Newsletters   Subscription   Contributions       Newsletter issue n° 15 - June 09

Nanotechnology and risks in a Life Cycle perspective

It is now almost two decades that nanotechnology became a new research field and it showed great perspectives for innovations and improvements in various applications, including environmental technologies, particularly for pollution prevention, waste treatment and remediation. In many industrial activities nanotechnologies and their products can significantly reduce energy consumption, raw material needs and emission of traditional pollutants as well as production costs. Nano-tubes are stronger than steel but very flexible and lightweight. Nano-structured catalysts can make chemical manufacturing more efficient. Nano-materials can store and quickly process much more information than microchips. Carbon nano-tubes in computer displays provide enhanced performance while eliminating toxic heavy metals and reducing energy consumption. Nano-particles of various oxidants and/or reducers promote contaminant transformation and bio-availability "in-situ" and "ex-situ" remediation processes.  Certain nano-materials are dendritic nanoscale chelating agents for polymer-supported ultrafiltration. Many applications of nanotechnologies arose in health services. Carbon nano-tubes were mentioned as "superior sorbents" for dioxin. Nano-materials will be used in the next generation of sensors and detectors. Nanotechnologies and nano-materials certainly have the potential to initiate a new industrial revolution. However, the potential risks of nano-particles and nano-materials for human health and for the environment are of major concern, and the European Commission is highly committed to developing appropriate risk-assessment methodologies as an essential part of all its research activities in this field.

Several hundreds of nanotechnology based products are available on the market, e.g. stain-resistant fabrics for clothing, ski wax, tennis balls and rackets, odour-eating textile, flash memory devices, computer screens, artificial silicon retinas, drug delivery systems, high-tech cosmetics, mobile phones, diagnostic agents, etc. Nano-materials present some peculiarities mainly related to their physical and chemical characteristics. They are more bio-available because of their small size, and more chemically reactive due to their extended surface area. As for each technology or product, it is important to have an appropriate knowledge of the potential impacts on human health and the environment along the entire life cycle of these products. In order to get more knowledge and sound scientific data, DG RTD has launched a joint call between two Directorates: Environment (including Climate Change) and Industrial Technologies. The objective of this call was to increase our base of knowledge on the potential impacts on human heath and the environment related to nanotechnology-based products. In particular the focus was on post-production effects, meaning from when the product enters into the market until its final disposal. The call text was also asking to the applicants to explore the possibility of developing new and safe technologies at lab scale for the recycling of these nanotechnology-based products. The call has been very successful, based on the number of applications received, and 4 projects have been retained for funding. The negotiations with these projects will start in the coming months and the first contracts are expected to be signed by the end of this year. The life-cycle data and studies that will be carried out by these projects will contribute to substantially improve the scientific knowledge in the field. It is expected that these projects will contribute to boost the use of the environmentally sound nanotechnologies while reducing potential risk and adverse effects.     

Recently there is no open call in the field of environmental technology research under the 7th Framework Programme of the EU. Open calls in different research fields are available at the http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm homepage.

New research initiatives in the context of the European Economic Recovery Plan

The Commission is launching three Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as part of the European Economic Recovery Plan. The Commission foresees to provide a contribution of 50% to the total R&D budget from the budget of the 7^th Framework Programme, with matching investment coming from the private sector. In the PPP approach there is a multi-annual integrated work programme with a pre-defined budget, ensuring continuity and allowing industry to make long-term investment plans. The cross-thematic approach (going from basic and applied research through to validation and large-scale demonstration) puts an increased emphasis on impact and exploitation. The PPPs provide a leading role for industry in the definition of the strategic priorities and the implementation of the research as well as increased opportunities to support innovation in SMEs. The three PPPs will contribute to boosting research efforts in three large industrial sectors - automotive, construction and manufacturing - which have been particularly affected by the economic downturn and where innovation can significantly contribute towards a more green and sustainable economy. The Commission and the industrial partners work intensively together to develop the implementation plans for the three partnerships:

1. "Factories of the Future" initiative for the manufacturing sector (€1.2 billion for R&D). The Commission should launch cross-thematic calls for research proposals from the FP7 thematic areas "Nanotechnologies, Materials and Production Technologies' and ICT in July 2009.

2. "Energy-efficient Buildings" initiative for the construction sector (€1 billion for R&D). The research programme will begin with coordinated calls for research proposals which should be launched in July this year.

3. "Green Cars" initiative for the automotive sector worth a total of €5 billion, of which €1 billion is for research activities. Of this financial envelope, € 4 billion will be made available through loans by the European Investment Bank (EIB), and € 1 billion through support to research, with equal contribution from the Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7) and from the private sector. The scope of this initiative is broader than the two other PPP, and research is just one part of it. Several coordinated calls for research proposals should be launched in July this year.

Tender: Climate change - modelling water scenarios and sectoral impacts

Call Reference: OJ No S 107 of 6 June 2009

Deadline: 31 July 2009.

The European Commission's Directorate-General for the Environment has launched a call for tenders on climate adaptation for the modelling of water scenarios and sectoral impacts. The objective of this contract is to assess Europe's vulnerability to climate change impacts and analyse adaptation measures with a specific focus on water-related impacts and measures. This will include the provision of an integrated analytical platform at a detailed geographical level, providing the basis for the identification of adaptation measures to be either promoted or prevented at EU level. The scope of the assessment should cover all inland and transitional waters for EU-27 Member States, excluding outermost regions. The time horizon for the assessment would cover both medium term (2020, 2030) and long term (2050 or further). To see the full details of the call, please consult the following web address: http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:153972-2009:TEXT:EN:HTML

The 2953rd Council meeting Environment, Luxembourg, 25 June 2009

At the meeting of the Environment Council in Luxembourg on 25^th June 2009, the EU Environment Ministers unanimously adopted the package of legislative measures concerning the internal energy market, approving all the European Parliament's second reading amendments. The third energy package contains Directives on common rules for the internal market in electricity and gas, Regulations on conditions for access to the network for cross-border exchanges in electricity and gas and the Regulation establishing an Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators. For details please check the http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/misc/108740.pdf homepage.

The Council adopted conclusions on "Climate change: Towards a comprehensive EU adaptation strategy" in which the Council welcomes the Commission White Paper "Adapting to climate change: Towards a European Framework for action" as a basis for developing a more strategic approach towards adaptation, and considers that an initial phase up to 2012 should lay the foundations for a comprehensive EU adaptation strategy as from 2013. Among other issues the Council stresses the need for an integrated approach at EU level to support and strengthen those measures, in particular where effective adaptation to climate change requires transboundary cooperation (e.g. in river and sea basin management), in sectors that are closely integrated at EU level through the single market and common policies, where added value can be generated by acting at regional level and to support synergies with actions on mitigation. Furthermore the Council agrees that the necessary steps should be taken to establish a Clearing House Mechanism in order to improve knowledge management; Calls upon the Commission to ensure the continuous participation of Member States in the concept and subsequent phases for such a Clearing House Mechanism which would contribute to the Shared Environmental Information System. For details please check the http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/envir/108743.pdf  homepage.

