Newsletter - Environmental Technologies Research

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is the biggest piece of water legislation that ever saw the light in Europe. It is also the first directive in the environmental domain where economics plays such an important role in the decision-making processes related to its implementation. It is an integral part of the river basin analysis and a means to an end: reaching the environmental WFD objectives through the adoption of economic principles, analysis and instruments. However, knowledge and information about the interaction between water and economics is very limited. Implementation of the WFD raises a number of questions, especially in relation to environmental and resource costs. In order to clarify the economic meanings like environmental and resource costs and cost recovery, DG Research funded the AQUAMONEY project under the EU's 6th Framework Programme for Research. The project (its consortium consisted of 16 partners from 13 different EU Member States and Norway) has been finished at the end of 2009. The main objective of the project was to develop further guidelines for the economic valuation of environmental and resource costs and benefits related to water use and services in the economic analysis underpinning the WFD. The guidelines address key methodological issues in water resource valuation, including the use and transferability of existing economic values with the help of GIS based value maps. The guidelines provide particularly more guidance on the assessment of the non-market welfare implications of WFD implementation, including an extensive list of water ecosystem goods and services and associated socio-economic benefits provided by the WFD. Typically, the necessary investment costs in water management are relatively well-known, but not the socio-economic values generated by water quality improvements.

The guidelines were tested in 13 different EU Member States in practical case studies organized around the three main WFD related water management issues across north, south, east and west Europe: (i) Improvement of water quality to good chemical and ecological status (Humber catchment (UK), International Scheldt river basin (NL, BE), Morsa catchment (NO), Neris river basin (LT), Odense river basin (DK), Upper Rhine river basin (FR), Guadalquivir river basin (SP); (ii) Ecological restoration of heavily modified water bodies (in the international Danube river basin in AT, HU, RO) and (iii) Water allocation and conservation under climate change and increasing water scarcity conditions (Serpis river basin (SP), Guadalquivir river basin (SP), Po river basin (IT), Lesvos catchment (GR). Two of these case studies addressed water management issues in an international river basin context: the Danube (AT, HU, RO) and the Scheldt (NL, BE). The Humber is the largest catchment in the UK and the Danube the second largest river basin is in Europe and heavily modified in the past centuries and decades for hydropower and navigation. The Scheldt and Odense river basins were pilot river basins under the WFD Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) at the time of the project start.

The context-specific water management conditions were translated into a common research design with the help of water experts and stakeholders (hydrologists, ecologists, water managers, sector representatives from agriculture and nature conservation) to accommodate and facilitate cross-country comparisons. Much time and effort in the practical testing of the guidelines went into the development of common, practically applicable water quality and environmental flow ladders across EU member states together with water scientists, translating the WFD objectives into goods and services and explaining what good water status means for different groups of water users and nonusers. The guidelines will be made available online at the project’s website: www.aquamoney.org. Here also more information is available for policymakers in the form of policy briefs.

Prof. Dr. Roy Brouwer, Guest Editor, Coordinator of the FP6 AQUAMONEY project
Department of Environmental Economics, Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Recently there is no open call in the field of environmental technologies research under the umbrella of the European Union's 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Developments and Demonstration (FP7). The next call is scheduled to be published in late July this year based on the Work Programme 2011 of the FP7, coming soon.

The European Commission and the European Environment Agency have established a new European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR), what is the new Europe-wide register that provides easily accessible key environmental data from industrial facilities in European Union Member States and in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It replaces and improves upon the previous European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER). The new register contains data reported annually by some 24,000 industrial facilities covering 65 economic activities across Europe. For each facility, information is provided concerning the amounts of pollutant releases to air, water and land as well as off-site transfers of waste and of pollutants in waste water from a list of 91 key pollutants including heavy metals, pesticides, greenhouse gases and dioxins for the year 2007. Some information on releases from diffuse sources is also available and will be gradually enhanced. The register contributes to transparency and public participation in environmental decision-making. It implements for the European Community the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) PRTR Protocol to the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. More information and downloads are available at the http://prtr.ec.europa.eu/ homepage of the facility.

European researchers' mobility and careers. The conclusions of the Council Competitiveness (Brussels, 2 March 2010)

The Council Competitiveness adopted conclusions on "European researchers' mobility and careers" at its meeting in Brussels on 2 March 2010 welcoming the consultation launched by the Commission on the future "EU 2020 Strategy", which emphasises achieving a “genuine European Knowledge Area, underpinned by a world-class knowledge infrastructure, in which all actors (students, teachers, researchers, education and research institutions and enterprises) benefit from the free circulation of people, knowledge and technology (the fifth freedom)”. The Council stressed the crucial role that achieving the European Research Area and in particular the “fifth freedom” should have in the new EU 2020 Strategy. The Council underlined the importance of strong cooperation among research, education and innovation, strengthening the intersectoral mobility, where the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is expected to demonstrate how the new generation of researchers can be equipped with the right skills to be able to turn best ideas into new business opportunities. The Council Competitiveness agreed that a fresh impetus is needed to design and implement concrete actions to be taken by the European Union and the Member States in those areas already identified as requiring urgent action for promoting mobility, better working conditions, and improved careers of researchers, with special attention to those issues which are related to age and gender aspects. In this respect, five areas have been identified for which specific action is required: (i) Provision to individual researchers of information on social security rights in case of trans-national mobility; (ii) Solutions for social security needs of researchers; (iii) Address the issue of supplementary pensions for researchers; (iv) Apply the common principles of flexicurity to research careers; and (v) Contribution to the 'new skills for new jobs' agenda. Further to the actions identified the Council invited the Commission and the Member States to reflect on the feasibility of any additional legal, normative or administrative instruments that could help to remove the barriers to, or foster researchers' mobility, including those identified in the ERA Expert Group paper on “Realising a single market for Researchers” and in the report of the European Parliament on “Cross-border Mobility of Young Researchers”. Furthermore, the Council invited the Commission to identify any specific shortcomings at European level in relation to coordination of Social Security schemes between Member States which may hinder mobility or have a negative impact on the employment or on the career of researchers, and to propose appropriate actions. Finally, the Council requested these conclusions to be also duly taken into account in the framework of the adoption and implementation of the new EU 2020 Strategy. The full text of the conclusion is available at the http://www.euraxess.rs/uploads/articles/euraxess_rs_council_of_the_eu_100309_mobility_06833_1_en.pdf website.

IWA Conference on Sustainable Solutions for Small Water and Wastewater Treatment Systems (S2Small2010). Girona, Catalonia, Spain, 19-22 April 2010.

The S2Small2010 Conference will be organised under the auspices of IWA Specialist Groups Small Water and Wastewater Systems (Small) and Resources-Oriented Sanitation (EcoSan). The Small Systems Conference was held in Exeter (UK, 2000), then in Istanbul (Turkey, 2002), followed by Perth (Australia, 2004), Mexico DF (Mexico, 2006) and Coimbatore (India, 2008). Now the international IWA SG conference on Small Systems comes back to Europe as a joint conference with the IWA SG on Resources-Oriented Sanitation (EcoSan). Thus, the Girona conference is being presented as a joint conference of the 9th IWA Specialised Group conference on “Small Water and Wastewater Systems” and the 2nd IWA Specialised Group conference on “Resources-Oriented Sanitation” (EcoSan). The main objective of the conference is to jointly discuss recent aspects related to sustainable solutions for small water and wastewater systems (SWWS) within a framework of sharing experiences from the scientific, engineering, operation and governance points of view within an international scope. The main focus of the conference will be those explained in the proposed themes. Joint discussion of several of them will be highly welcome, especially those involving a sustainable point of view of the treatment in the area of technological applications for both developing and industrialised countries. The conference will generate a set of proceedings that include the abstracts of oral and poster presentations. The state-of-the-art for current uses and novel processes for further development and future application will be presented at S2Small2010. For further information and registration please contact the Conference homepage: http://s2small2010.udg.edu/iwa/

Water Africa 2010 and West Africa Building & Construction. Exhibition and Seminars, Abuja International Conference Centre, Abuja, Nigeria, 28-30 April 2010

The Water Africa 2010 and West Africa Building & Construction Exhibition will be returning to Nigeria in 2010, taking place in Abuja on 28-30 April 2010. Exhibitors from all over the world will be showing the latest products and services for the water and wastewater engineering market. Participation in the West Africa Building & Construction exhibition, which has run since the year 2000, will ensure that exhibitors reach the key decision-makers from federal and state water ministries, as well as contractors and consultants working in the sector. Though the short-term prospects for infrastructure construction in Nigeria have suffered the same dip as the rest of the world, its long-term viability looks as good as ever. Thus Business Monitor International is forecasting growth returning robustly in 2011 with its total value rising from an estimated NGN 413 billion this year (US$ 3.6 billion). Running alongside West Africa Building & Construction 2010 will be the Water Africa 2010 Exhibition. Information on this event is available in a separate brochure. West Africa Building & Construction 2010 is organised by ACE Event Management, a United Kingdom company, which is also organising the accompanying exhibition Water Africa 2010. Exhibitors at West Africa Building & Construction 2010 will be able to take part in the accompanying seminar programme, which will be run in co-ordination with the Federal Ministry of Works, Housing & Urban Development. Places in the seminar programme will be limited and priority will be given to registered exhibitors. The programme will provide an ideal opportunity for exhibitors to get to know the problems and needs of the sector in West Africa, and to provide information on their products and services to a large number of delegates, some of whom will be invited by the Ministry and local NGOs, and some by the exhibitors themselves. For more information and registration please visit the http://www.ace-events.com/events.php?id=5 webpage.

