Lessons learned from the Pilot Call: a review
As part of the additional activities of the WaterWorks2017, which recently came to an end, partners carried out an analysis of the socioeconomic, technological, environmental and political impacts of the Water JPI’s Pilot Call.
The Pilot Call is the first common call launched by the Water JPI in 2013. This call, aimed to enable multi-national, collaborative research, development and innovation projects was on the topic “Emerging water contaminants – anthropogenic pollutants and pathogens”. Three specific challenges within the Pilot Call were:
- Identification and prevention of emerging freshwater contaminants;
- Control, mitigation and methods for treatments and removal;
- Impact on ecosystems services and human health
Seven projects were funded (to read more on the funded projects click here).
From a scientific and technological point of view, funded projects have contributed to:
- Developing analytical techniques for groups of substances in order to detect and prevent biological risks;
- Understanding and predicting the environmental behaviour and effects of by-products, pollutants and pathogens, including their environmental effects;
- Developing strategies to reduce pollutants;
- Improving the performance of water systems.
The knowledge produced by projects has been presented in numerous conferences and has been the object of media news. All these dissemination activities have enhanced the visibility of the Water JPI. Needless to say, that all these projects have a key social role in progressing towards the protection of humans’ life, health and assets.
Some of the projects funded have as well important economic implications. New improved methods for the treatment of wastewater and monitoring should generate new business opportunities and the optimisation of financial resources. Amongst other results, it should be highlighted the publication of the policy brief. This was the first policy brief produced by the Water JPI.
The writing of a policy brief under the scope of the Pilot calls’ funded projects was decided very early (during the mid-term evaluation meeting of the Pilot calls projects), in order to prepare an effective way to inform about the projects’ results and their expected impacts for the relevant policymakers involved in water management. This Policy Brief gathered recommendations based on the latest scientific results from the funded projects under the Water JPI Pilot Call.
The work to be conducted by the Water4All Partnership over the next two years will provide a better understanding of the long-term impacts of the projects funded by the Pilot Call. The results of this analysis will be published as soon as they become available.
Read Other articles:
Closing the Water Cycle Gap: Achievements of WaterWorks2017
Water JPI: Sharing a Decade of Expertise for Sustainable Futures
Water4All & Water JPI: what is the difference?
A brief overview of the different WaterJPI calls