European Commission

Environment and Research

News

[December 2011]

Research Repository: Free online database of environmental research now available

Science for Environment Policy are pleased to announce the launch of the Research Repository, an online bank of research results for evidence-based policy making.

The studies featured in the Repository have been carefully selected for policy relevance and quality, and include those that have appeared in the Science for Environment Policy News Alert. The studies are finely categorised according to a wide range of policy themes and the resource is constantly evolving and expanding to accommodate new research.

Explore the Research Repository on Science for Environment Policy's website.

[November 2011]

Future Brief "Biodiversity and Health"

Since a few months, the "Science for Environment Policy" news alert service has a new feature: Future Briefs. These Future Briefs look into emerging areas of research with possible implications for the environment. They give an overview of the state of play, identify current knowledge gaps and indicate potential policy implications.

The second one of these Future Briefs, "Biodiversity and Health", has recently been published. It explores the latest research into the benefits of biodiversity for human health, with policy options for a careful management of ecosystems in order to conserve biodiversity and hence protect human health in the future.

To read the full Future Brief "Biodiversity and Health" and find out about the links between the two, which are often complex, please click here.

Future Briefs to come will deal, amongst others, with Innovative Technologies: Hydrogen Production as well as Shale gas.

[August 2011]

Periodic and final reports of EU-funded research projects can now be found on CORDIS.

CORDIS, the European Commission's Community Research and Development Information Service, is now making periodic and final reports of EU-funded research projects available on-line. You can look for these reports via the following links: Click on "project results" under the respective Framework Programme, "new search" and then indicate the project acronym you are looking for in the search field. The report(s) currently available for this particular project will be displayed.

On this page, you have a bigger selection of different fields/parameters like the Framework Programme Acronyms. If you, for instance, select "FP7-Environment", you get a list with all projects funded under this programme with exploitable results that have been uploaded so far.

[July 2011]

Future Brief "Plastic waste: redesign and biodegradability"

The "Science for Environment Policy" news alert service has a new feature: Future Briefs. These Future Briefs look into emerging areas of research with possible implications for the environment. They give an overview of the state of play, identify current knowledge gaps and indicate potential policy implications.

The first one of these Future Briefs, "Plastic waste: redesign and biodegradability", has just been published. It explores the latest research into the redesign of plastics and developments in biodegradable plastics, with policy options to ensure that plastic’s benefits are maximised and its risks are minimised.

The redesign of plastics is already happening and bioplastics, which are made or derived from natural, renewable sources, such as plants and bacteria, are already on the market. They are rarely used and make up just 0.1-0.2 per cent of plastic used in the EU. Greater use of bioplastics could help reduce our reliance on petroleum, which is used to make conventional plastic.

However, a question mark remains over the exact environmental credentials of bioplastics. For example, there is debate as to whether they fully degrade in the natural environment, and not just in the laboratory settings where they have been tested. There is also disagreement on their life-cycle impacts. If more crops are grown for plastics, this may exacerbate existing environmental issues with agriculture, such as fertiliser polluted water.

Another solution to the problem of plastic waste is to change product design so that less plastic is used and plastic components can be more easily reused and recycled. This would address the target priority in the EU’s waste hierarchy – prevention. The waste hierarchy favours (in this order) - prevention, re-use, recycle, recovery (e.g. energy recovery) and disposal. However, eco-design research lacks evidence on design for re-use and recycling.

‘Plastic Waste: redesign and biodegradability’ explores a wide range of research results, statistics and case studies to help policy makers develop plastic waste and design policies.

In order to read the full Future Brief "Plastic waste: redesign and biodegradability" please click here.

Future Briefs to come will deal, amongst others, with Biodiversity & Health; Impact of Chemical Mixture Exposure and Shale gas.

[November 2010]

FP7 PEGASO project: A united effort to stop Mediterranean degradation.:

The PEGASO ('People for ecosystem based governance in assessing sustainable development of ocean and coast') project was funded with EUR 6.99 million under the Environment Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Over the next 4 years, more than 60 researchers from 15 countries will work together to improve the coastal management of the Mediterranean Sea. For the first time under the one research agenda, the EU-funded project will undertake an all-inclusive study of the sea, its coasts and marine ecosystems in a bid to build consensus on the future governance and prosperity of the ailing basin.