Science Meets Policy. JRC Exhibition, European Parliament Spinelli Building, Espace Distribution, 3rd floor, Brussels, Belgium, 4 - 6 May 2010

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) will host an exhibition in the European Parliament, where leading scientists from the JRC Institutes will be on hand to demonstrate and discuss with MEPs and visitors how the research work at the JRC supports European Union decision makers in the conception, development, implementation and assessment of EU policies. The exhibition of the JRC activities will take place in the "Espace Distribution" on the third floor of the EP’s Spinelli Building from 4 - 6 May 2010. Decision makers need scientific and technical support not only in the formulation of new policies, but also on their subsequent implementation and final impact evaluation. The JRC has developed special skills and tools to use science for providing and assessing policy options. The event will offer the possibility to the MEPs to gain first-hand knowledge of the JRC's activities, which closely reflect the concern of the citizen, particularly in such areas as energy, environment, nuclear safety and security, security and crisis management as well as consumer protection and food safety. During the exhibition, visitors will be able to experience what the JRC is doing and discuss with JRC scientists about their scientific work and its relevance to the Community decision-making process. The opening of the exhibition will take place on 4 May at 18:30 in the presence of the new Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. For more information please visit the http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=2470&obj_id=3170&dt_code=EVN homepage.

IWA Specialist Conference «Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants in Towns and Communities of the XXI Century: Technologies, Design and Operation». Co-organised by the International Water Association (IWA) and SIBICO International Ltd. International Exhibition Centre "Crocus Expo", Moscow, Russia, 2-4 June 2010

IWA Specialist Conference will run in the halls of a new Congress Centre and ECWATECH 2010 exhibition will take place in the same pavilion of the International Exhibition Centre "Crocus Expo". The International Water Association invites researchers and end users for a joint conference of the Specialist Group on Design, Operation and Maintenance of Drinking Water Treatment Plants and the Specialist Group on Design, Operation and Economics of Large Wastewater Treatment Plants. Specialists are especially welcome from research, design and academic organisations utilities, enterprises of watersewage facilities, technology designers and equipment manufacturers. Organizers provide interested companies with a unique opportunity to sponsor the conference. In this uneasy time sponsorship is an effective tool to be widely recognized and to expand professional contacts among specialists and enterprises of the industry. During 3 days of the conference companies will get an excellent opportunity to present its services and products, and to strengthen and add value to their companies' image in the market. Organisers are grateful to companies Norit Proces Technologie Holding BV, Siemens AG Industrial Solutions & Services Group Communication, Moscow Waterworks, Group of companies JSC „AURAT”, LIT Technology and SVAROG JSC which have already agreed to sponsor the event and invite all other interested companies to use such an opportunity and to promote successful holding of the conference. The conference will be held as a part of the business programme of the international exhibition "Water: Ecology and Technology" (ECWATECH 2010) the leading water forum in Eastern Europe (see updated information about ECWATECH 2010 at www.ecwatech.com). For more information and to download the conference's brochure please visit the http://2010.sibico.com/index.php?content=list&section_id=76 homepage.

The 3rd International Conference on EcoEfficiency and DeGrowth for DeCoupling. Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands, 9 - 11 June 2010

Increasing affluence and population growth will destroy the environment, will hit the poor, and will hit next generations, unless broad and unprecedented improvements in eco-efficiency are realised, leading to decoupling of economic growth from environmental impact. Decelerated growth, by de-growth for the richest, will be one essential ingredient. The time frames involved start now. Fundamentally new technologies in production and consumption will however require decades for their full scale introduction, and we don’t know them yet. How can we guide the right developments, based on best current knowledge, and how can we create the incentives for this key issue in long term sustainability? The conference will set the stage on day one, with keynote speakers from all continents covering targets and strategies. On day two participants will look into specific options in core domains of sustainable development. On day three participants will go into the intricacies of analysis and the schools involved. Presentations on challenging research are welcome by submitting abstracts before 15 March 2010. A selection of presentations will be invited to submit a full paper for a special section on eco-efficiency in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, following usual review procedures. For more information on the conference as well as to send your abstract, to make a registration, and to see details on venue, courses and social events please visit the conference homepage at http://www.eco-efficiency-conf.org.

The 9th Conference on Membranes in Drinking and Industrial Water (MDIW 2010). Trondheim, Norway, 27-30 June 2010

MDIW 2010 is the continuation of meetings, initiated by Prof. Jan Schippers, head of the membrane committee of IWSA joined by EDS, and has been hosted by EDS, IWA, AWWA and JWA together with local organizations to address the most recent developments in membrane technology. MDIW 2010 Trondheim aims to follow and promote the tradition set by the series of events marked by 1995 - Paris, Vivendi; 1997 - L’Aquila, EDS; 1998 - Amsterdam, IWSA; 2000 - Paris, Ondeo; 2002 - Mulheim, IWW; 2004 - L’Aquila, EDS; 2007 - Harrogate, Cranfield; and 2008 - Toulouse, INSA. Themes covered in the conference series include the treatment of groundwater, river, lake, brackish and seawater sources as well as filter backwash water, industrial and domestic wastewaters with membrane processes. Membrane processes covered have included reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, microfiltration, electrodialysis, and hybrid membrane processes, and combinations of membrane technologies to produce high quality water, i.e. ultrapure water, boiler feed water and to achieve zero liquid discharge. The Organisers invite the members of the membrane science and technology community to a mid-summer meeting close to the Arctic Circle. The light summer nights provide a great opportunity to exchange news and developments in membrane technology, meet fiends and colleagues and be a good setting to make new contacts and acquaintances. Detailed information is available on and registration is possible through the http://www.mdiw2010.no/ website.

The World Water Week 2010 will take place at the Stockholm International Fairs. The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is the host and organiser of the event, the leading annual global meeting place for capacity-building, partnership-building and follow-up on the implementation of international processes and programmes in water and development. As an open platform for over 2,000 participants including key decision-makers and more than 200 collaborating organisations, the conference promotes the exchange of views and experiences between the scientific, business, policy and civil society communities, thereby advancing the water, environment, health, livelihood and poverty reduction agendas. The theme for 2010 will be "The Water Quality Challenge – Prevention, Wise Use and Abatement". It will be the second year under the niche “Water: Responding to Global Changes”. For more information on the 2010 World Water Week, please visit www.worldwaterweek.org. The World Water Week website is a year-round resource on issues and topics covered during the Week. You can also download presentations, background documents, reports and outcomes from the sessions of 2009 and 2008.

The programme will be available at the http://www.worldwaterweek.org/programme2010 webpage. The Event Finder helps you to find sessions that will be held during the World Water Week. Currently, there are 8 workshops listed to form the basis for the abstract submittal process: (1) Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control; (2) Shortcutting Historical Pollution Trends; (3) Water Quality for Human Health; (4) Improved Water use Efficiency through Recycling and Reuse; (5) Management of Groundwater Abstraction and Pollution; (6) Minimising Land Use Based Water Pollution; (7) Resilience, Uncertainty and Tipping Points and (8) Origins, Pathways and Accumulation of Pollutants – An Urban Perspective. As the programme develops, stay tuned to the event finder to see more information on plenary sessions, seminars, side events, field visits and social events.

