AquaticPollutants
The topic on “Risks posed to human health and the environment by pollutants and pathogens present in water Resources” aims to address research and innovation to support the implementation of the global, EU and national freshwater, marine and health policies contributing to the Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas of the three JPIs.
One of the most serious risks for freshwater and marine ecosystems and consequently human health derives from the occurrence of emerging pollutants and pathogens, especially antimicrobial resistant bacteria, in the environment. To face this challenge in a comprehensive way and to provide multidisciplinary solutions for a safe and clean aquatic ecosystems (freshwater, groundwater, marine), thisERA-NET Cofund AquaticPollutants is pooling resources from a network of 32 ministries, authorities and funding organisations from 26 countries responsible for funding research and innovation projects through a joint call for proposals with EU co-funding in the field of clean and healthy aquatic ecosystems. AquaticPollutants brings together European organisations and 9 organisations from associated and third countries reinforcing and expanding international cooperation.
Additional Activities will also be carried out to further support the implementation and strategy of the Water JPI, JPI Oceans and JPI AMR, as well as generate an increased visibility of the JPIs at European and international level and a stronger alignment of the three JPIs.
The overall objective is to strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) in the field of clean and healthy aquatic ecosystems and to leverage untapped potential in the collaboration between the freshwater, marine and health research areas. The aims of AquaticPollutants include also:
- Supporting the implementation and development of the Water JPI, JPI Oceans and JPI AMR on synergistic priorities identified in their SRIA/SRA;
- Developing a Joint Strategy between the three JPIs for the collaboration within AquaticPollutants and on the long-term to tackle the existing challenges on pollution of aquatic ecosystems and consequently risks for human health;
- Pooling together financial resources from participating national and regional research programmes towards the definition and implementation of a co-funded transnational and multi-disciplinary call for research and innovation(R&I) proposals;
- Considering additional resources with a view to implementing a joint call for proposals resulting in grants to third parties without European Union (EU) co-funding through the first Transfer project on European level, and a Thematic Annual Programming (TAP) action in order to increase research communication, networking and mobility among the three research disciplines;
- Overcoming the fragmentation of European freshwater-, marine and health-related RDI activities while avoiding overlaps with ongoing actions co-funded by the EC and/or the Member States; and
- Seeking synergies with international research programmes beyond Europe with the participation of legal entities from international partner countries and/or regions including low- and middle-income countries and regions.
AquaticPollutants will be implemented through seven Work Package activities which have been planned according to the specifications of the ERA-NET Cofund instrument: WP2 to WP4 are dedicated to the Joint Transnational Call, WP6 is aimed to the implementation of Additional Activities (Transfer Project, Thematic Annual Programming action) to foster alignment and impacts of three JPIs. The three last horizontal WPs (WP1, WP5, and WP7) are intended to facilitate the management and the implementation of the ERA-NET Cofund activities in compliance with Ethics requirements.
The AquaticPollutants ERA-NET Cofund started in January 2020 and will end in December 2024. It will be crucial to deliver on priorities identified in the Research Agendas of the three JPIs, as well as to address the new objectives of the Water JPI Vision 2020-2030.