Germany’s 2020 EU Council presidency hosts Citizen Science SDG Conference

Germany’s 2020 EU Council presidency is hosting a hybrid conference on the 14th and 15th of October 2020 under the topic ‘Knowledge for Change: A decade of Citizen Science (2020-2030) in support of the SDGs’. The conference will take part in Berlin or online. 

A public Citizen Science Festival organised by Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD), the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) will take place as part of the conference on 14-15 October 2020 at the Kulturbrauerei in Berlin.

The Citizen Science Festival 2020 follows the same themes as those of the international conference and aims to show how citizen science can contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieving a more sustainable society. 

10 German citizen science projects and 10 citizen science projects from Europe and beyond will be invited to showcase their projects and results at market stands and invite visitors to the festival to interact and participate.

Visitors can discover exciting research and exchange ideas. A curated complementary programme will include lectures, workshops, hands-on activities and science ‘slams’. 

Find out more and register here: https://www.cs-sdg-conference.berlin/en/

BioAzul CEO Antonia Lorenzo selected as Leader in Action by UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles

The CEO of BioAzul, Antonia Lorenzo Lopez, has been selected as a Leader in Action by the Women’s Empowerment Principles, an initiative established by United Nations Global Compact and UN Women.

The Women’s Empowerment Principles are a set of Principles offering guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community.

Antonia Lorenzo plays an important role as a Water Europe’s ambassador in her position as the leader of the Working Group (WG) Water and Agrifood. The scope of this working group focuses on good practices and innovative solutions to improve sustainable exploitation and stewardship of water sources by involving the water sector, the food industry (e.g. processing), and the agricultural sector in finding synergies that boost cooperation and exchange of knowledge between these relevant sectors.

Likewise, the WG seeks to pave the way for the implementation of appropriate solutions by improving the framework conditions (e.g. better regulations, funding, water quality and quantity, social and economic aspects, etc.)

Click here to read the full interview where Antonia talks about her early career and her experience leading a company in the water sector. 

European Week of Regions and Cities 2020: EEN services in synergy with Interreg – Virtual session

As part of the programme of the 18th European Week of Regions and Cities, the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) will host a virtual workshop on the 14 October 2020 dedicated to the different synergies between Interreg projects and EEN services. It targets current and future Interreg actors and Managing Authorities.

It will showcase good practices from transnational, cross-border and Interreg Europe programmes from the 2014-2020 programming period to inspire the design of the new programmes as of 2021.

The workshop will be enriched with digital content and sli.do quizzes. 

Click here to learn more and register. 

European Green Capital Network (EGCN) will host webinar series open to all cities 

The European Green Capital Network (EGCN) is hosting a webinar series open to all cities and relevant stakeholders that will enable exchange with EGCN experts around four vision clusters: Future-Proof, 100% Renewable, Zero Waste and Human Scale. 

The fifth webinar will focus on tips for cities interested in applying for the European Green Capital Award.

Upcoming webinars

100% Renewable

Date: Wednesday, 2 September 2020

Time: 14:00 CEST

Speakers:

1. Johan Sandström, Head of Sustainable Development, City of Umeå
2. Sara Freitas, Project Manager, City of Lisbon
3. Peter Pluschke, Former Deputy Mayor for Environment and Health, City of Nuremberg
4. George Stiff, Officer – Climate and Sustainable Energies, ICLEI Europe

Key themes: Climate change mitigation and energy performance

To attend this event, please register here.

Download the EGCN 100% Renewable Toolkit>>>

Zero Waste

Date: Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Time: 14:00 CEST

Speakers:

1. Simona Berden, Senior Adviser, Development Projects and Investments Office, City of Ljubljana
2. Maxime Ammendolea, European Affairs Officer, City of Strasbourg
3. Melanie Clavier, City of Strasbourg

Key themes: Waste, green growth and eco-innovation

To attend this event, please register here.

Human Scale

Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2020

Time: 14:00 CEST

Speakers:

1. Juan Carlos Escudero, Head of Information and Innovation for Sustainability, Environmental Studies Center, City of Vitoria-Gasteiz
2. Kai Lipsius, Head of Essen Green Capital Agency, City of Essen
3. Hallie Grace Haines, City of Strasbourg
4. Matthew Bach, Coordinator, Just Transition at ICLEI Europe

Key themes: Sustainable urban mobility, sustainable land use, air quality, noise

To attend this event, please register here.