The 2nd European Conference on Sludge Management: Dewatering, drying, thermal valorisation and climate change (ECSM 2010). Danubius Hotel Aréna, Budapest, Hungary, 9-10 September 2010

This international scientific conference aims to bring together researchers and engineers from European universities, R&D laboratories, water agencies, governmental delegates, private companies involved in the management of sewage sludge. As the environmental regulations became stricter, the production of sewage sludge increased continuously in the last decade. This growth is particularly important in those countries, which joined the EU in the last two rounds of accession. The new member states in Central and Eastern Europe have set out their National Strategies on Waste Water Treatment for 2010-2020 on the development of waste water treatment facilities to meet the European requirements on waste water treatment. These requirements raise problems in this region. As the disposal of waste without pre-treatment is prohibited the importance of energy recovery and spreading on land have increased. During the sewage sludge treatment it is important to take into considerations the effects on climate change. One of the objectives of the conference is to raise awareness of the best technologies for minimizing GHG emissions related to sludge management. Important deadlines: (i) 31 March 2010: Submission of abstracts; (ii) 3 May 2010: Notification of acceptance; (iii) 1 June 2010: Submission of full articles. Selected papers will be published in international journals. The flyer can be downloaded from the http://ecsm2010.kszgysz.hu/ecsm2010.pdf website.

UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. New York, USA, 20–22 September 2010

What has become known as the ‘MDG Summit’ - referred to in official documents as the ‘High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly’ – will take place from 20-22 September 2010 at the UN Headquarters in New York. With only five years left until the 2015 target date to achieve the Millennium Development Goals the Summit will bring together world leaders to review progress, identify gaps, and commit to a concrete action agenda to achieve the MDGs and internationally agreed development goals. Leaders from civil society, foundations and business are also expected to announce new initiatives to accelerate progress. In addition to statements by world leaders and round tables on key issues, a number of high-profile side events are expected to focus on specific initiatives. The summit is conceived by UN Member States as a significant opportunity to reaffirm commitment, rally support and initiate collective action in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The summit will focus on accelerating progress towards the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, taking into account the progress made with regard to the internationally agreed development goals, through a comprehensive review. Likely, the meeting will result in the adoption of a concise and action-oriented outcome to be agreed by Member States. As a preparation for the Summit the European Commission is stressing the need for an increased focus on access to water, as the achievement of other UN development goals depends on it. The European Parliament's Intergroup on Water agreed that access to water and sanitation is indeed a prerequisite for achieving other MDGs and should be put higher on the agenda. This year's mid-term review of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) presents an opportunity to integrate a comprehensive water strategy into development strategies across the world. For more information please download the fact sheet of the Summit at the http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/mdg_summit_factsheet.pdf homepage.

4th European Water & Wastewater Management Conference, Seminar and Exhibition. Reducing the environmental footprint of the water industry. The Royal Armouries, Leeds, UK, 27-28 September 2010

The theme for this year's European Water and Wastewater Management Conference is “Reducing the Environmental Footprint of the Water Industry”. Throughout Europe the water industry has made great strides over the past twenty years in treating water and wastewater to the standards required by European legislation. The investment in the infrastructure to achieve this has been vast and it leaves a legacy of asset maintenance to be borne by future generations. Achieving improvements in the quality of potable water and treated effluent comes with an additional cost in that the environmental footprint of these assets is now significant. There are increasingly urgent calls to minimise our carbon emissions and with a rapidly shrinking timeframe to achieve the cuts thought necessary to avert irreversible major global warming. Thus it is timely to examine the contribution of the water industry to GHG emissions and to examine present and future technologies intended to minimise these impact. The main themes for this year's events are: (i) Legislatory Overview; (ii) The Sewer as a Solids Transport System; (iii) Improving Water Management; (iv) Pumps and Pumping; (v) Potable Water Treatment; (vi) Resource Recovery; (vii) Carbon and Energy Management; (viii) On-Site Generation of Renewable Energy; (ix) Innovation ; (x) Sensors and Instrumentation. For more information please visit the http://www.ewwmconference.com/ homepage.

Integrated Water Resources Management - Karlsruhe 2010. Convention and Exhibition, Karlsruhe Convention Center, Karlsruhe, Germany, 24-25 November 2010

In view of the great local and seasonal variation in availability, quality and demand, the task of water resource management is to optimise water usage, taking the requirements of the society and the economy into account. Water management is just as important today as the provision, treatment and distribution von water. The IWRM Karlsruhe 2010 convention, which will be accompanied by an exhibition, aims to bundle the international know-how and hands-on expertise on the topic of “Integrated Water Resources Management” and to stimulate the exploitation of this knowledge. IWRM Karlsruhe 2010 will present the entire field of water management, from computer modelling of water resources through to scenario-based decision support. To accomplish this, IWRM Karlsruhe 2010 is inviting, either directly or as service providers, hands-on users of such systems from municipal and private water suppliers – including those responsible for planning the general conditions – as well as service providers and scientists who provide or are developing IWRM systems. This will allow IWRM Karlsruhe 2010 to live up to its own expectations, to link the operative chain from the formulation of scenarios through to configuration of appropriate models and the optimisation and logical decision-making including the aspects of model development and the necessary and feasible data provision. The exhibition which will accompany the conference will provide an opportunity to discuss the functions of such systems with vendors first-hand. For more information and registration please visit the http://www.iwrm-karlsruhe.com/ homepage.

New templates: Structure of Annex I to the Grant Agreement (Description of Work) for FP7 Collaborative Projects, Networks of Excellence, Coordination and Support Actions in Collaborative Projects, Research for the benefit of Specific Groups (in particular SMEs). Version: 30 January 2010

The Description of Work, which is Annex I to the Grant Agreement, contains the details of the implementation of the project with regard to the work packages, deliverables, milestones, resources and costs of the beneficiaries – organised in a table format - as well as a detailed narrative description of the work. It consists of two parts: (i) Part A of Annex I contains the cover page, the project summary, the list of participants and the budget breakdown as well as eight Workplan Tables, which provide details on the implementation of the project; (ii) Part B of Annex I is based on information from Part B of the proposal. However, during the negotiation stage several sections of the original proposal need to be updated and the Consortium may be requested to shorten certain sections of the proposal and elaborate on others. Part B of Annex I is the narrative part of Annex I.

Now the DoW of the projects can be prepared with the help of the online tool NEF (NEgotiation Facility). For the calls published after October 2009, the use of this tool for the preparation of the DoW is highly recommended, because (i) the cover page and Part A are generated by NEF based on the information given already in the GPFs; (ii) with the help of NEF, the necessary work tables can be edited in an intelligent way, taking into account the links between the different tables and pre-filling some of the information after you have filled in the information under the titles 'work packages' and 'project review'; (iii) the Part B of the Description of Work is uploaded into NEF by the coordinator as a pdf document. In case you are using NEF for the preparation of the Description of Work (Annex I.), the system will create the Description of Work out of two files: (i) one file generated by NEF containing PART A and (ii) a second file "PART B - narrative part" uploaded in NEF. The NEF will create out of the two files the Description of Work (Annex I).

Please note that the access to the NEF system has changed. The previous session key mechanism is replaced by the use of the services accessible via the Participant Portal: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal. Each contact person of a given project, who would like to access NEF, has to register for an ECAS account (or use the existing one) – with the same e-mail address that was given during the proposal submission and later on during the negotiation phase. After obtaining an ECAS account, each participant and the coordinator will be able to access and edit information in NEF in case a session is open or view the previous data in case no session is open under the 'My Projects' tab. The services of the Participant Portal will be able to recognise the roles of a certain 'client' entering the Portal. The new version of the DoW templates can be downloaded from the ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/negotiation_en.doc website

Accompanying document to the Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies: An action plan for Europe 2005-2009 (Second Implementation Report 2007-2009 {COM(2009)607 final} Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee). Commission Staff Working Document, SEC(2009)1468, Brussels, 29.10.2009, pp 109

Nanotechnology has the potential to enhance quality of life and industrial competitiveness in Europe. The “integrated, safe and responsible approach” proposed by the European Commission (EC) in 2004 has been agreed by stakeholders and is now the core of the European Union’s nanotechnology policy. The Nanotechnology Action Plan 2005-2009 has provided an impetus for a variety of developments. After the first two years of the Action Plan, progress in almost every area was identified in the First Implementation Report. This report covers actions undertaken and progress made during 2007-2009 in relation to the key areas identified in the Action Plan. Where appropriate, for the sake of completeness and continuity, developments in preceding years are included. In this Staff Working Document detailed information on progress can be found, while the Communication to which it is attached outlines the key developments in each policy area of the Action Plan, identifies current challenges, and draws conclusions relevant to the future European nanotechnology policy. This document follows the headings of the Action Plan (apart from the last one, on coordination, which is dealt with only in the Communication). International cooperation is now an integral part of the Commission’s policy in all areas of the Action Plan, and is dealt with mainly under the respective policy areas. The Commission Staff working document can be downloaded from the http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SEC:2009:1468:FIN:EN:DOC website.

