordinator
CONCIARICERCA ITALIA S.R.L - Italy
Mr BARGIGGIA
email: g bargiggia
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Website: www.dermagenesis.net
Partners

·  ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE LAS INDUSTRIAS DEL CURTIDO Y ANEXAS - Spain

·  ASSOCIAZIONE CALZATURIFICI RIVIERA DEL BRENTA - Italy

·  B.Z. MODA S.R.L - Italy

·  BIMEO - Hungary

·  BIOFIN LABORATORIES SRL - Italy

·  BLC LEATHER TECHNOLOGY CENTRE LTD - United Kingdom

·  BOR ES CIPOIPARI EGYESULES (ASSOCIATION FOR HUNGARIAN LEATHER AND SHOE INDUSTRY) - Hungary

·  BORGE GARVERI AS - Norway

·  CALZADOS LIS , S.L - Spain

·  CONCIARIA BONAUDO - S.P.A. - Italy

·  CONFEDERACION ESPAÑOLA DE CURTIDORES - Spain

·  CONFEDERATION DES ASSOCIATIONS NATIONALES DE TANNEURS ET MEGISSIERS DE LA COMMUNAUTE EUROPEENNE - France

·  FONTANELLAS Y MARTI SA - Spain

·  OFFICINE DI CARTIGLIANO SPA - Italy

·  PECSI BORGYAR RESZVENTYARSASAG - Hungary

·  UNIONE NAZIONALE INDUSTRIA CONCIARIA - Italy

·  UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II - Italy

·  UNIVERSITY COLLEGE NORTHAMPTON - United Kingdom

·  VENETA CONCIARIA VALLE AGNO SPA - Italy

·  VIVAPEL, S.A - Spain

Improvement and innovation of aquaculture effluent treatment Technology

The project examines the feasibility of cost-effective systems for the treatment and valorisation of aquaculture farm effluent, and the re-use of products and by-products of such systems, providing a solid base for reducing the environmental impact of commercial aquaculture and reinforcing the sustainable development of the sector.
Systems and applicable technology will be designed, according to well-defined parameters, for installation in 3 European sites that are geographically/environmentally and operationally different. Their efficiency to prevent recipient ecosystem pollution will be verified and monitored through analytic characterisation of water, waste and the recipient wetland ecosystems
Finally, the system output products and by-products will be fully identified and characterised, accompanied by identification of the potential and means of their further use.
The research programme encompasses a series of interdisciplinary and interconnected work packages which will complementarily contribute to the investigation of the technological, biological, physiological, ecological, environmental and economical aspects related to mentioned topic. The work packages contain well-defined tasks for laboratory investigations (RTD performers) and/or field work (European fish farms). A specific training technical programme for SME staff and young European researchers will be developed. This will be accompanied by the application of a capillary dissemination plan to allow the effective transfer of the innovative skills and technology developed by this project to the European aquaculture sector. A consortium agreement between the participants, regarding the purpose of the collaboration, their interest in the exploitation of the results and IPR management and access, will clearly define all the rights, obligations and responsibilities of the partners. This agreement will be finalised upon implementation of the project, in agreement with the FP6 Rules for participation.

·  Acronym: AQUAETREAT

·  Contract number: 500305.0

·  Project type: Collective

·  Duration: 36.0 month

·  Global project cost: €1695847

·  EC contribution: €1383741

Coordinator
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI LECCE - Italy
Mr VILELLA
email: sebastiano vilella
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Website: www.aquaetreat.org
Partners

·  COMITE INTERPROFESSIONNEL DES PRODUITS DE L'AQUACULTURE - France

·  FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN AQUACULTURE PRODUCERS - France

·  HOGHOJ DAMBRUG I/S - Denmark

·  INSTITUT FRANCAIS DE RECHERCHE POUR L'EXPLOITATION DE LA MER - France

·  INSTITUTE OF GRASSLAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH - United Kingdom

·  MARIBRIN S.R.L. - Italy

·  STM AQUATRADE S.R.L - Italy

·  UNIVERSITY OF WALES SWANSEA - United Kingdom

Integrated Transactions and Imagination Engineering to Support the Identity value Chain