The Council adopted conclusions on integrating environment in development cooperation in which sustainable management of natural resources and adaptation to climate change, as well as energy saving and promotion of renewable energy, the sustainable urban and rural development and progress in poverty eradication, in particular the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were emphasised. The Council endorses the six key areas of ongoing work for improving environment integration, as they reflect the priorities of the 2005 European Consensus on Development and other relevant EU commitments, and recommends specific actions in each: (i) expansion of the environmental knowledge base; (ii) improve tools for environmental integration and capacity building; (iii) mainstreaming of environment; (iv) integrating environment in budget support; (v) improving monitoring, evaluation and reporting on environmental issues; (vi) coordination and division of labour in environment and natural resource management issues. For further details please check the http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/envir/108745.pdf homepage.

After a difficult and controversial debate the Council was successful in reaching a political agreement on the recast of the directive on industrial emissions (Integrated Pollution Prevention Control) by qualified majority. Whilst some delegations asked for more environmental ambition than the Presidency compromise, in particular in order to be able to respect air quality legislation or were against further flexibility, a greater number of delegations insisted on more flexibility in implementation regarding time limited or specific derogations from the standards for existing plants. The final Presidency compromise was modified in several areas in order to increase flexibility for Member States during implementation. Modifications included: (i) specific derogation for combustion plants in small isolated systems and for certain plants that started operation before end 1986; (ii) minimum desulphurisation rate of 95% for plants firing oil shale; (iii) 5 year period after the publication of an updated BREF for reconsidering permits; (iv) transitional national plans applicable until end 2020; and (v) higher thresholds for recovery installations. The Commission supported the agreement which, even if it is less ambitious compared to its original proposal, constitutes an important step forward in terms of industrial emissions control. Furthermore the Presidency presented a progress report on the Directive for establishing a framework for the protection of soils, stating that this should take into account existing instruments and provide a common basis for protection.  The Council adopted Council conclusions responding to the Commission's Green Paper on bio-waste. The debate confirmed the diverging views of delegations on the need for specific EU legislation in that area. The Commission is invited to present, if appropriate, a legislative proposal in 2010 (after having completed the ongoing impact assessment). The Council adopted conclusions on a mid-term assessment of implementing the EU Biodiversity Action Plan and towards an EU Strategy on invasive alien species. For details please consult the http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/envir/108752.pdf homepage.

The 2945th Council meeting Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research), Brussels, 28-29 May 2009

The Council held a debate on an integrated approach to a competitive and sustainable industrial policy in the EU. The Council examined the progress in the implementation of the Small Business Act for Europe initiative, following a presentation by the Commission. Ministers for competitiveness also discussed on ongoing negotiations aimed at establishing a Community patent and a unified patent litigation system. The Council adopted a Resolution on European Space Policy, approved by the Space Council at its 6th meeting. The Council reached political agreement on a draft regulation establishing a legal framework applicable to a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). It also adopted conclusions on (i) evaluation and impact assessment of European Research Framework Programmes; (ii) research infrastructures and the regional dimension of the European Research Area and (iii) the first steps towards the realisation of the European Research Area (Vision 2020). For details please check the http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/intm/108158.pdf homepage.

The 2929th Council meeting Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research), Brussels, 5 and 6 March 2009

The Council adopted a "key issues paper" on competitiveness and conclusions on the review of the single market, in preparation for the next Spring European Summit. The Council also adopted conclusions in support of the automotive industry. In the field of research, the Council held debates on the future of the European Research Area (ERA) and on research infrastructures. For details please check the http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/intm/106538.pdf homepage

EuroNanoForum 2009: Nanotechnology for Sustainable Economy. European and International Forum on Nanotechnology, 2-5 June 2009, Prague, Czech Republic

EuroNanoForum 2009 was the fourth conference of a set of international nanotechnology conferences organized within the framework of national Presidencies of the European Union. It was a 4-day conference taking place from 2nd to 5th of June 2009, at the Prague Congress Centre, as an official event of the Czech Presidency and with the support of the Industrial Technologies Programme of  the European Commission. Focusing on “Nanotechnology for sustainable economy”, EuroNanoForum 2009 well addressed the contribution and challenges of nanotechnology research for a sustainable development of European industry and society, such as the need for reduction in carbon emissions and fossil fuels dependence, the substantial increase in energy demand, pollution control, clean water management and sustainable quality of life of the European citizen, as well as material production sustainability and efficiency. Nanotechnology presents many opportunities and challenges that have to be analyzed at international level through a safe, responsible and integrated approach. By addressing the state-of-the art of key application areas of nanotechnology research and development, the Forum created a unique opportunity for researchers and industrial experts coming from diverse fields of science and technology to meet, discuss and co-operate, and to contribute to the definition of a European nanotechnology strategy after 2009. In addition to the different sessions, the thematic workshops, and the poster exhibition with award attribution, an industrial exhibition did show the state-of-the-art of the implementation of nanotechnology into industrial products. An exhibition of the nanoTruck (www.nanotruck.de) on the theme "nanoTruck – High Tech from the Nanocosmos” (provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) was presented the NanoTruck exhibition during the conference. For more information please check the http://www.euronanoforum2009.eu/  homepage of the forum

Green Week 2009: Climate change – act and adapt. European Commission's Conference, Charlemagne Building, Brussels, 23-26 June 2009