An amendment to a grant agreement (GA) is a legal act modifying the commitments initially accepted by the parties and which may create new rights or impose new obligations on them, or modifying significant parts of the GA. It allows the parties to modify the GA during its lifetime. An amendment has the following characteristics: (i) It can only be done in writing – an oral agreement is not binding on the parties; (ii) It enters into force after the signature by the coordinator and the Commission through an exchange of letters; (iii) It takes effect on the date agreed by the parties; if no date specified, on the date of the Commission's approval (it has no retroactive effect unless agreed by the parties); (iv) It can only be implemented after the entry into force of the GA and before the final payment is made; (v) It has to be signed by persons having the same capacity to represent the legal entity as those who signed the initial GA; (vi) All the other provisions of the GA not affected by the amendment remain unchanged and continue to have full effect; (vii) The amendment forms an integral part of the GA; (viii) It has to be compatible with the rules applicable to the GA (Financial Regulation, Rules for Participation…) and with the articles of the GA. For instance, the consortium cannot propose an amendment to allow the coordinator to subcontract its tasks; (ix) It cannot have the purpose or the effect of making changes to the GA which might call into question the decision awarding the grant or result in unequal treatment of the beneficiaries. The amendment is effected through an exchange of letters: (1) a letter-request from the Commission or the coordinator on behalf of the consortium, and (2) a letter of acceptance of the amendment (the Commission or the coordinator on behalf of the consortium). As there is no single amendment document in FP7, the content of both letters must clearly demonstrate the agreement of the parties. Both letters together form the amendment. The request for amendment must be complete and must enclose the supporting documents justifying the modifications proposed if necessary. The GA may be affected by other types of changes which do not constitute an amendment, but which must be communicated to the consortium or to the Commission through an information procedure. During the information procedure the parties inform each other about circumstances which do not depend on the agreement of the parties and therefore do not require an amendment but change the GA in which a given beneficiary participates. As a general rule, an amendment is necessary whenever the GA has to be modified with an exception of the information procedure. The Amendments Guide for FP7 Grant Agreements is aimed at assisting beneficiaries and can be downloaded from the ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/amendments-ga_en.pdf website.

SESAM: New User’s Guide for Project Participants. Release 7, 29 January 2010

Release 7.4.7.3 of SESAM is a minor software release containing a number of new functionalities and some bug fixes. The purpose of this release is the implementation of the IRSES and COFUND reports. New functionality is added in order to manage these reports correctly: the management of the partners of a project and the management of the host organization and fellows. This release includes also the implementation of the importing from IAPP or ITN Periodic Reports to Progress Reports and vice versa. The implementation of the FP6 and FP7 framework programmes objectives is achieved through a number of RTD projects as well as various support activities carried out by the research DGs – RTD, INFSO, TREN, ENTR and FISH. The key business process spans from the publication of the call, then submission, evaluation, and funding of proposals, followed by project contracting, follow-up and reporting. In context of the project follow-up, the Commission seeks an integrated service to support timely acquisition and analysis of the relevant information about project organisation, progress and continuous alignment to EC research key objectives. After aggregation, the statistics shall then feed a dashboard or used for reports generation.

The required business functions shall be supported by SESAM, an IT application made up of 2 dedicated modules, specialising in data acquisition (Front Office named QUEST), and Front Office administration (Back Office named QUEST-I). The QUEST represents the main data input module in SESAM architecture, which provides users with means to fill-in various on-line forms. In general, the high-level functionality of SESAM - Front Office is to: (1) Allow Internet users to fill-in Forms in a user-friendly way; (2) Store in a central repository collected Forms, in the structured (XML) format, thus allowing their further processing and performing various kinds of statistical analysis; and (3) Generate printable version of collected Forms (PDF format) and store them to central repository. The document provides the comprehensive description of the SESAM - Front Office functionality, from the GUI usage point of view. The following functionalities are described in details, using a step-by-step approach: (i) Submit Questionnaire – allows filling-in and submitting Questionnaire for specified project; (ii) Save/Submit Report – allows filling-in, saving and submitting Report for specified project and Project Participant; (iii) Manage Reports – allows displaying existing Forms for specified project and Project Participant, as well as, additional manipulation of displayed Reports (e.g. accessing of PDF files and attachments); (iv) Fill-In Form – allows filling-in Forms in a user-friendly way, including sub-functionalities like the management of publications, applications for patent and exploitable foregrounds; (v) Access User Document – allows accessing User Documents; (vi) Send Email to Helpdesk – allows sending emails to the helpdesk; (vii) Register as a New Participant – allows registering as a new Project Participant; (viii) FP6/FP7 layout – a different layout (logo and links) for the FP6/FP7 project selected; (ix) Manage Deliverables – allows accessing, uploading, updating and deleting Deliverables. The release note and the new Guideline are available at the http://webgate.ec.europa.eu/sesam/index.do;jsessionid=dx0gL1yHJx9dY6Pq9JMZRL217yG22QHQjls9gT1pJRLnMSSzdpmy!-1942544496!1954006762 webpage.

Water Framework Directive: Model supported Implementation. A Water Manager's Guide. Edited by Fred F Hattermann and Zbigniew W Kundzewicz. ISBN: 9781843392736, pp 280

Water resources planning and management and the development of appropriate policies requires methodologies and tools that are able to support systematic, integrative and multidisciplinary assessments at various scales. It also requires the quantification of various uncertainties in both data and models, and the incorporation of stakeholders participation and institutional mechanisms into the various tools and risk assessment methodologies, to help decision makers understand and evaluate alternative measures and decisions. This book is one of the concrete outcomes of the Harmoni-CA concerted action (supported by the European Commission). It provides a framework for model-supported participatory planning of measures at various river basin scales and practical guidance to water managers and other interested stakeholders on the model-supported implementation of the WFD. The objective of the book is to offer guidance to water managers on the model-supported implementation of the Water Framework Directive at the level of a river basin district and at other levels (such as sub-basins, national, or international scale in the case of international river basins). It should help water managers to better understand how models may be used for planning purposes, while special attention is given to the problem of predicting an uncertain future, one very likely to differ from the present. Six case studies from different parts of Europe are provided to illustrate the practical applicability of the planning framework in the WFD implementation. They are very important for illustrating how concepts from earlier parts of the document are applied to real-world situations. The case studies cover several aspects of meso-scale river basin management, water quantity and quality issues, and the role of modelling, with two case studies located in pilot river basins. This text is intended for use by water managers and hydrologists engaged in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. On-line booking is possible at the http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392736 website.

EUROPEAN INNOVATION SCOREBOARD 2009. Comparative analysis of innovation performance by the Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) pp 63

Launched in 2001, the EIS indicators focus on innovation outputs, non-technological innovation and service sectors. The EIS 2009 comprises 29 innovation-related indicators and trend analyses for all 27 EU Member States, along with Croatia, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey. The indicators fall under three categories: enablers (human resources, finance and support); firm activities (firm investments, linkages & entrepreneurship, throughputs); and outputs (innovators, economic effects). The ninth edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) is out and preliminary data show that the economic crisis impacting Europe is also affecting the progress of innovation across the region. The majority of EU Member States may have posted stronger innovation performance results in 2008, but countries with lower innovation performance levels are likely to be responsible for reversing the convergence process that the EU has undergone in the last few years. Despite the EU's drive and determination to meet and potentially surpass the US in terms of innovation performance, the results show the opposite is happening. However, the EU still maintains an advantage over Brazil, China, India and Russia, which are all emerging economies. The EIS 2009 data show that the region's five top innovation performers are once again Denmark, Germany, Finland, Sweden and the UK. A breakdown shows that Germany and Finland reported the quickest improved performances, while Denmark and the UK lagged behind. The 'Innovation followers' for 2009 are Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, France, Cyprus, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovenia, while the 'Moderate innovators' are the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia. The 'Catching-up' countries, Bulgaria, Latvia and Romania, reported innovation performances that were below the EU-27 average, the EIS 2009 shows. But they are all working to bridge any gaps between them and the other EU Member States. The report indicates that Bulgaria and Romania have clinched the top fastest innovation performances of the EU-27. The full report is downloadable at the http://www.proinno-europe.eu/sites/default/files/page/10/03/EIS 2009 Final report.pdf homepage.

Pricing Water Resources and Water and Sanitation Services by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). IWA Publishing, ISBN: 9781843393665, pp 88

In both OECD and non-OECD countries the water sector is facing the challenges of increased competition for water resources, deteriorating water quality, and the effects of climate change and poor management. In this context, how can countries ensure access to adequate, sustainable and affordable water and sanitation services for all? Pricing water-related services is an essential part of the answer. This report compiles reliable and comparable data on pricing water and on water supply and sanitation services across OECD countries. It sheds additional light on such policy issues as the choice of tariff structures for water services, cost recovery for water services and affordability. On-line booking is available at the http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843393665 website.