Coordinated by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in Spain, PEGASO will link science and decision-making processes relating to the way the coast of the Mediterranean Sea is managed at regional, national and local levels. A significant part of the project will entail the creation of an 'atlas' of the Mediterranean Sea - a standardised and shared data platform based on a clear and concise organisation of existing scientific data.

For more information, please visit: http://www.uab.es/uabdivulga/img/PEGASO.pdf

[September 2010]

Positive Visions for Biodiversity – EPBRS Meeting under the Belgian EU Presidency (16 – 19 November 2010, Brussels)

In the context of the International Year for Biodiversity and under the Belgian EU presidency, the EPBRS , the Belgian Biodiversity Platform and the Belgian Science Policy Office are initiating a participatory workshop on ‘Positive Visions for Biodiversity’. Scientific research can only provide the information on the impacts and likely effects of our activities in regard to biodiversity, and can help draw the roadmap to a potentially better destination. But society has to choose which road to follow.

For more information on the objectives, methodology as well as scope and players of this participatory meeting please visit the Workshop Website.

[August 2010]

'Information day on the FP7 NMP calls', Brussels, Belgium, 9 September 2010

An 'Information day on the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) 'Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies' (NMP) calls' will take place on 9 September 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.

The objective of the event is to address the social, environmental and economic challenges for European manufacturing and establish a dialogue with scientists, decision makers and opinion leaders on the contribution which research can bring to transforming European industry from being resource-intensive to knowledge-intensive.

During the event, project officers will present the new calls launched on 20 July 2010 under the 'Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies' (NMP) theme of the Seventh Framework Programme. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network, present their ideas and find potential research partners.

In addition, an exhibition will showcase the latest trends and developments in the domain of industrial technologies and visits will be organised to innovative local companies.

[July 2010]

Catalogue of FP7 projects 2007 - 2010 + info on published environment calls for proposals:

A catalogue of FP7 projects is now available. This 325-page document includes all the projects which have so far been funded under the Environment (including climate change) theme in FP7 (2007-2010), presenting them according to key research areas.
51 new FP7 calls for proposals have been published on 20 July. 8 calls are open under the Environment Theme and we would like to draw your attention specifically to call FP7-ENV-2011. For more information about all the new calls under all Specific Programmes please click here.

[June 2010]

The "Science for Environment Policy" news alert service is celebrating its 200th issue

Please see below the foreword to this 200th issue from the Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potočnik:

"Environment policy needs to be based on state-of-the-art science. Yet as science keeps evolving, policy-makers have a tough time keeping abreast of the most recent relevant scientific results.

The Science for Environment Policy News Alert service provides a valuable and highly appreciated service for EU and national environment policy makers. And its readership continues to grow.

It presents the latest policy-relevant scientific research in a language that is clear, simple and concise, in areas as complex as nature and biodiversity, water, waste, forests and air quality. It is helping to establish a shared knowledge base and the much needed dialogue between environment policy and research. Both of which are a priority for me.

This 200th edition represents an important milestone. Science opens minds and motivates, while highlighting those emerging issues that may affect our environment in the future. As a reader of 'Science for Environment Policy', I invite you to recommend it to your contacts and networks. Why not send the editor new findings that you think should be disseminated more widely? By doing this, you will be helping the European Commission to build the scientific evidence-base needed to make a better environment."

The 200th issue of the news alert is available here.

[April 2010]

Did you know that 97 % of respondents to the recently carried out survey amongst subscribers to the "Science for Environment Policy" news alert service claimed to find the service useful (including 38 % who considered it very useful)? The results of both the surveys, i.e. amongst subscribers and amongst potential subscribers, are now available. The surveys were undertaken by an independent evaluator, The Evaluation Partnership, and revealed a high degree of satisfaction with the service which now counts more than 12.000 subscribers.

Other interesting findings include that the vast majority of respondents found the news alert to keep them up to date with the latest environment policy relevant scientific research (93 %), that it provides useful summaries of high quality scientific research (92 %) and that the news alert makes it easier to understand what is going on in environmental research (83 %).

For a detailed analysis of the two surveys, please click here.

[February 2010]

The European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) is jointly supported by the European Commission and the participating countries within the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET e.V.). The recently launched EMRP has a specific "metrology for environment" call currently open. This call envisages to define 20 research topics resulting in 13 research projects, each with an average core budget of 3.2 million € to be funded. The main target of the call is the community of national metrology institutions and their designated institutions, but some limited participation from outside this community is foreseen as well.

The scope of this call is described here.

The next "metrology for environment" call is foreseen for 2013.