With a new international climate agreement due to be finalised at the Copenhagen conference in December, climate change was the natural focus for the European Commission's Green Week 2009 conference. Under the slogan 'act and adapt', Green Week, the biggest annual conference devoted to European environment policy, examined the multi-faceted challenges of reducing EU and global greenhouse gas emissions and of adapting to the climate change. Eight of the sessions tried to come up with a realistic vision of how a low-carbon world in 2050 would look. Commission President José Manuel Barroso gave the keynote speech at the closing session on 26 June, including a look ahead at prospects for the Copenhagen agreement. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "With the Copenhagen conference coming up, 2009 has the potential to go down in history as a turning point in the battle to prevent climate change from reaching dangerous levels and causing human misery on a vast scale. Green Week’s comprehensive programme will enable participants to share knowledge about a wide range of aspects of the climate challenge that policy-makers, economic operators and society in general need to be addressing now.” The climate change has been approached under four headings: EU climate change policies; the international dimension; living with climate change; and '2050 vision: a carbon-free society.' The programme comprised 36 conference sessions, some organised in partnership with the Brussels think-tank Friends of Europe, plus a small number of additional side sessions. The broad spectrum of issues that were covered includes implementation of the EU climate and energy package, the impact of climate change on employment and social cohesion, how biodiversity can adapt to climate change, 'greening' the economy, the challenge for agriculture, the international security dimension and latest developments in carbon capture and storage. On 24 June the five "Best of the Best" LIFE-Environment projects for 2008-2009 and the five "Best of the Best" LIFE-Nature projects for 2007-2008 were presented and received awards. The winning LIFE-Environment projects are from Denmark, Luxembourg, Italy (2) and the UK, while the LIFE-Nature projects are from Spain, Finland (2), Hungary and Greece. More information on the http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/bestprojects/best2008-2009/index.htm (LIFE-Environment) and http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/bestprojects/bestnat2007-2008/index.htm (LIFE-Nature) is available. For further information on the Conference please check the Green Week web site at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/greenweek/home.html.

Joint Information Day on Research PPPs. Charlemagne Building, Brussels, Belgium, 13th July 2009

As part of the European Economic Recovery Plan, the Commission is launching three Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in close cooperation with industry on "Factories of the Future", "Energy-efficient Buildings" and "Green Cars" to provide EUR 3.2 billion of support for long-term "smart" research investment in the manufacturing, construction and automotive sectors. To meet the need for a rapid start-up, the initiatives will be implemented in the first instance through a series of cross-thematic Coordinated Calls under the Work Programme 2010 between the relevant FP7 themes. The total European Commission budget in 2010 for these calls is € 268 million. The Calls are planned to be published in July 2009, with the first research projects expected to start in the spring of 2010. In order to support the preparation of proposals, the Directorates General for Research, Information Society and Energy and Transport of the European Commission are holding a Joint Information Day on Research PPPs on 13 July 2009 in Brussels, in the Charlemagne building (rue de la Loi 170). The Info Day may also help participants to get in contact with other potential proposers and possible project partners. Furthermore the possibility is given to present his/her own project idea. A preliminary agenda of the event and more information about this networking/brokerage opportunity can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/index_en.html. For registration to this event, please visit: https://rpid09.regware.be.
 

Networking Event in the field of water management and sanitation Europe – Africa – EECA. FFG - Austrian Research Promotion Agency, Vienna, Austria, 16-17 September 2009

In order to continue dialogue between Europe, Africa and EECA on networking and cooperation the International Workshop will be organised in Vienna in mid-September this year. The Workshop in the frame of FP6 Project INT-ER-LINK aims to disseminate the project results, and to facilitate networking with R&D and development cooperation players from Member States, Associated Candidate Countries, African and EECA Countries with focus on water management and sanitation. The second day will be a brokerage event on water research in the EU-FP7. Following the joint Africa-EU strategy (2007) the Environment Directorate of DG Research plans to launch a cross thematic ‘Africa call’ (with the deadline beginning of 2010). The Brokerage Event in the frame of FP7 Project ENV-NCP-TOGETHER aims to initiate competitive proposals for the upcoming calls of the EU Framework Programme in the field of water management and sanitation and to help lift the barriers for cooperation between Europe and Africa and between research organisations and companies. For further information please visit the http://www.b2match.com/watervienna09 homepage.

Environment Information Days including Information Day for the Africa Call. Centre Borschette, Brussels, 17-18 September 2009

(1st announcement)

The European Commission DG RTD Directorate I: Environment organises Environment Information Days in Brussels on 17-18 September. On the first day at the plenary session general introduction will be presented on the FP7-ENV-2010 Call followed by introductions on sub-activities and on eligibility criteria and evaluation. In the afternoon several parallel sessions will be organised to introduce and discuss details of the Themes. The second day is dedicated to the FP7-Africa-2010 call which is jointly implemented by Themes "Health", "Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology" and "Environment (including climate change)" of the FP7 Cooperation Programme. At the morning plenary session the rationale for this call, its modalities for implementation and the various topics will be presented. In the afternoon parallel sessions the specific topics of each Theme will be further discussed and participants will be allowed to present "flash" presentations related to project ideas. Further details on the Environment Information Days will be published in the next issue of the Newsletter. Please, book the dates in your Calendar!

From research to business. Annual Conference of the Forest-based Industry Technology Platform, Stockholm, 9-11 November 2009

This is the 6th FTP conference since the start of the Forest-based sector Technology Platform. As it is almost a year and a half since the last conference, it will offer a meeting point for the sector as well as an excellent possibility for networking. From research to business is the theme for the FTP Conference 2009 in Stockholm. A large number of fruitful results from research will be presented. Many of the results are already being used or are close to be implemented by companies and can offer the new possibilities you are looking for. In difficult times it is even more important to realise the possibilities  that research can offer to successful innovation and for enhanced businesses. The conference will run on Monday and Tuesday November 9-10 with a welcome reception on Sunday evening (November 8th) and possibilities of interesting study tours on Wednesday 11th. The Conference is open for registration through the http://www.nra-sweden.se/NRAStartPage____8374.aspx?epslanguage=EN homepage

WATEC 09: The 2nd International Conference and the 5th International Water Technologies & Environmental Control Exhibition, Tel Aviv, Israel, 17-19 November 2009

The conference and exhibition "WATEC 09" is the international showcase of technologies, products, and services to support a sustainable economy. With water and energy challenges at the top of the global agenda, "WATEC 09" features compelling solutions and proven, practical applications in areas such as water and energy efficiency, water quality, desalination, and water supply. Hosting participants from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and Australia, the exhibition is a unique opportunity to discover the latest innovations from start-up businesses, established companies, and researchers that can help drive private and public initiatives and accelerate results. For more info please contact the http://www.watec-israel.com/index.php homepage

Ex-post Impact Assessment FP6 sub-priority “Global Change and Ecosystems”

by the Technopolis Ltd., Brighton, UK. ISBN 978-92-79-11772-5; DOI 10.2777/64857

With a foreword by Manuela Soares, Director of the Directorate I: Environment at the European Commission DG Research the Ex-post Impact Assessment of the FP6 sub-priority “Global Change and Ecosystems” has been published. This report highlights the main achievements of selected projects funded by the European Union (EU) under the 6th Framework Programme (FP6). It also points out the challenges ahead for FP7 and future Framework Programmes. The study (which was carried out by an independent consultant, the Technopolis Ltd.) shows many positive scientific, social and operational impacts of EU funded research in the field of environment. The publication is downloadable at the research homepage of the EU  http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/pdf/880final_report_assessement.pdf

