Newsletter October/November 2022

Since the Kick-off meeting that took place in January 2022, the AquaticPollutants TAP Action cluster of excellence was working on its Implementation plan (IP). Finally in October 2022 the IP was presented to the TAP Steering committee, which approved of it, and so the IP was published on the AquaticPolltants website. There it is available to the public. Its main target is to generate high added value knowledge to reduce the impact of CEC on humans and ecosystems and in specific for researchers, funders, policy-makers and stakeholders. Based on national activities the CEC research areas have been grouped into the main core topics: 

1. CT1- Monitoring aquatic pollutants: characterization (methodologies, practices, new approaches to detect sources, data management, monitoring, ..).
2. CT2- Mitigation measurements: technologies, best practices, limitations, barriers, recommendations.
3. CT3- Risks of aquatic pollutants for different water uses: long term effects on health, ecotoxicity, hazards; water soil interactions. 
4. The activities on water, sludge and soil are complementary.

The AquaticPollutants cluster is addressing gaps in the SRIAs of three JPIs focussed on water. Those gaps represent a large scale of topics, which is reflected in the cluster's composition. The nine projects nominated from the Czech Republic, France, Ireland and Spain are very diversed in their thematic focus and at the beginning of mapping of potential common activities they were facing difficulties in finding common ground. 

They asked the TAP Steering committee to support them in searching for additional projects to join the team and luckily their wish was granted in September 2022 in the form of three Swedish projects that are currently negotiating their participation in the initiative. A Swedish funding call in the amount of approximately 50.000€ was open and by the end of the year the Swedish candidates will be nominated. The TAP Scientific coordinator, Maria Angeles Blanco Suárez, has personally met with all the projects in Sweden to discuss their involvement and present the IP under preparation. Following a mutual agreement on the next steps, the Swedish project moved forward with submission of their TAP application and provision of their data to TA CR, the TAP coordinator.

In the IP the now steadily formed cluster presents specific outcomes:

• Fostering research coordination by promoting networking for sharing of results, data and other resources.
• Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary training.
• Fostering mobility.
• Sharing of infrastructure.

High added value knowledge and scientific support for strategic and political decision making.

In January 2023, the cluster together with the TAP coordinator are planning a physical meeting in Madrid. This meeting will be the first physical gathering of the cluster members and will serve as a platform to discuss implementation of the IP activities, planning of the sustainability plan and an opportunity for the informal Midterm review performed by the TA CR. 

On the occasion of the Ecomondo conference, the Water JPI hosted a seminar on the valorisation of research results in order to support policy decisions and enhance the market uptake of the solutions proposed by Water JPI projects. WaterWorks2017 funded projects MARadentro , iAqueduct, Bloowater, FLUXMED, SIMTWIST  were presented. Discussions held during the roundtable addressed existing barriers for the valorisation of research results, possible strategies for valorisation at both the European and international levels, as well as an action plan based upon key lessons and recommendations.  The dedicated round table was introduced by the presentation of the Water Health Open Knowledge (WHOW) project, funded by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme. The experience of partners on data sharing and on the Co-creation programme, developed in the frame of WHOW project, has been presented.

Exchanges with roundtable participants unveiled a number of barriers in the valorisation of project results because of inherent difficulties to engage, and to enable dialogue between, different groups of stakeholders in activities. The round table discussion underlined the importance of strengthening the dialogue with the different groups of stakeholders, to involve them during the different phases of projects for trust development and to define a strategy to make project results more accessible. Demonstration sites could definitely contribute to rolling out proposed solutions and engaging stakeholders. Finally, the need for Europe to improve in the production of high-level publications and its overall scientific innovation was mentioned as an important point for the European research community when it comes to valorisation strategies. 

ECOMONDO is the reference event in Europe and the Mediterranean for technological and industrial innovation in the green and circular economy sector within the framework of the Next Generation EU. The 2022edition has counted with 41% more participants than last year thanks to the internationalisation policy launched in recent years, which attracts new and numerous world visitors to Rimini.

A small delegation of representatives of the European Commission in India visited the premises of the French National Research Agency (ANR) on the 24^th October to discuss possible future collaborations between the Indian research community and the Water JPI and Water4All Partnership. The meeting counted the participation of the Water JPI’s Coordination and Secretariat, the Water4All’s Coordination team and the coordinator of the Water4All’s Pillar E on international cooperation. Exchanges revealed the strong interest of the Indian research community for research and innovation in the fields of oceans and glaciers, freshwater management, wastewater treatment technologies and health. As for January 2023, the Commission is planning to launch a 1.5 million Euros programme to support innovation in all sectors in India. The programme will seek co-creation and co-implementation activities with stakeholders through their early engagement in projects and the support to demonstration activities and living labs.

This meeting took place a few days before the participation of the Water JPI’s Chair (Dr Giuseppina Monacelli) in the 5^th European – India Water Forum. This Forum offered the Water JPI the opportunity to present its current activities and its international cooperation strategy, approved by the Governing Board in May 2022.