[January 2010]

DG Environment's "Science for Environment Policy" news alert service covered some 50 EU-funded research projects in its weekly news alerts between December 2008 and November 2009. These research projects are mostly from Framework Programmes 5 and 6 as the majority of the running FP7 projects have not yet finished. They cover the full range of environmental topics.

In this list, you will find information like the project's acronym, its full title, the framework programme under which it was funded, its website as well a the link to the article as published in DG ENV's news alert service.

[December 2009]

The Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission is carrying out an evaluation of the "Science for Environment Policy" news alert service. The Commission will use the results of the evaluation to improve the news alert and provide readers with the best service possible.

We would therefore be very grateful if you could spare 10 minutes to take part in this survey, which forms a major part of the evaluation. Getting a better idea of your needs will help the European Commission tailor the news alert for you.

Survey for people who have already subscribed

If you are already a subscriber and you can take part, please click the link below. All results of this survey will remain confidential and will not be used for purposes other than this evaluation.
>>Click here to take part in the survey

Survey for potential subscribers

In addition, the news alert is trying to increase its appeal amongst people that are not already subscribed. To better understand what kind of service these people need, we are also running a survey for potential subscribers. If you are not yet or no longer a subscriber, we would be very grateful if you could complete this very short survey by using the following link:
>>Potential subscribers survey

Thank you very much for your assistance!

[September 2009]

The catalogue of research projects suggested for funding under the call for proposals for the Environment Theme FP7-ENV-2009-1 is available now. Please note that this catalogue also includes proposals suggested for funding under the FP7- NMP-ENV-2009-2 call.

[August 2009]

Newsletter - Special Edition
EU Research for the Environment

Editorial
On 30 July 2009 the FP7 'Cooperation' Work Programme 2010 and related Calls for proposals were published with around 60 research topics under the Environment (including climate change) Theme. For the fourth time during FP7, DG Research launched a major call open for participants from Member States, Associated countries, International Cooperation Partner Countries, and other countries to submit proposals in areas such as climate change, environment and health, biodiversity, environmental technologies and earth observation, among others. A budget of 213 million € has been allocated to these calls from the Environment Theme. One major novelty this year is the many cross-thematic calls which have been launched to address topical socio-economic challenges.

In focus: the Environment Calls at a glance
The Environment Theme covers five different calls under the 2010 Work Programme:

Main Environment Call (FP-ENV-2010 and FP-ERANET-2010-RTD); € 175 M, Deadline for proposals: 5 January 2010
The Ocean of Tomorrow (FP7-OCEAN-2010); € 34 M, of which 10.5 from Environment Theme; Deadline: 14 January 2010
Africa Call (FP7-AFRICA-2010); € 63 M, of which 17.5 from Environment Theme; Deadline: 14 January 2010
Green Cars (FP7-2010-GC-ELECTROCHEMICAL-STORAGE); € 25 M, of which 5 from Environment Theme; Deadline: 14 January 2010
Energy-Efficient Buildings (FP7-2010-NMP-ENV-ENERGY-ICT-EeB); €65 M, of which 5 from Environment Theme; Deadline: 3 November 2009

Info Days will be held in Brussels on 16-18 September on the first three calls (see below), whereas Info Days on the last two calls took place in July.

For your agenda
The European Commission is organising Info Days on the recently published calls for proposals of FP7 in Brussels on 16 - 18 September. The Info Days are meant for everyone interested in the research opportunities offered by the Calls FP7 OCEAN-2010, FP7-ENV-2010 and FP7-AFRICA-2010. That means researchers and research institutions, universities, industry, small and medium size enterprises, civil society organizations, other non-state actors, and National Contact Points.

Info Day on "The Ocean of Tomorrow" Call
16 September 2009
Charlemagne Conference Centre, Rue de la Loi 170, Brussels
Excellence in marine and maritime research, and in particular improved integration between all the relevant scientific disciplines, are needed to address complex sea-related issues in the framework of the EU maritime policy. This is an essential objective of the Communication "A European Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research" (COM (2008) 534), adopted in September 2008, which suggested, among other actions, to launch joint calls under FP7 in 2009-2010 on major research topics requiring a cross-thematic approach. The "Ocean of Tomorrow" Call is the first Commission initiative to implement this commitment.