TECHNEAU: Safe drinking Water from the Source to Tap. State of the Art & Perspectives. Edited by Theo van der Hoven and Christian Kazner

IWA publishing, pp 469, ISBN: 1843392755, ISBN13: 9781843392750

The best papers from the three-day conference on Safe Drinking Water from Source to Tap June 2009 in Maastricht are published in this book covering the themes of challenges of the water sector and adaptive strategies, treatment, distribution, risk assessment and risk management, sensors and monitoring, small scale systems, simulation, alternative water supply & sources, consumer involvement, and future drinking water. Worldwide, the water supply sector is facing tremendous challenges. Ever new emerging contaminants and pathogens and aging infrastructures that are vulnerable for deliberate contamination pose a threat to the quality of water supplies. Shortage of good quality and readily treatable resources is increasing due to global warming, urbanisation and pollution from agriculture and industry. Regulators and consumers are becoming more demanding. "TECHNEAU", the largest European project on drinking water addresses these challenges by developing adaptive supply system options and new and improved treatment and monitoring technologies. Future system options to be studied are flexible, small scale and multi-source supplies, utilising non conventional resources like brackish ground water, treated wastewater and urban groundwater. Online shopping is possible trough the http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392750 homepage

Climate Change Adaptation in the Water Sector edited By Fulco Ludwig, Pavel Kabat, Henk van Schaik and Michael van der Valk

EARTHSCAN LTD, pp 304, ISBN 9781844076529

Today's climate variability already has a large impact on water supply and protection. Millions of people are affected every year by droughts and floods. Future climate change is likely to make things worse. Many people within the water sector are aware that climate change is expected to have serious consequences for water resource management, but they are unsure how to incorporate climate information into their management structures. The main purpose of the book is to offer a compendium of specific adaptation strategies for students, water managers and decision makers. The book consists of two parts: the first part describes the general issues and is written mainly by the editors of the book and the second part contains specific case studies. These are drawn from a wide range of contrasting countries, including Australia, Thailand and the Netherlands. On-line shopping is available through the http://www.earthscan.co.uk/?tabid=34059 homepage 

Demonstration Area Catalogue of the 8th European Commission Conference on Sustaining Europe's Cultural Heritage is now available

In the venue of the 8th European Commission Conference on Sustaining Europe's Cultural Heritage entitled "Cultural Heritage Research Meets Practice" (Ljubljana, Slovenia, 10th - 13th November 2008), a demonstration area was organised to present new technological development in the field of cultural heritage research funded at either EC or National level over the last decade. This exhibition included ICT tools, models and sensors, for applications such as identification, diagnosis and damage assessment, preventive conservation and decision support systems, as well as virtual imaging. The main objective of this exhibition was to disseminate and exploit project results with a view to more efficient market acceptance and up take. The catalogue of this exhibition is now available on the website of the Conference: http://www.chresp.eu
 

Quality of bathing water — 2008 bathing season. EEA Report No 6/2009, ISBN 978-92-9167-996-6; ISSN 1725-9177; DOI 10.2800/10411

With the foreword by Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment and Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency the "Quality of bathing water — 2008 bathing season" report of the European Environment Agency has been published. Europe has a huge diversity of beautiful beaches and bathing areas and each year millions of Europeans choose to spend their holidays cooling down by the water and as this year's bathing season approaches, many citizens throughout Europe will be considering where to spend their holidays. It is likely that the current economic climate will have a big impact on the European holiday destinations of this summer, but an equally important factor in our choice of destination should be the quality of the bathing water. The report assesses the bathing water quality in all 27 EU Member States in 2008 and thereby gives an indication of the areas where the quality of bathing is expected to be good this year. Overall in 2008, 96.3 % of Europe's coastal bathing waters and 92% of inland bathing waters met the minimum water quality standards set by the European Bathing Water Directive. This represents an improvement on the 2007 results and is a cause for satisfaction. However, further work is necessary to constantly improve and maintain the quality of bathing waters. The report is downloadable at the http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-bathing/report2009/report.pdf homepage.

FP6 Noah's Ark (011923) project wins Grand Prize at European Heritage Awards 2009

The European Research Project Noah's Ark has been awarded the Grand Prize 2009 in the Category Research at the 7th Annual Cultural Heritage Awards Ceremony in Taormina, Sicily, on 5 June 2009. In announcing the award the jury praised Noah's Ark: “The Jury commends this groundbreaking and high quality research for its ability to clearly demonstrate the risk that climate change poses to Europe’s cultural heritage.  The Jury hopes the Grand Prize to this project will lead to efforts to conduct a pan- European assessment that will be constantly updated”. Present at the Ceremony was Manuela Soares, Director of the Environment Directorate at the Directorate General for Research of the European Commission, under which the Noah's Ark project has been funded. Also present were the Project Coordinator, Cristina Sabbioni, (National Research Council, CNR-ISAC), Peter Brimblecombe (University of East Anglia, UK) and May Cassar (University College London, UK), representing the Partnership. The Noah’s Ark Project, a scientific research project funded by the European Union's 6th Framework Programme on Research (2004-2007), highlighted the potential consequences of climate change for the conservation of cultural heritage, which includes many of the world’s most precious cultural sites. Aptly recalling the efforts by the Biblical Noah, the Noah’s Ark Project determined the distinguishing features of the climate and its changes most critical to monuments, historic buildings and sites, and carried out groundbreaking research to describe and predict the future effects of climate change on Europe’s cultural heritage over the next 100 years. The Noah’s Ark Project has developed a vulnerability atlas and strategic guidance to enable the adaptive management of monuments, historic buildings and sites that are forecast to be threatened by climate change and ensuing disasters. For more information on Noah's Ark: The Noah’s Ark Project. The Awards scheme is organised jointly by the European Commission – Directorate General for Culture - and Europa Nostra, the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage that represents nearly 250 heritage NGOs active in 45 countries across Europe. For further information on the awards and the award schemes please check the website at http://www.europanostra.org/OS/lang_en/index.html (Europa Nostra) and http://ec.europa.eu/culture/news/news2101_en.htm (European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage).
 

