Newsletters   Subscription   Contributions       Newsletter issue n° 11 - September 08

FP7 - Environmental research - call for proposals FP7-ENV-2009-1

The call for proposal was launched on the 3rd of September with the 8th of January 2009 as the deadline for submission. The available budget exceeds €193 million to be shared among 49 topics addressed by the following research themes:

The detailed topics' description and other guidance documents are available from the CORDIS server:

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP7DetailsCallPage&call_id=142

Applicants are kindly asked to consider all proposal's eligibility criteria, including particular requirements, that could apply to specific topic(s).

The Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS) for this call is available. Candidates are kindly asked to register their interest by submitting a proposal as early as possible in view to receive the necessary login in time. It is the co-ordinator's responsibility to ensure that he/she has sufficient time to prepare and submit the proposal through EPSS once his/her username and password have been received.

FP7 - Environmental research - Joint call for proposals FP7-2009-BIOREFINERY

The four themes Energy, Environment (including Climate Change), Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology and Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies have launched a joint call on the 3rd of September with the 2nd of December 2008 as a first deadline, the second deadline for successful candidates being set to the  5th of May 2009. The overall allocated budget is totalling €57 million.

Additional information about the two parts of this call (Collaborative Projects and Coordinating Action) is available at:

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP7CallsPage&rs

Follow-up of the event "EUROPEAN WATER RESEARCH DAY" at the EXPO ZARAGOZA 2008

The event organised by the EC Directorate General for Research was mainly dedicated to present past, on-going and future EU-funded water research activities. More than 200 delegates were attending the event that counted with the participation of Marcelino Iglesias, President of the Regional Government of Aragon, Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research and Cristina Garmendia, the Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation. The opening session continued with presentations made by Philippe Busquin, member of the European Parliament, and Diane d'Arras as representative of the Water Supply and Sanitation technology Platform.

The event continued with a session dedicated to present a review of EU-funded water research activities. Six keynote speakers summarised past and present R&D projects and related initiatives, contributing also to identify possible future prospects.

The book of abstracts is available on:

http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/rtd/eesdwatkeact/library?l=/european_research/compiled_abstractspdf/_EN_1.0_&a=d

In the afternoon session, the EC staff presented the water related topics included in the present call for proposals. The session was followed by a number of short presentations made by delegates willing to introduce their activities, expertise or projects ideas.

The detailed programme of the event and the electronic versions of the presentations are available in PDF format from:

http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/rtd/eesdwatkeact/library?l=/european_research&vm=detailed&sb=Title

The web version of the event's videos are archived on: http://webcast.ec.europa.eu

FP7 - Call for proposals 2009 - Information Days

The EC Directorate General for Research has organised two information days on Environmental Technologies and on Sustainable Biorefineries on the 15th and on the 16th of September respectively. The aim of this two events was to provide information on the various topics of the current FP7 call for proposals related to the subject. The events continued with a brokerage event that allowed participants to present their project ideas, expertise or interest.

Event documentation and copies of the presented slides will be available at:

Environmental Technologies 15 September 2008:

http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/rtd/eesdwatkeact/library?l=/environmental_technologi_2&vm=detailed&sb=Title

Sustainable Biorefineries 16 September 2008:

http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/rtd/susbioref/library?l=/biorefinery_info&vm=detailed&sb=Title

Apply your science skills to make Europe a better and safer place! Join the team of top-notch scientists advising the European Commission!

Scientific advice plays a fundamental role in the EU policy making process.  The European Commission adopts its decisions and proposals based on the best and most authoritative scientific advice available. Therefore, the Commission now presents scientists with the rare opportunity to usher science out of the laboratory and into the policy making arena. The EU Scientific Risk Assessment Advisory Structure is a unique place where cutting-edge science meets political and legislative power.  This is the place where your scientific knowledge may immediately affect the lives of millions through involvement in the drafting of new laws and regulations. This is the place where you will serve the whole of our society directly.  

In addition to contributing to the EU science-based decision making process, your work for the Scientific Risk Assessment Advisory Structure will bring you a deep sense of personal satisfaction and professional prestige. The scientific opinions that you will produce exert an important impact on the overall scientific thinking in your area of expertise.  In fact, those much-quoted opinions reach an unusually diverse, worldwide audience of scientists, politicians, legislators, stakeholders, industrial and citizens' organizations. The multidisciplinary and highly interactive atmosphere that permeates the work of the Advisory Structure allows for multiple contacts, open discussions, and collaboration between scientists including opportunities for dialogue with decision makers at the highest level.  These stimulating work conditions often serve as an impetus for the generation of new policies and/or new scientific research ideas.  Finally, advising the European Commission gives right to a financial retribution.