The objective of the call is to build the knowledge base for a sustainable growth of sea-based activities. It will do this in two ways: by improving understanding of marine ecosystems’ response to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors, and by providing a scientific foundation for feasible, sustainable management measures supporting policies and related technologies.
Programme (PDF 1.7 MB)
Request a registration form

Info Day on the "Environment (including Climate Change)" Call
17 September 2009
Conference Centre Albert Borschette (CCAB), rue Froissart 36, Brussels
The aim of the call is to continue supporting the main environmental policy and S&T drivers in the area of climate and environmental change, their consequences and the link to other sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture, etc. Furthermore, the goal is to address in detail some new policy drivers such as the development of a post-2012 climate agreement, the Adaptation White Paper, the Communications on prevention and disaster risk reduction, the European Economic Recovery Plan, the Energy-Climate Package as well as the Renewed Lisbon Agenda by taking into account the Strategic Agenda of the Community Lisbon Programme (CLP) (2008-2010). Here, particular emphasis will be put on the '10 key objectives' including sustainable consumption and production, renewable energies and low-carbon and resource-efficient products in order to enhance the development and uptake of environmentally friendly technologies and services.

In the current context of economic insecurity and the emerging and increasing competition for natural resources and environmental services, the aim of the WP2010 is to address 'Environmental safety and welfare' as an overarching theme for all activities across the work programme 2010. The objective would be, through research, to contribute to assessing, reducing and preventing tensions and conflicts related to the depletion of natural resources and environmental services which are arising due to rapid environmental changes and/or natural and man-made hazards.
Programme (PDF 1.6 MB)
Registration

Info Day on the Africa Call
18 September 2009
Conference Centre Albert Borschette (CCAB), rue Froissart 36, Brussels
A global promise to ease hunger for millions has been undermined by financial turmoil and climate change. Meanwhile, fears about global water and food security continue to grow, as does public concern for the health of populations in developing countries. In this context, the publication of the Africa call from the 7th Research Framework Programme represents a great opportunity for strengthening Africa’s base in research areas addressing these complex issues.

The EU-AFRICA Strategic Partnership has paved the way to this call, implemented jointly by the Themes: ‘Health’, ‘Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology’ and ‘Environment (including climate change)’, which will fund projects aimed at enhancing African socio-economic development and capacity building.

The call is structured around the two major areas "Water and Food Security " and "Better Health for Africa". It has a holistic approach involving various scientific and technological research fields, such as food, agriculture, health, land and water resources, including their interaction with climate change and integrating broader socio-economic factors such as migration and resettlement, urbanisation, health care systems and programme interventions. Research activities are intended to strengthen local capacities. Achieving the expected impact means that the involvement of local stakeholders and regional actors is of paramount importance. Funded projects will provide innovative management, governance tools and technologies suitable for the relevant authorities and stakeholders, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security and enhance public health. Further expected benefits are related to academic training and the setting up of health research networks, efficient water management and the protection of natural ecosystems in Africa.
Programme (PDF 1.75 MB)
Registration

Networking Event in the field of water management and sanitation Europe-Africa-EECA
16-17 September 2009
FFG - Austrian Research Promotion Agency, Vienna, Austria
In order to continue the dialogue between Europe, Africa and EECA on networking and cooperation, an International Workshop is organised in Vienna in mid-September. In the frame of the FP6 Project INT-ER-LINK, the Workshop aims to disseminate the project results and to facilitate networking with R&D and development cooperation players from Member States, Associated Candidate Countries, African and EECA Countries with focus on water management and sanitation. The second day will be a brokerage event on water research in the EU-FP7. Following the joint Africa-EU strategy (2007) and the cross thematic ‘Africa call’ - between the Environment, Food and Health Themes - mentioned above, the Brokerage Event in the frame of FP7 Project ENV-NCP-TOGETHER aims to initiate competitive proposals for the ongoing calls of the EU Framework Programme in the field of water management and sanitation and to help lift the barriers for cooperation between Europe and Africa and between research organisations and companies. For further information please visit the http://www.b2match.com/watervienna09 homepage.

[July 2009]

Science for Environment Policy Quiz:

Test your knowledge of environmental science and policy in this special quiz, devised for Green Week 2009. A lot of Green Week participants took the challenge.

To give you an idea about what it looks like, this is question no. 1:

1. What is the global cost to society of biodiversity decline in terms of lost 'ecosystem services' (for the period 2000-2050)?

a.      7 billion Euros
b.      2 trillion Euros
c.      14 trillion Euros

See how well you score!