FP6 INNOWATECH (036882): Innovative and integrated technologies for the treatment of industrial wastewater

The ongoing European project “INNOWATECH - Innovative and integrated technologies for the treatment of industrial wastewater” started in November 2006 and will be over in March 2010. Its main objectives are: (i) investigating and enhancing the performance of promising industrial wastewater treatment options such as aerobic granulation, advanced oxidation processes combined with biological treatments, membrane contactors and membrane chemical reactors; (ii) Advancing fundamental and technological knowledge; (iii) Assessing the economic and environmental sustainability of the investigated options; (iv) Developing integrated tailor-made solutions for end-users operating for different industrial sectors in wastewater treatment area; (v) Encouraging project’s results implementation for enhancing the competitiveness of the EU Water Industry; (vi) Transferring the developed know-how to potential stakeholders and end-users inside and outside the project. Many deliverables have been accomplished, the latest reports were published on (i) The influence of moderate/high temperatures on aerobic granular sludge at laboratory scale compared with the results from an industrial application; (ii) The effectiveness of SBBGR integrated with ozonation for treating mature municipal landfill leachates; (iii)  The effect of saline effluent conditions upon photo-Fenton degradation performance of industrial pollutants; (iv) Performance data of submerged MCR operation; (vi) Simulations of scenarios for existing and emerging technologies. The new results on innovative technologies (at lab or demonstrative scale), have been evaluated by LCA and LCC analyses comparing the performances of the investigated technologies with those of bench-mark alternatives such as the existing Best Available Technologies (BAT) for each type of industrial wastewater examined in the project. The outcomes of such analyses are presently being used to finalise/optimize the development/performances of the considered innovative technologies. The assessed effectiveness of the developed Sequencing Batch Biofilter Granular Reactor (SBBGR) technology (integrated with ozonation) for treating mature municipal landfill leachate with a sludge production one order of magnitude lower than those featuring the existing alternative conventional technologies is particularly highlighted among the latest results. The final project meeting is scheduled to be held in Ghent (Belgium) on 25th-28th January 2010. During the meeting an open conference, organized jointly with the FP6 EC STREP Project “Neptune - New Sustainable Concepts and Processes for Optimization and Upgrading Municipal Wastewater and Sludge Treatment” (http://www.eu-neptune.org/index) will be held to present the final results of both projects to an expected large audience of potential stakeholders and/or end-users. Additional information concerning INNOWATECH project activities are reported in the project's web-site (http://www.innowatech.org) where an open forum area is available for potential stakeholders and/or end-users.

FP6 EFI+ (044096) : Improvement and Spatial Extension of the European Fish Index

The Water Framework Directive requires fish-based monitoring and assessment of the ecological status of running waters. Within the FP5 project FAME a first version of the European Fish Index (EFI) was developed. Within the follow-up FP6 project EFI+ the EFI was substantially improved. The EFI is based on the concept of Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) and consists of metrics characterising main ecological requirements of riverine fish species. Two separate indices have been developed, one for salmonid (trout-type species) dominated and one for cyprinid (carp-type species) dominated type of fish assemblages taking into account the different ecological needs of headwater and lowland fishes. The EFI employs environmental characteristics of running waters to predict undisturbed reference conditions. The deviation of actual conditions from these reference conditions is used as quantitative measurement for assessing the ecological status. Compared with the old EFI the new EFI covers larger geographical areas in Europe and more precisely detects pressures resulting from various sources such as pollution, channelization, hydro power and continuity disruption. An additional metric, species richness of long distance migrants, complements the new EFI and particularly improves the assessment of continuity disruptions. End-users are able to compute the Index via the web-based software located at http://efi-plus.boku.ac.at. The new EFI now enables a more stable and standardised assessment of the ecological status of running waters in Europe and represents an important tool for the implementation of the WFD. Further research is needed to improve the assessment of special river types such as large floodplain and low gradient rivers or rivers with geographically isolated fish fauna not covered by the EFI so far.

FP6 OSIRIS (037017): Optimized Strategies for Risk Assessment of Industrial Chemicals through Integration of Non-Test and Test Information

The new European regulation concerning the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) requires demonstration of the safe manufacture of chemicals and their safe use throughout the supply chain. All industrial chemicals with market volumes above 1 t/a have to be evaluated regarding their ecotoxicological and toxicological profiles. While REACH is based on the precautionary principle, it includes also the aim to reduce animal testing where possible. The objective of OSIRIS is therefore to develop Integrated Testing Strategies (ITS) fit for REACH that enable to significantly increase the use of non-testing information for regulatory decision making, and thus to minimise the need for animal testing. OSIRIS is an international collaboratory project: 31 partners from 14 European countries work together on the development of a web tool which will be made available to end-users from industry and regulatory authorities for the risk assessment of chemicals. The envisaged decision theory framework includes alternative methods such as chemical and biological read-across, in vitro results including genomics, in vivo information on analogues, qualitative and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs), thresholds of toxicological concern, and exposure-based waiving. A major scientific challenge is to identify, reduce and manage the level of uncertainty, regarding data, methods, models and decision making. To ensure optimal uptake of the results obtained, end-users in industry and regulatory authorities are closely involved in monitoring and in providing specific technical contributions, e.g. by means of Stakeholder Workshops. At the Second OSIRIS Annual Meeting, which took place in March 2009 at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in Bilthoven, The Netherlands, the major results achieved were presented. These included the following achievements: An OSIRIS edition of the ChemProp software with facilities for data-related structure searching and application of QSARs for physico-chemical and ecotoxicological endpoints; a decision tree to identify non-bioaccumulative compounds based on trigger values for certain partition coefficients; databases covering various endpoints, ranging from mutagenicity, carcinogenicity and repeated dose toxicity to reproductive toxicity, and including newly collated data, e.g. toxicity data made available from Russian language sources; first results of an interspecies comparison of toxicity tests (in vitro and omics data); exposure models; new models for prediction of bioaccumulation, regional models for ionisable compounds and for parent compounds and transformation products; a method for cost-effectiveness analysis as decision aid for test selection in the REACH context; ITS building blocks for different endpoints and the prototype of the OSIRIS web tool; and a comparison of two scenarios (experimental vs. estimated properties) with regard to PBT labelling, in order to evaluate the dependence of the outcome on the type of input data used. For more information please contact the http://www.osiris-reach.eu homepage of the project.

FP6 MEDINA (036997): Membrane-Based Desalination: An Integrated Approach

The three years project (started on 15th October 2006) has the aim to improve the overall performance of membrane-based water desalination processes by integrating different membrane operations in the reverse osmosis (RO) pre-treatment and post-treatment stages accordingly to the philosophy of Process Intensification. Since the Second Annual Meeting held in the Negev Desert (Israel) on September 2008 further significant developments have been achieved.

