Eureka- Acqueau programme

European funds within the Eureka- Acqueau programme

Deadline: 27th February 2012 for project outlines

Activities:

1.Water and ICT Innovations for Sensing and Monitoring Applications in the Water Cycle

The call is intended to initiate project proposals that will develop new sensing and monitoring applications in the water cycle

2.Sustainable Processes for Disinfection and Oxidation

The call is intended to initiate project proposals that will develop new disinfection or other oxidation processes for the removal of microbiological activity or other harmful compounds.

3.Open Call within the context of the ACQUEAU Blue Book

The ACQUEAU blue book identifies nine components within the context of the overall water cycle, and for each of these components a vision is described along with challenges, benefits and expected technological breakthrough

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European research grants in the field of environment

Research fundings for the environemnt

DEADLINE: 20^th October 2011

MAIN AREAS OF INTERVENTION:

1. Coping with climate change

• Exploiting the full potential of economic instruments to contribute to achieving the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction objectives for 2050 (CP)
• Explore opportunities, risks and feasibility and policy implications associated with key geo-engineering options

2. Sustainable use and management of land and seas

• Improve scientific knowledge base to support the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (“The Ocean of Tomorrow”)
• Development of advanced technologies and tools for mapping, diagnosing, excavating and securing underwater and coastal archaeological sites

3. Improving resources efficiency

• Policy options for a resource efficient economy
• Development of resource efficiency indicators
• Support for standardisation needs in the field of environment  

4. Mobilising environmental knowledge

• Exploring opportunities for open access to primary environmental data
• Integrated assessment of air pollution supporting the revision of EU air quality legislation

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Research funds in the field of Environment

European research funds: Cooperation with India

Deadline: 20th October 2011 (for preproposals)

AREA OF INTERVENTION:
Water technology: research and innovation

• Water purification
• Water reclamation
• Water reuse

The objective of this call is to develop:

• Reliable and cost-effective solutions for producing clean and safe drinking water at community level
• Reliable, rapid and cost-effective monitoring techniques for the detections of water contaminants
• Cost-effective low energy technologies for treatment of municipal and household wastewater including disposal of sludge/energy recovery from sludge
• Techniques for online pathogen monitoring for safe reuse of treated water for intended application

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European funds for Mediterranean regions

European grant fund: "Cross-border cooperation in the Mediterranean"

DEADLINE: 14^th July 2011 for concept note

AREAS OF INTERVENTION:


Priority 1. Promotion of socio-economic development and enhancement of territories
• Agro-food: Definition of policies and promotion of pilot initiatives to support R&D, innovation and technology transfer, with particular attention to SMEs, and promotion of innovating SMEs clusters in the Agro-food industry


• Sustainable Tourism: Definition of policies and promotion of pilot initiatives to support R&D, innovation and technology transfer, with particular attention to SMEs, and promotion of innovating SMEs clusters in the Sustainable tourism based on the preservation and enhancement of cultural and natural heritage


• Integrated coastal zone management: Promotion of joint planning methodologies with regard to integrated coastal zone management including maritime safety


Priority 2. Promotion of environmental sustainability at the basin level
• Waste treatment and recycling: Support to R&D, innovation and technology transfer, with particular attention to SMEs, in relation to Waste treatment and recycling


• Water management with attention on:

- Quantity and quality of supply, with a focus on alternative water supplies and wastewater re-use and/or
- Efficient use of water resources, with a focus on agricultural use


• Solar energy: Definition of policies and promotion of pilot initiatives to support R&D, innovation and technology transfer, with particular attention to SMEs, in the field of Solar energy


Please note that ONLY the following countries are eligible: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia

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FUNDINGS: ENVIRONMENT POLICY AND GOVERNANCE

EU Grant funds: environment policy and governance

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES:

Only innovative or demonstration projects are eligible.

• Climate change: to stabilise greenhouse gas concentration at a level that prevents global warming above 2 °C,

• Water: to contribute to enhanced water quality by developing cost-effective measures to achieve good ecological status in view of developing river basin management plans under Directive 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive),

• Air: to achieve levels of air quality that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment,

• Soil: to protect and ensure the sustainable use of soil by preserving soil functions, preventing threats to soil, mitigating their effects and restoring degraded soils,

• Urban environment: to contribute to improving the environmental performance of Europe's urban areas,

• Noise: to contribute to policy development and implementation on environmental noise,

• Chemicals: improve the protection of environment and health from risks posed by chemicals by 2020 by implementing chemicals legislation, in particular Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH) and the Thematic Strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides,

• Environment and health: to develop the information base for policy on the environment and health (the Environment and Health Action Plan),

• Natural resources and waste: to develop and implement policies designed to ensure sustainable management of natural resources and wastes, and to improve the environmental performances of products, sustainable production and consumption patterns, waste prevention, recovery and recycling; to contribute to the effective implementation of the Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste,

• Forests: to provide, especially through an EU coordination network, a concise and comprehensive basis for policy relevant information on forests in relation to climate change (impact on forest ecosystems, mitigation, substitution effects), biodiversity (baseline information and protected forest areas), forest fires, forest conditions and the protective functions of forests (water, soil and infra­ structure) as well as contributing to the protection of forests against fires,

• Innovation: to contribute to developing and demonstrating innovative policy approaches, technologies, methods and instruments to assist in the implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP),

• Strategic approaches: to promote effective implementation and enforcement of Union environmental legislation and improve the knowledge base for environmental policy; to improve the environmental performance of SMEs

BENEFICIARIES:

Proposals must be presented by entities registered in the Member States of the European Union being public and/or private bodies, actors and institutions

DEADLINE: July 18^Th, 2011.