[June 2009]

Green Week
Brussels, 23-26 June 2009

We would like to draw your attention to two sessions at this year's Green Week conference, organised by the Directorate-General Environment of the European Commission:

3.1: The science of climate change (24 June at 9.30)
3.8: Technologies for adaptation: Water, construction, resource-intensive industries (25 June at 16.30)

The programme can be found here.

[May 2009]

Current and upcoming calls for proposals:

The CIP (Competitiveness and Innovation Programme) call on eco-innovation is open for submission of proposals. More information...
The 2009 call for proposals for projects funded under the new LIFE+ programme will be published on 15 May 2009. More information...
New FP7 calls for proposals are expected to be published before the summer break. More information...

[April 2009]

The "Research Connection 2009" event in Prague, 7 and 8 May 2009:

The European Commission Directorate-General for Research is organising this big and important event bringing together international scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs. You will get information about how to participate in research and innovation, how to seek support, how to meet prospective reliable partners for your project, what successful European research projects look like and much more.

More information...

[February 2009]

Celebrating 10.000 subscribers – "Science for Environment Policy" goes from strength to strength:

Now with 10.000 subscribers, "Science for Environment Policy" plays a key role in disseminating cutting edge, policy-relevant research findings in the environmental sciences. The news alert service was launched in January 2006 and quickly attracted a considerable number of subscriptions from old Member States of the EU. Recently, these figures have been buoyed by a notable and important increase in subscribers from new EU Member States.

Doubravka Nedvedova of the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic, the service’s 10,000th subscriber, said: “Being from the Czech Republic, I was delighted to find a service that directly addresses a number of the environmental problems we face both nationally and across the EU. It is very helpful to have such clearly written and relevant information delivered directly to my inbox.”

Brought to you FREE by DG Environment of the European Commission, this information service brings policy-relevant research findings in the following areas direct to your email inbox:

Agriculture
Air pollution
Biodiversity
Biotechnology
Chemicals
Climate Change & Energy
Environment and Health
Environmental Information Services
Environment Technologies
Forests
Land use
Marine Ecosystems

Natural Hazards
Noise
Risk Assessment
Soil
Sustainable Consumption and Production
Sustainable Development and Policy Assessment
Sustainable Mobility
Urban Environment
Waste
Water

The service is weekly and covers recently published studies. The articles are written in easy-to-read, non-scientific English specifically to allow non-scientists and non-native speakers of English easy access to the latest scientific research.

To subscribe to the service, send an email to sfep@uwe.ac.uk with the message line: 'subscribe-SfEP' or visit the news alert website at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/research_alert_en.htm

[January 2009]

The FP7-ERANET-2009-RTD call is open for proposals:

The objective of the ERA-NET scheme is to develop and strengthen the coordination of public research programmes conducted at national or regional level. The call FP7-ERANET-2009-RTD, supporting ERA-NET activities was published on 19 November 2008 and closes on 21 April 2009. This is a Joint Call covering five themes of the cooperation work programme. Under the Environment Theme, two topics are open with a budget of 2 million EURO each:

6.1.1: Climate change, pollution and risks: "ERA-NET on climate change impacts and responses"

6.2.2: Sustainable management of resources: "Towards integrated European marine research strategy and programmes"

Please note that there will be no call for horizontal ERA-NETs in the 2009 work programme.

For more information, please see the respective call page and related documents on CORDIS.

[November 2008]

COST Open Call for Proposals to support Scientific and Technical Collaboration in Europe

COST invites researchers throughout Europe to submit proposals for research networks and use this unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and to embark on new European perspectives. COST’s main objective is to stimulate new, innovative and interdisciplinary scientific networks in Europe.

COST invites proposals for new COST Actions contributing to the scientific, economic, cultural or societal development of Europe. Proposals playing a precursor role for other European programmes involving young groups’ ideas are especially welcome.

Since 1971 COST brings together research teams in different countries working on specific topics. It finances networking of nationally funded activities in supporting meetings, conferences, short term scientific exchanges and outreach activities. COST supports the networking of specific research themes (COST does NOT fund research projects themselves). Currently more than 200 Actions are supported. Every year approximately 50 new Actions will be approved. On average financial support of some € 100.000 p.a. as grant for normally 4 years can be expected.

