The AquaticPollutants TAP Action published its Implementation plan

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.