As water characterization tools, a new approach for interpreting FEEM results and new tools for determining the microorganisms content based on biology molecular methods have been proposed. The MFI, MFI-UF, CFS-FI and ks index have been used and compared as particulate/colloidal fouling indicators, whereas the AOC test adapted to seawater conditions and BDOC have been tested as biofouling indicators. The biofouling potential of usual antiscalants has been also investigated. Alternative membrane pre-treatment units, such as MBR, have been investigated at lab scale. A comparison between a conventional granular media filtration pretreatment with pre-coagulation and a low-pressure microfiltration pretreatment, operating side-by-side, was conducted at pilot-scale. The Membrane Fouling Simulator (MFS) was tested at a full-scale RO-installation to determine the fouling potential of the feedwater. Membrane autopsies in combination with water analyses using the above-mentioned tools have been also carried out. Membranes and water samples were collected from several full-scale plants, located at different places in the world, and presenting different raw water qualities and pretreatment . Advanced analytical tools were used for characterizing the membrane deposit in terms of organic matter and microbial content. A laboratory test using micro-organisms attached to a plastic surface, was optimized and applied to assess the cleaning efficacy of chemical agents and sequences of different agents. The efficiency of different chemical cleaning to restore membrane permeability and salt rejection and to remove inorganic components has been studied on membrane samples collected from full-scale plants. Additional tests were performed on 8’’ RO modules collected from a full-scale plant in order to validate the results of chemical cleaning obtained at lab scale. Advanced chemical analysis was used to characterize the foulants before and after the applied cleaning procedure. New microporous hydrophobic hollow fibers have been produced and characterised for Vacuum Membrane Distillation (VMD) tests. Both Membrane Contactor (MC) and Membrane Crystallization (MCr) tests on concentrated brackish waters produced by WAIV units have been performed. The integration of some membrane units as pre-treatment (MF/MC/NF) and post-treatment (MC/MD/MCr) stages has been modelled by a “blocks structure”. A multicriteria analysis as a decision-making tool has been developed to evaluate different desalination intake and pretreatment options under operational and environmental criteria. For further details please visit the http://medina.unical.it/ homepage of the project.

The MEDINA results achieved will be presented at the EU-CHINA Workshop on MEDINA project in Qingdao that will be held in September 2009 at the Academic Exchange Centre of Ocean University of China.

FP6 CAESAR (022674): Computer Assisted Evaluation of industrial chemical Substances According to Regulations 

The aim of the FP6 CAESAR research project is to produce Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship models, so called (Q)SAR models for the prediction of the toxicity of chemical substances. These models can be used for regulatory purposes, more specifically these are scheduled to assist the implementation of the proposed REACH system. The project develops predictive "in-silico" methods, i.e. mathematical models for chemical toxicity. These modelling approaches will contribute to reduce animal testing and its associated costs, in accordance with Council Directive 86/609/EEC. It is estimated that in absence of alternative toxicity testing methods the full implementation of REACH requires about 22 million test animals and costs about 2 billion Euros. Five endpoints addressed within CAESAR are (i) Bio-concentration factor; (ii) Skin sensation; (iii) Mutagenicity; (iv) Carcinogenicity and (v) Developmental toxicity. The project develops five (Q)SAR models for the five endpoints. Clearly defined data sets along with suitable statistical techniques will be exploited to form powerful, innovative and thoroughly validated (Q)SAR models. Each model will be characterised by its statistical uncertainty. The presence of false negative predictions will also be evaluated to reduce the risk of predicting potentially harmful compounds to be non-toxic. The applicability domain of each (Q)SAR will be described, both in terms of its boundaries and density in chemical and biological space. For each (Q)SAR, a detailed protocol will be prepared, describing the standardised models and the quality procedure adopted. The (Q)SAR models developed in this project, and their protocols, will be placed on the project's internet site to allow the widest possible free access. furthermore the project disseminates its results at international workshop and exploitation will be achieved through the involvement of users and regulatory bodies. For more information please visit the website: http://www.caesar-project.eu/

FP7 AdvanceETV (226824): Coordination action on Environmental Technology Verification ETV - Building a framework for international cooperation

AdvanceETV aims to demonstrate that the proposed schemes and protocols for Environmental Technologies Verification systems have the potential to be recognised internationally. Thus the main objective is to develop an international framework for cooperation and mutual recognition by supporting the cooperation of international ETV activities, e.g the International Working Group (IWG). This requires support by joint coordination activities: (i) Providing a European basis for mutual recognition (ii) Coordinating requirements for co-verification and joint verification (iii) Developing a framework for international harmonization. The European basis will be elaborated through integrating previous and on-going European RTD. This is done by bringing together protocols/verification reports out of the FP6 projects, consolidating stakeholder feedback of RTD and EC activities and by integrating experiences out of the CEN workshop agreement (CWA) elaboration and use. To raise awareness on gaps and overlaps of international cooperation a case study workshop on co- and joint verification will be initiated together with U.S. and Canadian partners. To foster recognition by harmonisation a standardisation framework will be identified to prepare the initiation of a standardisation procedure. Cross cutting issue workshops ensure feedback and exchange between these different areas. To bring forward mutual recognition, to support cooperation by co-/joint verification and harmonisation requires a strong link to international ETV activities and the IWG on ETV. A confirmed expert board with ETV system representatives from Canada, U.S., South Korea, Japan and others provides the direct link here. This concept supports the working structure of the CA: focused on a series of conferences, coordinated with international ETV activities, serving as a platform for incremental consolidation of the international framework. Partner institutions: DECHEMA Gesellschaft fuer Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie (DE); IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute Ltd (SE); DHI (DK); European Commission - DG Joint Research Centre (BE); Sachverstaendigen-Buero Dr. Thomas Ertel (DE); Fundación Labein (ES); Environment Agency (UK); STICHTING DELTARES (NL); Instytut Ekologii Terenów Uprzemyslowionych (PL); Ontario Centre For Environmental Technology Advancement (CA); Battelle Memorial Institute (US); Comite Europeen de Normalisation (BE). For further information please contact the Contact Persons through the http://www.epa.gov/etv/pubs/AdvanceETV.pdf homepage

FP7 Twin2Go (226571): Coordinating Twinning partnerships towards more adaptive Governance in river basins