TECHNEAU: Safe Drinking Water from Source to Tap. State-of-art & Perspectives by Theo van den Hoven and Christian Kazner, IWA Publishing, ISBN: 9781843392750, pp 480

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. On-line booking is available at the http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392750 website.

Interstate Water Resource Risk Management. Towards A Sustainable Future for the Aral Basin. Edited by Oliver Olsson and Melanie Bauer. IWA Publishing, ISBN: 9781843393085, pp 200

This book (the research outcome of the EU-INCO FP6 research project JAYHUN: Interstate Water Resource Risk Management: Towards a Sustainable Future for the AralBasin) focuses on and discusses the results of research done on the risk assessment levels associated with relevant regional variables in the Aral Basin and develops a strategy for an improved management of the region’s water resources. The book provides current and reliable information on the rate of glacial retreat in Central Asian and the implications for future water resources in the region. The impact of global changes on annual precipitation is assessed. The rates of reservoir siltation are established by hydrographic surveys, and analyses of wastage and effectiveness of water usage in the large irrigation massifs are conducted. Water resources models are used to analyse existing and newly generated data. These are calibrated with existing data and subsequently used for simulating various possible future scenarios. The book thereby provides a risk analysis for water resources management in the Aral Basin and identifies sustainable options for improved management of the region’s water resources. At the http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843393085 webpage on-line booking is possible.

FP6 NOMIRACLE (003956): Novel Methods for Integrated Risk Assessment of Cumulative stressors in Europe

Living organisms are never subject to single stressors at set doses, but rather to a complex array of physical, chemical and biological environmental stressors that vary in space and time. The problem of assessing these complex risks was addressed by the project NOMIRACLE to develop new methods for assessing the cumulative risks from combined exposures to multiple stressors, including mixtures of chemical and physical/biological agents. The research on exposure and fate of chemicals resulted in major achievements regarding (1) the quantification of sorbed and bioavailable compound fractions in soils, waters and bioassays, (2) the development of refined models for exposure prediction, (3) the modeling of biodegradation pathways, (4) the prediction of indirect photolysis from molecular structure and (5) the prediction of regional-scale multimedia fate of chemicals.

The research on effects of combined exposures delivered a number of modelling and experimental tools for cumulative effect assessment. Particularly notable developments were (i) Statistical tools for the analysis and visualisation of mixture effects which can be used to quantify the extent of derivation of measured mixture effects from the default models of Concentration Addition and Independent Action; (ii) Development of mechanistically based models that utilise the theory of Dynamic Energy Budgets (DEB) to describe mixture toxicity as a dynamic process based on a limited number of parameters. The method, which is receptor based, was successfully applied to predict the survival effects of (1) binary mixtures, (2) complex mixtures of organic substances and (3) real life complex mixtures; (iii) The use of systems toxicology tools for mode of action and biomarker discovery in a number of established model and new biomonitoring species. New developments in genomics were used as a platform for the assessment of chemical effects based on transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic response profiles. These tools have the potential to support new chemical categorisation and future monitoring approaches.

The Worst Case Definition (WCD) model was developed as an important tool to identify and reduce unrecognized uncertainty in risk assessment and management. Another important tool is ALPaCA (Analysis of Landscape and Climate Parameters for Continental scale Assessment of the fate of pollutants). The tool consists of a number of GIS layers that contain spatial data on environmental drivers and emissions of chemicals that are relevant for assessing the fate of pollutants in air, soil and water at the European continental scale. The data set provides one of the first systematic collections of environmental data conceived specifically for chemical fate and transport modelling. Furthermore, several probabilistic risk assessment tools were developed, e.g. a tool to separate uncertainty from inter-individual variability. Four tools were developed to support the receptor-oriented approach in cumulative risk assessment, e.g. the EcoSPACE model; an individual-based model that predicts the exposure of wildlife as organisms move in a heterogeneously contaminated landscape. NOMIRACLE also developed methods for exploration of the perceptive, social and communicative aspects of cumulative risks.

The novel methods that have been developed are briefly described within the NOMIRACLE Tool Box at http://nomiracle.jrc.ec.europa.eu homepage. Each tool is presented in a standardized way; giving a title and a description of its features, potential use, novelty and background. Tools are classified as “ready for use”, “under development” or “more research needed”. Most tools can be used for assessing human health risks as well as ecological risks. The experimental work has been based on analyses including a series of animal phyla and human cell lines. These indicators will generally be applicable as proxies for the assessment of cumulative stressors, thereby contributing to the assessment of human population health. The results will further be published in about 300 scientific publications, including a Special Issue of Science of the Total Environment on cumulative risk assessment, and by a book published by CRC Press on chemical mixtures.

FP6 ROSA (037025): Resource-Oriented Sanitation concepts for peri-urban areas in Africa

The ROSA project during the last 3.5 years (1.10.2006 - 31.3.2010) proposed resources-oriented sanitation concepts as a route to sustainable sanitation. To make ROSA a success the following points should be reached at the end of the project: 1) people like the systems implemented and use it, and 2) the systems continuous to run after project funding ends. In general, this implies that the sanitation systems have been implemented in a sustainable way. Resources-oriented sanitation concepts have been introduced and applied in ROSA's four pilot cities: Arba Minch (Ethiopia), Nakuru (Kenya), Arusha (Tanzania), and Kitgum (Uganda). The pilot cities have population between 40'000 and 500'000 inhabitants and represent typical cities in Eastern Africa. All pilot cities have common problems, e.g. high population growth, lack of sanitation and waste management and that people in the peri-urban areas are poor. The project consortium comprised 5 European partners as well as 2 partners from each of the East African countries, a university and the respective municipality. The European partners are: University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU, co-ordinator), Hamburg University of Technology, EcoSan-Club Austria, WASTE (the Netherlands) and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The African partners are Arba Minch University and Arba Minch Water Supply and Sewerage Enterprise in Ethiopia, Egerton University and the Municipal Council of Nakuru in Kenya, the University of Dar es Salaam and Arusha City Council in Tanzania, and Makerere University and Kitgum Town Council in Uganda. The local project team for each city comprised the municipality administration and/or the entity responsible for sanitation issues and a local university.

In ROSA Strategic Sanitation and Waste Plans (SSWPs) were developed for the whole city area. Within the project pilots have been implemented that are in line with the SSWPs. Resources-oriented sanitation concepts could be successfully introduced and have been accepted by the population in all pilot-cities. An important step towards sustainable implementation of sanitation has been that the municipalities are partner in the project consortium. A crucial part of the work in the project was that the consortium explored possibilities for further financing the implementation of the whole SSWP. ROSA has been successful to launch large-scale implementation projects that are funded by the Dutch SPA programme in two cities, Arba Minch and Nakuru, and is still exploring possibilities for the remaining two cities, Arusha and Kitgum, as well. To disseminate and exploit the knowledge gained in ROSA and to establish a sanitation networks ROSA was co-initiator of the African Sanitation Knowledge Network (ASKNet, http://www.asknet-office.net/), a network aimed to strengthen African universities. Additionally, ROSA partners have been actively involved in the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA, http://www.susana.org) by leading working groups, translating documents (e.g. in Amharic and Kiswahili) and sharing information with SuSanA. Selected ROSA research results have been presented at the 34th WEDC conference that was held in Addis Ababa in May 2009, the proceedings are available from the ROSA website. A summary of the main outcomes of ROSA will be published in a special issue of the "Sustainable Sanitation Practice (SSP)" journal that is available for free from the journal webpage (http://www.ecosan.at/ssp). The ROSA issue (issue 4) will be available in July 2010, selected ROSA topics are also published in the first 3 issues of the journal. For more detailed information visit the ROSA website (http://rosa.boku.ac.at).

FP6 CONSTGLASS (044339): Conservation materials for stained glass windows – assessment of treatments, studies on reversibility and performance of innovative restoration strategies and products

Stained glass windows together with their restoration history, their preservation and deterioration state are in the focus of the CONSTGLASS project. As main tasks, sustainable assessment of treatments, their reversibility and re-treatability will be assessed. Moreover, new and innovative conservation materials and measures will be developed and introduced. Stained glass windows belong to our society’s movable world cultural heritage, since on the one hand objects are removed from their original site to a restoration / conservation workshop for preservation treatments and, on the other hand, a lot of stained glass original artworks are meanwhile stored and displayed in museums.

Since about 1950 various materials have been proposed to treat and conserve stained glass, including epoxy resins, acrylates and polyurethanes with different brand names. For all conservation materials on stained glass there is a substantial lack of sustainable assessment of treatments after several decades of natural weathering, regarding the degradation of applied resins but also possible affection of stained glass itself. Since most of the applied materials cause problems nowadays, the introduction of innovative and promising new preservation strategies and materials is necessary. The aim of this project is to secure the conservation of European stained glass windows as an important part of our common cultural heritage.

