How to boost the competitiveness of the primary sector by improving its environmental performance and circularity?

Some of the themes included in this challenge are the following:

• Reduction of the environmental footprint: solutions to reduce carbon, water and ecological footprints in all primary sector activities.
• Valorisation of co-products, by-products and waste: transformation of waste and underused raw materials, such as wool, into new resources.
• Soil regeneration and biodiversity: innovative solutions that promote regenerative agriculture, livestock and forestry, restoring soils, increasing biodiversity, optimising the use of resources and contributing to climate change mitigation.
• Blue economy and marine circularity: strategies for the restoration, protection and sustainability of marine ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture, integrating clean technologies, renewable energies and circular models for the use of materials.

Example of specific challenges:

• Use of plant co-products from alcoholic fermentation, such as protein, for application in the agro-livestock industry or in other sectors. The aim is to improve the nutritional characteristics of existing co-products or to transform them into alternative products for nutritional use or as biofertilisers.

How can we guarantee the availability of critical raw materials and achieve circular and efficient production models?

Some of the themes included in this challenge are the following:

• Industrial symbiosis: Solutions that promote collaboration between industries to maximise the reuse of resources and reduce waste.
• Waste valorisation: Transformation of waste into energy resources, water or new usable materials.
• Urban mining and raw material recovery: Development of technologies to recover critical materials from waste and urban environments.
• Reduction of critical materials: Innovations that reduce dependence on critical materials in high technology.
• Advanced materials: Development of new sustainable materials with high added value.
• Ecodesign: Integration of sustainable design principles to improve the life cycle of products and industrial processes.
• Carbon footprint reduction and CO2 capture and storage: Innovative solutions to minimise carbon emissions in industrial processes, including the integration of technologies for the capture, storage and use of CO2 as a resource in new products and processes.

Example of specific challenges:

1. Development of new materials with a low carbon footprint that incorporate biomass ash as a main component or functional additive.
2. Use of biomass ash in existing materials as a substitute for other raw materials with a higher impact on the carbon footprint of the original material.

How to improve the environmental performance of the integrated water cycle?

Some of the themes included in this challenge are the following:

• Digitalisation of the water cycle: development of technological tools to optimise the management, sensorisation and monitoring of the integral water cycle.
• Biofactories: implementation of new treatment and purification technologies, with a focus on the valorisation of waste to convert it into energy resources and new materials.
• Treatment of micropollutants and microplastics: innovative solutions to eliminate emerging pollutants in the water cycle.
• Water reuse: cost-effective technologies for water treatment and reuse in different applications.
• Efficient and sustainable solutions for water supply and sanitation in dispersed rural environments; management and mitigation of diffuse pollution; ensuring ecological flows in rivers and other water ecosystems; and optimisation of sewer networks.

Example of specific challenges:

1. Development and implementation of new technologies capable of eliminating heavy metals and new emerging pollutants in sludge derived from water treatment.
2. Development and implementation of measurement systems using connected sensors for the quantification of microbiological parameters in reclaimed water.

How to promote the circularity of the textile sector in all its phases?

Some of the themes included in this challenge are the following:

• Second life for garments: Solutions that promote C2B (consumer to business) and C2C (consumer to consumer) models for the reuse, repair and recycling of textiles.
• Valorisation of textile waste: Development of technologies for the separation, sorting, preparation and transformation of textile waste into new raw materials or sustainable packaging solutions.
• New sustainable materials: Innovation in materials that are more durable, recyclable or have a lower environmental impact at the end of their life cycle.
• Environmental footprint reduction: Strategies to reduce carbon, water and ecological footprints along the entire textile value chain.

Example of specific challenges (SOGAMA):

• Design and development of a treatment process to recover textile material from the remaining fraction (black bag) of waste, including advanced sanitisation and sorting technologies that allow its recycling and reintegration into the value chain.

How to minimize emissions and resource consumption of building materials and construction processes?

Some of the themes included in this challenge are the following:

• Circular and renewable building materials: Innovation in sustainable materials that can be reused or recycled at the end of their useful life.
• Zero energy buildings and infrastructures: Design of buildings that minimise energy consumption and take advantage of renewable sources.
• Waste recycling and recovery: Solutions for processing waste from the construction and demolition sector (CDW) and other sectors (slag, ash, plastics, etc.), integrating them as resources in new construction processes.
• Use of biomaterials and additive manufacturing: Application of biomaterials and technologies such as 3D printing to promote more sustainable and efficient construction.
• Industrialised construction: Development of innovative processes for industrialised construction, focusing on efficient, sustainable and scalable manufacturing of building structures.

Example of specific challenges (GESTÁN CONTECO):

1. Development of innovative solutions for the treatment and transformation of plasterboard waste derived from construction, allowing its reintroduction into the value chain as a substitute for virgin raw materials and promoting the circularity and sustainability of the construction process.
2. Development of circular valorization solutions for complex and mixed plastics, as physical products, transformation systems, or both.

How to create healthier, resilient and circular urban spaces and communities

Some of the themes included in this challenge are the following:

• Renaturalisation of cities: strategies to integrate nature into urban environments, improving biodiversity and quality of life.
• Climate shelters: development of urban spaces designed to protect people from the effects of extreme weather events.
• Municipal waste reuse and recycling: technologies and models to valorise urban waste.
• Energy communities: solutions to promote self-consumption, distributed generation and collaboration in the use of renewable energies.
• Sustainable mobility: Innovative proposals to promote clean, accessible and efficient transport in urban and rural areas.
• Climate sustainability in tourism and regenerative tourism: Promotion of tourism models that reduce their environmental impact and contribute to climate change adaptation. Specifically, initiatives to minimise the ecological footprint of the Camino de Santiago through the use of renewable energies, sustainable waste management and the restoration of ecosystems along its routes.
• Climate solutions for rural areas: Implementation of strategies to enhance the resilience of rural communities to climate change.

Example of specific challenges:

• Innovative solutions for the design and manufacture of urban waste containers that meet the following requirements:
• • Sustainable materials: containers made of recyclable, biodegradable or low environmental impact materials, prioritising the circular economy.
  • Integration into the environment: designs that adapt harmoniously to the urban or rural landscape where they will be installed, respecting and enhancing the aesthetics of the environment.
  • Functionality and durability: solutions that combine sustainability with resistance, ease of use and maintenance in different environments.
• Development of packaging materials or finished packaging from brick packaging waste (PolyAl).
• Innovative solutions to enhance social perception and commitment to environmental sustainability through behavioral analysis, effective communication, and participatory technologies.
• Promotion of open science and public dissemination of scientific knowledge through innovative tools, communication formats, and collaborative programs involving researchers, educators, and citizens.

How to use Essential Enabling Technologies to drive an efficient and low-emission economy?

Some of the themes included in this challenge are the following:

• Traceability and analysis of environmental data: development of digital tools for monitoring, traceability and advanced analysis of environmental data.
• Digitalisation of environmental solutions: integration of digital technologies to optimise sustainable processes in different economic sectors.
• Reduction of the carbon footprint in ICT: strategies and technologies that minimise the environmental impact associated with the use and development of information and communication technologies.
• Data-driven technologies: application of advanced technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, generative artificial intelligence and AI agents, to address environmental challenges.
• Green algorithms: design of optimised algorithms to maximise energy efficiency and reduce the consumption of technological resources.