In the global economy important opportunities are created for regional productions that qualify themselves as unique and identity-rich. These products can reach the global market using Internet and the new opportunities of the Information Society, provided these solutions are made available to the SMEs in easy, unobtrusive ways that allow electronic transactions while preserving the rich legacy of evocation and charm of identity productions.
The INTRINSIC project is set to deploy a comprehensive solution to this challenging scenario.
To this end, INTRINSIC will:
Analyse SME actors and processes in two major production fields (identity food and quality handicrafts products) developing and integrating optimal e-business applications and services to support the transactional value chain;
Develop and integrate the applications and services that help convey the image and identity of the products, effectively supporting an imagination engineering value chain;
Implement the above solutions into Regional Service Centres acting as Application Service Providers where transactional e-business applications are managed and offered to the SMEs by means of lightweight interfaces, while promotional applications are run on behalf of the entire local system, in order to attain integration and critical mass;
Perform a two-phase training activity: initially by training, through services and facilities made available by the Associations, the operators of the SME core group; then, at a later stage, by transferring knowledge towards the operators of a larger number of SMEs belonging to the same sectors, through a direct, on the job involvement of the .champions. of the SME core group.

·  Acronym: INTRINSIC

·  Contract number: 500529.0

·  Project type: Collective

·  Duration: 24.0 month

·  Global project cost: €2618600

·  EC contribution: €1475200

Coordinator
SPACE S.P.A. - Italy
Mr LUSSO
email: salvatore lusso
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Partners

·  BODEGUES SUMARROCA S.L. - Spain

·  CONFEDERAZIONE NAZIONALE DELL'ARTIGIANATO E DELLA PICCOLA E MEDIA IMPRESA - Italy

·  COOPERATIVA ARTIGIANA SU TROBASCIU SOCIETA A.R.L. - Italy

·  DISTRIBUDORA ESPECIALITZADA EN QUALITAT, S.L. - Spain

·  F2 SRL - Italy

·  FUNDACION ROBOTIKER - Spain

·  INSTITUT CATALA DE LA CUINA - Spain

·  MERVES GUMUS - Turkey

·  PICCOLA COOPERATIVA SU MARMURI A.R.L. - Italy

·  SAT EL PANTAR - Spain

·  THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCI OF BEYPAZARI - Turkey

Studies aiming at assisting legislation and encouraging continual improvement strategies in the field of respirable crystalline silica (SILICERAM)

The traditional ceramics industry is divided into several subsectors: tiles, tableware, sanitary ware, refractory, bricks and roofing tiles. In order to manufacture these products the ceramic industry sometimes use powdered crystalline silica. For many years it has been recognised that inhalation of Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) can lead to silicosis, which ultimately leads to ill-health through breathing difficulties and even death. Since the 1930s sensible abatement practises have been developed to virtually eradicate the problem of silicosis. At present different EU states have different limits for RCS. Within Europe the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure limits are working towards identifying a common EU position on mg/m3 levels. One of the difficulties associated with setting common exposure limits for workers is the fact that different forms of crystalline silica appear to pose different threats. A new input to the debate has been the decision by the International Agency on Research in Cancer (IARC) in 1997 to classify RCS as a category 1 carcinogen.
Whilst striving for lower and lower mg/m3 limits is to be applauded, there is a potential danger that companies using RCS (especially SMEs) will be faced with extortionate abatement capital equipment costs, in-house administration / testing costs etc. to comply. This could drive some companies to ignore the legislation and so create a rise in the number of silicosis cases. Against the above background, the overall aim of this project is to provide legislators with useful data for defining RCS in air limits. Setting a single low limit to encourage continual improvement, but allowing concessions based on proven reduced risks associated with certain RCS forms is seen as a possible way forward. The project will focus on different industries of the ceramic sector: tiles, tableware, sanitary ware, refractory, bricks and roofing tiles.