A two stage process will be followed to assess proposals. Preliminary Proposals should provide a brief overview of the proposal and its impact. A pre-selection will rank the remaining Preliminary Proposals of which some 75 per collection date will be invited to submit a Full Proposal. Under the COST open call 2008-2, 80 preliminary proposals have been invited to submit full proposals by 16 January 2009. For more information, please consult the COST website:

[October 2008]

The European Commission DG Research organises a conference on "Sustainable Development: A Challenge for European Research" on 26-28 May 2009, in Brussels.

For the preparation of this conference, a call for papers has been published with a deadline for submission on 15 January 2009.

Outline of the conference

One of the rationales for and purpose of funding R&D on the EU budget is to serve EU policy needs, while strengthening the scientific and technological basis of the European industry and reinforcing its competitiveness. In view of the strong political will expressed by the European Council to engage on a sustainable path and the priority given to climate change and clean energy, European research is bound to contribute to sustainable development.

Putting European R&D at the service of sustainable development is also needed from a societal point of view. Indeed, there is rising concern about the relationship between science and society. Today's surveys show that Europeans have become less attracted by science or less confident that science brings solutions. If the level of public funding for research is to be maintained and indeed increased, it must be ensured and demonstrated that research is bringing value to the citizens, on substantial and tangible issues beyond competitiveness and jobs.

Coming close to mid-term of FP7 implementation, this 3-day conference will take stock of the progress made so far and identify ways and means for putting the European research system at the service of sustainable development.

With this in mind, the conference will initiate a structured dialogue on how to reform European research to best respond to sustainable development challenges. It will also investigate ways for improving the science-policy link and the relationship between science and society.

More information on the conference - programme, speakers, registration, etc. - will be available soon. If you are interested in receiving updates on the conference when they become available, please send an email to rtd-sd-conference@ec.europa.eu.

[September 2008]

23 new FP7 calls for proposals for research projects including environmental research were published on 3 September 2008. More information can be found under the following link.

Under the Environment theme, 49 topics are open and the deadline for submission of proposals is 8 January 2009 at 17.00. Some of the topics are directly relevant to environmental policy, e.g. the European Coordination Action on Human Biomonitoring. For more information, please have a look at the ENV-2009-1 call page.

[August 2008]

The European Commission has published a Communication (COM(2008) 468) "Towards joint programming in research: working together to tackle common challenges more effectively". In this Communication, the European Commission has set out its plans for boosting cooperation between national research funding programmes. The new "Joint Programming" scheme is designed to ensure that public research funds are used as efficiently as possible, and help Europe tackle shared problems more effectively. The first Joint Programming Initiative should be launched by 2010.

To read more, please click here.

[May 2008]

Bridging the Gap: Responding to environmental change - from words to deeds -
14 - 16 May 2008, Portoroz, Slovenia. In his speech "Policy Perspective on Environmental Research", The European Commissioner for Science and Research, Mr Janez Potočnik, emphasized the need for better links between science and policy, stating that he believes our problems with climate change and biodiversity are serious and urgent so that they need all our attention.

For the full text of his speech, please click on this link.

[April 2008]

Bridging the Gap: Responding to environmental change - from words to deeds -
14 - 16 May 2008, Portoroz, Slovenia. The conference is the main environment event of the Slovenian presidency organised under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk.

Participants from the policy, research, business and civil communities will gather in Portoroz, Slovenia from 14 – 16 May to address emerging issues relating to environmental change. You are cordially invited to join this exciting conference which will address five key themes:

Information gathering and sharing
Adaptation to climate change
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Sustainable consumption and production
Energy and the environment

To register please contact:
Ms Tanja Cegnar
Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia
Email: BridgingtheGap@arso.gov.si
Tel: + 386 (0) 1 478 4424 or visit the conference web site

Programme details can be found at http://www.bridgingthegap.si
To download the invitation, click here.

[March 2008]

Following the completion of the evaluations related to the FP7-ENV-2007-1 call, the European Commission has opened negotiations with 72 new projects. The preliminary information presented in the catalogue is based on the proposals' evaluati on results and shall be considered as provisional and subject to potential modifications in the course of projects' negotiations.

A draft version of the catalogue destined to provide basic information on the selected projects (including the objectives, partners and resources) is available here.

[February 2008]

Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies are part of a developing field of science with potential positive impacts for the economy, society and environment. To account for knowledge gaps about the impact of these technologies on human health and the environment as well as issues relating to ethics and the respect of fundamental rights, the European Commission adopted a "Code of Conduct for Responsible Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies Research".