The results of the CONSTGLASS project will be presented at the final conference in Romont, Switzerland on 27-28 May 2010. More details about the final conference and about the CONSTGLASS project can be found at the website http://www.constglass.fraunhofer.de.

FP6 NEPTUNE (036845): New sustainable concepts and processes for optimization and upgrading municipal wastewater and sludge treatment

Due to global demographic trends as well as new legislations the EU project Neptune puts its focus on improved effluent quality, energy reduction and resource reuse (water, nutrients and sludge). In the Work Package No. 1 the upgrading of existing municipal infrastructure was investigated with new control strategies based on online sensors; nitritation/anammox process for nitrogen reduction; micropollutant removal with ozone or activated carbon addition as well as improved sludge processing and reuse by sludge triage and thermal-hydrolysis of biomass. In the Work Package No. 2 new techniques were studied: biologically supported electrolysis cell applications; new oxidation processes for micro-pollutant removal with ferrate and manganese oxide; polymer production from sludge and high temperature pyrolysis of sludge facilitating P-recycling. The Work Package No. 3 investigated the fate of micro-pollutant, pathogens and eco-toxicity reduction in wastewater and sludge treatment as well as in post-oxidation and sorption processes. By including pathogens- and eco-toxicity aspects into life cycle assessment studies (LCA, Work Package No. 4), the project helps to improve the comparability of various technical options and proposes a suitability ranking. The successful cooperation of nine governmental and university partners, seven SMEs and two industrial partners resulted in high quality research generating useful and applicable results; these have been presented in 14 deliverables, 4 public work shops and numerous publications. Some of the deliverables, a list of the published results as well as two issues of the project newsletter are available on www.eu-neptune.org homepage. A summary of the project output will be given in May 2010 within the final project report with links to the different deliverables as well as within the Catalogue with criteria for evaluating the investigated technologies. The latter will analyse technologies based on the energy- and cost efficiency, toxicity, pathogen and micro pollutants removal as well as operational stability and will be a useful decision tool for choosing the most suitable wastewater and sludge treatment solution.

FP6 PROPAINT (044254): Improved Protection of Paintings during Exhibitions, Storage and Transit

The main aim of the PROPAINT project was to provide conservation staff and stakeholders with innovative protective measures for use in preventive conservation of paintings during exhibition, storage and transit. Measurements were performed for the first time of levels of gaseous pollutants in microclimate frames and dosimeters were used to evaluate the extent of damage caused by their synergistic action with RH, T and light. The dosimeters clearly showed different and complementary sensitivities to the pollutants. The EWO and resin mastic coated PQCs dosimeters are sensitive to oxidizing action of pollutant gases infiltrating from outside and entering the frame, whereas the Glass Slide and lead coated PQCs dosimeters are highly sensitive to the volatile organic acids emitted and trapped inside the microclimate frames. Based on these results a novel method for the evaluation of indoor air quality by the use of combined dosimeters sensitive to both photo-oxidizing and acidic effects was developed. The results were presented in a tolerability-location diagram that makes the interpretation of results easy and directly relevant for conservators and end-users responsible for indoor cultural heritage.

PROPAINT has provided for the first time a detailed study at both the molecular and macro-levels of the effects of pollutants gases on varnishes on accelerated ageing and also on exposure within microclimate frames for periods up to two years. Natural resins, resin mastic and dammar, were found to be undergo oxidation and form suffer less soluble films after exposure to nitrogen dioxide, ozone and acetic acid, and there was some dependence of their action on RH. In comparison, the synthetic resins, MS2A and B72, on the whole showed reduced sensitivity to these pollutants. B72, however, did exhibit marked sensitivity to ozone, and this was shown to be RH dependent; at low values of RH the action was more aggressive than at high RH values. Differences were observed between varnishes exposed within frames and in rooms for each location, which could not be attributed to light, and which was found to be influenced by levels of acetic acid within frames and the air exchange rates of the frames. These results have contributed to the work on improving the design of microclimate frames. From testing of existing frames that had been adapted to serve as microclimate frames and new purpose-built microclimate frames in different end-user locations and in the laboratory, performance criteria related to microclimate frames were defined, including investigation of mitigation methods to solve the problem of internal pollutant emissions. The PROPAINT Decision Making Model for the design of microclimate frames was created. The model functions as a general guideline for conservators when considering which parameters will influence the quality of a microclimate frame. A mathematical model for calculating pollution "impact" fluxes to paintings in microclimate frames as compared to the unprotected situation and to recommended levels was developed. The improved knowledge about the required design and performance of microclimate frames obtained during the PROPAINT project has contributed to the development of better standards for preventive conservation of paintings. The PROPAINT project was coordinated by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) and the Consortium included 7 partners, 3 subcontractors and 10 end-user institutions in Europe and overseas. For more information about the project results, please, see the project webpage at http://propaint.mlu.no

FP6 PLEIADES (037095): Participatory multi-Level EO-assisted tools for Irrigation water management and Agricultural Decision-Support

PLEIADeS addresses the efficient and sustainable use of water for food production in water-scarce environments. It was designed to improve the performance of irrigation schemes by means of a range of measures that consider the economic, environmental, technical, social, and political dimensions through a synergy of leading-edge technologies and participatory approaches. These technologies provide easy access to information for all stakeholders while transparency and active participation are being enhanced by spatial information and innovative networking tools. The set of PLEIADeS pilot Case Studies represents a sample of the wide range of conditions found in the Mediterranean and in the Americas, covering Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, the United States, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil.

The technical core of PLEIADeS is the System of Participatory Information, Decision support, and Expert knowledge for irrigation and River basin water management (SPIDER). It is not merely a technical system, but a decision-support toolbox and knowledge system with a set of frameworks for its proper use in the context of the PLEIADeS multi-efficiency concept. It offers vital information to a wide range of stakeholders at their required space-time resolution in non-academic, non-technical, easy-to-use and intuitive form that encourages participation. It helps irrigation water managers and farmers to control water more efficiently and improve the environmental and socio-economic performance of their irrigation systems and ultimately to prevent or resolve conflict arising from water scarcity. The technical innovation in SPIDER is based on the complementary use of mature EO methodology in GIS-based web services with online analysis capability. SPIDER can either be used in its global application or be configured and installed locally in each pilot area. The general philosophy is that of an open-source system that is made available to users on a non-commercial license basis, oriented by the Creative Commons concept. This technical core is supported by set of frameworks for performance and impact assessment, which has been designed to bring about measurable improvement of irrigation water management in a multi-efficiency context and to strengthen the participatory process. The set includes frameworks for irrigation performance assessment, environmental performance assessment, socio-economic assessment and cost-benefit analysis, for the assessment of impacts of climate- and policy-related external drivers, and for social multi-criteria evaluation.

The development of SPIDER in each pilot area has been driven by the needs and perceptions of the users. At all project stages, it has been a joint venture of the project team composed of selected key stakeholders, information service providers, and research groups. From the very beginning, the clear intention was to implement an operational version in some pilot areas by the end of the project time. Working directly with key users and the relevant government organisations, and emphasizing active stakeholder participation and gender mainstreaming, has proven to be a key for successful and sustainable implementation in policy and practice. Core users have clearly endorsed the system and have demonstrated their commitment to make post-project sustainable implementation a political and physical reality.

PLEIADeS was a three-year project involving a consortium of 23 partners from 12 countries and 4 continents, coordinated by the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Further information is available at the www.pleiades.es homepage including a set of 19 two-page Factsheets for download: one for each pilot area and one for each thematic element of the multi-efficiency framework and toolbox. A set of videos (“Pilot Stories”) shows the situation and development in each pilot area, they are available on YouTube (direct access through a button on www.pleiades.es).

The NORMAN network http://www.norman-network.net (former 6th EU FP project, and now a permanent non-profit association with more than 40 members in Europe and beyond) works as an independent and competent forum of reference laboratories, research centres and related organisations in the field of emerging environmental substances. It is the leading disseminator of information in this field, organising events and information exchanges, maintaining three databases and publishing a regular newsletter/bulletin. Its activities for 2009–2011 are mainly focused on the protection of water resources and supporting the objectives of the Water Framework Directive; particularly ensuring that the complexity of contamination is better understood and taken into account. In this context, the network strongly supports an integrated approach, including chemical and biological tools, for the identification of substances that should be considered for further investigation, either at the local scale or more widely. Three NORMAN working groups have been set up and are expected to produce concrete results this year. The "WG1: Prioritisation of Emerging Substances" identifies emerging substances for priority attention (including priority needs for improving existing data, analytical methods, biological tests, etc.). The "WG2: The Value of Bioassays and Biomarkers in Water Quality Monitoring Programmes" looks at current applications of biological test tools in water quality monitoring, and the inventory and critical analysis of strategies for interpretation of results from using these tools. The "WG3: Field-Relevance-Based Approaches for Hazardous Pollutant Identification" uses effect-directed analysis to provide a field-relevance-based approach to identify hazardous compounds in support of current prioritisation processes.

