Title of the joint Action and acronym:

INNOVATIVE INSTRUMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS IN NORTH WESTERN BLACK SEA BASIN (BLACK SEA e-EYE)

Location(s) of the joint Action:

1. Romania, South-East Region, Galati & Tulcea
2. Moldova, Cahul Region, Cahul
3. Ukraine, Odessa Region, Izmail
4. Armenia, Yerevan Region, Yerevan

Name of the IPA Financial Beneficiary

“DUNAREA DE JOS” UNIVERSITY OF GALATI

Priority and measure

Priority 2 - Sharing resources and competencies for environmental protection and conservation

Measure 1 - Strengthening the joint knowledge and information base needed to address common challenges in the environmental protection of river and maritime systems

Partners

1. Danube Delta National Institute for Research & Development  (DDNITL-RO)
2. Association of Cross-border Cooperation “Lower Danube Euroregion” (ACCLDR-RO)
3. Cross-border Cooperation and European Integration Agency (ACBCEI-MD)
4. Agency for Sustainable Development and European Integration “Lower Danube Euroregion”- (ASDEILDE-UA)
5. European Integration (EI-AR)

Total duration of the joint Action:

18 months

Estimated ENPI total eligible cost of the joint Action (A1)

ENPI amount requested from the Joint Managing Authority (B1)

EUR  769.265,00

EUR  692.338,53

Objectives of the  joint Action[1]

Overall objective:

Supporting the development of durable environmental policies by deploying innovative research initiatives focused on the analysis, monitoring and investigation of physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North Western Black Sea Basin.

Specific objectives:

1. Developing a sustainable cross-border partnership between environmental committed institutions by implementing innovative research initiatives based on modern instruments for analysis of surface aquatic systems in North Western Black Sea Basin.
2. Disseminating the use of modern techniques for investigating pollution agents (nutrients) in the aquatic systems in North Western Black Sea Basin through cross-border trainings and workshops for technical environmental experts and other staff.
3. Promoting efficient durable environmental policy making by key decision holders through the development and implementation of software solutions/tools (composed of web site for dissemination, IT Portal for communication and social network among scientists and technical environment experts, BI component, Indicator Monitoring component) for investigation of environment data (historical and present).

Target group(s)

15 Environmental Policy Experts (3 members of the project’s implementation team and 12 other experts from 4 participating countries attending training and workshops)

8 Environmental Key Decision Holders (attendees at the project startup and closing conferences, attendees at training and workshops, attendees at awareness campaigns – 2 from each participating country)

60 Technical Environmental Experts: researchers, scientists (20 members of project’s implementation team and 10 experts * 4 participating countries attending training and workshops)

50 Students studying environmental sciences (20 from Romania and 10 students * 3 participating countries attending training and workshops)

50 Environment Experts from national and regional environmental agencies (public and private)

Final beneficiaries

60 Environmental Policy Makers (we will require the members of the project’s implementation team and the other experts to disseminate the results of the project to other Environmental Policy Makers: 15 persons (other than from the Target Group) from each participating country)

16 Environmental Key Decision Holders at Regional Level (we will require the Environmental Key Decision Holders attending the training and workshops in the project to disseminate and influence other Environmental Key Decision Holders at Regional level according to the results derived from the project: 4 Environmental Key Decision Holders  (other than from the Target Group) in each participating country)

8 Environmental Key Decision Holders at National Level (we will require the Environmental Key Decision Holders attending the training and workshops in the project to disseminate and influence other Environmental Key Decision Holders at National level according to the results derived from the project: 2 Environmental Key Decision Holders  (other than from the Target Group) in each participating country)

4 Environmental Key Decision Holders at European Level (we will require the Environmental Key Decision Holders attending the training and workshops in the project to disseminate and influence other Environmental Key Decision Holders at European level according to the results derived from the project: 4 European Environmental Key Decision Holders)

6 partners involved in the project (including the Applicant)

2 associates involved in the project

100 Technical Environmental Experts (TEE) (20 TEE members of the project’s implementation team, 40 TEE participants to the training and workshops and 40 other TEE – 10 other from each participating country)

20 public and private institutions interested/active in the field on environmental protection and conservation, informed and influenced by project’s results and outcomes

300.000 Large Public and Citizens living in the Black Sea area in the participating countries

100.000 Large Public and Citizens on National Level living outside the Black Sea area

1.000 Large Public and Citizens on European Level

Estimated results

Estimated results of the Joint Action are the following:

1. Creation of a modern approach for research initiatives on environmental issues (1 methodology applied in the 4 research initiatives)
2. Improving cross-border collaboration among partners  and environmental policy makers (trough 1 shared database and the  Portal for communication and social network among researchers for at least 15 environment policy experts, 8 key decision holders, 60 technical environmental experts, 50 students)
3. Disseminating information on pollution prevention for citizens (large public); increase public awareness regarding the negative, long term effects of pollution – (1 Information Portal serving the citizens in the participating countries, especially the inhabitants of the Black Sea Basin)
4. Developing indicators that can be interpreted by environment experts, showing the results of the research initiatives carried out (1 set of analysis indicators that serve at least 120 technical environment experts from the participating countries)
5. Developing reports that offer crucial information that sustains policy makers in the decision making process (5 essential environment reports – medium term improved components in the region’s environmental policies)
6. Decreasing the differences between countries involved in the project, in relation to their level of know-how on environmental issues.
7. Improving skills trough training and workshops: improving collaboration, exchange of ideas and points of view between scientists; raise awareness among policy makers and key decision makers in all countries; address common challenges in environmental issues; provision of instruments and expertise in addressing challenges in environmental issues.
8. 1 continuous visibility campaign of the action (4 press adds published; 400 leaflets created; 400 brochures created; 32 posters created; 32 newsletters created; 32 banner-ups created; 80 CD Covers created; 80 stickers created; 400 pens created; 80 T-Shirts created); 4 awareness campaigns; 100 persons project start-up conference; 100 persons project finalization conference; average 5500 hits/month for the Information Dissemination Portal.

Main activities

GA1: Monitoring physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North-Western Black Sea Basin

GA2: Expert Training for Environment Experts

GA3: Visibility of the Action

GA4: Management and coordination of the Action

The present joint action is relevant to the Joint Operational Programme “BLACK SEA BASIN 2007-2013” global objective through the partnership network developed between all 6 partners (including the applicant). The purpose of the present joint action is to strengthen collaboration between all parties involved for better and more reliable cross-border cooperation, working as a team. During the implementation of the joint action, the applicant and its partners will work together to address a common challenge: assessing the impact and synergies between different pollution sources identified in the North Western Black Sea Basin for enabling sustainable and durable environment policies. Among the activities which will be deployed during the project include training and workshops for all parties involved and creation and implementation of a common knowledge database for storage of physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North Western Black Sea Basin. During the implementation of the joint action, the applicant and its partners will work together to achieve the objective of priority 2 by sharing resources and competencies for environmental protection and conservation. The present joint action is designed to assure an optimal collaboration between parties by sharing resources (in order to create the common knowledge database and its information artifacts) and competencies (through the training and workshops within the joint action) and achieve the objectives in the field of durable environmental protection and conservation, trough deployment of research activities focused on the analysis of main physical-chemical and biological indicators related to the quality of surface aquatic systems in North Western Black Sea Basin including fresh waters and costal marine systems .

All the above describe the relevance of the joint action to the global objective of the Programme - achieve stronger regional partnerships and cooperation- to one of the 3 specific objectives - Working together to address common challenges - and to the objective of priority 2 - Sharing resources and competencies for environmental protection and conservation.

2. Describe the relevance of the joint Action

The present joint Action is relevant to the objective of measure 2.1 because:

• It promotes the innovative research in the field of physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North-Western Black Sea Basin through the 6 Sampling Field Trip for monitoring physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in Danube Delta.
• It promotes the innovative research in the field of physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North-Western Black Sea Basin through the new and modern information systems which shall be developed and implemented during the action (by defining analysis indicators on the Sampling data and reports).
• It promotes scientific partnerships in the field of monitoring physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North Western Black Sea Basin through the partner network established in the joint Action.
• It promotes awareness in the field of monitoring physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North Western Black Sea Basin through the awareness campaigns organized during the action, in each participating country, through the planned results and through the information portal of the action where anyone interested can read relevant and accurate information regarding modern supervision and control methods of pollution agents in the Black Sea maritime system.
• It promotes awareness on the sources and effects of pollution agents (nutrients) enforcing environmental policy makers and key stakeholders to develop durable medium and long term environmental policies based on state of the art decision supporting IT technologies.