To find out more

[December 2007]

32 FP7 calls for proposals for research projects including environmental research were published on 30 November 2007. More information can be found under the following link: CORDIS : News

Under the Environment theme, 54 topics are open and the deadline is 25 February 2008 at 17.00. For more information, please have a look at the call page.

[July 2007]

A new RTD info special edition on FP7 is now online.

Contents include:

Building the ERA of knowledge and growth
A new framework for European research
The Seventh Framework Programme in the history of European research
European Research Council: scientific excellence only
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) – a new deal for European research
International cooperation, the cornerstone of the Seventh Framework Programme

[May 2007]

Nanotechnologies at Green Week 2007

On 14th of June an entire afternoon session will be devoted to examining the benefits of nanotechnology for the environment and on how nanotechnologies could help to solve major environmental problems, e.g. climate change, energy efficiency, resources use, remediation and pollution prevention, opportunities for developing countries, as well as the potential risks for environment and health.

Conference programme here.

Participation to the conference is free but prior registration is needed.

[Mars 2007]

Project for producing hydrogen using water and the sun: one of the 3 winners of this year's prestigious Descartes Prize.

The HYDROSOL project, one of the three winners of the Descartes Prize for excellence, has developed a method of producing hydrogen from water-splitting, using the energy of the sun. The results could enable the environmentally friendly production of hydrogen for energy purposes.

For further information on the Descartes Prizes, please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/research/descartes/news_en.htm

Data Source Provider: CORDIS News attendance at Descartes and Today is the Future events; European Commission

[February 2007]

200 M€ for environment research in 2007: FP7 (7th EU Research Framework Programme) first calls for proposals published as of 22 December. See here for topics open in the environment theme. For description of the topics and information necessary to submit a proposal, click here for Environment calls.

New Research Enquiries service!

For your questions in any aspect of European research in general - and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular, click here : http://ec.europa.eu/research/enquiries.

[January 2007]

Online survey of subscribers of Science for Environment Policy

Six out of every ten respondents to our survey say this News Alert gives a complete coverage of scientific information on environmental issues. What is your view? The survey will remain online until next Wednesday January 17th. View

[December 2006]

7th Research Framework programme adopted

The Council adopted on the 18th of December decision establishing the 7th framework programme (FP7) for research and technological development for the period 2007 to 2013 and the FP7 for nuclear research activities.

The decision will apply as from 1 January 2007.

The budget for the Environment theme is € 1890 million for 2007-2013.

The budget for the Energy (non-nuclear) theme is €2350 million. More than 50% of the Energy budget will be dedicated to renewable energy and energy end-use efficiency

First calls for proposals are expected to be published as of 22 December. See here.

[November 2006]

WE VALUE YOUR OPINION!

On-line survey to assess the “Science for Environment Policy” DG Environment News Alert Service

This survey gives you the opportunity to tell us what you think about this news service and how you would like it to be developed in the future.

We would be grateful if you could take 10 minutes of your time to fill out this survey available here.

If you do not receive yet the News Alert, click here to discover and subscribe

[July 2006]

The EU research ministers, gathering in an extraordinary meeting on 24 July 2006, reached a political agreement on the Seventh Framework programme for research and technological development 2007-2013 (FP7) by qualified majority.

The total budget of mi € 50521 spreads as following:
Cooperation activities: mi € 32365
Ideas: mi € 7460
People: mi € 4728
Capacities: mi € 4217
Non-nuclear actions of the JRC: mi € 1751

To know more about how the Framework Programme works read the CORDIS News interview with Graham Stroud DG RTD Head of Unit "Support for Framework Programme Implementation"

[June 2006]

New publications: 2 catalogues of Abstracts of selected projects related to Water cycle and Soil

These research projects have been selected in the context of the 6th Research Framework Programme, under the area 'Global Change and Ecosystems' (4 different calls) and Scientific Support to Policies (2 calls).

More information on EU funded projects

[March 2006]

New publication: Catalogue of FP6 Projects on Climate Change

to detect and describe global change processes associated with greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants from all sources,

to improve prediction of climate change and its impacts and

to evaluate climate change adaptation and mitigation options and strategies.

To access and download the publication see here European Research on Climate Change

[February 2006]

The European Commission collects input on nano(eco)toxicology

Ideas on research activities, databases, poles of excellence can be submitted via email until 28th February 2006

[December 2005]

New call SSP5

Fifth call on Scientific Support to Policy, including important number of environmental topics.

This call published on 22 December 2005 , will close on 22 March 2006.