Interested in making a difference in the world? Then apply now at:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/call_expression_en.htm

The call for expression of interest will be open from 29 September until 31 October 2008.

FP7 - Environmental research - First & Second Call: A catalogue of water related projects is available:

The catalogue "Water Research" briefly presents the related projects resulting from the FP7-ENV-2007-1 and FP7-2008-2 calls, including a short abstract, the partners involved and the overall grant proposed by the Commission. So far, it represents about 19 projects totalling €62,6 million out of the EC funding for the Collaboration 'Environment (including Climatic Change)' theme.

The projects proposed for funding that resulted from the FP7-ENV-NMP-2008-2 call, organised jointly by the Environment theme and the  Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production technologies themes, are presented in the catalogue "Nanotechnologies for water treatment".

The catalogues "Water research 2007-2008"  and "Nanotechnologies for water treatment" are available from:
http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/rtd/eesdwatkeact/library?l=/projects_information

The preliminary information presented in the mentioned documents is based on the proposals' evaluation results and shall be considered as provisional and subject to potential modifications in the course of projects' negotiation.

A new EC brochure "EU Research for the Environment 2007-2013

This brochure summarises environmental research funded by the European Union and is divided in two parts. The first provides the context of environmental research – the historical roots and the political framework as well as an introduction to environmental research in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), under the “Environment (including climate change)” theme, an ambitious research programme. The second part gives an overview of the 10 research priorities within the “Environment (including climate change)” research theme, and highlights some of the most successful projects in environmental research.

The brochure will be available soon from the http://bookshop.europa.eu/ website, the references are EUR 23472, ISBN 978-92-79-09386-9

Environmental research for SMEs: Technology challenges and market opportunities in waste water treatment

A workshop entitled 'Environmental Research for SMEs — Technology Challenges and Market Opportunities in Waste Water Treatment' was held on 28 November 2006. The aim of the event was to address future trends and needs in key technologies and research in the area of waste water treatment. It focused on the dissemination of knowledge, technology uptake in traditional SME sectors as well as business opportunities. The workshop presented an overview of objectives, challenges and results from ongoing and recently completed projects funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) and its SME specific measures. Projects involving SMEs in the thematic priority areas as well as projects funded under the LIFE programme were also presented. A total of 63 people attended this event from industry, research fields and general stakeholders.

The main results of the workshop's presentations are summarised in a publication available in electronic form on http://bookshop.europa.eu/ with the references ISBN : 978-92-79-06966-6  or KI-82-07-471-EN-Z

Alternative testing strategies — Replacing, reducing and refining use of animals in research

Replacing the need for animal experiments, reducing the number of animals required and refining techniques are the three concepts underlying the development of alternative testing strategies used in pharmaceutical discovery and development, and in safety assessment of chemicals. Research into alternative testing strategies formed part of the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006) and the purpose of this catalogue is to demonstrate the activities initiated over the duration of the programme and the initial results generated. A particular focus of the work is the development of in vitro methods and of methods which can be validated to international standards, achieve approval of regulatory authorities and be adopted by industry.

Electronic or printed versions of this dedicated projects' catalogue are available at http://bookshop.europa.eu/ with the references: ISBN 978-92-79-05689-5

Best LIFE Environment Projects 2007-2008

This publication presents 21 LIFE selected projects addressing environmental issues that are listed according to the following structure:

• Land-use development and planning

• Water management

• Minimising the impact of economic activities

• Waste management

• Integrated Product Policy

The electronic version of this publication is available on:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/bestprojects/documents/bestenv08.pdf

European Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform  (WSSTP) workshop at 6th IWA conference, 11 September 2008, EO Forum, Vienna, Austria

This workshop will describe the work being undertaken by the members of the WSSTP to develop a research agenda for the European water sector. These efforts have been stimulated by the European Commission’s Directorate for Research, which is anxious to ensure that the needs of all stakeholders, particularly end-users, are encompassed into the definition of research needs.

For more information, please visit: www.wsstp.eu

Boosting Environmental Technologies by Verification, European Conference on ETV and Parliamentarian Evening , 15 – 16 September 2008, Brussels/Belgium. 