Events held include: workshop on "Mixtures and Metabolites of Chemicals of Emerging Concern" (November 2009, Amsterdam) which considered the metabolites and degradation products needing further investigation and monitoring for a more complete picture of the impact of chemical compounds; Expert Group meeting (May 2009, Prague) for the drafting of a position paper (planned publication April 2010) on the "State of the Art, Performance and Use of Passive Sampling", in its application to polar emerging contaminants; inter-laboratory exercise (2009) on "Perfluorinated Compounds in Water, Fish and Sludge" - report to be published soon on NORMAN website.

Forthcoming events in the NORMAN Programme of Activities for 2010–11 include: (1) a workshop on "River Basin–Specific Pollutants – Selection and Monitoring in EU Member States" organised by JRC-IES (10–11 June 2010), where Member States will be invited to exchange information on current approaches for identification and monitoring of river basin-specific pollutants (including emerging pollutants); (2) a workshop on "Environmental Specimen Banking" organised in Berlin (20–21 June 2010) by the German UBA, to share experiences and explore the potential for closer networking of ESBs and for cooperating with EU chemical safety management; (3) the "TransCon2010" Conference organised by EAWAG (September 2010) http://www.eawag.ch/medien/veranstaltungen/events/transcon2010/index_EN which will be an opportunity for a follow-up to the debate on metabolites and degradation products at the previous NORMAN workshop; (4) an inter-calibration study at the international level (Water Research Institute) in 2011, as a follow-up to the May 2009 Prague meeting.

The Soil Technology Research Cluster is a new coalition of soil research projects funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research. The Cluster has been established in order to close the knowledge gap in different areas of soil protection including new, sustainable and cost effective remediation technologies, monitoring technologies (modelling and empirical monitoring) and provisions on (meta)data quality, access and formats. The aim of this action is: (i) to strengthen collaboration in the field of soil technology research; (ii) to support research and technological development in the field of soil technology research; (iii) to increase the visibility of Soil Technology Research and (iv) enable joint dissemination to the scientific society as well as to the end users. Recently there are three research areas grouping the research activities: (1) Digital Soil Mapping: Development and improvement of technologies for data collection in (digital) soil mapping (iSOIL and DIGISOIL); (2) Contaminated Soil characterization: Technologies and tools for soil contamination assessment and site characterization, towards sustainable remediation (ModelPROBE, Soilcam and IsoSoil) and (3) Soil Rehabilitation: Recovery of degraded soil resources (AQUAREHAB, UMBRELLA and UPSOIL). The cluster will contribute to eco-innovation market perspective. More information on the Cluster is available at the http://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=19441 homepage.

FP7 ENFIRO (226563): Life Cycle Assessment of Environment-Compatible Flame Retardants (Prototypical case study)

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) will be phased out because of their environmental hazards. Less toxic alternatives appear to be available already but comprehensive information on their possible toxicological effects are lacking. ENFIRO offers a prototypical case study on substitution options for BFRs resulting in a comprehensive dataset on viability of production and application, environmental safety, and a complete life cycle assessment. Dissemination will ensure the project results to arrive at policymakers' desks. The ENFIRO consortium is a unique collaboration between industries, SME's and universities with a wide variety of scientific disciplines. ENFIRO will contribute to the phasing out of BFRs as proposed in the European Water Framework Directive. The approach and the results of ENFIRO will be useful for similar substitution studies, e.g. in REACH. _Following a study on literature and industrial information, and prioritizing , three flame retardant (FR)/product combinations will be selected (e.g. metal-based FRs, phosphorous-based and nanoclay-based FRs in printed circuit boards, paints and foam). These will be studied for environmental and toxicological risks, and for viability of industrial implementation, i.e. production of the FR, fire safety and application of the FR into products (electronics, furniture, paints, foams, etc.). All information from these tests will be used for a risk assessment. The outcome of that assessment will, together with socio-economic information be used in a complete life cycle assessment. The project will follow a pragmatic approach, avoiding final recommendations on environment-compatible substitution options that would not be viable for implementation by industry. A Substitution Information Exchange Forum with members representing FR users (large industries) has been invited to guide this project. Partner Institutions: (1) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL); (2) University of Ulster (UK); (3) Clariant Produkte Deutschland GmbH (DE); (4) IRIS Vernici s.r.l. (IT); (5) Consorzio per la promozione dei prodotti vernicianti PROCOAT (IT); (6) IVAM UvA BV (NL); (7) Stockholms Universitet (SE); (8) Universiteit Utrecht (NL); (9) Swerea IVF AB (SE); (10) Universiteit van Amsterdam (NL); (11) Callisto Productions Ltd (UK); (12) ITRI Innovation Limited (UK). For details please visit the project's homepage at http://www.enfiro.eu/

FP7 NANOPOLYTOX (247899): Toxicological impact of nanomaterials derived from processing, weathering and recycling of polymer nanocomposites used in various industrial applications

The main goal of this project will be to obtain the toxicological profile of nanomaterials included in polymer nanocomposites used in the automotive sector during their life cycle. The toxicological profile will be based in the physical and chemical changes of the nanomaterials during the artificial aging/weathering process of the nanocomposites. This exhaustive evaluation includes the selection of adequate digestion and extraction methods to separate the nanomaterials from the polymeric matrix. Optimization of these methods will facilitate the development of recycling techniques that will be applied in the end-stage of polymer nanocomposites. In vitro viability studies will be carried out in human cellular lines to determine the toxicity of the raw nanomaterials. These studies will be focused in nanomateriales widely used in the automotive industry (reinforcement of polymers for light composites) such as carbon nanotubes, nanoclays and metal oxide nanoparticles. Partner Institutions: (1) ACONDICIONAMIENTO TARRASENSE ASSOCIACION (ES); (2) Research and Development of Carbon Nanotubes S.A. (EL); (3) CATALAN INSTITUTE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY (ES); (4) POLYRISE SAS (FR); (5) L'UREDERRA, FUNDACION PARA EL DESARROLLO TECNOLOGICO Y SOCIAL (ES); (6) DHI FORENING (DK); (7) LAVIOSA CHIMICA MINERARIA SPA (IT); (8) LATI INDUSTRIA TERMOPLASTICI SPA (IT)

Most of African countries are struggling towards development and improving their living conditions. An appropriate waste management structure at a national and regional level is a milestone that must be achieved in order to improve living standards, health and environment. The situation in many countries is that the obvious lack of a functional waste management system brings perennial garbage problems such as inefficient garbage collection, poor public compliance to waste segregation, uncontrolled open burning, and tolerated presence of open dumpsites. Furthermore valuable resources are lost due to inefficient or non-existing recycling systems. The establishment of an efficient waste management and recycling system contributes to enhancing the resource efficiency of these countries and thus supports a sustainable development in the long-term. The present Coordination Action will seek the establishment of Integrated Solid Waste Management systems (ISWM) in Western Africa. ISWM systems combine waste streams, waste collection, treatment and disposal methods, with the objective of achieving environmental benefits, economic optimization and societal acceptability. For the achievement of the project objectives, a solid waste management expert and research co-ordination platform will analyze the current situation in the targeted countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Ivory Coast), identifying main gaps and constraints of any type (technological, sociological, organisational, etc.) and selecting suitable management systems. According to the results obtained, including inputs from authorities and policy makers in participatory workshops, the consortium will provide valuable guidelines and recommendations to be used in the future implementation of developed strategies such as National and Regional Action Plans on solid waste management. The project will also build local capacities through workshops and seminars where relevant stakeholders must be involved. Partner Institutions: (1) VEREIN ZUR FOERDERUNG DES TECHNOLOGIETRANSFERS AN DER HOCHSCHULE BREMERHAVEN E.V. (DE); (2) BIOAZUL (ES); (3) EIDGENOESSISCHE MATERIALPRUEFUNGS- UND FORSCHUNGSANSTALT (CH); (4) SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET (SE); (5) OEKO-INSTITUT E.V. - INSTITUT FUER ANGEWANDTE OEKOLOGIE (DE); (6) FUNDACION GAIKER (ES); (7) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET BERLIN (DE); (8) UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN SECURITY (DE); (9) ENDA Tiers Monde (SN); (10) Commune de Matam (SN); (11) Institut Africain de Gestion Urbaine (SN); (12) Zoomlion Ghana Ltd (GH); (13) United nation University-Institute for natural Resources in Africa (GH); (14) Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (GH); (15) Basel Convention Regional Coordinating Centre fro Africa (NG); (16) Environmental Law Research Institute (NG); (17) Global Digital Solidarity Fund (NG); (18) Universite Abobo-Adjame (CI); (19) CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT FOR THE ARAB REGION AND EUROPE (EG); (20) Influential Inputs cc T/A Icando (ZA)