The partnership network developed within the joint Action includes 6 partners and 2 associates - from Romania (applicant and 2 partners), Moldova (1 partner and 1 associate), Ukraine (1 partner and 1 associate) and Armenia (1 partner). Each of the partners involved in the joint action shall strive to create and maintain a permanent network (scientists, environmental experts, key policy makers, public and others) and continue to contribute to a stronger and more sustainable economic and social development of regions in the Black Sea Basin. The sustainability of the developed network is assured by the software tools that will be developed in the project.

3. Describe which particular expected outputs and results

During the implementation, partners and associates will collaborate in order to create a shared knowledge database in the field of physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North Western Black Sea Basin. In the project, a set of analysis indicators will be developed such that the data stored in the database can be properly interpreted. In order to do so, experts from all partners will research all relevant existing information, will derive new information from the 6 Sampling Field Trips for monitoring physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in Danube Delta, will analyze the results and develop a set of indicators, including case studies and conclusions which will be distributed in all participating countries (Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Armenia). Moreover, existing data will be acquired by subcontracting of scientific services and data provision monitoring physical-chemical and biological parameters of surface aquatic systems in North-Western Black Sea Basin (data already exists and is intellectual property of a public body).  By all this, the present joint action will reach the output indicator 6 “Number of environmental training and/or research initiatives carried out” mentioned in Section 8 of this Grant Application Form.

The partnership network developed within the joint Action that are actively involved in project activities includes 6 partners and 2 associates - from Romania (applicant and 2 partners – from which 1 agency/association), Moldova (1 partner and 1 associate – both agencies/association), Ukraine (1 partner and 1 associate - both agencies/association) and Armenia (1 partner - association). By this, the present joint action will reach the output indicator 7: “Number of agencies / associations involved in project activities” mentioned in Section 8 of this Grant Application Form.

The implementation of the present joint action involves the applicant, five other partners and two associates. Out of the total number of parties involved in the project (8), one is an Educational Institution, one is a National Institute for Research and Development. Both have their main business objective in the environmental sector. By this, the joint action reaches the output indicator 8 “Number of research / education institutions assisted / involved in project initiatives carried out” mentioned in Section 8 of this Grant Application Form.

During the GA2 of the present joint Action “Expert Training for Environment Experts”, 60 technical environment experts and others will benefit of a 5 days training and workshop (organized separately  in each participating country, in turn) regarding the newest methods and technologies used in environmental protection, research and policy making.  By this, the present joint action shall reach the output indicator 9 “Number of trainings initiatives begun in environmental protection” mentioned in Section 8 of this Grant Application Form.

Throughout the project, awareness campaigns will be organized in turn in each participant country. Publicity material will be distributed constantly. The information portal will ensure a continuous 24/7 promotion of the project and dissemination of project’s results. By this, the joint Action reaches the output indicator 10 “Number of inhabitants of natural areas participating in awareness events” mentioned in Section 8 of this Grant Application Form.

The implementation of the present joint action involves the applicant, five other partners and two associates. Out of the total number of parties involved in the project (8), one is an Educational Institution, one is a National Institute for Research and Development, three are cross-border development agencies, one is a European integration association and two are public active agents on environmental policies. All eight participants are active in the environmental sector. The National Institute for Research and Development has its main business objective in the environmental sector. By this, the joint action reaches the result indicator 6 “Number of partnership contracts / agreements establishing permanent relations among institutions / agencies active in the environmental sector” mentioned in Section 8 of this Grant Application Form.

The exchange of experiences and good practice between the parties involved will contribute to achieving new skills and competencies for 60 technical environment experts (20 being staff members of the project) and 50 other environment experts. By this, the joint action reaches the result indicator 7 “Number of entrepreneurs / technicians / researchers completing activities and achieving new skills and competencies” mentioned in Section 8 of this Grant Application Form.

All partners involved in the joint action are institutions active in environmental protection and they all contribute to the construction of the software tools (and the definition of analysis indicators) and they will all have access to the innovative information systems designed during the implementation of the project. Moreover, other participating parties such as regional and national state institutions involved in environmental policy making will adopt innovative project outcomes (e.g. using the reports derived from the software tools developed in the project; outcome of innovative scientific activities). By this, the joint action reaches the result indicator 8 “Number of institutions active in environmental protection adopting innovations developed by projects” mentioned in Section 8 of this Grant Application Form.