The promotion of innovative environmental technologies is essential for the environment and for the European economy. Proving that new technologies are working through Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) is one way to achieve this. Therefore, Europe is now heading towards an Environmental Technology Verification System. A proposal for an EU framework on ETV is planned to be published by the European Commission in autumn 2008. Environmental Technology Verification – an independent assessment of the performance of a specific environmental product or technology – provides quantitative information on the performance of innovative technologies. In projects all over Europe, first experiences with ETV in technology sectors such as water monitoring and treatment, air pollution abatement and contaminated site remediation have been collected. They provide the basis for this event. The conference addresses politicians, regulators, technology providers, industry representatives and associations with the aims to:

• introduce ETV as a tool for technology promotion;

• show the results of pilot verifications;

• open a gate for participants to present their views to the European Community and decision makers during a parliamentarian evening on Monday (15th September) and the sessions on Tuesday (16th September), also non technical experts are addressed, whereas a technology approach is taken during the program on Monday.

The conference summarizes the findings out of the ongoing EU FP 6 ETV projects PROMOTE, TESTNET and AIRTV and the Nordic Innovation Centre project NOWATECH. The main addressed topics are "Verification in technology sectors" and "Lessons learned".

Participation is free of charge. We are looking forward to welcoming you to this conference in Brussels! Further information on the conference is available on the internet: www.promote-etv.org , http://www.est-testnet.net , www.airtv.eu , www.etvnord.org . The conference's outcomes will be published on the before mentioned websites after the event.

Contact: DECHEMA e.V., Dr. Thomas Track Theodor-Heuss-Allee 25, 60486 Frankfurt am Main Tel: +49 69 7564-427, Fax: +49 69 7564-117, E-Mail: track@dechema.de

CASCADE Open Forum “Endocrine Disruption – Present health treats and future research needs”, 2 October 2008, Brussels, Belgium.

As a general idea, the mission of the CASCADE Open Forum is to provide the European science community and stakeholders with an open platform for debate and communication on endocrine disruption (ED). It presents and profiles Europe's leading research trends in the research field of ED. It is an opportunity to discuss and influence the future of ED research and innovation in Europe. There is a growing concern about the large number of endocrine disrupting chemicals in our environment, which may cause adverse health effects such as cancer, behavioural changes, reproductive and developmental abnormalities. Join us in the discussion about endocrine disruption covering:

• Health threats

• Risk and hazard assessment

• Present position of European research

• New detection methods and models

• Industry demands on method development

• Global screening projects

You will also get the opportunity to:

• discover new trends and directions in research, business, science policy and funding;

• network with leaders of the European ED science community and

• participate in the debate, discussion and excitement of European ED science and technology.

CASCADE Open Forum is a joint activity, organized by eight leading EU-funded projects: CASCADE, BIOCOP, CRESCENDO, ATHON, SME-R, Newgeneris, CAESAR and Reprotect. The outcome will be a Strategic Agenda which clearly defines the mutual needs, interests and expectations in the following main activities areas: research, education and risk assessment. The agenda will be presented to the relevant authorities and organizations for further discussion. 

Practical information
Date: 2nd of October 2008
Time: 09.30-16.00
Venue: Radisson SAS Royal Hotel Brussel Rue du Fossé-aux-Loups 47 B-1000 Brussels, Belgium www.radissonsas.com
Please register at: www.cascadenet.org

CONFERENCE: "Water scarcity and management under Mediterranean climate", 24 - 25 November 2008, Girona, Spain.

Aim of the meeting: Mediterranean regions are submitted to irregular water supply and rising water demands. This combination of factors may have catastrophic effects on ecosystems but may also result in relevant economic and social constraints. This meeting will discuss about the different aspects of the water cycle under water scarcity, in order to define the implications and the relevant strategies to make compatible the improvement of natural systems and the appropriate management of the water resources. The meeting will address the following issues:

• The implication of water scarcity on the quality of water, the ecosystem conservation, and the societal response in terms of domestic availability, industry, and agriculture.

• The most appropriate management possibilities under water scarcity and within the prospects of global change.

Additional information is available from: http://icra.udg.cat

Final NeWater Conference 2008, Adaptive Integrated Water Resources Management under Uncertainty - Results from the NeWater Project, November 17 - 19 2008, Seville, Spain.

Water managers and policy makers face many challenges. They have to meet various, often conflicting demands with limited resources, face much uncertainty (e.g. concerning climate change) and often lack of effective tools. To help them to meet these challenges, the European NeWater project has further developed the concept of Adaptive Integrated Water Resources Management (AIWM). The concept is based on the notion that the best way to manage water resources is to increase our capacity to learn from experience and adapt to change and uncertainty. The central aim of the above mentioned conference is to present the experiences gained over the last four years of the NeWater project in the development, enhancement and/or use of various methods and tools for adaptive integrated water management, and to discuss these experiences with water managers, policy makers and researchers. For registration, please visit the Final NeWater Conference site at www.newater.info .