At the beginning of June the new ‘Twin2Go’, the ‘Coordinating Twinning partnerships towards more adaptive Governance in river basins’ project (supported as a coordinated action within the 7th European Framework Programme) has started. Over the past years, the EU has funded several projects that undertook research on specific integrated water resources management (IWRM) issues in case studies carried out on twinned river basins from Europe and from developing countries. The aim of Twin2Go now is to review, assess, synthesize and consolidate the outcomes of these projects in order to make them transferable and applicable to other basins, and to disseminate the project results effectively to relevant authorities, stakeholders and end-users. In order to achieve this aim, Twin2Go will elaborate a methodology that allows comparative analysis and synthesis of the outcomes of the diverse projects. The consolidated outcomes will feed into best practice guidelines for the adoption and implementation of sustainable water resources management plans. To ensure up-take of the research results in water resources management practice and political decision making, all synthesis activities will involve stakeholders from the projects and basins and synthesis results will be effectively disseminated to all relevant levels of target groups including high level decision makers in water policy. In its effort, Twin2Go will focus its activities on the thematic priority ‘adaptive water governance in the context of climate change’ and cluster past and ongoing twinning projects along their target regions (Latin America, Africa, NIS, South and South East Asia). Through its co-ordinating activities, Twin2Go will bring together participants and lead partners from past and ongoing projects as well as international water networks. This will allow increasing the output and benefit of ongoing research by consolidating results, exploiting synergies and thus build up the critical mass that will promote uptake of research results and reaching audiences at a higher level of decision making. Partner Institutions: Institute of Environmental Systems Research - University of Osnabrück (DE); Adelphi Research (DE); VITUKI - Environmental Protection and Water Management Research Institute (HU); Soresma NV (BE); DHI (DK); Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (DE); Independent Non-commercial Organization Environmental Policy Research and Consulting (RU); Chiang Mai University (TH).

FP7 PERFECTION  (212998):  Coordination action for performance indicators for health, comfort and safety of the indoor environment

PERFECTION is a coordination action for which the main objective is the development of a framework and a set of indicators concerning the overall quality of the indoor environment of buildings. The main focus is on issues such as comfort, health and safety, but also accessibility, positive stimulation of people and sustainability will be covered. The long-term aim of PERFECTION is to help enabling the application of new building design and technologies that improve the impact of the indoor built environment on the human well being. The project concept consists of the following components: (i) the inventory of current standards, regulations, technologies and ongoing and recent research activities and policies related with optimal indoor environment; (ii) analysis of current indoor performance indicators and their applicability positioned within a generic framework, and identifying areas where new indicators for health and safety should be developed; (iii) experiences from use cases of building design and technologies exploiting the indicators in different building types; (iv) identification of incentives and barriers for the wide use of performance indicators; (v) a roadmap and recommendations for building design and technologies, and support for policies; (vi) a wide dissemination of findings through an extensive expert network. The project started on the 1st January 2009 and will run for 3 years. The kickoff meeting took place in Brussels on 10-11 February 2009. A first open workshop is scheduled for the end of 2009, and will take place in Poland. Partner Institutions: Belgian Building Reseach Institute (BE); Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus (FI); Apintech Ltd (GR); Czech Technical University in Prague (CZ); Association pour la Recherche et le Développement des Méthodes et Processus Industriels (FR); Bauphysikbüro Prof. Kornadt und Partner (DE); Interdisciplinary Center for Technological Analysis and Forecasting (IL); Istituto Superiore sui Sistemi Territoriali per l'Innovazione (IT); Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (NL); ASM Centrum Badan i Analiz Rynku sp. Z O.O. (PL); Building Research Establishment (UK). More information will be available on the project website http://www.ca-perfection.eu or upon request to the coordinator: perfection@bbri.be.

FP7 MUSECORR (226539): Protection of cultural heritage by real-time corrosion monitoring

There are many factors affecting air corrosivity, but it is only the temperature and sometimes the relative humidity that are controlled and monitored in indoor premises where valuable and culturally significant objects are stored or displayed. Additional anti-corrosion measures are usually applied only when often-irreplaceable historical objects have already been affected. Information on the actual corrosivity of the atmosphere is crucial to effective corrosion protection and there is a strong need for professionals active in the protection of cultural heritage to have a tool enabling real-time assessment of the air corrosivity. In a project financed within FP6, prototypes of loggers for continuous measurement of the corrosion rate of selected technical metals in atmospheric conditions were developed. The electronic unit measures and records changes in the electrical resistance of a thin metal track applied on an insulating substrate. The developed concept offers several important advantages, such as on-line and real-time monitoring, small size, easy replaceable metal sensors, remote data access, and automatic data delivery via e-mail. The main objectives of the present project that will allow for the application of the logger in the cultural heritage sphere are: (1) To develop new sensors such as silver, lead, and metal alloys simulating more closely historical materials. (2) To improve currently available sensors by decreasing the metal layer thickness to 50–500 nm to provide higher sensitivity. (3) To improve the electronic part of the logger with new measurement ranges, a universal communication interface, and better water-tightness. (4) To adapt the electronic logger and software for single measurements on sensors exposed separately. (5) To develop software that provides user-friendly data handling and makes data interpretation simple by referring to available standards or recommendations. Partner Instritutions: Institut de la Corrosion SAS (FR); Vysoka skola chemicko-technologicka, Praha (CZ); Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. (DE); nke SA (FR); Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (FR); Schweizerische Landesmuseen (CH); Nationalmuseet Denmark (DK). For more information call the Contact person through the ttp://pagesperso-orange.fr/institut-corrosion/brochure/musecorrsurveysimplified.pdf

FP7 UMBRELLA (226870): Using MicroBes for the REgulation of heavy metaL mobiLity at ecosystem and landscape scAle: an integrative approach for soil remediation by geobiological processes

The overall goal of UMBRELLA is to use microorganisms to develop cost-efficient and sustainable measures for soil remediation at heavy metal contaminated sites throughout Europe. This will be facilitated by research in microbiology, plant uptake and (hydro)geochemistry centres on the study of microbial influence on metal biogeochemical cycles and their impact for use in soil and water protection. The technologies developed provide a speed-up of existing bioremediation techniques and will provide a tool-box to end-users with microbes for remediation actions in different European climatic, geological and biological setting which will allow low-cost, sustainable, on-site bioremediation of metal contaminations. At the same time, the introduction of a concerted, internationalized education of interdisciplinary trained PhD students across Europe will ascertain a long-lasting, sustainable education profile with relevance to soil remediation. The involvement of government agencies is focussing on the possibility to provide governments with fused guidelines for soil and water protection in a way that overcomes the practises of separated agencies by focussing on ecotoxicological risks resulting from metal contamination on-site as well as by transport through water paths in ground water and international water ways. Dissemination of results will be ensured by international congresses and publications. The management of an integrative, multi-partner consortium ensures the applicability by combination of eight sites across Europe in one modelling approach which will cover Northern, Southern, Middle and Eastern European sites to guarantee future applicability across Europe. Partner Institutions: Friedrich-Schiller-Universtät Jena (DE); Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia el’Ambiente (IT); Bangor University (UK); Luleå University of Technology (SE); University of Bucharest (RO); Jagiellonian University (PL); University of Vienna (AT); Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. (DE); Örebro University (SE); University of Valladolid (ES); University of Cagliari (IT); University of Wales Aberystwyth (UK); Kwazar Corporation Sp. z o.o. (PL)