The overall objective is to support the formulation and implementation of Community policies. Call domains 1.5, 1.6, 2.3 and 3.4 are specific to environment and sustainable development. In addition, many other domains include topics relevant to environmental sustainability.

The call includes tasks on

biodiversity
ozone layer
reduction of environmental health risk
mining waste
climate change mitigation
ecological status assessment for WFD
scientific knowledge for water policy
environmental technologies
add the topic under 2.3
sustainable development strategy
sustainable consumption practices
coastal erosion
life cycle thinking
waste generation and management

CORDIS website

SSP website

[October 2005]

New Calls!

Launch of Public consultation on Risk Assessment Methods for Nanotechnologies Source: CORDIS News - 21/10/2005

The European Commission launched a public consultation on risk assessment methods for nanotechnologies on 20 October.

Nanotechnology involves the controlled production of new materials, structures, and devices which have one or more dimensions thousands of times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. The nanoscale confers new technological properties which may however have potential implications for safety and therefore need to be assessed in advance.

In response to a request from the Commission, the independent experts of the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) recently adopted an opinion on 'the appropriateness of existing methodologies to assess the potential risks associated with engineered and adventitious products of nanotechnologies'.

Interested stakeholders are invited to submit their views on the SCENIHR opinion online. The consultation will run until 16 December.

As background information for the public, the Commission has also published a document (MEMO/05/385) with questions and answers on risk assessment of nanotechnology products.

To read SCENIHR's opinion and access the consultation, please visit this link.

[26/07/2005]

Like announced recently, the 4th Call for proposals under “Global Change and Ecosystems” (Global-4) has been launched on 19 July. Deadline for submission of proposals is 3 November 2005.
It covers a broad swath of topics, ranging from the impact of climate change on eco-systems and biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black Sea to anti-desertification methodologies to land-use strategies in urban and rural areas, as well as verifications systems of environmental technologies and intelligent testing strategies for chemicals.
For details, see on the CORDIS Website.

Furthermore, 3 calls in the area of “Food Quality and Safety” have been launched on 9 July 2005:

FP6-2005-FOOD-4-A: € 83 mi for NoE and IP; Deadline for submission 5 October 2005.
FP6-2005-FOOD-4-B: € 34 mi for STREP and CA;Deadline for submission 5 October 2005.
FP6-2005-FOOD-4-C: € 8 mi for SSA; Deadline for submission 8 February 2006.

[07/07/2005]

New Call to be launched under “Global Change and Ecosystems”

On 19 July the European Commission will formally launch its 4th call for proposals for eco-systems and climate change projects as part of the EU’s Sixth Framework Research Programme.

It covers a broad swath of topics, ranging from the impact of climate change on eco-systems and biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black Sea to anti-desertification methodologies to land-use strategies in urban and rural areas, as well as verifications systems of environmental technologies and intelligent testing strategies for chemicals.

A total indicative budget of €205M should be made available for the different instruments.

Deadline for the submission of proposals is 3 November. More info here

[07/06/2005]

New Network to assess environmental and nutritional influences on cancer risk
Source: CORDIS News

A new Network of Excellence was launched at the end of May. Its aim is to overcome the current fragmentation of activities and to enhance the quality and relevance of research on environment, nutrition and cancer risk as modulated by diet and genetic disposition.

The network will be known as ECNIS (environmental cancer, nutrition and individual susceptibility).

Despite considerable progress in diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the number of deaths caused by the disease continues to increase worldwide. For example, cancer rates in children in Europe have increased by almost one per cent every year since the 1970s.

ECNIS will establish an internationally competitive network of European research centres. It will bring together 24 institutions, including three small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), representing over 100 established researchers and a number of students.

ECNIS will not only conduct research, but will also provide support and advice to regulators, industry and the general public.

For further information, please visit: http://www.ecnis.org

[17/05/2005]

New IST Call 5 including ‘ICT for Environmental risk management’

Publication date: 17 May 2005
Closure date: 21 September 2005
Budget: 40 MioEUROs for Environment

The call aims at helping to develop ICT aspects of services useful for environmental monitoring and civil protection through:

in-situ monitoring, about harmonisation of the way sensors are deployed and connected to each others, self-organising, self-healing, ad-hoc networking between sensors using state-of-art and emerging technology;
the integration of alert systems, communication to and from the citizen and emergency telecommunications;
further support the up-take of the common architectures e.g. by extending on-going work on environmental risk and emergency management to the broader scope of environmental degradation.