EU GRANT FUNDS: NATURE AND BIODIVERSITY

European fundings: Nature and Biodiversity

OBJECTIVE:

To protect, conserve, restore, monitor and facilitate the functioning of natural systems, natural habitats, wild flora and fauna, with the aim of halting the loss of biodiversity, including diversity of genetic resources, within the EU

ACTIVITIES:

NATURE

These projects contribute to the implementation of the birds and/or habitats directives, including at local and regional level, and support the further development and implementation of the Natura 2000 network, including coastal and marine habitats and species. The focus in on long-term sustainable investments in Natura 2000 sites and on the conservation on species and habitats.

Nature project must be best practice or demonstration projects.

BIODIVERSITY

These projects are focused on the demonstration of measures and practices that contribute to halting the loss of biodiversity on the territory of the Member States. They must be demonstration or innovation projects. They must all have as an integral part of the project the evaluation and active dissemination of the results and lessons learnt during the project

DEADLINE: July 18Th, 2011.

BENEFICIARIES:

Proposals must be presented by entities registered in the Member States of the European Union being public and/or private bodies, actors and institutions

GRANT FUNDS - NATURE, LIFE, BIODIVERSITY

EU Fundings: NATURE- CLIMATE CHANGE-BIODIVERSITY

OBJECTIVE

To disseminate information and raise awareness on environmental issues, including forest fire prevention; and to provide support for accompanying measures, such as information, communication actions and campaigns, conferences and training, including training on forest fire prevention.

BIODIVERSITY

• Halting the loss of biodiversity
• Launching national campaigns to promote Natura 2000

• Awareness raising campaigns on biodiversity aimed at explaining to the general public what biodiversity is and why it is important

• Promoting the integration of biodiversity concerns in territorial planning procedures

• The promotion of connectivity between natural areas (green infrastructure by explaining it better to citizens

• The implementation of art. 6 of the Habitats Directive

• Integrating the concept of ecosystem services in private company management or in public spending in particular in connection to Green Public Procurement

• Skills development for Natura 2000 site managers

RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

• Sustainable consumption and production
• Natural resources and waste, to develop and implement policies designated to ensure sustainable management and use of natural resources and waste

• Water scarcity/efficiency awareness raising campaign focused on water-stressed Member States

CLIMATE CHANGE

• Raising public awareness of climate change and its impact, particularly in EU12 countries

• Forest and climate change

OTHER

• Compilation and active transfer to relevant stakeholders that could usefully implement them of the techniques used and results and lessons learnt from a significant number of previous LIJE project for a specific theme/habitat/species (e.g. rivers, bogs, bats)

• Project related to the protection of marine environment on issues targeted by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

• Increasing the awareness and knowledge about the importance of soil and soil biodiversity and its main ecological functions, and sustainable land use

• Awareness raising and education on citizens’ exposure to air pollutants though the comparative assessment of air pollution levels in various larger cities of the EU

• Environmental noise

• The broad and targeted dissemination on best practices

DEADLINE: July 18^Th, 2011.

BENEFICIARIES:

Proposals must be presented by entities registered in the Member States of the European Union being public and/or private bodies, actors and institutions

AFRICAN UNION RESEARCH GRANTS

DEADLINE: APRIL  30^TH, 2011.

The overall objectives of this Call for Proposals are to improve science and technology research to contribute to African sustainable development.

BENEFICIARIES:

Applicants must:

• be legal persons  (e.g National or regional science and technology organizations, research institutions, universities, government ministries or public institutions dealing with scientific research  including  regional science and technology institutions)
• be nationals of African Union, ACP, EU Member States, Least Developed Country as defined by the United Nations (LDCs), European Economic Area (EEA) Member States,  one of the official EU candidate countries 
•  have at least a three-year record in the formulation and/or implementation of research activities in Africa and

 Eligible activities:

a) Post-harvest and Agriculture

• Food security and productivity: focusing on processing, improvement of quality of agricultural produce, agro-forestry, cereals, root/tuber crops, food legumes
• Crop-livestock integration: transfer of new innovative technologies on small and large ruminants (sheep, goat and cattle); poultry.
•  Agricultural policy and commercialization, marketing of agricultural produce : Research projects must demonstrate capacity for high economic returns and significant impact on stakeholders groups.

b) Renewable and sustainable energy

•  Sustainable energy at a local and regional level
•  Renewable energy use and its impact on the environment
•  Innovative approach to Renewable and sustainable energy: energy systems technologies (such as solar photovoltaic systems, solar hot water systems, wind energy systems, geothermal systems or biomass energy systems) and advanced energy efficiency, conservation and facilities to energy control. 
• Measures for making sustainable energy more widespread: new sustainable energy products, energy efficiency products technologies and services at local and regional levels that are not already widely available on a commercial basis.

c) Water and sanitation

• Water for livelihood: safe drinking water, Sustainable sanitation, Pollution abatement, and water treatment.
• Water for agriculture: development of the on-site rain-fed  agriculture and rainfall harvesting methods, reducing evaporation from soil and water surfaces through appropriate land management, use of low-quality irrigation water and irrigation technologies
• Social and economic dimensions of water resources management