Green Capital

Date: Wednesday, 23 September 2020

Time: 14:00 CEST

Speakers:

1. Anne-Marie Larsen, Project Manager, City of Copenhagen
2. Mark Leach, Project Manager, Bristol City Council
3. Stefan Kuhn, Deputy Regional Director, Governance and Social Innovation, ICLEI Europe

Key themes: How your city can become the next European Green Capital

To attend this event, please register here.

The webinar series is free to attend and offers guidance, insider tips and the opportunity to learn and share experiences on best practices and challenges.

Sewers4COVID receives prestigious award from the Royal Academy of Engineering for their work tackling COVID-19 

The President’s Special Awards for Pandemic Service from the Royal Academy of Engineering awarded Sewers4COVID as one of the exceptional examples of engineering in the service of society in the context of pandemic challenges. 

The Sewers4COVID team from the University of Exeter and led by Professor Dragan Savic FREng applied machine learning to sewer epidemiology to estimate the number of infected people in a certain geographical area to track the spread of infection. 

The Centre for Water Systems team contributing to Sewers4COVID, led by Professor Dragan Savic FREng, includes Dr. Lydia Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia, Professor Albert Chen, Dr. Mehdi Khoury and Gareth Lewis. They use wastewater-based epidemiology, which involves analysing sewage samples on a daily basis. 

By applying machine learning techniques to the sewer surveillance data, Sewers4COVID can detect hotspots of potential outbreaks in real-time. The method also takes into consideration socioeconomic conditions, to identify vulnerable groups that are at high risk. The result is an estimate of the number of infected people in the area covered by the sewer system.

This original approach was conceived in 48 hours when the Exeter engineers competed with more than 2,000 other teams in the #EUvsVirus hackathon organised by the European Commission in April. Collaborating online, the team developed the methodology and a powerful prototype of a digital pandemic observatory in the Netherlands.

Durk Krol, Executive Director of Water Europe, says: “Sewers4COVID offers an alternative approach, which is independent of costly individual viral tests, for large scale-surveillance that provides scientifically-proven evidence to support public health management. It will quickly reflect the phase of virus concentration in communities, enabling governments to manage restrictions in a timely way with confidence.”

Click here for more information. 

CDP: Greater bank transparency is key to stop funding dangerous deforestation

Banks play a much bigger role in funding deforestation than previously thought, finds a report from CDP. One of the report’s most stark findings shows that funding for South-East Asian companies engaged with palm oil, timber or rubber commodities is driven predominately by banks, who provide two thirds (66%) of their capital needs.

The report titled ‘Increasing transparency of banks: The transition to sustainable lending to the forest risk commodity sector‘ addresses how greater bank transparency is key to stop funding dangerous deforestation. According to CDP, the benefits of greater transparency and action are not limited to banks alone. The flow of capital can change – and accelerate – the trajectory of the global economy.

Reaching across the global economy, the financial sector has the power to hinder or hamper our transition to the sustainable economies of the future. This means sustainable lending and transparency benefit both people and the planet.

For Water Europe, transparency and disclosure are essential for a Water-Smart Society.

New EU Report on how Nature-based solutions can improve water quality & waterbody conditions

The Publications Office of the European Union (Publications Office) published a new report titled ‘Nature-based Solutions Improving Water Quality & Waterbody Conditions’. The report aims to provide an overview of results from EU-funded NBS projects and how they support policy implementation in relation to water quality and waterbody conditions.

The initiative to analyse the impacts of EU-funded projects in the area of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and valorise their results in terms of EU added value and policy relevance was initiated in December 2019. Six policy reports and a final consolidated report were produced and can be found here.

The document summarises outcomes relating to water quality and waterbody conditions from the report ‘Nature-based Solutions: State of the Art in EU-funded Projects’ (Wild et al. (Eds.) 2020) prepared through the EC’s Valorisation of NBS Projects Initiative. 