IPCC climate change scenarios have a global perspective and need to be scaled down to the local level, where decision makers have to balance risks and investment costs. Very high investments might be a waste of money and too little investment could result in unacceptable risk for the local community. PREPARED is industry driven, 12 city utilities are involved in the project and the RDT carried out is based on the impacts of climate change the water supply and sanitation industry has identified as a challenge for the years to come. The result of PREPARED will be an infrastructure for waste water, drinking water and storm water management that will not only be able better cope with new scenarios on climate change but that is also managed in a optimal way. We will have complexes monitoring and sensor systems, better integration and handling of complex data, better exploitation of existing infrastructures through improved real time control, new design concepts and guidelines for more flexible and more robust infrastructures. PREPARED will involve the local community in problem identification and in jointly finding acceptable system solutions, that are supported by all, through active learning processes. Activities and solutions in PREPARED will be based on a risk assessment and risk management approach for the whole urban water cycle, through the development of innovative Water Cycle Safety Plans. Other innovations are sensors and models that will enable faster and better actions on changes and new design rules for more resilient design. We will combine European knowledge with valuable knowledge from Australia and the USA, to make the European Water sector more competitive. This to enable our industrial partners to export the products developed in PREPARED to other regions of the world, thus contributing to the Lisbon Goals but also to the MDGs. To ensure this exploitation the PREPARED consortium consist of more than 50% industrial partners and is demand driven.

Partner Institutions: (1) KIWA WATER RESEARCH BV (NL); (2) DHI INSTITUT FOR VAND OG MILJO FORENING (DK); (3) STIFTELSEN SINTEF (NO); (4) Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin gGmbH (DE); (5) INSTITUT NATIONAL DES SCIENCES APPLIQUEES DE LYON (FR); (6) International Water Association (UK); (7) UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD (UK); (8) THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (UK); (9) CETAQUA, CENTRO TECNOLOGICO DEL AGUA (ES); (10) Iride Acqua Gas S.p.A. (IT); (11) TUBITAK Marmara Research Center (TR); (12) INSTYTUT EKOLOGII TERENOW UPRZEMYSLOWIONYCH (PL); (13) LABORATORIO NACIONAL DE ENGENHARIA CIVIL (PT); (14) UNIVERSITAET INNSBRUCK (AT); (15) Crimean Scientific and Research Center of Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation of the Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (UA); (16) NIVUS GmbH (DE); (17) scan Messtechnik (AT); (18) Krüger A/S (DK); (19) Aquateam - Norwegian Water Technology Centre AS (NO); (20) IWW RHEINISCH WESTFAELISCHES INSTITUT FUR WASSERFORSCHUNG GEMEINNUETZIGE GMBH (DE); (21) Clavegueram de Barcelona, S.A. (ES); (22) Berliner Wasserbetriebe AöR (DE); (23) Gemeente Eindhoven (NL); (24) Mediterranea delle Acque S.p.A. (IT); (25) ISTANBUL WATER AND SEWERAGE ADMINISTRATION (TR); (26) Przedsiebiorstwo Wodociagów i Kanalizacji sp z o.o. (PL); (27) EPAL - Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres, SA (PT); (28) Communaute urbaine de Lyon (FR); (29) Oslo kommune, Vann- og avløpseteten (NO); (30) Crimean Republican Enterprise “Simferopol Drinking Water Supply and sewerage Company” (UA); (31) Aarhus Water and Wastewater (DK); (32) Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (UK); (33) Seattle Public Utilities (US); (34) Melbourne Water Corporation (AU); (35) Monash University (AU)

FP7 OPEN HOUSE (244130): OPEN HOUSE - Benchmarking and mainstreaming building sustainability on the EU based on transparency and openness (open source and availability) from model to implementation

The overall objective of OPEN HOUSE is to develop and to implement a common European transparent building assessment methodology, complementing the existing ones, for planning and constructing sustainable buildings by means of an open approach and technical platform. _OPEN HOUSE will develop a transparent approach able to emerge collectively in an open way across the EU. This approach will be communicated to all stakeholders and their interaction and influence on the methodology will be assured in a democratic way. The baseline will be existing standards (both CEN/TC 350 and ISO TC59/SC17), the EPBD Directive and its national transpositions, and methodologies for assessing building sustainability at international, European and national level. Partner Institutions: (1) ACCIONA INFRAESTRUCTURAS S.A. (ES); (2) Architects’ Council of Europe (BE); (3) APPLIED INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES LTD (EL); (4) Ove Arup & Partners International Ltd. (UK); (5) Basque Government- Housing Department (ES); (6) BOUYGUES CONSTRUCTION (FR); (7) City of Warsaw (PL); (8) SLOVENSKI GRADBENI GROZD - GIZ (SI); (9) D'APPOLONIA SPA (IT); (10) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DE); (11) Electricite de France SA (FR); (12) Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (CH); (13) FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V (DE); (14) Instytut Techniki Budowlanej (PL); (15) MOSTOSTAL WARSZAWA SA (PL); (16) SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (SE); (17) Vivienda y Suelo de Euskadi, S.A (ES); (18) Gradbeni inštitut ZRMK (SI). For more details please visit the http://www.openhouse-fp7.eu/ homepage.

FP7 HydroNet (212790): Floating Sensorised Networked Robots for Water Monitoring

Water is one of our most precious and valuable resources. It is important to determine how to fairly use, protect and preserve water. New strategies and new technologies are needed to assess the chemical and ecological status of water bodies and to improve the water quality and quantity. The relatively recent progress in micro-electronics and micro-fabrication technologies has allowed a miniaturization of sensors and devices, opening a series of new exciting possibilities for water monitoring. Moreover, robotics and advanced ICT based technology can dramatically improve detection and prediction of risk/crisis situations, providing new tools for the global management of the water resources. The HydroNet proposal is aimed at designing, developing and testing a new technological platform for improving the monitoring of water bodies based on a network of autonomous, floating and sensorised mini-robots, embedded in an Ambient Intelligence infrastructure. Chemo- and bio-sensors, embedded in the mobile robots will be developed and used for monitoring in real time physical parameters and pollutants in water bodies. Enhanced mathematical models will be developed for simulating the pollutants transport and processes in rivers, lakes and sea. The unmanaged, self-assembling and self-powered wireless infrastructure, with an ever-decreasing cost per unit, will really support decisional bodies and system integrators in managing water bodies resources. The robots and sensors will be part of an Ambient Intelligence platform, which will integrate not only sensors for water monitoring and robot tasks execution, but also communications backhaul systems, databases technologies, knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) processes for extracting and increasing knowledge on water management. Following the computation on stored data, feedback will be sent back to human actors (supervisors, decision makers, industrial people, etc.) and/or artificial actuators, in order to perform actions. Partner Institutions: (1) Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (IT); (2) SYNAPSIS - SOCIETA' A RESPONSABILITA' LIMITATA (IT); (3) University of Science of Central Switzerland, Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture (CH); (4) Jožef Stefan Institute (SI); (5) Lumex-marketing JSC (RU); (6) Norsk institutt for luftforskning (NO); (7) Univerza v Ljubljani (SI); (8) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL); (9) Inštitut za fizikalno biologijo d.o.o. (SI); (10) RoboTech srl (IT). For details please visit the http://www.hydronet-project.eu/ homepage of the project.

European Commission, Directorate-General Research	http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/research/index_en.html
European Commission, Directorate-General Environment:	http://ec.europa.eu/environment/index_en.htm
European Commission, Joint Research Centre:	http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm
Environmental Technologies - Environment - Research - European Commission	http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=technologies
Environmental Technologies. European Environment Agency, Denmark:	http://technologies.ew.eea.europa.eu/
Science for Environment Policy - European Commission - DG Environment	http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/research_alert_en.htm
Green Pages - The Global Directory for Environmental Technology	http://www.eco-web.com/
The NORMAN Network for monitoring of emerging environmental pollutants	http://www.norman-network.net/index_php.php
EUGRIS portal for soil and water management in Europe	www.eugris.info
UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC):	http://www.unep.or.jp/
US Environmental Technology Opportunities Portal (ETOP)	http://www.epa.gov/etop/index.html
Environmental Expert:	http://www.environmental-expert.com/index.aspx

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.