·  Acronym: SILICERAM

·  Contract number: 500896.0

·  Project type: Collective

·  Duration: 36.0 month

·  Global project cost: €2213305

·  EC contribution: €1468836

Coordinator
CERAM RESEARCH LIMITED - United Kingdom
Mr JACKSON
email: phil jackson
This is not the coordinator's actual email address, but you can communicate directly with him/her by clicking on this link and completing the pop-up form. (This is to prevent the personal email address from being added to undesirable mailing-lists.)
Partners

·  ANCAP SPA - Italy

·  ANCON TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED - United Kingdom

·  ARBEITSGEMEINSCHAFT KERAMISCHE INDUSTRIE E. V. - Germany

·  ARPA - Italy

·  ASOCIACION ESPANOLA DE FABRICANTES DE AZULEJOS Y PAVIMENTOS CERAMICOS - Spain

·  ASOCIACION ESPANOLA DE FABRICANTES DE LADRILLOS Y TEJAS DE ARCILLA COCIDA - Spain

·  ASSOCIACAO PORTUGUESA DA INDUSTRIA DE CERAMICA - Portugal

·  ASSOCIAZIONE NAZIONALE DEI PRODUTTORI DI PIASTRELLE DI CERAMICA E DI MATERIALI REFRATTARI - Italy

·  ATOMIZADORA, S.A. - Spain

·  BRITISH CERAMIC CONFEDERATION - United Kingdom

·  BUNDESVERBAND DER DEUTSCHEN ZIEGELINDUSTRIE - Germany

·  CENTRO CERAMICO BOLOGNA, CENTRO DI RICERCA E SPERIMENTAZIONE PER L' INDUSTRIA CERAMICA - Italy

·  CERACASA, S.A. - Spain

·  CERAMICHE SETTECENTO VALTRESINARO SPA - Italy

·  CERAMUS S.A. - Romania

·  COMMERCIAL CLAY - United Kingdom

·  CONFEDERATION DES INDUSTRIES CERAMIQUES DE FRANCE - France

·  EUROFILTER SPA - Italy

·  FACULTE DE MEDECINE - France

·  FAUCHON BAUDOT SARL - France

·  FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V. - Germany

·  FRESHFIELD LANE BRICKWORKS LTD - United Kingdom

·  INSTITUTO DE TECNOLOGIA CERAMICA - AICE - Spain

·  LOYAL- TRADE INVEST SRL - Romania

·  MAREF SPA - Italy

·  MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY - United Kingdom

·  PORCELAINES AVIGNON SA - France

·  PORCELANAS DEL PRINCIPADO, S.L. - Spain

·  PORVASAL S.A. - Spain

·  REFRACTARIOS ALFRAN, S.A. - Spain

·  RESEARCH, DESIGN AND EXPERIMENTAL PRODUCTION INSTITUTE FOR CONSTRUCTIONS AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS - Romania

·  ROYAL STAFFORD - United Kingdom

·  S.C PORCELAIN MANUFACTURERS S.R.L - Romania

·  SC AXA PORCELAINE SRL - Romania

·  SC SEVEN GRUP - Romania

·  SOCIETE FRANCAISE DE CERAMIQUE - France

·  TEJAS Y LADRILLOS DEL MEDITERRANEO S.A. - Spain

Versatile Augmented reality simulator for training in the safe use of construction machinery

In the EU construction is the sector most at risk of accidents. The main hazards in construction work include working at height (falls from heights are the most common cause of injuries and death), excavation work and moving loads, all of them connected in some way with the use of specific machinery and equipment.
The proposed project deals with the lack of training tools and methodologies for the very wide range of tasks to be performed by construction workers. In particular, it addresses the use of and work with greatly varying specific machinery and equipment, which entails certain risk. With this regard, special attention is paid to lifting equipment (such as cranes, hoists, aerial work platforms, telescopic handlers or scaffolding elevators) and heavy works machinery (such as power shovels or retro-excavators), because any failures on their operation may cause important damage on people, works and equipment. These machines are complicated and valuable pieces of equipment, and training is critical to developing skilled operators.
The general objective of the project is to develop a real time simulator with such a versatility and user-friendliness that training in the operation (with special attention to safety aspects) of multiple models of lifting equipment, aerial work platforms and heavy works hydraulic machinery from different trade marks will be possible with just one single simulator, thus ensuring its profitability and flexibility. It will be based on the integration of mechanics, electronics, automated technologies, computer science and augmented reality.