EU research and innovation projects were scanned for results about key areas such as Water Framework Directive implementation, cross-compliance with the Common Agricultural Policy, catchment management, diffuse pollution and waterbodies. Evidence from the reviewed projects (and the EC’s NBS policy topic area) is framed within knowledge from the literature in the realm of water policy, to give as full a picture as possible about the state of the art with relevant NBS. 

The resulting evidence base includes figures and monetary values showing the relative cost-effectiveness of NBS, and exploring how they support water policy implementation. Policy recommendations and knowledge gaps are also highlighted to support the strengthening of strategies and practical action for the uptake of NBS, to deliver targeted and efficient interventions to help solve societal challenges in Europe and beyond.

Click here to have access to the full report. 

European Capital of Innovation 2020: 12 cities make it into the final round

Twelve cities from nine countries are in the final stage of the contest to become the European Capital of Innovation 2020. Funded by Horizon 2020, EU’s research and innovation programme, the prize recognises the European cities that develop vibrant innovation ecosystems to address public challenges and improve the lives of the people.

The finalists of this year’s edition are (in alphabetical order):

1. Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
2. Espoo (Finland)
3. Ghent (Belgium)
4. Groningen (The Netherlands)
5. Helsingborg (Sweden)
6. Leeuwarden (The Netherlands)
7. Leuven (Belgium)
8. Linz (Austria)
9. Milano (Italy)
10. Reykjavik (Iceland)
11. Valencia (Spain)
12. Vienna (Austria)

A high-level jury of independent experts selected the 12 finalists by analysing how cities use innovative solutions to respond to societal challenges, how they use such practices in the urban development process and how they engage broad local communities in decision-making.

The winner city will receive the title of European Capital of Innovation 2020 as well as €1,000,000 to support its innovation activities and to enhance its capacity to connect individuals, public sector, academia, and businesses to deliver societal benefits for its communities. Five runners-up will get €100,000 each.

The Commission will announce the winner and the runners-up of the European Capital of Innovation 2020 contest at the European Research and Innovation Days taking place on 22-24 September 2020. At the same event, the Commission will award the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2020, the EIC Horizon Prize for Affordable High-Tech for Humanitarian Aid, and the Horizon Impact Award 2020.

Click here for more information.

Six million euros made available for conservation action to counter COVID-19 impacts

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the European Commission, and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) made available six million euros in emergency relief funding to address biodiversity conservation needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They aim to alleviate the impacts of the pandemic on the management of protected areas and threatened species.

One of the programmes, the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Rapid Response Grants is expected to fund approximately 60 projects, with a total budget of two million Euros. The Rapid Response Grants will address negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting travel and access restrictions on the management of protected areas, while strengthening the resilience of local communities in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

In addition, the European Commission and IUCN are making a further four million Euros available as Rapid Action Grants under the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife Initiative to help address impacts from COVID-19 on the conservation of terrestrial or freshwater species in continental Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. These grants protect threatened species against anticipated increases in poaching, as well as a risk of transmission of the disease from humans to wild animals, especially great apes. Furthermore, Rapid Action Grants also support the development of diverse alternative livelihoods for communities who depended on wildlife-based tourism.

Apply for the IUCN Save Our Species Rapid Action Grant

Apply for the BIOPAMA Rapid Response Grant

For more information, click here. 

Commission releases programme of the European Research and Innovation Days 2020

The European Commission has published the draft programme of the European Research and Innovation Days 2020, taking place online on 22-24 September 2020. 

European Research and Innovation Days is the European Commission’s annual flagship event, bringing together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and citizens to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.

This year’s format will provide an opportunity to connect, take stock of research and innovation achievements in the global response to the pandemic and build on the EU’s response: worldwide coordination of excellent science for global health, social and economic recovery.

Join the event virtually

The interactive sessions will let participants provide input on how research and innovation policy and funding can help propel Europe’s recovery and pave the way to a green, digital and resilient future. The 2020 edition will feature three days of intensive policy co-designing, thought-provoking panels and matchmaking opportunities.

In a crucial year, following an unprecedented global crisis, just ahead of the launch of Horizon Europe – the next research and innovation programme starting in 2021 – and an enhanced European Research Area, this event is a unique chance to discuss how research and innovation will benefit the future of Europe.

Stay tuned for more information about registration and programme updates.