FP7 WreckProtect (226225): Strategies for the protection of shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea against forthcoming attack by wood degrading marine borers. A synthesis and information project based on the effects of climatic changes

Today the Baltic sea is a brackish marine environment, enclosing a unique well preserved historical collection of wooden shipwrecks and settlements. These objects and constructions are protected from aggressive marine borer due to the low salinity in the waters, and therefore it is one of the few localities in the world where historical shipwrecks are found so intact and available for historical research. There are however strong indications, showed by the EU- MOSS project, that the marine borer Teredo spp is spreading into this area. If we are not able to protect the cultural heritage, these objects will be lost within a relatively short time due to the aggressiveness of the marine borers. A strategy to handle this alarming scenario, is to provide the museums and conservators responsible for long term preservation of cultural heritage, with tools for predicting the spread of marine borers, and efficient methods for protection of the wreck, when the degradation is established. The WreckProtect project will therefore develop two guidelines synthesised on currently available information: 1. The prediction of marine borer attack in marine waters 2. The protection of wrecks in situ. These guidelines will be applicable to other European marine waters outside the Baltic. The WreckProtect project is consequently a cross-disciplinary coordination action involving partners with expertise within geographical information systems, marine archaeology, marine biology, wood microbiology and conservation. These experts will through meetings and networking exchange knowledge and synthesise it into practical tools and methods in the form of guidelines that will be disseminated in a joint action for the European managers of underwater cultural heritage. A seminar, workshop and training course on practical in situ preservation of shipwreck will be organised during the project, and the guidelines will be published in international scientific journals and a monograph. Partner Institutions: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE);The National Museum of Denmark (DK); Rijksdienst voor Archeologie Cultuurlandschap en Monumenten (NL); Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (DK); Göteborg University (SE); The Viking Ship Museum (DK)

FP7 ZeroWIN (226752): Towards Zero Waste in Industrial Networks

The first work package will define a common vision on zero-waste entrepreneurship within the first 6 months. The mythos Individual Producer Responsibility will be investigated if it can become the all-healing-solution in electronics industry as well as how this concept can be applied to other industrial sectors. WP2 concentrates on new technological developments, WP3 on waste prevention methodologies and strategies and WP4 will adapt existing software tools supporting waste prevention. All this knowledge will be then formalised into an innovative production model for resource-use optimisation and waste prevention in WP5. This preparatory work will enable the 9 industrial case studies in Work package 6 that forms the core of the ZeroWIN project with more than half of the total budget. These case studies will be used to prove that the ZeroWIN approach can meet at least 2 of the stringent targets of the call. WP7 closely monitors and validates the improvements by quantitative assessment. WP 8 investigates the implications to policy and formulates recommendations. Finally WP9 will disseminate the results of ZeroWIN as broad as possible and WP10 ensures the efficient operation of the ZeroWIN project. By concentrating on industrial networks in the automotive, construction, electronics and photovoltaic industries ZeroWIN will address nearly 3 million companies (of which 80% are SMEs) with more than 2,8 trillion € turnover and a value creation of more than 800 billion € with more than 20 million employees creating about 40% or more than 400 million tons of industrial waste using as much as 50% of all materials extracted from the earth´s crust generating about 40% of all energy use and about 35% of all greenhouse gas emissions. The ZeroWIN consortium has 29 partners from 10 countries (AT, DE, ES, FR, HU, IE, PL, PT, RO, UK), dominated by industry - 3 large companies (one of which is the electronics cluster in the Basque region) and 13 SMEs. Partner institutionss: Austrian Society for Systems Engineering and Automation (AT); Asociación de Industrias de las Tecnologías Electronicas y de la Información del País Vasco (ES); Bauserve GmbH (DE); BIO Intelligence Service (FR); Centro de Estudos, Informação e Formação para o Ambiente (PT); Flection Germany GmbH (DE); Fundación Gaiker (ES); S.C. Greentronics Srl (RO); Hewlett Packard Ltd (UK); Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (FR); Institute for Economic Promotion of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber; Wirtschaftsförderungsinstitut - International Know-how Transfer (AT); MicroPro Multimedia Computer Systems Ltd. (IE); PE International GmbH (DE); Remade South-East Ltd. (UK); Saft S.A. (FR); Technische Universität Berlin (DE); The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (HU); Trama TecnoAmbiental S.L. (ES); Tricom GmbH (DE); United Nations University - Vice Rectorate for Europe (DE); University College for the Creative Arts (UK); University of Limerick (IE); Universität für Bodenkultur Wien - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (AT); University of Southampton (UK); UP Umweltanalytische Produkte GmbH (DE); VfJ Werkstätten GmbH (DE); WAMECO S.C. Ryszard szpadt, Wojciech Gornikowski (PL); Wilding Butler Construction Ltd (UK); Wroclaw University of Technology (PL)

Outcomes of the joint call of FP7 ENV-NMP-2002-2

The joint call ENV-NMP-2008-2 on nanotechnologies for water treatment, with an indicative budget of around EUR 10 millions, had been published on 30 November 2007 and closed on 25 February 2008 (OJ Reference: OJ C288 of 30 November 2007). The aim of this action was to support research and technological development in the field of water treatment by applying developed or adapted nano-engineered materials to promising separation, purification and/or detoxification technologies. Proposals had to focus on process intensification aiming at improving selectivity, robustness, stability and performance while reducing energy requirements and by-product generation. As an outcome of this call, five new FP7 collaborative projects have recently kicked-off their activities in the period May-June 2009. These projects that will run till 2012 are expected to develop innovative and cost-efficient water treatment technologies benefiting from progress and advances made in nanosciences, materials and technologies. They should deliver step-change advances in water treatment technologies and help strengthening European competitiveness in the water sector.

FP7 CLEANWATER (227017) aims at developing developing photocatalitic active membranes capable to exploit solar energy for improved detoxificatioon of water streams (including cyanobacterial toxins, pesticides and endocrine disrupting compounds).

FP7 MONOCAT (226347) aims at producing flow-through catalyst units for the reduction of nitrates, bromates, and perchlorates and for the oxidation of a range of organic pollutants including pesticides and endocrine disruptors.

FP7 NAMETECH (226791) aims at enhancing membranes permeability, resistance and stability while reducing their vulnerability to fouling by incorporating nanoparticles and nano-engineered material for water treatment applications.

FP7 NEW ED (227004) aims at developing nanoporous bipolar membranes for remediation of highly saline industrial waste water streams through electrodialysis.

FP7 WATERMIM (226524) aims at producing highly selective "molecularly imprinted" membranes by first including and then removing target substances, so that these membranes are structured with nanosized pores that will preferentially take up target substances.