Improving the ecological status of fish communities in inland waters - International Symposium and EFI+ Workshop, 30 March to 3 April 2009, Hull, UK.

The EFI+ EU funded project is organising the above mentioned conference, in order to disseminate the results of the project to the scientific community, administrators and stakeholders. The symposium will extend the discussion on the strategies needed to implement successfully current environmental legislation with respect to improving the status of fish communities. Selected presentations will be published in peer-reviewed proceedings. In addition to the symposium, a one-day workshop (planned for the 3rd of April 2009) for managers and end-users will be held to present and use the tools produced in the EFI+ project.

A call for papers on the following themes has been issued:

• Defining management and stakeholder targets for fish communities in natural and heavily modified systems

• Tools for assessing ecological and conservation status of fish assemblages

• Standardising sampling effort for assessing fish assemblages

• Scales of fish-based monitoring and assessment - integration into management plans

• Developing appropriate rehabilitation programmes and predicting and measuring the results

Oral presentations (20 min) and posters are welcome. The deadline for the abstract submission is the 14th of November 2008. Please visit http://www.hull.ac.uk/hifi/events/index.html for details and information regarding the submission of abstracts.

Final workshop of European projects coalition “MBR-Network”, 31 March – 1 April 2009, Berlin, Germany.

1st announcement and call for posters

The two European research projects “Amedeus” and “Eurombra” of the coalition “MBR-Network” will be concluded in 2009 after more than three years of intensive activity. The most salient outcomes of these projects, which are dedicated to progress and advances of the MBR technology for municipal wastewater treatment, will be presented in a two-day workshop endorsed by the International Water Association.

Results of fundamental and applied research as well as technological breakthroughs achieved by the project partners in the field of the MBR technology will be unveiled in about 40 oral presentations and 50 posters.

A dedicated poster session will be included in the workshop program. Any international team or company active in the MBR field is welcome to present a poster. A prize of €1,000 will be awarded by a jury of international experts to the best student poster presented at the workshop. Extended abstracts for poster presentation can be submitted by 30 September 2008 to the workshop organisers.

More information on workshop and call for posters can be found at the MBR-Network web-portal: www.mbr-network.eu.

The final MBR-Network workshop will take place on the 31st of March and on the 1st of April 2009 in Berlin, Germany, and will be hosted by Wasser Berlin 2009 (www.wasser-berlin.com) an international conference and exhibition on water and wastewater treatment.

Call for papers: Conference “Sustainable Development: A Challenge for European Research” 26-28 May 2009 Brussels, Belgium

The European Commission DG Research organises a conference on “Sustainable Development: A Challenge for European Research” on 26-28 May 2009, in Brussels. For the preparation of this conference, a call for papers has been published with a deadline for submission on 15 January 2009.

Outline of the conference

One of the rationales for and purpose of funding R&D on the EU budget is to serve EU policy needs, while strengthening the scientific and technological basis of the European industry and reinforcing its competitiveness. In view of the strong political will expressed by the European Council to engage on a sustainable path and the priority given to climate change and clean energy, European research is bound to contribute to sustainable development.

Putting European R&D at the service of sustainable development is also needed from a societal point of view. Indeed, there is rising concern about the relationship between science and society. Today's surveys show that Europeans have become less attracted by science or less confident that science brings solutions. If the level of public funding for research is to be maintained and indeed increased, it must be ensured and demonstrated that research is bringing value to the citizens, on substantial and tangible issues beyond competitiveness and jobs.

Coming close to mid-term of FP7 implementation, this 3-day conference will take stock of the progress made so far and identify ways and means for putting the European research system at the service of sustainable development.

With this in mind, the conference will initiate a structured dialogue on how to reform European research to best respond to sustainable development challenges. It will also investigate ways for improving the science-policy link and the relationship between science and society.

Additional information about the conference is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/sd/conference/index_en.html

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LEGAL NOTICE

The information and views set out in this newsletter are those of the author(s) and do not reflect necessarily the official opinion of the European Communities. Neither the European Communities institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made on the information contained therein. This newsletter may be freely distributed.

See also http://europa.eu/geninfo/legal_notices_en.htm

EDITOR:

European Commission

DG Research, Unit I03

Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Belgium                                     © European Communities, 2008

e-mail : Avelino.Gonzalez-Gonzalez@ec.europa.eu            Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged