EU Research Autumn 2026
The Health of the
Earth Trump’s research cuts face resistance from scientists
Reaching the Horizon: R&D deal still not agreed
Europe must spend Billions now or face climate cost
Microplastics discovered in 96% of population
Disseminating the latest research from around Europe and Horizon 2020
Discover our back catalogue at www.euresearcher.com/magazines
Editor’s No Editor’s Note F
or decades, soil has been one of Europe’s most valuable yet overlooked natural resources, receiving far less political attention than forests, rivers or the atmosphere.Yet it underpins food production, stores carbon, filters water, supports biodiversity and sustains both rural economies and urban development. Today, soil has become a defining issue in European environmental policy as the consequences of degradation become increasingly apparent. Climate change has highlighted the vulnerability of Europe’s landscapes. Droughts, flooding and the continuing loss of fertile land demonstrate that soil degradation is not only an environmental concern but also an economic and societal one. Scientific advances have transformed understanding of soil. Developments in microbiology, genomics, satellite observation and digital mapping have revealed soil as one of the planet’s most complex living ecosystems, playing a critical role in regulating natural systems.
The European Union’s Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, adopted in 2025, marks a major shift. It is the first EU-wide framework to establish common standards for monitoring and protecting soil health, replacing fragmented national approaches with a more coordinated strategy.
As a seasoned editor and journalist, Richard Forsyth has been reporting on numerous aspects of European scientific research for over 10 years. He has written for many titles including ERCIM’s publication, CSP Today, Sustainable Development magazine, eStrategies magazine and remains a prevalent contributor to the UK business press. He also works in Public Relations for businesses to help them communicate their services effectively to industry and consumers.
The EU Directive also strengthens action on contaminated land by requiring Member States to identify potentially contaminated sites, assess associated risks and take appropriate measures to protect people and ecosystems. Legislation alone, however, will not restore Europe’s soils. Urban expansion, intensive agriculture, pollution and increasingly extreme weather continue to place pressure on fragile ecosystems, while rebuilding organic matter and biodiversity takes decades. The next phase of European soil policy will depend less on new legislation than on effective implementation. Success will require robust monitoring, sustained investment in restoration and closer collaboration between scientists, farmers, land managers and governments. Soil science has moved beyond the laboratory to become a central pillar of European environmental policy and EU Research has been engaged with several projects lately that focus on nurturing healthy soil in Europe. It’s a key part of the puzzle for environmental sustainability and our future security, affecting so much of what we need to do.
Hope you enjoy the issue.
Richard Forsyth Editor
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Contents Contents
38 Soil: The Living Skin of
4 Research News
EU Research takes a look at the latest news in scientific research, highlighting new discoveries, major breakthroughs and new areas of investigation
10 Outer-Ret
The team at Professor Yael
the Earth Independent Soils are the invisible infrastructure
Alongside detecting PFAS chemicals,
that sustains life on Earth. Beneath
researchers are also working to
every forest, grass and agricultural
prevent them from contaminating
field lies a remarkably complex
groundwater, as Tamara Rodríguez
ecosystem whose diversity could
and Isabel Gamallo of the
amaze each one of us. By Maria
MAR2PROTECT project explain.
Vlastara
24 EUROPEAN TRACKING NETWORK
42 BLUE TRANSITION We spoke with BLUE TRANSITION
Hanein’s neuro-engineering lab
We spoke to Kim Birnie-Gauvin
project lead Mike Müller- Petke
is investigating how brain-machine
and Ross McGill about how the
and project manager Ilke Borowski-
interfaces can be optimised and used
STRAITS, NorTrack and DTOtrack
Maaser about their work in
in a non-invasive, efficient way, and
projects will help build a fuller picture
rebalancing water systems and how
exploring their wider potential in
of life in European seas.
Europe is redefining water resilience.
different applications.
12 MACxercise
28 PROTECT BALTIC
The PROTECT BALTIC team
44 GINAMO Genetic diversity is the foundation
Medical implants need to be integrated
is developing the science, tools and
of biodiversity. The GINAMO project
effectively in the body. The team
policy frameworks needed to help
team is developing evidence-based,
behind the ERC-backed MACxercise
marine protected areas across the
practical tools for monitoring genetic
project is developing bioresorbable
Baltic Sea operate as a connected,
diversity, as Dr Christina Hvilsom
materials for implants, as Dr Anthal
effective network.
and Dr Myriam Heuertz explain.
Smits explains.
15 TARGET
32 SEAGHOSTS
47 ECHO Soil
Storm petrels are extremely sensitive
European citizens have a major role to
Water scarcity is an increasingly
to environmental change, yet relatively
play in gathering data on soil health, an
pressing issue. As leader of the TARGET
little is known about their behaviour
issue at the heart of Tanja Mimmo
project, Amélie Bresson is part
at sea, a topic central to Dr Raül
and Oleg Osychenko’s work in the
of a team of researchers developing
Ramos Garcia’s work in the
ECHO project.
management plans to integrate water
SEAGHOSTS project.
from non-conventional sources.
18 UrbanBEE
34 Are Best NbS
48 CREDIBLE
Tristano Bacchetti De Gregoris
We spoke to Professor Brooks
tells us how the Credible project is
The UrbanBEE project team is providing
Kaiser about the ARE BEST NbS
helping carbon farming initiatives learn
bee hotels to citizens of several cities,
project, in which she is looking to build
from each other and develop robust
which can then guide efforts to boost
a fuller picture of how we form our
approaches for land managers to
urban biodiversity, as Prof. Chevonne
environmental preferences and values.
maximise carbon sequestration.
Reynolds and Sage Naidoo explain.
20 ALERT PFAS
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22 MAR2PROTECT
36 SUNDANSE
We spoke to Mihaela Timofti,
50 LILAS4SOILS
The LILAS4SOILS project has
We spoke to João M. M. Araújo and
Oriane Georges and Anja
launched five living labs to test
Ana B. Pereiro about how the ALERT-
Stipankov Ivanovic about how the
Carbon Farming Practices under real
PFAS project is developing tools and
SUNDANSE project is developing
farming conditions to discover which
technologies to detect PFAS - ‘forever
innovative tools to help safeguard the
approaches can best regenerate soils
chemicals’ - and limit their impact.
Danube-Black Sea system.
and support more resilient agriculture.
EU Research
52 SOILPROM The SOILPROM project team is
67 SOURCE
developing advanced models of pollutant
Erik Melin, Margrete Vognild
transport processes, aiming to reduce soil
Blokhus and the Source project team
pollution and strengthen environmental
are working to identify and promote
protection, as Mahrooz Rezaei and
sustainable practices in the provision
Coen Ritsema explain.
and development of holiday homes in
53 DiviN-P Fertiliser usage has led to significant
the regions of Trøndelag and Jämtland.
70 GEOFORMATIONS
quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus
Professor Susan P. Murphy tells
being transferred to European soils.
us how the Geoformations project
The DiviN-P project team is
team is mapping the governance
investigating the relationship between
relationships that constitute and
nutrient availability, plant diversity and
animate international development, to
climate.
support more effective, inclusive and
56 RootEd
We spoke to Assistant Professor Saoirse Tracy, coordinator of the
locally led development cooperation.
72 SAML In the ERC-backed SAML project
RootEd doctoral network, about how
researchers are developing a more
knowledge of root systems might
collaborative approach to designing
be incorporated into crop breeding
ML algorithms, so that they reflect
programmes.
the interests of stakeholders, as
58 CURIOSOIL The CURIOSOIL project team is
Professor Isabel Valera explains.
74 FREE4LIB
working to enhance soil literacy across
We spoke to Martin Devaulx
Europe, which will contribute to the
de Chambord, Julius Ott, Juan
wider goal of restoring soil health,
Castro and Aleix Vila Cano
as Sónia Rodrigues and Cristina
about their work in developing new
Biddlecome explain.
technologies to recover critical raw
60 LANDPATHS The LANDPATHS team, led by Associate Professor Malgorzata
materials from car batteries.
76 Marie Sklodowska-Curie
Actions 30th anniversary
Blicharska at Uppsala University,
As the Marie Skłodowska-Curie
is exploring how governance, citizen
Actions programme celebrates
participation and land-use strategies
its 30th anniversary, two fellows
can promote resilient multifunctional
reflect on how this unique European
landscapes.
initiative shaped not only their
62 HOLiFOOD
Nathan Meijer, Bas van der Velden and Debora Serra explain
79 ROSA What happens when people are persecuted not for their religion,
approach to identifying emerging
but for the absence of belief? In the
hazards and strengthening Europe’s
EU ROSA project, Dr Ben Laws
capacity to protect public health.
investigated the experiences of nonreligious asylum seekers in Europe.
82 GLORE
colleagues explain how the NBSPLUS
Millions of people were displaced
project is developing Nature-
by the Second World War. Kerstin
based Solution Services to support
von Lingen and her colleagues in
participatory governance, biodiversity,
the GLORE project are investigating
climate resilience, long-term
how resettlement was managed and
performance and human well-being.
experienced after 1945.
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collaborate and lead.
pioneering an AI-powered, holistic
Dr Ursula McKnight and her
Managing Editor Richard Forsyth info@euresearcher.com Deputy Editor Patrick Truss patrick@euresearcher.com Science Writer Nevena Nikolova nikolovan31@gmail.com Science Writer Maria Vlastara mvlastara@yahoo.gr
research, but the way they think,
how the HOLiFOOD project is
64 NBSPLUS
EDITORIAL
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RESEARCH
NEWS The Science resistance to Trump’s cuts is here
The EU Research team take a look at current events in the scientific news
Colette Delawalla Founder of Stand Up for Science
Stand Up for Science founder says proposal to control how grants are spent is fascistic and would create a “$1.5tn slush fund” under Trump’s control. Colette Delawalla, the founder of the group Stand Up for Science, had just completed a three-day visit to Capitol Hill, where she met one by one with more than 30 members of Congress, part of a full court press the organisation has launched in recent weeks, sounding the alarm on the office of management and budget (OMB) proposal.
back against the Trump administration’s ideologically driven attacks on research. Her work with the organisation has not gone unnoticed: this week, preeminent magazine Scientific American named her one of five “young scientists who are making waves in their own ways”. The magazine went on to say that Delawalla is “changing the field of science, particularly among young scientists, by showing them how to become participants in democracy”.
A mother of a toddler, she stopped and thought about the listed example: a clinical trial under way meant to address the issue of parents who become suicidal after an infant death. The trial would likely be made illegal under the new rule, since it includes the sorts of international collaboration the rule prohibits. “I lost it,” she told the Guardian newspaper. “I have a two-and-a-half-year-old son at home and thought of what I would do if something happened to him. I just cried.”
Nonetheless, defeating the proposed OMB rule may be her stiffest challenge yet. Wading into politics on Capitol Hill has led her and colleagues at her organisation to sharpen their skills at communicating about how research works and why it’s important. Thus, the running list she was reviewing at Reagan airport.
The rule, proposed by OMB director Russ Vought on 29 May, would place all research and other federal grants under the control of political appointees, rather than scientific or subject-matter experts. Writing on her Substack, former National Institutes of Health (NIH) program official Elizabeth Ginexi quoted the rule as prohibiting anything that “promote[s] anti-American values”. “The rule also requires that discretionary awards must ‘… demonstrably advance the president’s policy priorities,’” she added. In other words, said Delawalla, it would create a “$1.5tn slush fund” under Trump’s control. “The purpose of the rule is fascism”.
“When you say this to certain members of Congress, they go: what?” she said. With others, she points out that everything from “grandma’s new wheelchair to veterans’ housing and small business funding comes from federal grants” – and could be disallowed under the new rule.
“It would dismantle the US science ecosystem – but also all federal discretionary grants,” added Delawalla, on the phone from her home in Decatur, Georgia. “It’s huge.” The organisation’s tactics include urging members of the public to post comments on the rule by the federal government’s 13 July deadline. Stand Up for Science has posted pointers on making comments on their website. There were nearly 31,000 comments left at the OMB’s page on the rule as of Thursday morning.
One category of research that most people can relate to is clinical trials. Her organisation analysed about 10,000 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded trials this week and conservatively estimated that nearly half could be discontinued under the new rule, for reasons ranging from prohibited words such as “equity” to, again, the fact of including international collaboration. The discontinued trials could include “over 1,000 cancer-related trials, hundreds of paediatric studies, and hundreds of trials each studying veterans, suicide, heart disease, and diabetes”, according to Stand up for Science.
Stand up for Science is also exploring legal responses should the rule go through. Delawalla held a virtual meeting last Friday with some 50 attorneys across the US to discuss strategies. And how did her trip to Capitol Hill go? “I was flustered,” said Delawalla. Only one of the dozens she met with was “completely abreast of the [rule’s] 411 pages”, she said – Maryland Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen. One veteran Democrat in the House who she preferred not to name told her “you’re just protesters” and that “the executive branch should have the right to cancel grants”.
Ginexi resigned from the NIH last year after 22 years at the agency, when Doge dismissals “made it so I couldn’t do my job anymore”. She called the rule “a multi-front assault unprecedented in my lifetime” and said Delawalla’s organisation is “filling a gap”, since most scientists don’t tend to get involved in politics. “Non-scientists are easier to mobilise,” said Delawalla. “They’ve never been told they need to remain apolitical.”
Delawalla, 32, is actually a clinical psychologist and researcher at Atlanta’s Emory University; she founded Stand Up for Science last year to fight
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“We tweak the message according to who we’re talking to,” she said. With some members of Congress, she pointed out that “75 times a day, US and Chinese satellites have near misses crashing into each other. There are offices in both countries that collaborate to avoid this. If this rule passes, within hours, there will be collisions – a forced error – because this kind of collaboration will be illegal.”
Another message she tries to bring across: “We’re advocating for democracy … If you tell people in a country they’re not allowed to study certain things with federal money, you’re not in a free country.”
EU Research
Horizon deal delay and possible cuts only making matters worse Commissioner for Research hopes for a Horizon Europe deal before end of 2026. Ekaterina Zaharieva hopes the European Parliament and EU Council will reach a deal on the next Horizon Europe by the end of 2026, warning that a delayed political decision would have a knock-on effect on the first calls for proposals, due to be published in early 2028. “If we want to have the programme up and running on the first of January 2028, we have to have a deal by the end of this year,” said the European commissioner responsible for research. The Council reached a partial agreement on the programme in June, with EU governments pushing for a greater say in setting priorities in the next Horizon Europe programme. However, the Parliament has at least two more months of deliberation before it can put the file to a plenary vote at the end of October. From then on, the Council, Parliament and European Commission will enter trilateral talks, which Zaharieva hopes will be smooth. While the Council agreement does not steer too much away from the Commission’s proposal, the Parliament’s rapporteurs in the industry and research committee have amassed hundreds of amendments, which will first be negotiated internally, then voted in the committee, then taken to a plenary vote. Some of their proposals could be pared back, but chances are that the Parliament will enter the trilogues with demands that are radically different from what the Commission and Council want. For example, German MEP Christian Ehler, the Parliament’s lead rapporteur on the next Horizon Europe and co-rapporteur on the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), wants to move programming decisions to new expert councils and to ensure that future industrial policies implemented through the ECF will not “dictate” research priorities. The Commission stands by its proposal, but at a recent event organised by the German academy of sciences Leopoldina and the European Research Council (ERC), Ehler said that a compromise was still possible. According to Zaharieva, the Commission is “happy” with plans by the Irish presidency of the Council to push for a deal on Horizon Europe legislation by the end of the year. Reaching an agreement by then will be “very, very difficult, but not impossible,” she said. On the other hand, any delay could be damaging, since the Commission will need “time to prepare the systems, to start working, otherwise we are going to have a gap, and that’s not fair to our scientists.”
cut to Horizon Europe, from €154.9 billion to €148.6 billion. But with a number of countries, including Germany, pushing for even deeper cuts to the overall budget, Horizon Europe may come under further pressure. When asked whether she believes member states understand the significance of investments in the EU research and innovation programme, Zaharieva said research organisations across the bloc should be “a bit more vocal” in telling their stories, not just in front of finance ministers, but also in front of citizens. “This will help when we negotiate the budget,” she said. The Commission has recently advanced a string of association deals as more countries around the world are interested in getting involved in Horizon Europe. Japan is the latest to sign a deal, but the Commission is also in advanced talks with India and has already reached deals with Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Korea. However, the deals only cover the current iteration of Horizon Europe, which will end in December 2027, and the Commission is getting ready to re-start talks with governments that wish to continue after January 2028. Zaharieva said that while the process will not be a simple formality, all countries could re-associate to the next Horizon Europe by the end of 2028. “[Associated countries] really want this to go smooth, as fast as possible without interruption, and we can do it, it’s much faster negotiations.” Horizon Europe is becoming increasingly popular around the world and more countries could join after January 2028, but Zaharieva did not want to say which might be next in line. She visited Vietnam this spring, and in June Sayasat Nurbek, the research minister of Kazakhstan, visited her in Brussels. In the case of Vietnam, Zaharieva noted that the south-east Asian country is interested in strengthening trade, technology and science ties with the EU, but an association deal is not on the table at the moment, although the door is open for future talks after 2028. Zaharieva said, the EU can and should play a bigger role in plugging global science gaps left behind by the Trump administration. Decisions by the US government to withdraw from international research collaborations on climate, health and ocean observation were “regrettable,” she said, but the EU can use some of its budget to plug some of those holes and knit closer ties with like-minded partners. “We are looking at where we can use the resources that we have, as limited as they are at the end of the programme, to increase our contribution [to global initiatives],” she added.
Zaharieva made the comments on the Horizon Europe negotiation timeline just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for cuts to the European Commission’s proposal for the next long-term EU budget “across all areas,” totalling “several hundred billion euros.” Last summer, the Commission put forward its proposal for a 2028-34 EU budget of €1.76 trillion in 2025 prices adjusted for inflation. In June, the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council published the first figures for negotiations between EU governments, proposing an overall budget of €1.73 trillion, or a cut of almost 2%. The Cypriot figures included a 4%
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First large-scale blood study on microplastics finds 96% of Belgians tested have microplastics in their blood
The test shows that microplastics are closer than we realise and aims to spark the debate surrounding further research. The microplastics issue hits closer to home than we realise. Small plastic particles are no longer just floating somewhere far away at sea; they are actually inside our bodies. In our blood, to be specific.The newly announced results of a blood study involving 119 Belgians leave no room for doubt: virtually everyone - a staggering 96% - has microplastics flowing through their veins. With an average of 8.95 plastic particles per blood sample, the results of this test, an initiative by Belgian start-up Planet B supervised by MediLab, are striking, to say the least.
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show an increasing presence of plastic particles with age, with one sharp exception: the 25–34 age group showed an average of 11.1 particles per blood sample. Looking at the respondents’ locations, there is a strong peak in the province of East Flanders.
Recent international studies have already revealed that microplastics can be found in various parts of our body. Scientists discovered, for instance, that our brains consist of 0.5% plastic and even found plastic particles in our lungs, placenta, and testicles. Babies are even reportedly born with microplastics in their bodies nowadays. These are alarming signals that demand more research and understanding of the issue.
Perhaps even more interesting are the sizes of the plastic particles found: most particles had a diameter between 10 and 20 micrometers (μm). This particle size can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestines and likely enters our body primarily via food and drink. Even more concerning is the presence of smaller particles, under 10 μm in size. They float in the air (e.g., from tire wear) and are even present in personal care and cleaning products. Although these particles are less prevalent (an average of 3.13 per blood sample, or 31.3 particles per ml of blood), they pose a greater threat to our health: they are capable of penetrating the body’s smallest barriers, such as those between our blood and lungs, our brain, and beyond, where they can accumulate.
Research into microplastics is still in its early stages, and we don’t really know much about the extent of plastic particle presence among the population. This was reason enough for Planet B, a mission-driven start-up from Ghent, to get curious and look into the amount of microplastics among Belgians. The tests among 119 Belgians, conducted in Antwerp, Leuven, and Ghent by MediLab medical staff, mark the first large-scale blood study into microplastics in Belgium, and by extension, across Europe.
The consequences of microplastics in our body are far from trivial. Multiple studies already indicate links to cardiovascular diseases such as strokes, as well as dementia and more everyday issues like allergies. A large-scale review of 3,000 studies by the University of California, San Francisco from 2024 links microplastic air pollution to both lung and colon cancers, as well as male and female infertility. Further research remains necessary to fully map all direct health impacts.
The study’s findings clearly show that microplastics are very present in Belgium: 114 out of 119 blood samples contained microplastics. On average, 8.95 particles were found per blood sample (about 100 microliters), with peaks reaching up to 64 particles. This translates to an average of just under 90 (89.5) plastic particles per ml in the blood of Belgians, across various sizes. The most striking contrast is seen across age categories. The results
“We don’t want to wait until years down the line to realise just how harmful microplastics in our bodies truly are,” says Planet B co-founder Tibbe Verschaffel. “We once underestimated asbestos while companies profited from it, and by the time we realised how carcinogenic it was, it was everywhere. I believe we are making the exact same mistake now with microplastics.”
EU Research
EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra says Europe must spend Billions now or face mounting climate costs A nightmare summer of fires, droughts and heatwaves should force governments to invest in climate proofing, says Commissioner. This summer’s extremes show that governments must spend more on beefing up defences against global warming or face an even steeper bill in the years to come, the European Union’s climate chief told EU Research. Successive heat waves, worsening drought and monstrous wildfires have caused enormous damage over the past few months, with some economists estimating that the losses will wipe out the EU’s modest GDP growth for 2026.
stationed in high-risk areas under Commission coordination and the planned expansion of the EU’s firefighting fleet. “We have dramatically stepped this up. We now have almost 800 men and women from firefighter brigades that can be flexibly employed in the places where the proverbial shit hits the fan,” he said. But, he acknowledged, “I don’t think any one of us can be complacent. We need to do significantly more, at regional, national and European level.”
This year’s impacts are in line with projections. The European Commission estimates that climate-related disasters already knock 1 percent off the bloc’s GDP, rising to 2.3 percent by 2050 and 7 percent by the end of the century. Insurers warn that cumulative GDP losses in the most exposed EU countries could hit up to 7 percent between this year and 2030.
The Commission is currently drafting an EU-wide adaptation package, dubbed the Integrated Framework for European Climate Resilience, and plans to unveil a set of measures in October or November.
The EU’s Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra warns that to prevent costs from spiralling further, European governments must start investing massive sums in measures to climate-proof their countries, known as adaptation. “I think we’ve now had enough reality checks that adaptation spending is not a luxury,” he said in an interview. “It’s a crystal-clear necessity,” he added. “Let’s get into action mode, and that has ramifications for the European budget, for national budgets … but the reality is that if you don’t, you will be paying more.” The Commission said in January that the EU needs to invest around €70 billion each year in adaptation measures such as flood prevention and urban cooling.Yet, for now, EU governments collectively spend an estimated €29 billion annually, while climate-related damages to infrastructure and material assets average around €45 billion every year. Many European governments are dealing with limited fiscal space, Hoekstra acknowledged. But he insisted that money invested now will prevent worse economic headaches in the future. “None of us has a money tree in his or her backyard,” Hoekstra said. “But in the end, a budget is a reflection of your policy priorities. And what the wildfires and floodings are telling us is, you better make this into a priority because otherwise you’re going to pay even more dearly — in terms of health effects, economic effects, societal effects.” A recent World Resources Institute study found that every dollar invested in adaptation measures generates $10 in benefits over a decade. And the United Nations estimates that every $1 billion invested in coastal protection can avert $14 billion in economic damage. Governments that opt not to make those investments should “not be surprised if you have more areas that you will not be able to insure,” Hoekstra warned. “And don’t be surprised if the economic damage goes up and up and up.”
The framework will include three key pillars, Hoekstra said. First, a common scenario that all EU governments should plan for, something the Commission’s scientific advisers suggested earlier this year. Second, greater clarity on where the responsibilities lie — at municipal, regional, national or EU level — when it comes to climate-proofing Europe. “Who is responsible for the firefighting? Who is responsible for the financing? Who is responsible for planting trees in cities? Who is responsible for health care measures for the elderly? And so on,” he said. Finally, the Commission wants to ensure adaptation planning is “mainstreamed” throughout European and national policymaking, meaning that climate resilience would be taken into account at every step of decision-making on infrastructure investments, legislation and more. Plus, the EU must continue striving for lower carbon emissions at home and abroad to avoid the worst climate impacts. But even at the current level of global warming, governments must prepare for more disasters, Hoekstra noted. “Even if we would be able to kill all emissions tomorrow, we still would be having a number of very rough summers ahead,” he said. “We cannot afford to see the summer of 2027 or the summer of 2028 as another reality check. We’ve had enough of these. We know what is happening. We know what’s coming,” he added. “There can be no hope in just keeping doing the same and then hoping that the results will be better. That will be naïve and in my view unacceptable.”
European countries and Brussels have improved their summer disaster planning, said Hoekstra, citing the hundreds of emergency firefighters
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Pesticides found in 70% of European soils, harming beneficial life A new study across 26 European countries, found contamination the second-strongest factor shaping soil biodiversity after basic soil properties. For farmers, sometimes the easiest way to save a crop or prevent catastrophic insect damage is to spray a pesticide. But this common practice is wreaking havoc on the soil, according to new research published recently in the journal Nature.The study examined soil from 26 European countries, finding that pesticide contamination is widespread beyond agricultural lands and substantially damages the beneficial soil organisms essential for healthy ecosystems.
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The researchers examined how 63 commonly used pesticides affected soil archaea, bacteria, fungi, protists, nematodes and arthropods, revealing what they describe as “complex and widespread” impacts on soil microorganisms. Fungicides (pesticides used to eliminate fungi) were the most frequently detected compounds in soil samples, accounting for 54% of all active ingredients found. Herbicides (pesticides aimed at plants) made up 35%, while insecticides represented 11%. The herbicide glyphosate was the single most common active ingredient detected.
Researchers found pesticide residues in 70% of the 373 soil samples collected from agricultural fields, grasslands and forests. The contamination emerged as the second-strongest factor shaping soil biodiversity patterns, surpassed only by basic soil properties like texture and pH. “This contamination has a major impact on various beneficial soil organisms, such as mycorrhizal fungi and nematodes, impairing their biodiversity,” Marcel van der Heijden, a professor at the University of Zurich’s Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and one of the study’s lead authors, said in a statement.
While agricultural fields contained the highest pesticide concentrations, researchers also discovered contamination in forests and meadows where pesticides are not normally applied, which they say is likely due to spray drift from nearby treated areas. Researchers from 10 institutions participated in the study, including the European Union’s Joint Research Centre, the University of Vigo in Spain and Swiss agricultural research institute Agroscope. They say that pesticides fundamentally altered soil communities.
Mycorrhizal fungi, which form partnerships with plant roots to help crops absorb water and nutrients, were among the organisms most affected by pesticide exposure. The fungicide bixafen, commonly used to combat harmful fungi on cereal crops, proved especially damaging to multiple types of soil organisms studied. The harmful effects of pesticides on birds, bees and other insects have been well documented. However, impacts on soil microorganisms remains poorly understood, according to the study’s authors, who write that their research provides the first comprehensive quantitative evidence of pesticide impacts on European soil life.
The researchers write that current pesticide regulations are not strong enough to protect biodiversity. They say that, currently, regulators test pesticides on only a few species, such as a single earthworm species, one nematode species and one collembolan species, and measure limited endpoints like the rates at which pesticides break down into smaller compounds. To better safeguard soil biodiversity, the study authors say regulators should examine how pesticides affect whole communities of soil organisms and the critical functions they perform, such as nutrient cycling and carbon storage.
EU Research
New project to help educate Romanians launched across Belgium and Italy InfoCons Association launches the ProEduHub project - support for young Romanians in the diaspora who want to study in Romania. InfoCons Association announces the launch of the project “ProEduHub — Facilitating young Romanians’ access from the diaspora to education in Romania. Come home!”, a project financed by the Department for Romanians Everywhere (DRP).The project is implemented between 1 August and 30 October 2026 and is addressed to young Romanians in the diaspora (aged 15–25) and their families in the two target countries — Italy and Belgium — with the aim of reconnecting them with the higher education offer in Romania.The total approved value of the project is 151,675 lei, non-reimbursable funding granted by the Department for Romanians Everywhere through Grant Agreement no. DRP/C/177/29.07.2026, with InfoCons Association providing an own contribution of at least 5%. ProEduHub responds to a real need: young Romanians in the diaspora and their families do not have a single, credible and accessible point of information regarding higher education in Romania. The project creates an integrated information and counselling channel, structured around five complementary components: • a dedicated online platform on the InfoCons website, bringing together the educational offer of the four partner universities;
• a telephone counselling line - a dedicated ProEduHub extension of the 021 9615 / *9615 line - with a schedule adapted to the diaspora’s time zones; • outreach in the diaspora - targeted digital campaigns (Italy and Belgium) and partnerships with Romanian community publications; • informational materials - a guide, brochures, videos and dedicated infographics; • a pilot programme with the partner universities - USVT, the University of Bucharest, the Politehnica University of Bucharest and the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Through its activities, the project aims to deliver a functional online platform and an operational telephone counselling line, over 500,000 digital impressions across the Romanian communities in Italy and Belgium, as well as direct counselling for at least 100 young people in the diaspora, guided towards the programmes of the partner universities in Romania. Sorin Mierlea, President of InfoCons Association said in a statement “Through ProEduHub we are building a bridge of trust between young Romanians in the diaspora and universities in Romania. We want every young person who dreams of an academic career to find, in one single place, the accurate information and the support they need to choose Romania.”
Smoking is not a social habit and leads to increased loneliness, according to a Europe-wide study The study which involved more than 51,000 suggest the harms associated with smoking may extend beyond physical health to social and psychological wellbeing too. “Although we know smoking is bad for your physical health, we don’t know what it does to our social health. Previous research has suggested that loneliness leads to smoking, but there has been very little research asking if smoking leads to loneliness. Smoking has been considered a ‘social activity’, but we regularly see people with smoking-related illnesses becoming increasingly socially isolated and lonely,” said Dr Keir Philip, clinical lecturer in respiratory medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.
participants was 67, with 22% identifying as active smokers at baseline, and 48.5% reporting more than two chronic medical conditions.
“Our first study in England suggested that people who smoked became lonelier than those who didn’t smoke, but it was possible the results were influenced by culture and social norms. We wanted to investigate if we saw the same relationship between smoking and loneliness across other countries too,” said Dr Keir Philip, clinical lecturer in respiratory medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.
Dr Philip emphasised that shifting the narrative around smoking is essential. “Smoking is not social; our research shows it leads to increased social isolation and loneliness. Spreading the word through various routes will be key, from pubs to public policy – the psychosocial impacts of smoking need to be made clear.”
Investigators evaluated data from more than 50,000 participants across 15 countries who took part in the Survey of Health and Aging in Europe (SHARE), according to the study authors. Researchers assessed loneliness using the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale, which scores how often respondents report lacking companionship, feeling left out, and feeling isolated from others. The investigators compared participants who currently smoked with non-smokers and reevaluated them two years later using the same questionnaire, according to the research team. The average age of
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According to the study results, current smokers were lonelier than nonsmokers, even after adjusting for potential confounding variables including age and gender. Furthermore, individuals who smoked experienced larger increases in loneliness over time after accounting for demographic characteristics, health factors, and baseline loneliness scores. The relationship was consistent across European regions, with only slight regional variations reported.
The findings also highlight the need to address smoking as an actionable risk factor within broader public healthcare strategies aimed at reducing isolation in older populations. “This is important information for people who smoke. It is vital to support people to quit smoking without stigmatising them. From individual to policy level, these findings demonstrate that as well as damaging physical health, smoking appears to damage aspects of psychosocial health. The idea that smoking might be ‘social’ should be challenged, as the evidence indicates the opposite,” said Des Cox, clinical professor at University College Dublin and member of the European Respiratory Society Advocacy Council, in a news release.
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A bold vision for brain-machine interfaces The team at Professor Yael Hanein’s neuro-engineering lab at Tel Aviv University are investigating how brain-machine interfaces can be optimised and used in a non-invasive, efficient way, and exploring their wider potential in different applications. These include human-computer-interaction, neurorehabilitation and the treatment of blindness owing to retinal degenerative diseases.
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The development of brain-machine
OuterRetina project
interfaces holds rich potential as a way of restoring human capabilities, for example by giving people the ability to control prosthetic limbs, or restoring a degree of vision to those affected by eye diseases. A lot of research in this area has historically focused on invasive technologies, which involves implanting sensors and stimulating devices in the brain or the peripheral nervous system, yet there are still many hurdles to overcome before these technologies are more widely adopted. “Invasive technologies are fundamentally challenging. They trigger immune responses, they are unstable and overall there are still unresolved issues,” says Yael Hanein, Professor of Electrical and Computing Engineering at Tel Aviv University. As head of the neuro-engineering lab at Tel-Aviv University, Professor Hanein and her research team are developing new, non-invasive tools to interface with the nervous system. “Our interest is in investigating how we can activate the nervous system in an efficient way, and how we can collect data indicating that we have generated the intended response, preferably simultaneously and with hardware that has as little form factor as possible, minimising the burden on the user,” she outlines. A significant degree of progress has already been made in this respect, with researchers in the lab developing wearable electrodes that can be placed on the skin and used for stimulation and recording at high resolution with little burden to the users. The soft electrodes developed in the lab have been shown to perform just as effectively as the current state-of-the-art devices, which are typically bulky and restrict movement and natural behaviour. “We’ve demonstrated that soft electrode arrays can be used to stimulate neural tissue, from peripheral nerves to the retina,” outlines Professor Hanein. The team at Professor Hanein’s lab are now looking to develop computational tools and further develop the sensing capabilities for a variety of different applications, including retinal activation, building on knowledge of how the retina works. “The optic nerve carries information from the retina to the brain. The way
As Principal Investigator (PI) in the ERCbacked OuterRetina project, Professor Hanein is now looking at stimulating the retina, with the wider aim of improving the ambulatory function of patients suffering from retinal degeneration. In such conditions, for example retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the photoreceptor layer of the retina is damaged, leading to almost complete blindness. “RP is a genetic condition, affecting a relatively small number of people, whereas Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) affects many more. In RP patients become essentially completely blind at a relatively young age, whereas with AMD people still have some vision, even when they are at an advanced stage,” explains Professor Hanein. A more effective means of stimulating retinal implants could lead to further improvements in the treatment of these diseases, a topic central to the project. “We’re looking at both where electrical stimulation should be delivered and how to activate the retina most effectively,” outlines Professor Hanein. “One of the main problems we face in this respect is the number of free parameters. Electrodes can be stimulated at different times, frequencies and amplitudes.” A further issue in the development of technologies for artificial vision is that the effectiveness of stimulation is assessed largely on the basis of how patients report their visual perception, which is by nature highly subjective, and also tiring for the patients themselves. While information and feedback from patients is of course highly valuable, researchers are also gathering more objective measures from experiments, seeking to optimise the stimulation. “A major focus of the research is to find ways how patients can report on the impact of neurostimulation in the simplest way possible. We also search for physiological responses to the fact that they were exposed to electrical stimulation,” says Professor Hanein. Once electrical signals are transferred from the retina to the brain, in principle it should be possible to pick them up, yet Professor Hanein says this is a technically challenging area. “The trouble is that the signal is very weak and difficult to
Soft electrodes for non-invasive retinal activation and objective response capture.
neurons carry information is through action potentials, which have specific frequencies,” she explains. “To create meaningful visual perception, information carried though electrical stimulation must be essentially transferred through a similar language, but that depends on which particular part of the retina has been stimulated. There is an active debate about how retinal implants should be stimulated.”
Prof. Hanein’s multidisciplinary neuro-engineering team.
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pick up, so in parallel we look for secondary effects,” she explains. “For example, if we provide someone with a visual perception of a flash of light at the edge of their viewing field, we would expect their eyes to move, or that they would squint.” The project team are also conducting research using chick embryos, which are used as a simple model system in this field of research. A miniature version of the soft electrodes is placed on the retina of the embryo when it is still supported by the eye cup, then researchers apply similar stimulation parameters as on humans. “The idea is to use the experiments with the chick
which Professor Hanein describes as relatively crude. “A technician has to place the electrodes and know exactly where to put them. There are wires, , the electrodes can easily fall off, and a lot of noise comes into the measurements,” she explains. The team are now extensively exploring the concept of recording and analysing different signals from the body with entirely wireless wearable devices and machine learning tools. “We have several projects in the lab, looking at situations where we record the humans physiology in different contexts. We apply these capabilities for applications such as monitoring facial expressions at very high
“Our interest is in investigating how we can activate the nervous system in an efficient way, and how we can collect data indicating that we have generated the intended response.” retina to explain the parameters that we observe in experiments with humans,” says Professor Hanein. “We have also developed a computational model, where we model the electrical field distribution, taking into account the location of the retina and the distribution of the electric field, and try to estimate the resulting neural response. We are using the chick retina as a model to substantiate these results.”
Non-invasive electrophysiology This work on the OuterRet project represents just one part of Professor Hanein’s overall agenda, and there are several other strands of research at the lab, such as developing new tools to perform electrophysiology in a non-invasive way. This would provide an alternative to conventional ECG and EEG technologies,
resolution,” outlines Professor Hanein. “We essentially put electrodes on the skin, and record different signals, such as muscle and eye movements, or brain activity.” A lot of attention is also focused on automating the analysis of these signals, which contributes to the goal of making the technology more accessible and exploring its wider potential across different domains. At the same time, Professor Hanein is also investigating other issues around the use of wearable technology. “From the engineering point of view, one of the big challenges we face is how to monitor from multiple devices on the body simultaneously,” she outlines. “It’s relatively simple with just one or two devices, but it becomes more complex when you start adding more, and then it’s more difficult to facilitate communication between them.”
Outer-Ret Non-invasive patterned electrical neurostimulation of the retina
Project Objectives
The OuterRetina project develops noninvasive bioelectronic technologies for restoring and augmenting visual function through advanced retinal and periocular stimulation interfaces. The project combines soft wearable electronics, electrophysiology, neural engineering, and computational modeling to investigate novel approaches for visual modulation, neural activation, and human–machine interfacing, with applications in vision restoration, neurorehabilitation, and next-generation sensory neurotechnology.
Project Funding
The Outer-Ret project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under Advanced Grant agreement ID: 101053186.
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Professor Yael Hanein School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Tel Aviv University Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv Israel E: yaelha@tauex.tau.ac.il W: https://www.yaelhanein.sites.tau.ac.il/ about-3 Ibrahim, R.,Vėbraitė, I., Re, D., Funk, P. F.,Volk, G. F., Guntinas-Lichius, O., & Hanein,Y. (2025). Dry-printed electrodes for transcutaneous electrical stimulation of innervated muscles:Towards wearable and closed-loop stimulation. Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 22(1), 226. Man, H., Funk, P.F., Ben-Dov, D. et al. Facial muscle mapping and expression prediction using a conformal surface-electromyography platform. npj Flex Electron 9, 71 (2025). Vėbraitė I, Bar-Haim C, DavidPur M and Hanein Y (2024) Bi-directional electrical recording and stimulation of the intact retina with a screen-printed soft probe: a feasibility study. Front. Neurosci. 17:1288069.
Professor Yael Hanein
Team performing retinal stimulation experiments using soft electrodes.
Yael Hanein is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chair of Convergent Engineering at Tel Aviv University. She is the founder and CTO of X-trodes. Her research field is neuroengineering, focusing on developing wearable electronics and bionic vision.
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TU/e researchers using a dynamic bioreactor system to study the influence of mechanical loads on macrophage-material interactions. Photograph by Vincent van den Hoogen Photography.
Medical implants that induce regeneration Medical implants need to be integrated effectively in the body if they are to be successful. The team behind the ERC-backed MACxercise project are developing bioresorbable materials for implants, which are designed to be in the body just temporarily as they induce the body to regenerate itself, as Dr Anthal Smits explains. The demand for implant technology is growing, and new materials are being developed for the next generation of stents, heart valves and other medical devices. Associate Professor and leader of the ImmunoRegeneration group at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Dr Anthal Smits, and his team are developing new types of implants to replace damaged tissues in various medical conditions. They are designed to integrate effectively in the body and give the recipient an new lease of life. “Our implants are designed to be there in the body just temporarily and to induce regeneration on site, so that your own heart valve or blood vessel, for instance, will grow back,” he explains. The idea here is to essentially trick the body into thinking that it has to repair something, by making use of inflammation and the Foreign Body Response. “Inflammation is a natural protective mechanism of the body. This can be damaging to the body if it runs out of control, but it is also the natural kick-starter for tissue healing, which is what we try to exploit,” outlines Dr Smits. One important cell type in this process is the macrophage, a type of immune cell. “Macrophages are phagocytes, they basically eat stuff they recognise as foreign. They
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can do that by themselves or they can fuse together to form Foreign Body Giant Cells, huge multi-nucleated cells that protect the body from foreign materials. They recognise so-called ‘danger signals’, from which they can identify when something is not supposed to be in the body or when there is tissue damage,” explains Dr Smits. “However, they are not only destructive cells, they also send out signals to other cells about where damage has occurred, and where repairs are needed.”
pulsatile pressure of the blood, the tissue deforms and stretches every time your heart beats, which affects the behaviour of macrophages,” says Dr Smits. “For a parallel, imagine a construction worker building a house. If the scaffolding around the house continuously moves back and forth, this will affect how well they can build the house.” The project team is now looking at the behaviour of macrophages in dynamic environments that more accurately reflect
“Our implants are designed to be there in the body just temporarily and to induce regeneration, so that your own heart valve or blood vessel will grow back.” MACxercise project As Principal Investigator of the MACxercise project, Dr Smits is now looking to exploit this behaviour to develop more effective, self-regenerating materials, aiming to ensure they are integrated into the body and support the long-term effectiveness of implants. The focus here is on the way that macrophages ‘feel’ their physical environment, and the stresses and strains they undergo. “If you think about cardiovascular tissues, such as heart valves and blood vessels, for example, there is always cyclic stretch due to the
the situation in the human body than a petri dish, which can then feed into the design of biomaterials. “We isolate macrophages from human blood and culture them in various bioreactor systems,” continues Dr Smits. “For example, together with Dr Ye Wang, a colleague from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at TU/e, we have developed the ‘MiniGym’, a platform in which we can systematically expose macrophages to all kinds of different combinations of factors that they may encounter in the body, such as danger signals, while they are also
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Inflammation-driven heart valve regeneration inside the body using bioresorbable materials. Adapted from Wissing et al. npj Regen. Med. 2017 and De Kort et al. Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2021.
being physically stretched, as if they are exposed to blood pressure fluctuations.” The aim is to build a fundamental understanding of how macrophages respond to mechanical cues, as well as to the presence of cytokines or other signals. Understanding and measuring cell mechanics at the smallest level is the expertise of Dr Livia Angeloni, who worked as a postdoc on the MACxercise project and has since started her own research group at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy. She specialises in Atomic Force Microscopy-based techniques. “We poke cells with tiny little probes to measure their mechanical properties, while looking at the cells’ intracellular structure under the microscope. This teaches us important things about how cells behave in - and adjust to - different mechanical conditions,” she explains. “Deciphering the mechanics of macrophages is particularly challenging as they are extremely sensitive to changes in their surrounding environment and a lot of pathways within the cells are interconnected,” she continues. To deal with this, the team at TU/e is also using computational models at different scales to gain deeper insights. To develop these models, Dr Smits collaborates closely with Prof Sandra Loerakker, also at TU/e. “We are developing computational models to understand how signals between cells are exchanged under the influence of complex,
Human Foreign Body Giant Cells (fused macrophages) cultured under cyclic stretch. Image courtesy of Dr Bente de Kort and Ir Thijs Conner.
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dynamic mechanical conditions. At the organ level, for example, the heart valve is subject to blood pressure - we can model the impact of that on the local mechanical environment that cells inside scaffolds experience,” Prof Loerakker outlines. This information can then be related back to mechanistic models on the cell level. “We can zoom in on the cell level, and ask; ‘under these mechanical conditions, what do these cells do? How do they signal? What is the result, in terms of tissue formation and inflammation?” she says. “This then affects the transition from the implanted biomaterial to regenerated tissue at the larger scale, which in turn affects the mechanical conditions the cells will feel, so it’s an iterative process for which computational models are needed to predict the final outcomes.” “These collaborations are a perfect example of the multi-disciplinarity of the project with clear synergistic effects,” Dr Smits says. “My team provides experimental data that serves as input for the computational models, and vice versa; the models help us to design the right experiments.”
Implant materials This work then feeds in to the wider aim of developing improved implant materials with certain mechanical or degradation properties to evoke the ‘ideal’ inflammatory response, depending on the specific application. “Our implants are made up of very thin threads, or microfibers, about 20 times smaller than a human hair, which we can make using a technique called electrospinning,” continues Dr Smits, “These microfibers serve as scaffolding for the cells, which they can hang on to and use as a guide to know where to build new tissue.” The materials are also very porous, so cells can infiltrate them and essentially fill up these little pores, then pull on the fibres. This ability to infiltrate and colonise the material eventually causes it to dissolve. “Cells such as macrophages secrete certain chemicals, like free radicals and enzymes, and the material dissolves in response to the presence of those chemicals,” continues Dr Smits. The time a material takes to do this can vary, which is an important consideration in terms of their
Schematic representation of macrophages in a microfibrous biomaterial, exposed to mechanical loads. Created by the ICMS Animation Studio.
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MACxercise Dissecting Macrophage Mechanobiology to Engineer Immuno-Regenerative Biomaterials
Project Objectives
The ERC funded MACxercise program uses advanced engineering tools to systematically dissect macrophage responses to dynamic mechanical cues and their impact on biomaterial driven tissue regeneration.This work aims to improve prediction of macrophage behaviour and enable the rational design of regenerative implants.
Project Funding
The MACxercise program is financially supported by the European Research Council, ERC Starting Grant, Project 101042538 * The work is further supported by the Gravitation Program “Materials Driven Regeneration” and the Summit Program “DRIVE-RM”, both funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (024.003.013 and SUMMIT.1.027, respectively).
Project Partners
Soft Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology group at TU/e: https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/ soft-tissue-biomechanics-and-tissue-engineering/
Contact Details
Principal Investigator, Dr A.I.P.M. (Anthal) Smits Eindhoven University of Technology Department of Biomedical Engineering Eindhoven, The Netherlands T: +31 402474738 E: a.i.p.m.smits@tue.nl W: https://www.tue.nl/en/research/ researchers/anthal-smits/ Materials-Driven Regeneration program: https://mdrresearch.nl/ DRIVE-RM program: https://drive-rm.nl/ *Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Dr Anthal Smits, Dr Livia Angeloni, and Dr Sandra Loerakker (left to right)
Dr Anthal Smits is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Dr Livia Angeloni is a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in the Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome. Dr Sandra Loerakker is Professor of Modeling in Mechanobiology at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at TU/e.
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potential application, an issue that Dr Smits and his colleagues are investigating in collaboration with the project. “No two patients are the same and a lot of patients may be on medication that affects their inflammatory response, how the immune cells respond to the material,” he outlines. “It may be that patient A needs additional medication to slow down or accelerate material degradation for example, while patient B doesn’t, and so patient A may degrade the material faster. We don’t know yet if - and how - that affects the longterm outcome.” These questions are topic of active investigation in several other research consortia, alongside the MACxercise project, including the Materials-Driven Regeneration and the DRIVE-RM programs.
Trials A number of clinical trials are being conducted by spin-off companies that originate from the overarching research group at TU/e. One trial centres around using a stent device called a Resorbable Fibrillated Scaffold (RFS) to treat Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia (CLTI), a fairly common condition which affects the lower legs and feet. “This trial is being conducted by STENTiT, a spin-off company from our Department. So far it’s progressing well, but it’s a fairly small patient cohort until now,” acknowledges Dr Smits. Further trials are ongoing, looking at the effectiveness of certain materials in different applications. “The team at Xeltis - another spin-off - are carrying out a trial looking at self-healing blood vessels for kidney dialysis for example. They’ve been working in this area for a relatively long time, and we have a long-standing collaboration with them,” says Dr Smits. “These clinical experiences are very important to us, as they give us important insights, for example into what immune cells are present at which time and if - and how this may differ between patients.” The main aim with these types of selfhealing implants is to improve quality of life
for patients. “By having a living replacement that can adapt and heal itself, just like your own tissues and organs do, we hope to avoid complications that can occur with non-living implants,” says Dr Smits. “One important aspect of the technology we develop is that the implants are relatively simple devices; they don’t require any human or animal tissue or complicated and expensive cultures in the lab,” he continues. “This means that these implants have the potential to be broadly accessible. They are a sustainable and affordable solution.” Dr Smits is keen to translate the research at his lab into societal benefits, yet at the same time he is motivated by fundamental questions. “I find immune cells fascinating,” he says. “It’s incredible to see these cells doing what they do under the microscope, to learn what they are capable of and how intricately it is all regulated. When you realise that all of that is continuously happening inside your body while you are sitting there, it is truly mind-blowing”. This work requires close collaboration between different disciplines, and Dr Smits is keen to stress that these projects are very much a team effort. “We’ve been able to develop these technologies because we build on the pioneering work of our mentors and because we work as a team with complementary expertise from different disciplines, including chemists, immunologists and clinicians,” he outlines. “What makes our work innovative is that we study immune cells with our ‘engineering glasses’ on. This means that we ask different sometimes seemingly stupid - questions than an immunologist would do for example,” he outlines. “By closely collaborating with experts from different disciplines we are able to share information effectively as we look to translate our findings into tangible progress. This complementarity enables us to tackle scientific challenges in a different way which will, hopefully, lead to new solutions.”
Dr Anthal Smits showing a self-regenerating blood vessel graft based on biodegradable material. Photograph by Leonie Voets.
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New plans to keep the waters flowing Water scarcity is an increasingly pressing issue across south-western Europe, and with climate change intensifying, a new approach to managing resources is required. As leader of the TARGET project, Amélie Bresson is part of a team of researchers developing management plans to integrate water from non-conventional sources. The countries of south-western Europe
Water scarcity
face growing challenges in maintaining drinking water supplies to their populations, with human-induced pressures placing great strain on existing freshwater resources. Regions across France, Spain and Portugal have experienced disruptions to drinking water supplies over recent years, and the problem is set to grow more acute in future, as climate change intensifies. “The frequency of supply disruptions is increasing, and the problem is likely to become increasingly severe in the coming years,” acknowledges Amélie Bresson, Head of Quantitative Management of Water Resources at EPIDOR, the public authority of the Dordogne river basin, in France. The scale of the challenge requires effective collaboration, so now EPIDOR and nine other partners from across France, Spain and Portugal have come together in the TARGET project, investigating how nonconventional water can be integrated into management plans, and so alleviate scarcity concerns. “In the project we are looking in particular at treated wastewater, while we also consider runoff water from roofs and industrial processing,” outlines Bresson.
This reflects a general recognition that a new approach to water management is needed if the resilience of supplies is to be maintained, with droughts and heatwaves across Spain and Portugal in particular having led to marked shortages in recent years. New management plans will be developed for several pilot regions in south-western Europe, including the Dordogne river basin, an area of around
conventional resources. “The olive crop in few regions of Andalucia is irrigated entirely with non-conventional waters, for example,” continues Bresson. “We’re looking at how we can use these waters efficiently and preserve freshwater supplies for drinking.” The management plans must also have the consent of local people, those who will be affected by new ways of using nonconventional water, so their attitudes
“We’re looking at how we can use non-conventional waters efficiently. The olive crop in few regions of Andalucia is irrigated entirely with non-conventional waters for example.” 24,000 km2. “It’s a very large territory, with maybe five urban areas, while the rest of the area is very rural. The main part of demand is for drinking water, but there is increasing demand from the agricultural sector as farmers consider switching to different types of crops,” outlines Bresson. Further pilot work is ongoing in the Spanish city of Granollers, which has been promoting the use of regenerated water for over 25 years, while other areas are also making use of non-
and opinions also need to be taken into account. While many people are fully aware of the need for action, having experienced droughts and shortages, they may still be wary of using treated wastewater – or regenerated water – an issue that Professor Lucia Poggio is addressing as part of her role in the project. “I’m investigating people’s risk perceptions about wastewater, and the social acceptability of using it, among both lay people and experts. I aim to understand
Nature Based Solution Water Treatment Plant, Can Cabanyes (Granollers, Catalonia).
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the barriers to using regenerated water,” she explains. Interviews have been conducted with experts in each of the three countries, now Professor Poggio plans to gauge the views of lay people, building on the responses of experts. “We’re going to ask questions of 450 people in each country, to investigate the main barriers to using treated wastewater,” she continues. “We’re also going to look at the gaps between expert views and the opinions of lay people.” An example could be the gap between public perceptions of how clean water needs to be for a particular application, and the actual guidance from the relevant authorities. There are almost always some impurities present in water, and quality thresholds vary according to the nature of the intended application. “People may be ready to accept the use of treated wastewater for cleaning the streets for example, but they might be more concerned about it being used to irrigate agricultural fields, and even more so about using it as drinking water,” explains Professor Poggio. There is typically a gap between experts and lay people in this respect, says Professor Poggio. “Lay people tend to focus more on what they can feel or see, while experts focus on using their expertise and analysing the water,” she outlines. “Lay people may also have some false beliefs about safe water use. They may not be aware that
Obtaining reclaimed water following the NBS process at Can Cabanyes, 25 March 2025.
it’s actually more dangerous to heat water in a microwave than it is to use regenerated water for example.”
Treated wastewater As part of her work in the project Poggio is now probing these attitudes and investigating public perceptions about the risks of using treated wastewater across three different applications, namely urban, recreational and agricultural use. The fieldwork is currently ongoing, and Professor Poggio anticipates it will reveal some significant variations across Spain, Portugal and France. “I expect that the risk perceptions
associated with these three uses will be very different across the three countries,” she says. Initial findings suggest that populations in the French regions covered by the project are ready to consider new ways of re-using water, while at the same time they are often also very environmentally aware. “They may have looked into different ways of obtaining water, like collecting rainwater, while in many cases they are very aware of their own use and take steps to reduce their consumption,” says Professor Poggio. “By contrast Spanish and Portuguese people are typically less concerned about environmental issues.”
Kick off meeting of the project (Seville, July 2024).
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The project team is currently collecting data, which will then be subjected to rigorous analysis, and Professor Poggio will present the findings at a number of conferences across Europe. Several research papers are in development, which Professor Poggio hopes will stimulate wider interest and debate. “Our research is generating a lot of interest in the environmental psychology field,” she says. This research holds wider relevance in terms of helping regional and city authorities across the three countries deal with water scarcity issues, taking into account public perceptions and the nature of local demand. “The main goal in the project was to produce a method for integrating non-conventional waters and to provide methodological advice to deal with water scarcity,” says Bresson. “Some of our partners are looking at economic considerations around this, while we also have some more technical work in the project, about using nature-based solutions in wastewater treatment for example.” This research has been focused on the pilot regions, yet water scarcity affects many other countries beyond Portugal, France and Spain, and with the issue growing ever more prominent Professor Poggio says there is a lot of interest in the project’s
Th e
TARGET
Territorial Strategy for watEr Scarcity
Project Objectives
The TARGET project has identified a need and an opportunity for cooperation to integrate unconventional waters into local water management. The objective is to develop a method for formulating territorial strategies for sustainable water management and the prevention of water scarcity.
Project Funding
ERDF assistance: 1.414.335,53 euros Eligible cost: 1.885.780,71 euros Second meeting of the project (Granollers, 2025).
work. Existing freshwater resources are under intense pressure, in large part due to over-extraction, underlining the urgency of managing them effectively. “We’re promoting the water management plans for local decision-makers, including city authorities and rural municipalities,” continues Bresson. The long-term aim is to match water quality with the needs of the intended application, so protecting freshwater resources for the future, and some regions are already well advanced in this respect. “Our Portuguese partners have done a foresight study, considering the integration of unconventional waters, looking ahead to 2030 and even 2050,” says Bresson.
TARGET Project
The TARGET project is not only about conducting practical research, but also communication and knowledge sharing. Professor Poggio and her colleagues are collaborating closely with other initiatives working in complementary areas, aiming to heighten awareness of water scarcity and promote new management solutions.
Project Partners
• Etablissement Public Interdépartemental de la Dordogne (EPIDOR) • ECOFILAE • Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Psicología, Departamento de Psicología Social, del Trabajo y Diferencial • Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua de Andalucía - Centro Experimental de Nuevas Tecnologías del Agua • Ayuntamiento de Granollers • Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Caminos, Canales y Puertos de Barcelona, Departamento de Ingeniería Civil y Ambiental • Communauté d’agglomération Le Grand Périgueux • Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente • Centre d’Etudes et d’Expertise sur les Risques, l’Environnement la Mobilité et l’Aménagement, Direction Territoriale Sud Ouest, Département Territoires • Município do Barreiro, Departamento de Águas, Higiene Urbana e Atividades Reguladas, Divisão de Águas e Saneamento
Contact Details
Associate Professor Lucía Poggio Lagares Ph.D Faculty of Psychology Universidad Complutense Madrid 28223 - POZUELO DE ALARCÓN (MADRID) T: +34 91 394 2820 E: luciapoggio@psi.ucm.es : https://www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=61560857292916 : https://www.linkedin.com/company/ target-interreg-sudoe : https://www.youtube.com/@ TARGETInterregSudoe W: https://interreg-sudoe.eu/en/proyectointerreg/target/
Amélie Bresson As part of this work, the project team recently participated in a side event at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference on water reuse, where researchers presented some of their findings. This provided a valuable opportunity for researchers to share their insights and participate in discussions and debate with other professionals working in the water management field. The project’s agenda also encompasses knowledge-sharing at the local level, and three basin stakeholders’ workshops have been held so far to publicise the project’s work. These events provided an opportunity to highlight some of the ways in which water can be managed more effectively and efficiently, and alleviate scarcity concerns. This includes gathering water running off roofs in the three pilot regions, with some 723 roofs covering a total area of around 5,000 m2 . This forms part of a wider strategy to use existing water resources more efficiently and effectively, so limiting the need to import supplies or invest in expensive, energy-hungry desalination plants.
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Lucía Poggio
Amélie Bresson is a highly skilled professional in the field of water resource management, currently serving as the Head of Quantitative Management of Water Resources. As an agricultural engineer specialised in hydrology, Amélie has dedicated her career to advancing sustainable practices in water management Lucía Poggio is an associate professor at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) with a PhD in environmental Psychology. She integrates the Environmental Psychology research area, within the Social Psychology Department. Her main research interests are risk perception, climate change, as well as housing and social stereotypes.
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Using Bee hotels to boost urban biodiversity Biodiversity is in decline across much of the world, and citizen scientists can play an important role in gathering data to guide conservation work. The UrbanBEE project team is providing bee hotels to citizens in five cities across Europe and Southern Africa, and the data they provide can then inform efforts to boost urban biodiversity, as Prof. Chevonne Reynolds and Sage Naidoo explain. The urban environment is commonly associated with roads, buildings and energetic commercial activity, yet cities are often also home to extensive green spaces and gardens, which act as havens for wildlife. With global biodiversity in decline, city dwellers can help by making their own gardens more attractive for wildlife, a topic at the heart of the UrbanBEE project. “UrbanBEE is really about trying to heighten public interest in urban biodiversity,” explains Chevonne Reynolds, Associate Professor at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, the project’s Principal Investigator. This involves providing ‘bee hotels’ to residents in five cities across Europe and Southern Africa, who will place them in their gardens and then monitor the results. “People participating in the project in Johannesburg for example got a free bee hotel, built to a standard size and shape by a local company,” says Prof. Reynolds.
Bee hotels A lot of care has been taken over the design of these hotels, wooden structures designed to provide a safe habitat for solitary bees, docile insects that are also highly effective pollinators. The global population of solitary bees is in marked decline however, so Prof. Reynolds says it was important to ensure that the hotels provided an accommodating, safe environment. “Every single hole in the hotels has been filed so there are no splinters, so that when the bees go in their wings don’t get torn or scratched,” she outlines. So far around 500 bee hotels have been distributed across Cape Town and Johannesburg, and project participants are asked to report back weekly with a photograph, while also reporting observed data. “Participants fill in a checkerboard, which is an exact replica of the bee hotel. We want to check to look at how valuable a citizen science observation network can be in terms of recording the number of bees in the hotels,” continues Prof. Reynolds. This rests to a large degree on the active participation of citizens, some of whom may not have held a deep interest in bees
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Bee hotels also provide nesting sites for aphidhunting wasps, valuable garden allies that help protect roses and vegetable patches from pests.
and urban biodiversity beforehand. As part of his role in the project, Sage Naidoo, a PhD student at Wits, has been interviewing citizens, looking to understand their motivations and what they themselves are getting out of the project. “Many citizens
Locally built bee hotels provide an accessible way for residents to support solitary bees and promote biodiversity in urban environments.
have enjoyed engaging with other people in the community and connecting with their neighbours,” he outlines. While some people may be happy with simply uploading a photo every week, others are more deeply involved, to the point of becoming highly competitive about the performance of their bee hotel. “Some people are very keen that their bee hotel does better than their neighbours’. On the other side, people whose bee hotels weren’t attracting many insects were comforted to learn that others were in a similar position,” says Naidoo. The hotels are designed for solitary bees, yet participating in the project also opens a window for people into other forms of life in their back gardens, which can then deepen their interest in both bees and urban biodiversity more generally. Many participants say they are enjoying the opportunity to learn about the various different types of solitary bees and their role in the wider environment. “A lot of people have said that they weren’t fully aware of this diversity of bees before the project, they knew only of honey bees, and they’ve been inspired to be more observant of these small organisms,” outlines Naidoo. A lot of participants also report that they are going into their gardens more often and working to develop these spaces, looking to increase biodiversity. “Some people are trying to shift their garden from mixed landscapes and increase the number of indigenous plants, as they want to try and increase diversity in their own environment,” continues Naidoo. The wider picture here is of a community of shared interests where people feel more connected to each other and their environment, which will support the goal of encouraging people to take practical action to boost biodiversity. While the scale of the challenge overall can seem daunting, Prof. Reynolds says that even seemingly small changes can have a significant impact. “Simple, low-key interventions at the household and neighbourhood scale can be really good for pollinators,” she stresses. Many people want to take
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action to boost biodiversity, but they don’t necessarily know what to do; Prof. Reynolds believes bottom-up initiatives like UrbanBEE can play a major role in this respect. “People are looking for guidance on what interventions they can make, how to build better environments, how they can help change things,” she continues. “We are working in five cities, and can test a lot of ideas around what factors influence occupancy rates in bee hotels.”
looking into employing computer vision to automatically detect filled holes in the bee hotels, and the type of bee that’s in the hole. Once we can do that effectively we can build an app,” she outlines. The main role of citizens is data collection, but the project team is also keen to deepen engagement, so have held seminars, sent out videos and provided other materials to those participants who are hungry for more knowledge
“People are looking for guidance on what interventions they can make, how to build better environments, how they can help change things. We are working in five cities, and can test a lot of ideas around what factors influence occupancy rates in bee hotels.” Interventions A wide variety of factors may be involved here, including the urban gradient, floral diversity and the local climate. Over the course of the project data will be gathered from five very different cities – Cape Town, Johannesburg, Budapest, Vienna and Turin – from which researchers then hope to gain deeper insights. “Using that data we can then look to identify which interventions will be most effective in boosting biodiversity,” explains Prof. Reynolds. Earlier research suggests that the nature of the planting in a garden and how it is managed are important considerations here, and Prof. Reynolds is interested in working with other initiatives to promote practices that will boost urban biodiversity. “There’s an opportunity to partner with initiatives like NoMow for example, and push back against the idea that lawns always need to be cut, encouraging people to instead let grass and wildflowers grow,” she says. This work is being conducted against a backdrop of a dramatic decline in biodiversity, and Prof. Reynolds believes citizen science programmes like UrbanBEE have an important role to play in these terms. By collecting data from their own local area, citizens can help the authorities monitor progress towards wider objectives, like those set out in the global biodiversity framework and the sustainable development goals, while also influencing public opinion and keeping biodiversity high on the agenda. “With citizen science, the more people that are involved, the greater the push from the bottom up demanding change,” points out Prof. Reynolds. Certain aspects of the project could be scaled up in future, says Prof. Reynolds, which would help increase participation levels. “We are
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about urban biodiversity. This will help researchers learn about how these smallscale interventions could be scaled up to larger interventions in future and help restore biodiversity more widely. “We want to try and understand how this kind of programme could be rolled-out across different contexts,” says Prof. Reynolds.
UrbanBEE
Connecting People, Biodiversity and Cities
Project Objectives
1. To generate comprehensive insights into biodiversity dynamics within urban settings, forming the basis for informed, adaptable NbS strategies across different urban environments; 2. To implement and scale decentralised biodiversity interventions – solitary bee hotels, across varied socio-ecological gradients in African and European cities, thereby promoting pollinator populations and providing insight into urban biodiversity dynamics; 3. To transform urban dwellers into active environmental custodians by engaging them in the monitoring of these bee hotels, thereby improving ecological literacy and promoting an appreciation of the societal value of biodiversity.
Project Funding
Our funding agencies are the DSI - Department of Science and Innovation; FWF - Austrian Science Fund; MUR - Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca / Ministry of University and Research; NKFIH National Research, Development and Innovation Office.
Project Partners
https://www.myurbanbee.com/team https://www.myurbanbee.com/collaboration
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Chevonne Reynolds School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa E: chevonne.reynolds@wits.ac.za W: https://www.myurbanbee.com/
Chevonne Reynolds
Chevonne Reynolds is an Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and passionate about doing science with and for society. Her research focuses on socio-ecological questions, using citizen science and big data to understand how people and nature interact across landscapes. She is the principal investigator on UrbanBEE, working with communities to explore how small interventions, like bee hotels, can contribute to urban biodiversity and more liveable cities.
A female membrane bee seals her nest chamber, protecting the next generation until they emerge the following season.
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Steps towards the detection of ‘forever chemicals’ The presence of PFAS chemicals in our surroundings is a prominent concern, as they don’t degrade and represent a persistent threat to both human health and the environment. We spoke to João M. M. Araújo and Ana B. Pereiro about how the ALERT-PFAS project team is developing tools and technologies to detect these ‘forever chemicals’ and limit their impact. The presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyll substances (PFAS) in water, soil and air is a prominent concern, as these chemicals don’t degrade and high levels of exposure can have adverse health effects. There are well over 10,000 of these PFAS, manufactured for use in a variety of different products, from firefighting foam, to waterresistant clothing, to cookware. “PFAS are highly durable and have a powerful ability to repel oil and water and resist heat, making them useful in a wide range of consumer products and industrial applications,” says João M. M. Araújo, Assistant Professor in the NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon. However, these chemicals can seep into the environment
relatively easily and accumulate in different areas, for example in groundwater, representing a significant threat to health. “PFAS are transported very easily, and they can go from soil, to water, to groundwater,” explains Dr Araújo. This has led to intense debate about regulating the production of PFAS and limiting their wider impact. While the production of some PFAS has been banned, there are not yet clear alternatives to these chemicals in certain essential applications, says Dr Araújo. “PFAS chemicals are still used in firefighting foams, for example. Firefighters must do regular practice in airports and military installations, where it is mandatory to test the equipment,” he outlines. This is one
major source of PFAS contamination, which can then move into the wider environment, an issue that Dr Araújo is working to address as part of his role in the EU-backed AlertPFAS project. “The main goal in the project is to develop a transnational strategy to detect, prevent and mitigate PFAS contamination in the SUDOE region (South-West Europe), which includes Portugal, Spain and SouthWest France,” he says.
ALERT-PFAS project A key first step here is to detect PFAS where they occur, and researchers are taking water samples from protected areas and mapping hotspots, aiming to build a deeper picture of which areas have high concentrations of these
PFAS Cycle – infographic produced by the ALERT-PFAS project.
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chemicals. Areas prone to wildfires are of great interest in this respect, and with climate change intensifying, the risk of such events is increasing. “Climate change is having a big impact on the incidence of extreme events like wildfires. They are a major problem for Portugal and Spain, while they are also happening more often in France,” says Dr Araújo. Several regions have been affected over recent years by wildfires, leading to an increased risk of PFAS pollution. PFAS are now pervasive in interface regions, as a result of industrial and agricultural activities, and the impact of firefighting foams and equipment. “We mapped the fires that have occurred in recent years, and looked at PFAS levels in water,” outlines Dr Araújo. The project team now plan to conduct pilot actions at five locations, at national parks in Portugal, Spain, and France, which have been affected by wildfires, including the Sintra-Cascais park near Lisbon. The idea is to implement sensors to monitor these areas in real time, then technology can be used to prevent
This research is being conducted against a backdrop of ongoing debate about the regulation and use of PFAS. The focus of the EU regulation is on classifying PFAS in terms of whether they are essential for specific applications and then classifying the risk of toxic bioaccumulation in the environment and the human body. “The aim is to classify the most important compounds, while at the same time taking into account the need to verify the security and non-toxicity of those compounds that are intended to replace PFAS,” says Dr Ana Pereiro, Principal Investigator in the NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon. A lot of progress has been made in this respect, and while some inert PFAS don’t have any adverse effects on the environment and the human body, others are known to be very harmful. “For example, both PFOA and PFOS are associated with a heightened risk of cancer and other important health problems,” outlines Dr Pereiro.
ALERT PFAS Transnational strategy to detect and prevent PFAS pollution
Project Objectives
ALERT-PFAS will design and implement a transnational strategy to detect and prevent the perfluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) pollution in SUDOE natural spaces, as well as mitigate its effects on ecosystem biodiversity and climate change.
Project Funding
The ALERT-PFAS project is funded by INTERREG-SUDOE, code: (S1/2.4/P0099).
Project Partners
https://interreg-sudoe.eu/en/proyectointerreg/alert-pfas/
Project Information W: https://interreg-sudoe.eu/en/proyectointerreg/alert-pfas/
“The main goal in the ALERT-PFAS project is to develop a transnational strategy to detect, prevent and mitigate PFAS contamination in the SUDOE region, which includes Portugal, Spain and Southwestern France.” PFAS from entering water bodies or other sensitive environments. “We are developing technology to capture PFAS and prevent them from entering the water cycle,” explains Dr Araújo. This work is focused on the five pilot locations at this stage, but Dr Araújo says the aim is to develop a strategy that can be applied more widely in future. “We are working to develop a transnational strategy, with the same technology and the same approach. We have included different locations, so we can consider a variety of possible scenarios,” he continues. A further dimension of the project’s work centres around characterising the actual firefighting foams themselves, which is an important issue in terms of complying with regulations around the use of PFAS, which vary across different countries. While some foams are labelled as being entirely free of PFAS, Dr Araújo and his colleagues have found that this is not always the case. “It’s not currently mandatory to describe the composition of the foams. We did some analysis of certain foams that were labelled as being free of PFAS, and we found the same amount of PFAS in them as we did in conventional foams,” he says. The equipment firefighters use in their work may also contain PFAS, which has important implications for their health. “Even without using foams, firefighters can be exposed to PFAS,” acknowledges Dr Araújo.
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The use of these chemicals and certain other PFAS is now highly restricted, yet they may still be present in the environment, a legacy of earlier production. There are thought to be more than 17,000 sites of PFAS contamination across Europe, underlining the wider importance of the project’s work in developing solutions to monitor them. “We are bringing together different sources of data, including from sensors and satellite images, to assess the risk of PFAS entering water sources,” says Dr Araújo. Sampling campaign under the ALERT-PFAS project. Samples of firefighting foams to detect the presence of PFAS.
Ana B. Pereiro
João M. M. Araújo
Ana B. Pereiro (LAQV, NOVA FCT) has over 20 years of experience, Ana B. Pereiro is a Principal Investigator at the LAQV/ REQUIMTE research unit of NOVA FCT, where she leads a research team focused on Green Chemistry and Sustainable Processes. Her work demonstrates strong expertise in areas such as (bio)materials, water treatment, extraction and separation processes, technology and knowledge transfer, and the circular economy. João M. M. Araújo (LAQV, NOVA FCT) is a Chemical Engineer with a PhD in Chemical Engineering (Dec. 2009). He is currently an Assistant Professor at NOVA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY | NOVA FCT and Researcher at LAQV/REQUIMTE research unit of NOVA FCT, leading a research team focused on Green Chemistry and Sustainable Processes.
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Protecting precious groundwater supplies Alongside detecting PFAS chemicals, researchers are also working to prevent them from contaminating groundwater. We spoke to Tamara Rodríguez and Isabel Gamallo about how their work in the MAR2PROTECT project will help protect precious groundwater resources and enable a more sustainable approach to water management. The protection of water resources requires not only the detection of contaminants, but also an effective means of preventing them from entering aquifers, a topic at the heart of the MAR2PROTECT project. In common with ALERT-PFAS, the project team is contributing to the wider goal of protecting both water quality and quantity, against a backdrop of growing concerns around water scarcity.
MAR2PROTECT project The project’s agenda centres around developing a decision support system to guide the application of the Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) process, in which water from both natural and alternative sources, such as treated wastewater, is deposited into underground aquifers. The decision support system is designed to ensure aquifers are recharged with good-quality water, improving
the resilience of supply networks, which is an important issue in the context of water scarcity concerns. “In some contexts, it is necessary to treat water before it is used in the MAR process, to prevent the contamination of the aquifers,” explains Isabel Gamallo, Project Manager at Cetaqua - Water Technology Centre, one of the partners in the project consortium. “We are developing a decision support system to provide support on when is the best point in time to recharge an aquifer, and where is the best place to do it.” The project team are focusing on a wide range of different pollutants and emerging contaminants alongside PFAS, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, which also affect groundwater quality. The decision support system will be applied at seven demo sites – five in Europe and two in Africa – each with different target pollutants. “For example, in Frielas, Portugal, we are
studying PFAS. In the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy, the level of pharmaceuticals in water is a major concern, while in South Africa, the focus is on agricultural leachates,” says Dr Pereiro, coordinator of the MAR2PROTECT project. “We’re also working at the Lima River Estuary in Portugal, which is exposed to various pollutants from different sources. The Lima River Estuary has a different profile to the other demo sites in the project. It is a transitional water body where the Lima River meets the Atlantic Ocean.” The common theme across each of these demo sites is the goal of reducing the levels of pollutants in the different water sources bodies, in line with regulatory standards, and the goal of increasing supply. “We are developing a variety of novel treatment technologies, tools and sensors, which we will bring together in the decision support system,” explains Rodriguez.
MAR Approach – infographic produced by the MAR2PROTECT project.
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A set of suitability, feasibility and risk maps are also integrated into the system, providing a deeper picture of the areas that are more prone to groundwater pollution, as well as those locations where MAR can be conducted more safely. Alongside, the project team will also provide recommendations on how to prevent wider contamination when groundwater is polluted. “We recommend the use of different water treatment technologies, and we integrate Environmental Lifecycle Assessments and sensor data as well. We’re also looking at how to engage key stakeholders and civil society in the MAR process,” outlines Gamallo. This will be valuable to organisations responsible for maintaining a reliable supply of high-quality water in the face of ongoing climate change. “Policymakers and utilities can use our tools in developing their MAR strategy,” says Dr Pereiro.
Replication potential The different tools and the decision support system have been designed to be replicable, not only at the European scale but more widely, so they could potentially be applied beyond the initial demo sites. With water scarcity an increasingly urgent issue across large parts of the world, Rodriguez is keen to highlight the wider potential of the project’s work. “The project will conclude in the next few months, and we are organising an event at which we plan to really showcase the technologies and the decision support system, and also to present some of our other results,” she says. In the MAR2PROTECT project, Rodriguez and her colleagues are working to contribute to the long-term goal of improving both the quality and quantity of groundwater supplies. “We want the technology and the tools to be applied,” she says.
The Decision Support System collects information from 7 demo sites in 4 EU countries (Portugal, Italy, Spain, Netherlands) and 2 in non-EU countries (Tunisia, South Africa).
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This work will not conclude with the end of the ALERT-PFAS and MAR2PROTECT projects, both of which are coordinated by NOVA University of Lisbon, and the research teams are part of established collaborative networks, which will support the long-term spread of their tools, technologies and findings. MAR2PROTECT is a member of the ZeroPollution4Water Cluster and ICT4Water Cluster, for example, while Rodriguez and her colleagues have also built links with several other related projects, including initiatives also working on ICT tools for water management. “We have established links with 16 further projects and are working with them and collaborating on different activities,” she says. The operational decision support system of MAR2PROTECT is being replicated in the PLAND Sequía Groundwater DataHub project - co-funded by the European Union - in another aquifer, contributing to the improvement of groundwater management. In parallel, ALERT-PFAS is advancing its capitalisation activities by engaging key stakeholder groups across the project’s pilot areas, including public authorities, water utilities, industry representatives, universities, NGOs, and local communities. The project places particular emphasis on fostering knowledge transfer, stakeholder engagement, and the uptake of innovative solutions for PFAS monitoring, prevention, and mitigation. At the same time, ALERT-PFAS is contributing to the preparation of a new SUDOE funding proposal on water resource management, bringing together a group of complementary projects with the aim of transferring, capitalising on, and scaling up existing knowledge, methodologies, and results across the programme area.
MAR2PROTECT Preventing groundwater contamination related to global and climate change through a holistic approach based on managed aquifer recharge
Project Objectives
MAR2PROTECT will provide a holistic approach to prevent groundwater contamination from the impacts of global change and climate change based on a newgeneration Managed Aquifer Recharge.
Project Funding
The MAR2PROTECT project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082048. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Partners
https://mar2protect.eu/partners/
Project Information W: https://mar2protect.eu/
Isabel Gamallo Paz Tamara Rodríguez
Isabel Gamallo Paz (CETAQUA) is a geologist with a Master’s in Water Resources and Environment, currently working in CETAQUA as researcher and project manager. Her work focuses on water resource management, managed aquifer recharge (MAR), climate resilience, and groundwater quality improvement. Tamara Rodríguez Silva is a Senior European Projects Manager at FEUGA with over 15 years of experience in EU-funded projects. She specialises in communication, dissemination, sustainability, and multiactor engagement. She currently leads the Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Work Package in the Mart2Protect project.
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Building a picture of life in the oceans The European Tracking Network brings together scientists from across the continent to track aquatic species, gathering data that can then guide management and conservation work. We spoke to Kim Birnie-Gauvin and Ross McGill about how the STRAITS, NorTrack and DTOtrack projects will help build a fuller picture of life in European seas. The team behind the international European Tracking Network (ETN) uses a variety of methods to track the movements of aquatic species across the seas, gathering data that can then guide efforts to conserve and protect them. One particularly important method is acoustic telemetry, where receivers are placed in the water to pick up pings from tagged fish when they swim by. “When a tagged fish is detected, you get a time-stamp and you know that fish was in the vicinity of the receiver, at that date and time,” outlines Kim BirnieGauvin, a Senior Researcher at the Technical University of Denmark, part of the ETN team. Acoustic telemetry is a well-established method, but Birnie-Gauvin says the technology has improved over time, opening up new possibilities in research. “The tags now last longer, perform better and can record more data. They can record things like temperature and the depth of the fish for instance,” she explains.
STRAITS project As communications manager of the EU-backed STRAITS project, Birnie-Gauvin is now part of a team of researchers using acoustic telemetry to gather and collate data on fish movements, which is a highly effective means of monitoring underwater biodiversity. While a trawl survey shows which fish are present in the sea at a particular place and time, Birnie-Gauvin says acoustic telemetry provides far richer data. A juvenile ocean sunfish, by Sebastian Kraft.
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A humpback whale breaching, by Joanne O’Brien.
“Our mission is to track aquatic animals across Europe to better understand, protect and manage them” “We know where the fish move naturally between key points. Acoustic telemetry gives us information over much broader spatial and temporal scales than a trawl survey,” she says. Researchers promoted acoustic telemetry as an efficient, effective way of monitoring the seas, and receivers have now been set up at four strategically important locations across Europe. “We have set up arrays of receivers in the Strait of Gibraltar, the Turkish Straits, the North Channel, and the Danish Straits,” outlines Birnie-Gauvin. These four locations are all pinch points which fish have to pass in order to move between different parts of the seas. The Strait of Gibraltar for example is something like 12 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, and fish moving between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean have to pass through it.“It’s a very strategic place to put the receivers,” stresses Birnie-Gauvin. The STRAITS team, comprising researchers from 10 partner organisations, is now monitoring each of these four major gateways in a coordinated effort, gathering data on a wide variety of species. “At the North Channel, we focus on salmonid species, such as salmon and sea trout. We’ve tagged salmon smolts that were just 12 cm long, and the data
shows us that in some cases they’ve travelled 400 kilometres from where they were tagged,” says Ross McGill, Project Manager at Lough’s Agency in Ireland, who works on infrastructure for ETN. “Our Danish colleagues work with species like Atlantic bluefin tuna, some of which An Atlantic bluefin tuna being tagged and measured, by Kim Birnie-Gauvin.
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Dr Aytaç Özgül
Claudia Meneses
have been tagged in Denmark and then end up in the Mediterranean.” This was not a surprising finding, as it is known that bluefin tuna go to the Mediterranean to spawn, but the sheer numbers that are being detected is highly striking. This then opens up new questions for researchers to probe.“Are all these bluefin tuna spawning in the same place? Or are there other spawning grounds that we don’t know about?” asks Birnie-Gauvin. Researchers have also found that some fish travel in the other direction, from waters around France and Belgium through the North Sea all the way up to the Danish Straits, in sufficient numbers that Birnie-Gauvin says they can’t be automatically regarded as outliers. “It’s not necessarily that high numbers of fish make this journey, but it’s enough for us to ask whether they also do other things that we might not know about,” she continues. “In general, most fish behave in line with expected patterns, but there’s always a few that do something unexpected.” The ETN team’s research has led to new insights into these kinds of fish movement patterns, which can then guide the development of more effective conservation and management measures for endangered species.
Dr Jan Reubens
Dr Kim Birnie-Gauvin
One example is the flapper skate, which were previously thought to be residential fish that tended not to move around a lot, until tagging data showed otherwise.“We saw from the data that flapper skates migrated great distances from their spawning grounds in the Outer Hebrides across the North Channel. They moved around Irish estuary systems before returning to their spawning grounds,” outlines McGill. This has important management
Dr Lydie Couturier
Dr Ricardo Sanchez Leal
mysteries in marine biology. One major species of interest in the STRAITS project is the eel for example, which travels vast distances to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. Much remains to be learned about the lifecycle of eels however, and with the European population now classified as critically endangered, it’s essential to gather more reliable data on their movements. “We don’t actually know much about the escapement of eels from the Baltic
“We know where the fish move naturally between these key points. Acoustic telemetry gives us information over much broader spatial and temporal scales than a trawl survey.” implications; while a Marine Protected Area (MPA) has been established around the Outer Hebrides to protect flapper skates, this is not enough on its own. “We know now that these fish move around fairly widely, so we need to think about managing them beyond this confined area,” outlines McGill. A greater volume of data on fish movement patterns can also be used to test theories about the behaviour of certain species and help resolve some of the most persistent
Sea through the Danish Straits, or from the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar,” says Birnie-Gauvin. The STRAITS project is playing an important role in this respect, says McGill. “Acoustic telemetry technologies provide us with insights into different species and their ecology, which advances knowledge on a biological and ecological level. We’re always thinking about the real-world impact of this knowledge, and how it can help us manage our oceans and resources better,” he stresses.
Jumping dolphins, by Joanne O’Brien (name embedded in this photo).
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Extending coordinated tracking across the Northeast Atlantic A jumping Atlantic salmon, by the Loughs Agency.
NorTrack project This is also a central motivating factor behind the NorTrack project, in which ETN is coordinating a team of researchers working to map biodiversity hotspots in the Northeast Atlantic and investigate how that overlaps with planned infrastructure developments in the area. There are plans to establish large numbers of wind farms in the Northeast Atlantic, including many relatively far offshore, as countries strive to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and move towards a more sustainable energy model. “Lots of countries in Europe are looking towards offshore wind to meet their energy demands, and the technology is improving all the time,” says McGill. Wind farms and other infrastructure developments will inevitably have an impact on marine life, yet they are not properly monitored at the moment, an issue that McGill and his colleagues are working to address. “We need to standardise the monitoring of these areas, as a baseline preand post-development,” he continues. The aim here is not to come down either for or against wind farms, but rather to provide reliable data on their impact, which can then provide a basis to inform wider debate about development and the associated effects on fish. Some evidence suggests that wind farms may act as refuges for certain species, while they are likely to have a more negative impact on others, but Birnie-Gauvin says more data is required before firmer conclusions can be reached. “We simply won’t know unless we monitor biodiversity around these areas,” she stresses. The eight partners in NorTrack are working to establish a cooperative Marine Observation Platform, which can then open a window into biodiversity in these areas,
“We’re trying to come up with a toolbox of methods that we can apply on different species.” and allow researchers to monitor how fish move around infrastructure such as wind farms. Monitoring marine life and gathering data is by nature challenging, simply because of the harshness of the environments and the complexities involved, but the ETN team is developing new methods for the task. “We’re trying to come up with a toolbox of methods that we can apply on different species,” says McGill. Researchers are also working to use this data to build a fuller picture of marine life in the North Sea, which will then be highly valuable for marine spatial planners, not just in terms of guiding decisions on wind farms but across the blue economy more generally. The oceans are rich in resources, including fish, minerals and biocatalysts, and while
there is a lot of interest in using them, this must be balanced with an understanding of the ecological impact of development. “We’re taking more from our oceans than we have previously, which is where acoustic telemetry technologies come into play. It’s about using our data better,” continues McGill. Project Funding
NorTrack is funded by Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership under the 2022-2023 BiodivMon joint call for research proposals, co-funded by the European Commission (GA N°101052342) and with the funding organisations Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland, Innovation Fund Denmark, Research Council of Norway, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Office Français de la Biodiversité, Belgian Science Policy Office, and Swedish National Space Agency.
A starry smooth hound, by Bram Conings.
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Turning tracking data into a Digital Twin of the North Sea DTOTrack project This is a central focus of the DTOTrack project, in which researchers aim to use the available data to develop a digital twin of the North Sea, as part of a wider effort to understand the oceans in more depth. “The European Digital Twin Ocean is a Europewide effort that’s been going for a couple of years now,” outlines McGill. A lot of physical, oceanographic data is currently available on things like water temperature, salinity levels and currents, but there is a relative lack of biological data. The ETN team aims to fill this gap, which McGill says could then lead to deeper insights into biodiversity in the seas. “We can then start to model not only the environmental conditions of the seas, but we can also look at the effects of any changes on different species,” he says. Reliable models can then allow researchers to project forward and look at likely changes in behaviour under different scenarios. “If you have a historical dataset of herring movement through the North Sea, and it’s rich enough, at a good temporal and spatial scale, you can start to ask questions when you plug it into these models. What would be the net effect on the population if sea temperatures rise by one degree? What would be the impact of increased or decreased salinity? Or more fishing in a particular area?” asks McGill. The digital twin will be a valuable tool in probing these kinds of questions, and in helping marine spatial planners understand the likely impact of new developments, contributing to the wider goal of maintaining biodiversity in the oceans. The DTOTrack project is not working in isolation here, with the European Commission A fish being released after tagging, by France Energies Marine.
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providing the architecture and the computational power, which researchers and governments can then plug into. “The EC is creating a federated system, but researchers need to supply the data,” explains McGill. This is very much work in progress, and while the aim in DTOTrack is to produce an operational prototype of a digital twin of the North Sea based on fish movements by the conclusion of the project in May 2027, McGill anticipates that it will be updated and improved in future. “New iterations and updated versions will be developed, based on evolving user needs, new data streams and technology advances,” he says. This ongoing development will help ensure that the digital twin is adapted to emerging needs, reflecting a desire to lay the foundations for the researchers of the future, and help them understand the oceans in even greater detail. Clear, reliable data on biodiversity in the oceans today will hold great value for the scientists of tomorrow, providing them with a historical perspective on the extent of change, something which Birnie-Gauvin keeps very much in mind. “We want the data to be available for our successors. In 100 years’ time the oceans will look very different to what they do today,” she says. Project Funding
DTOTrack is funded by the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership under the 2023 call for research proposals, a European Partnership funded by the European Union, and with the following funding organisations: Marine Institute Ireland, Innovation Fund Denmark, Research Council of Norway, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) represented by Project Management Jülich, Forschungszentr um Jülich GmbH, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Office français de la biodiversité, Belgian Science Policy Office, Swedish National Space Agency, Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and the Dutch Research Council.
EUROPEAN TRACKING NETWORK The Northeast Atlantic Marine Tracking Network (NorTrack) DIGITAL TWIN OF THE OCEAN: ANIMAL TRACKING (DTOTrack) Strategic Infrastructure for Improved Animal Tracking in European Seas (STRAITS)
Project Objectives
The STRAITS project is setting up marine infrastructure across key European seas to track animal movements. The NorTrack network monitors species in the Northeast Atlantic, and the DTO-Track project uses tracking data to create a digital twin of the North Sea. All of these contribute to the European Tracking Network, which is a platform for monitoring aquatic animals to support biodiversity and policy efforts.
Project Funding
STRAITS is funded by the European Research Executive Agency under the European Commission’s Horizon Framework (2021-2027) research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement no. 101094649).
Contact Details
Kim Birnie-Gauvin Technical University of Denmark E: kbir@aqua.dtu.dk : https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=wuuldHLCDj4 W: www.europeantrackingnetwork.org W: https://www.europeantrackingnetwork. org/en/straits W: https://www.europeantrackingnetwork. org/en/dtotrack
Ross McGill
Ross McGill is a Senior Project Manager at the Loughs Agency with extensive experience leading international, EUfunded marine research projects. PMP and PRINCE2 certified, he has managed STRAITS, NorTrack and DTOTrack, coordinating multidisciplinary partnerships to advance marine research, biodiversity monitoring and conservation.
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Protecting the Baltic Together Marine protection depends not only on designating protected areas, but on how effectively they function together. The PROTECT BALTIC team led by HELCOM, including Jannica Haldin, Katja Laingui and Paul Trouth, is developing the science, tools and policy frameworks needed to help marine protected areas across the Baltic Sea operate as a connected, effective network. The Baltic Sea is one of the world’s most heavily used marine environments. Surrounded by nine countries - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden - and shaped by centuries of shipping, fishing, industry and trade, it supports millions of livelihoods and forms an essential part of Europe’s environmental and economic system.Yet it is also one of the planet’s most environmentally vulnerable seas. Unlike open marine systems, the Baltic is shallow, relatively enclosed and slow to renew itself. Limited water exchange with the North Sea means pollutants can remain trapped for decades. Nutrient runoff from agriculture, industrial chemicals and other hazardous substances accumulate in the ecosystem, while biodiversity faces increasing pressure both from land and sea-based activities. The challenge is not a single environmental problem, but what the PROTECT BALTIC team describes as a “cocktail” of pressures that interact and intensify one another. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) - designated parts of the sea where human activities are managed or restricted to protect ecosystems, habitats and species - have long been one of the primary tools used to conserve biodiversity and reduce pressures on marine environments. However, despite a large network of protected areas already existing across the Baltic Sea, results have often fallen short of expectations. For PROTECT BALTIC, the issue is not necessarily the lack of protection, but how protection is planned, managed and connected.
Shared Waters The PROTECT BALTIC project emerged from concerns raised directly by Baltic Sea countries through HELCOM (the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission), an intergovernmental organisation that brings countries together to coordinate environmental
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Protecting the Baltic Sea requires coordinated action across borders to conserve biodiversity and maintain healthy marine ecosystems.
protection and biodiversity efforts across the Baltic Sea region. Rather than developing another isolated conservation initiative, PROTECT BALTIC was designed as a Horizon Europe project capable of addressing multiple barriers to effective protection simultaneously. The goal is not simply to add more protected sites, but to improve how the entire system functions. Marine ecosystems do not recognise national borders. Species move across national waters, habitats extend between jurisdictions and environmental pressures spread across the sea regardless of political boundaries. A fish population or habitat network cannot be meaningfully protected if planning stops at a national border.
This recognition lies at the heart of the project’s approach. Instead of treating Marine Protected Areas as isolated locations, the project looks at how they function as a broader network. The objective is to understand how sites support one another and where protection efforts can deliver the greatest ecological benefit at a regional scale. The project focuses on three key dimensions: governance, planning, designation and management. Governance examines and enhances how marine protection is coordinated institutionally both within and across countries. Planning considers what should be protected and where, while management asks how protected areas can deliver measurable biodiversity benefits once established.
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This systems-level thinking is particularly important because, despite the Baltic Sea’s extensive MPA network, many sites are not currently producing the ecological outcomes countries hoped for. “Species do not care whose waters they are in - they care about things like habitat, food and breeding space,” says Jannica Haldin, Project Manager of PROTECT BALTIC and Special Advisor at HELCOM.
Smarter Protection To help countries move in that direction, PROTECT BALTIC is developing what it calls a Protection Optimisation Framework. In practical terms, the framework acts as a roadmap, developed together with national ministries and agencies, helping identify where marine protection should go next and how countries can make better-informed decisions. Behind this work sits an extensive scientific effort, to support both informed decision making and to operationalise the framework once it is ready. Over 100 researchers across the region have been pushing the edge of best available science through the development of new methodology and tools, including using spatial modelling, statistical analysis and ecological data to understand not only where species exist, but how ecological communities function together across the Baltic Sea. Through the project’s work the amount of regional spatial information on
species is expected to increase by over 1500% and the quality of regional substrate models has been substantially improved. Spatial resolution of all regional spatial information has also been significantly improved, from 1x1km to 250x250m for the whole region, making the spatial information more useful for planning and management. Importantly, the project moves beyond just examining species in complete isolation. By analysing species communities and habitat interactions, researchers are building a more holistic understanding of ecosystem dynamics and how biodiversity relates to environmental conditions, including executing the first ever community cluster analysis for the Baltic Sea.
species and their ecological traits shape ecosystem functions and services, linking marine biodiversity to the benefits people derive from the sea. At the same time, the project extensively maps human activities and environmental pressures to examine how cumulative impacts influence biodiversity and protection, while evaluating measures that could mitigate these pressures, strengthen ecosystem resilience and support more sustainable marine management. Because different countries often describe measures differently, the team is developing a transferable management measures classification system that helps compare approaches and
“Everything we are building is designed for uptake and to remain useful beyond the lifetime of the project.” The scale of the work has been considerable. When the project began, researchers expected to work with approximately 183 marine protected areas. Yet extensive data collection revealed something far larger: an estimated 2,800 to 3,800 protected sites across the Baltic region, fundamentally reshaping understanding of the network and increasing the complexity of analysis. The project also seeks to better understand how marine ecosystems support society. Using ecological and socio-economic data, researchers are investigating how
assess effectiveness more consistently across borders. In addition, PROTECT BALTIC has reviewed management plans for over 1500 sites from across the region, to better understand how marine protection is implemented in practice, using the information to evaluate effectiveness and quality of management across the network, and using this information to prepare regional guidelines for MPA management. Ultimately, the aim is not simply better science, but more useful science - knowledge that countries can apply in real-world policymaking.
The Protection Optimisation Framework provides decision-support tools to help identify what to protect, where protection is needed and how protection measures can be implemented effectively.
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PROTECT BALTIC Enabling comprehensive effective and efficient protection and restoration measures for a resilient Baltic Sea ecosystem
Project Objectives
PROTECT BALTIC is a HORIZON Europefunded project to improve marine spatial protection efforts across the full protection governance-designation-management arc and the entire Baltic Sea MPA network. The project aims to produce the knowledge, tools, infrastructure, and mechanisms needed to operationalise an adaptive, transboundary approach to marine protection that directly embeds international protection commitments into regional work.
Project Funding
PROTECT BALTIC is funded by the European Union under Grant agreement ID 101112866. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Partners
https://protectbaltic.eu/partners
Contact Details
Paul Trouth, PROTECT BALTIC Communications Coordinator Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission Katajanokanlaituri 6b, 00160 Helsinki, Finland T: +358 207 412 649 E: protect-baltic@helcom.fi W: https://protectbaltic.eu W: https://protectbaltic.eu/news
Jannica Haldin, Katja Laingui, and Paul Trouth (left to right)
Jannica Haldin is a marine governance expert with 15 years of experience in environmental policy and diplomacy. At HELCOM, she has led major Baltic Sea assessments and now heads the PROTECT BALTIC project Katja Laingui is an environmental professional with over 15 years of operational management experience. The Admin & Finance Coordinator of the PROTECT BALTIC management team, she specialises in marine conservation, sustainable development, and environmental education. Paul Trouth is Communications Coordinator for PROTECT BALTIC at HELCOM. With 13 years at the European Chemicals Agency, he specializes in strategic communications and making complex scientific and policy topics accessible to diverse audiences.
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Partners from across the Baltic Sea region meet during the PROTECT BALTIC Annual Meeting, bringing together expertise in conservation, science, policy and management.
Beyond Borders Science alone, however, does not drive environmental change. One of the project’s defining features is its strong emphasis on cooperation and stakeholder engagement. Because PROTECT BALTIC originated from country-level needs identified through HELCOM, governments have remained involved throughout the process.
Alongside the development of an MPA Portal designed as a central hub for managers and stakeholders, PROTECT BALTIC is working to improve public understanding of marine protection through webinars, youth engagement activities, ocean literacy materials, by launching MPA Day in Europe and the continued strategic involvement in global MPA Day implementation, so helping translate
“Species do not care whose waters they are in — they care about things like habitat, food and breeding space.” At least twice a year, ministry representatives and policymakers from all Baltic Sea EU Member State countries meet with the project team to review progress, discuss findings and ensure outputs remain practical and politically relevant. Political priorities change, governments shift and environmental policies evolve. Over a five-year project, maintaining relevance requires constant communication and flexibility. “Change is rarely fast, but long-term cooperation can create lasting improvements for the Baltic Sea,” says Katja Laingui, who works as an Admin and Finance Coordinator for the project. Public engagement also forms an important part of the project’s long-term vision.
scientific findings into accessible knowledge for citizens and local communities. “Everything we are building is designed for uptake and to remain useful beyond the lifetime of the project,” says Paul Trouth who is responsible for the Communication and Dissemination of the project. This long-term vision may eventually include location-based digital tools helping visitors learn more about species, habitats and protection measures in real time. For the PROTECT BALTIC team, success will not be measured simply by how many protected areas exist, but by whether those areas genuinely function as an effective ecological network. In a sea shared by many nations, protecting biodiversity may ultimately depend on something deceptively simple: learning to work together across borders.
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Tracking the ghosts of the seas
Storm petrels are extremely sensitive to environmental change, yet relatively little is known about their behaviour at sea. We spoke to Dr Raül Ramos Garcia about how the SEAGHOSTS project team is using biologging data to build a fuller picture of the spatial distribution and trophic ecology of these tiny seabirds. The storm petrel is an extremely difficult bird to detect and monitor, due to both its size and its somewhat secretive behaviour. These seabirds are very elusive and difficult to see from boats, while historically their small size meant it was also very difficult to monitor them using technological means. “Normally birds can carry devices that represent between 2-3 percent of their own weight. Storm petrels are extremely small, weighing up to 20 grams, so historically they have not been able to carry a logger or other type of tracking device,” explains Raül Ramos Garcia, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Biology at the University of Barcelona and researcher at the Institute of Biodiversity Research (IRBio) of the same University. The technology has since moved on, and it is now possible to tag storm petrels, from which researchers now hope to learn more about these seabirds. “The weight of these loggers is now below half a gram, representing a small proportion of the weight of storm petrels, so now we can deploy them on these birds,” outlines Dr Ramos. This opens up new opportunities to monitor and track these birds, work which holds wider importance as an indication of how the oceans are changing and its impact on marine life. Storm petrels are widely considered to be a reliable bioindicator, acting as a window into the overall health of marine ecosystems, as they sit somewhere in the middle of the trophic chain. The majority
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of storm petrel species feed on plankton that they pick up from the sea surface, often during the night, and are extremely sensitive to environmental change.
SEAGHOSTS As part of his role as Principal Investigator and Coordinator of the SEAGHOSTS project, an initiative funded by the Biodiversa+ partnership, Dr Ramos is now working to build a fuller picture of the spatial distribution and trophic ecology of storm petrels. Like the majority of seabirds, storm petrels lay their eggs and incubate them on land, but otherwise they spend the rest of their time at sea, about
which there is a large gap in knowledge. This is a gap that Dr Ramos and his colleagues in the project team are working to fill, focusing on two main aims. “Firstly, we want to understand the movement patterns of these birds. This includes their short-term movements, but also their year-round movements, such as migratory patterns,” he says. “Secondly we want to link these movements, both the shortterm and long-term movements, to certain anthropogenic impacts.” This includes not only climate change but also the presence of wind farms and aquaculture facilities in the oceans, physical infrastructures that aren’t part of the
Workshop developed in Barcelona during the SEAGHOSTS Kick-off Meeting, held on 30 April 2024 at the University of Barcelona. Credit: Raül Ramos.
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natural environment. While some humanbuilt infrastructures may be having an adverse impact on food resources, others may be making new sources available for storm petrels, and evidence shows that the birds themselves are typically quite adaptable. “For instance, new aquaculture infrastructures have been developed in some parts of the oceans, and they can provide some sources of food that weren’t there naturally. These birds can change their behaviour,” he says. The project team is using biologging data to gain deeper insights into how storm petrels adapt to change and deal with emerging challenges. The focus here is on six species within two families, namely hydrobatidae (European or northern storm petrels) and oceanitidae (southern storm petrels). “We’re looking at the European storm petrel for example, which is part of the hydrobatidae family and is found in both Mediterranean and Atlantic waters,” says Dr Ramos. These birds are philopatric, meaning that they migrate annually, before returning to the same colonies to breed. “They can live for 20-30 years, and they always look to return to the same partner, year on year. The birds disperse during the winter, to often very distant locations in the North Atlantic or the Canary current.”
Researchers are using two different types of tags, with one deployed on each bird, to gather more information about storm petrels and the threats they face at sea. One is GPS tags, that Dr Ramos says provide very fine-scale, high-resolution data. “The coordinates are very precise, we probably receive one precise position every half an hour. We get very specific data about the position of the birds at sea, but only close to the breeding grounds. The battery runs out very fast, so we can only deploy these tags
Conservation efforts The idea of the project is to identify hotspots at sea, where storm petrels come together in large numbers, including birds from different populations and even different species. The aim is to understand what it is about these particular areas that attracts storm petrels, which can then feed into conservation and management efforts. “We hope to identify spatial areas important for storm petrels that can then be useful for managers, who can include this data in a wider perspective. This
“We want to understand the movement patterns of storm petrels. This includes their short-term movements, but also their year-round movements, such as migratory patterns.” during the breeding season,” he outlines. A second type of tag provides information on the migratory behaviour of storm petrels. “We use geolocators, that basically record the light intensity for an entire year, from which we can infer their approximate location day by day. This data comes with a fairly large margin of error, but it’s still good enough to study the migratory patterns of these birds, and to look at their behaviour outside the breeding season.”
0.45g light-level geolocator used to track the first annual migrations of the smallest storm petrels. Credit: Raül Ramos.
could mean merging this data with spatial data from other species,” says Dr Ramos. This will contribute to the goal of assessing biodiversity in the oceans, generating data which can then underpin efforts to conserve and maintain it. “The data we provide to managers and other stakeholders can be integrated with other sources of information, to build biodiversity maps and protect key areas of the oceans.
First deployments of light-level geolocators in 2019 on European storm petrels at the colony of Benidorm Island, Spain. Credit: Raül Ramos.
0.9 g GPS logger attached to the tail of a Bandrumped storm petrel in the colony of Montaña Clara, Canary Islands, Spain. Credit: Raül Ramos.
Detail of the light-level geolocator deployment on the tarsus of a European storm petrel at the colony of Benidorm Island, Spain. Credit: Raül Ramos.
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This work is very much in progress, with data currently being collected by the project’s 17 partners, across Europe and North America. This wide geographical spread means the project team is able to bring together data on many different sampling sites, from the Mediterranean right up to the North-East Atlantic. “The project partners have been developing field campaigns, so deploying these logging devices that we received funding for,” outlines Dr Ramos. With the project team having now gathered large volumes of data, the next step is now to develop models, from which researchers hope to glean fresh insights into storm petrels. “We’re going to plot all this data, considering the different environmental variables of these hotspots, and investigate what it is about these areas that attracts storm petrels. We also want to look at the importance of these areas to other sealife, considering also data on other species.” The primary focus in the project however is storm petrels, and on understanding the threats they face, with a view to conserving populations. Many colonies are highly threatened, due to the presence of both invasive predators as well
SEAGHOSTS
The global spatial ecology and conservation of the world’s smallest and elusive seabirds, the storm petrel (Hydrobatidae & Oceanitidae), across the Mediterranean and the North East Atlantic Ocean
Project Objectives
European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) photographed in the colony of Benidorm Island, Spain. Credit: Raül Ramos.
as native predators like yellow-legged gulls, both of which need to be considered in terms of protecting storm petrels. “Often it’s the invasive predators that are seen as the biggest problem, as they haven’t historically been found in these remote locations where storm petrels normally breed, but human activities have also led to an increase in the population of yellow-legged gulls. Conservation efforts need to consider both native and invasive predators,” says Dr Ramos. The project is also making an important contribution in this respect by providing detailed information on the demography of these birds. This work could continue beyond the conclusion of SEAGHOSTS, with Dr Ramos keen to build on the progress that has been made so far. The project partners all hold deep expertise on seabirds, and Dr Ramos hopes their collaboration can be extended further, beyond the conclusion of the SEAGHOSTS project in 2027. “The partners are in regular contact, and we benefit greatly from working together,” he stresses.
White-faced Storm Petrel (Pelagodroma marina) photographed in the colony of Selvagem Grande, Portugal. Credit: Raül Ramos.
SEAGHOSTS investigates the spatial ecology, migration, trophic ecology, and conservation of storm petrels across the Mediterranean and the Northeast Atlantic. By combining advanced tracking technologies, genetic analyses, and ecological approaches, the project aims to identify threats, define Conservation Units, and improve conservation strategies for some of the world’s least-known seabirds.
Project Funding
This research was funded by Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership under the 2022-2023 BiodivMon joint call for research proposals, co-funded by the European Commission (GA N°101052342) and Fundación Biodiversidad as funding organisations. Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Fundación Biodiversidad. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Partners
• The project includes up to 17 partners from 12 different countries. Please see website below for full details
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Dr Raül Ramos Seabird Ecology Lab Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona T: +34 93 402 1449 E: ramos@ub.edu W: https://www.biodiversa.eu/2024/04/15/ seaghosts/
Dr Raül Ramos Dr Raül Ramos is a researcher at the Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, and a member of the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio). His research focuses on seabird ecology, marine spatial ecology, migration, and the conservation of marine biodiversity through international collaborative projects. Please see website above for full details.
Key partners and participants at the SEAGHOSTS Kick-off Meeting, held on 30 April 2024 at the University of Barcelona. Credit: Raül Ramos.
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How do we form our environmental values?
The project flows across scales from Pan-European to Local NbS projects. Project components bring lessons from the past into present discovery of values and how lived experiences might affect them and how this knowledge can be incorporated into public decision-making for investment.
Nature-based solutions (NbS) can protect riparian areas and help maintain biodiversity, yet many of us are unfamiliar with these solutions and the wider benefits they can bring. We spoke to Professor Brooks Kaiser about the ARE BEST NbS project, in which she and her colleagues are looking to build a fuller picture of how we form our environmental preferences and values.
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The global decline in biodiversity is
ARE BEST NbS project
causing widespread concern, with species and ecosystems being lost at a rapid rate. This threatens to adversely affect human health and disrupt our way of life. Biodiversity loss in riparian areas, which form the interface between water and land, can have a particularly significant impact. “These areas haven’t been converted into agricultural land or been urbanised, so there’s more diversity there already,” explains Brooks Kaiser, Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Nature-based solutions (NbS) can protect riparian areas and help maintain biodiversity, yet many of us are unfamiliar with these solutions and the wider benefits they can bring, issues that Professor Kaiser is exploring as part of her role in the ARE BEST NbS project. “We are looking at three case studies in the project, at locations in Hungary, Portugal and Denmark, which face different challenges,” she outlines. “In Portugal the issue is water quality. A lot of soil and other run-off is entering the riverine system from the surrounding hills, which affects water quality.”
A water treatment plant would conventionally be used to process and treat this water, but now researchers are looking at whether a forest could perform the same role while also bringing other potential benefits, such as increased shade for riparian areas, recreational opportunities, and improved soil stability. These benefits have not historically been associated with water treatment, raising new questions about how the public perceive and value investments in NbS, so there’s also an environmental psychology aspect to the project. “We’re going to look at how people form preferences for what is essentially a bundle of goods and amenities that result from an investment,” says Professor Kaiser. Researchers are developing stakeholder engagement and evaluation tools to gain a fuller picture in this respect. “We’re conducting surveys to ask people about their environmental values and the way that those values are built,” continues Professor Kaiser. “We are using both the feedback from the mental models that the environmental psychologists within the project are developing, and the insights from the survey designers, to refine the questions.”
Mental models are cognitive representations of an external system that people use to perceive, understand, and take action. Examining stakeholders’ mental models of nature-based solutions in the project’s case studies can illuminate potential differences in perceptions of NbS and their outcomes. The project team is conducting surveys in each of the three case study areas, looking to gain deeper insights into people’s preferences and values. A second case study is being conducted in an area around Lake Balaton in Hungary, which involves placing 3-D cubes in certain locations to protect the shoreline and boost biodiversity; Professor Kaiser says the priority here is encouraging participation. “Anybody can make these structures. Clay is used to create the structure, then you let it dry and place it in the lake,” she outlines. The question here is whether participating in the project changes people’s preferences, their perceptions of the benefits that it will bring.“We want to see whether that lived experience can change people’s preferences, which would then influence the prospects of scaling the project up in future,” continues Professor Kaiser. “We also have a Danish case study centered around
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a performance company Secret Hotel who have been developing a show called The H2O Game.We are asking the audiences about their views on NbS before and after the show, to see whether it leads to a shift in preferences.” This research can then influence the engagement process and the way that decisions are made around NbS at the public level. From an economic perspective, the standard decisionmaking approach is to use cost-benefit analysis to weigh up different options, but Professor Kaiser says it’s important to first think about what people value and what they want in their environment. “If you don’t know what it is that people value then you enter what we call the world of the second best. Judging what’s better then becomes not a straightforward economic question, but one that depends on whose values you are integrating and what weight you attach to them,” she explains. The project aims to bring these discussions out
to extended recreational opportunities, are more difficult to convey.The precise wording of a public survey is very important here, an issue that Professor Kaiser and her colleagues are probing. “We are trying to ask these questions in a better way and are working closely with designers. They expect to develop some best practices and show how this can impact values,” she outlines. The wider aim here is to get the most out of NbS investments, taking into account the values and preferences of the people who will be directly affected, and the project team is working closely with stakeholders in each of the three case study areas. “In Portugal there are active discussions with the water treatment company about whether they should invest further in the forest,” says Professor Kaiser. “In Denmark we’re looking closely at how decisions are reached about investments in NbS. How should the stakeholder input be set up? Where and how should it happen?”
“We want to raise awareness among the public of the trade-offs involved with investments in nature-based solutions. With a nature-based solution we’re allowing time and nature to create benefits.” into the open and uncover our individual and collective preferences, which can then guide decision-making. “We want to raise awareness among the public of the trade-offs involved with NbS investments,” continues Professor Kaiser. “With an NbS we’re allowing time and nature to create benefits, but we’re not exactly certain how things will work out. So the investment is more uncertain and has a broader dimensionality to its returns.”
Public surveys An engineering company would be able to forecast the expected power output from a new dam for example, but the wider benefits of planting a forest, from improved water quality
This input is essential to gaining public consent to the implementation of NbS, and in turn maximising its value. Where there are differences in how people value the costs and benefits of NbS, the decision-making system needs to account for that variability, says Professor Kaiser. “You can’t just assume that everyone is on the same page, as in fact they often aren’t,” she stresses. The project’s research holds wider relevance in these terms, extending beyond the three case study areas to investment decisions about different NbS projects. “The tools and best practices we are developing can be used in assessment processes and investment decisions about NbS projects at the public level,” continues Professor Kaiser.
Are Best NbS
Aquatic and Riparian Ecosystems: Biodiversity and Economic Service Transformations from NbS
Project Objectives
The scientific objectives are to understand our thinking about biodiversity and how lived experiences may change these thoughts and values, and how these interact with decisionmaking processes for biodiversity-driven NbS. The project explores stakeholder engagement, project evaluation strategies, improvements in engagement and evaluation processes, and the impact of artistic collaboration and mental models on valuation of biodiversity and natural capital.
Project Funding
This project is funded by Biodiversa+, under grant agreement number 2510085. Co-funded by the European Union.
Project Partners
• University of Stavanger (G. Kipperberg, A.L. Cojocaru) • University of Minho (C. Santos) • Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (M. Karyda) • Utrecht University (K.L. van den Broek) • Secret Hotel (C. Fentz) • University of Southern Denmark (B. Kaiser, J. Bronmann)
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Brooks Kaiser, University of Southern Denmark, Department of Economics, Degnevej 14a, Esbjerg Oe, 6705 Denmark T: +45 6550 1590 E: Baka@sam.sdu.dk W: https://www.biodiversa.eu/2025/04/08/ are-best-nbs/ W: https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/ organisations/management-and-economicsof-resources-and-the-environment/
Brooks Kaiser
Christine Fentz
Brooks Kaiser is a Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Southern Denmark. Her research combines microeconomics with ecology and economic history to better understand socio-ecological systems and change. Christine Fentz is Artistic Director of Secret Hotel, a Danish company that creates engaging theatre that stimulates both the senses and the intellect. The focus is to raise people’s awareness of the living world around us, and our relationship to the more-than-human.
Secret Hotel actors perform The H2O Game for audiences surveyed on NbS policy acceptance, expressed preferences, and valuation.
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Smarter River Sediment Management Sediment quietly shapes the health of Europe’s rivers, influencing biodiversity, water quality and navigation, yet it rarely attracts public attention. We spoke to Mihaela Timofti, Oriane Georges and Anja Stipankov Ivanovic about how the SUNDANSE project, coordinated by Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, Romania, is developing innovative tools to help safeguard the Danube-Black Sea system. The Danube is Europe’s second longest river, flowing through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea. It provides drinking water for millions of people, supports agriculture and hydropower, sustains rich ecosystems and serves as a vital transport corridor linking Central Europe with the Black Sea. Yet beneath its surface lies a challenge that often goes unnoticed: sediment. Sediment - the sand, silt and organic material naturally carried by rivers - plays an essential role in maintaining healthy aquatic ecosystems. However, when too much accumulates in one place or is washed away from another, it can disrupt habitats, transport pollutants and create major obstacles for inland navigation. These issues are becoming increasingly important across the Danube Basin. While some stretches experience severe erosion, others suffer from excessive sediment buildup, requiring frequent and costly dredging to keep shipping routes open. Managing this delicate balance forms the focus of the EU-funded SUNDANSE project, which is developing innovative tools and practical solutions to support more sustainable sediment management across the DanubeBlack Sea system.
More than mud Although sediment is often overlooked, it influences almost every aspect of river health. “The Danube supports biodiversity, drinking water supplies, agriculture, energy production, and inland navigation,” explains Dr Mihaela Timofti, environmental chemist and one of the members of the Project Management Office of the SUNDANSE project. “Some parts of the river are affected by excessive sedimentation, while others experience excessive erosion.” Sediment also acts as a carrier for contaminants. Polluted sediments can transport toxic substances downstream, affecting ecosystems far from their original source. At the same time, excessive sediment accumulation reduces water depth in busy navigation channels, making dredging both necessary and expensive.
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Sediment sampling aboard the REXDAN vessel.
“We try to dredge a little bit less if it is possible,” says Dr. Mihaela Timofti. “Dredging requires significant financial resources and time, so if we can better understand how sediments move, we can identify more sustainable management solutions.” The project is also investigating whether certain dredged sediments, once carefully assessed for contamination, could be safely reused as construction materials, transforming what is often treated as waste into a valuable resource.
Alongside these predictive tools, the project is introducing faster methods for analysing sediment quality. Traditional toxicity assessments can take several days to complete. New equipment developed within the project can provide an initial indication of sediment toxicity in around one hour, allowing authorities to rapidly identify areas requiring further investigation. The consortium is also developing an AI-powered microplastic analyser capable
“The Danube supports biodiversity, drinking water supplies, agriculture, energy production, and inland navigation. Some parts of the river are affected by excessive sedimentation, while others experience excessive erosion.” Smarter decisions To help authorities better understand and manage sediment movement, the project combines advanced digital modelling with rapid environmental monitoring technologies. Researchers are developing sophisticated numerical models capable of simulating how sediments move under different river conditions. For one particularly complex case study, they have also built a physical scale model, allowing scientists to test proposed nature-based solutions and assess how different interventions could influence sediment transport. While these models will help identify and refine promising approaches, their implementation in real-world conditions lies outside the scope of the project.
of identifying different polymer types within minutes rather than through lengthy laboratory procedures. “We’re trying to develop equipment that can determine the type of microplastic and its proportion much more quickly,” says Dr Mihaela Timofti. “This allows us to obtain valuable information in only a few minutes.” Beyond developing new technologies, SUNDANSE also aims to leave a lasting legacy through a comprehensive Sediment Management Handbook. Rather than serving as a purely scientific report, the handbook will offer practical guidance for authorities, researchers and environmental practitioners, bringing together the project’s knowledge on sediment monitoring and management
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in a single resource. It will cover the entire process, from sampling and laboratory analysis to environmental monitoring, decision-making and the evaluation of nature-based solutions. A key objective is to promote greater consistency across Europe. While international standards exist for some analytical methods, there is currently no harmonised approach for collecting sediment samples, particularly when monitoring emerging pollutants such as microplastics. Different countries often use different sampling equipment and protocols, making it difficult to compare results or build a coherent picture of pollution across river basins. “The sampling methods are different from one country to another, and this does not always give the same results,” explains Dr Mihaela Timofti. By recommending common methodologies and best practices, the handbook aims to make sediment data more reliable and comparable, helping policymakers and river authorities make better-informed decisions while strengthening cooperation across borders.
Science on the river Scientific research is only one part of the project’s mission. Equally important is ensuring that knowledge reaches the people responsible for managing Europe’s rivers. To achieve this, researchers recently embarked on an international mission aboard the research vessel REXDAN, travelling along the Danube and stopping in cities including Novi Sad, Belgrade, Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna. The vessel served not only as a floating laboratory but also as a centre for public engagement. This summer, more than 300 visitors including school pupils, university students, teachers, policymakers and representatives from the Danube Commission - came aboard to observe water and sediment analyses, explore the vessel’s laboratories and learn more about the importance of sediment management.
“Our role is to raise awareness about sedimentation,” says Anja Stipankov Ivanovic, Communication and Dissemination Manager for SUNDANSE. “When people think about healthy rivers, they usually think about plastic pollution. They rarely think about sediment itself, even though it is fundamental to the health of river ecosystems.” To ensure that its work benefits regions beyond the project consortium, SUNDANSE is launching a series of open calls through its Associated Regions Programme. Selected regional and local authorities from across Europe can receive €100,000 in funding to develop a nine-month roadmap for improving sediment management in their own river basins. Alongside financial support, participants are paired with mentors from the SUNDANSE consortium and, where appropriate, can test some of the project’s emerging technologies, such as its rapid toxicity analyser, helping validate these innovations in different environmental settings. “The objective is not only to support these regions,” explains Oriane Georges, who leads the project’s communication, dissemination and open call activities, “but also to validate what we have been developing by replicating some of our approaches in different environments and transferring knowledge beyond the Danube Basin.” As the project progresses, upcoming summer schools, continued stakeholder engagement and the publication of the Sediment Management Handbook will further strengthen collaboration between scientists, policymakers and regional authorities. Ultimately, SUNDANSE aims to ensure that sediment - one of the river’s least visible but most influential components - can be managed more sustainably. By combining advanced monitoring technologies, practical guidance and broad stakeholder engagement, the project is helping decision-makers protect Europe’s rivers while supporting biodiversity, navigation and climate resilience for decades to come.
SUNDANSE team in action in the Danube river aboard the REXDAN vessel.
SUNDANSE Sustainable Sediment solutions for the Danube - Black Sea system
Project Objectives
SUNDANSE aims to improve sediment management across the Danube-Black Sea system by combining advanced modelling, rapid monitoring technologies and practical guidance. Researchers are developing tools to track sediment movement, assess pollution and microplastics, evaluate naturebased solutions and promote harmonised monitoring methods. The project seeks to help authorities make better-informed decisions while protecting biodiversity, navigation and the long-term health of Europe’s rivers.
Project Funding
Funded by the European Union. under Grant Agreement No. 101156533. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. SUNDANSE is part of the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean & Waters” and the Danube & Black Sea Lighthouse.
Project Partners
https://sundanseproject.eu/about-the-partners/
Contact Details
Prof. Dr. Eng. Puiu Lucian Georgescu Project Coordinator E: info@sundanseproject.eu W: https://sundanseproject.eu/about-theproject/ W: https://sundanseproject.eu/sundanseopen-call-2/
Oriane Georges, Mihaela Timofti, and Anja Stipankov Ivanovic (left to right)
Oriane Georges is a Marine Scientist and Bio-industries Engineer, and been working for the past few years on R&D & EU projects related to environmental research as a Project & Communication Manager. Mihaela Timofti is an Associate Professor and environmental chemist specialising in water and sediment quality, pollutant analysis and ecosystem restoration. Anja Stipankov Ivanovic is a management engineer with expertise in communication, dissemination and stakeholder engagement for EU-funded projects.
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Soil: The Living Skin of the Earth Soils are the invisible infrastructure that sustains life on Earth. Beneath every forest, grass and agricultural field lies a remarkably complex ecosystem whose diversity could amaze each one of us. Understanding this hidden world has become one of Europe’s most important scientific priorities. By Maria Vlastara
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hen we think about biodiversity, our minds instinctively turn to forests, coral reefs or tropical rainforests. We picture charismatic wildlife, ancient trees and colourful ecosystems. Yet one of the richest and most complex biological communities on Earth exists beneath our feet, hidden from view and yet we step on it every single day. A handful of healthy soil contains billions of microorganisms, thousands of species and an intricate network of biological interactions that sustain almost every terrestrial ecosystem. Far from being inert dirt, soil is a living, dynamic system. It regulates water, stores carbon, cycles nutrients, supports food production and provides habitat for an extraordinary diversity of organisms. It also acts as a natural archive, recording thousands of years of geological, climatic and biological history. Understanding this hidden world has become one of the defining challenges of modern environmental science, placing pedology at the centre of efforts to tackle biodiversity loss, climate change and food insecurity. The term itself comes from the Greek pedon, meaning “soil” or “ground”, and logos, meaning “study” - quite literally, the science of the ground beneath our feet.
The secret life of soil Soil is often described as the Earth’s living skin - a remarkably thin layer that forms the interface between the atmosphere, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere and the biosphere. Although only a few tens of centimetres deep in many landscapes, this layer supports almost all terrestrial life. The characteristics of every soil are shaped over thousands of years by the interaction of climate, organisms, parent material, topography and time. Variations in these factors produce an
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extraordinary diversity of soils, each with unique physical structures, mineral compositions, water-holding capacities and biological communities. These differences explain why forests flourish in some regions, grasslands dominate others and wetlands develop where water accumulates. Soil is therefore not simply a consequence of ecosystems - it is one of the primary forces that shapes them. Modern pedology has evolved beyond describing these differences to understanding how they influence ecosystem processes. Advances in digital soil mapping, remote sensing, environmental modelling and geospatial analysis now allow researchers to predict how soils respond to land-use change, climate variability and restoration measures. These tools are helping transform soil information into practical knowledge for agriculture, conservation and environmental planning. Increasingly, soil maps - visual representations of the distribution of different soil types and their characteristics across a landscape - are no longer viewed as static inventories but as dynamic decisionsupport tools that guide sustainable land management, identify vulnerable landscapes and help predict future environmental change.
The importance of soil diversity Just as biodiversity describes the variety of life on Earth, pedodiversity refers to the diversity of soils across landscapes. Although less familiar outside the scientific community, the concept has become increasingly important because it highlights the close relationship between the physical environment and biological diversity. Different soils create different habitats. Variations in texture, mineralogy, pH, organic matter, moisture and nutrient availability generate a mosaic of ecological niches capable of supporting distinct microbial communities, fungi, plants and animals. Richly structured soils with diverse physical and chemical properties generally support more complex biological communities than uniform or degraded soils.
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This relationship extends far beyond agriculture. Soil diversity influences the distribution of natural vegetation, shapes freshwater ecosystems, regulates nutrient availability and contributes to the resilience of entire landscapes. Where soils vary over short distances, ecosystems often become more heterogeneous, creating opportunities for a wider range of species to coexist. Researchers increasingly recognise that conserving biodiversity requires protecting not only species and habitats but also the diversity of the soils that sustain them. Soil therefore represents an essential - yet often overlooked - component of natural heritage. Recent advances in geodiversity research have reinforced this understanding by recognising soils as the crucial interface between geological processes and biological ecosystems. Rather than acting merely as a substrate for plant growth, soils regulate groundwater recharge, carbon storage, nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition and biomass production while simultaneously linking the Earth’s abiotic and biotic systems. Protecting soils therefore means protecting many of the ecosystem services upon which society depends.
partnerships with plant roots, extending their ability to absorb water and nutrients while improving resilience to drought and environmental stress. Earthworms reshape soil structure by creating channels that improve aeration, infiltration and root penetration. Predatory microorganisms regulate populations of pathogens and pests, helping maintain ecological balance without the need for chemical intervention. These interactions are highly interconnected. A change in one component of the soil community often influences many others, creating cascading effects throughout the ecosystem. This complexity explains why biological diversity is increasingly regarded as one of the strongest indicators of soil health. Importantly, soil biodiversity is not distributed evenly. Climate, vegetation, geology, land use and management practices all influence the composition of soil communities. Intensive agriculture, pollution, erosion and habitat fragmentation can diminish the these biological networks, reducing their ability to perform essential ecosystem functions. Protecting biodiversity above ground therefore begins by protecting biodiversity below ground.
A hidden world of biodiversity
Soil health
The vast majority of soil biodiversity is invisible to the naked eye. Within every gram of healthy soil exists an astonishing community of bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protozoa and viruses interacting with larger organisms such as nematodes, mites, springtails, insects and earthworms. Together, these organisms form one of the most complex ecological networks on the planet. Their activities drive many of the processes essential for life. Microorganisms decompose dead organic matter, releasing nutrients that plants require for growth. Mycorrhizal fungi establish intimate
The growing recognition of soil as a living ecosystem has fundamentally changed how scientists define soil health. Historically, healthy soil was often equated with fertile soil - a resource capable of producing high crop yields. While productivity remains important, this definition is now considered too narrow. Modern soil science recognises that a healthy soil must perform many functions simultaneously. It must sustain plant growth while regulating water movement, cycling nutrients, storing carbon, supporting biodiversity and remaining resilient to environmental disturbances.
Within every gram of healthy soil exists an astonishing community of bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protozoa and viruses interacting with larger organisms such as nematodes, mites, springtails, insects and earthworms. Together, these organisms form one of the most complex ecological networks on the planet. www.euresearcher.com
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In many respects, soil health resembles human health. No physician relies on a single measurement to determine whether a patient is healthy. Instead, multiple indicators - including blood chemistry, heart function, immune response and lifestyle - are evaluated together to understand how well the body functions as an integrated system. Soil operates in much the same way. Its health cannot be measured by one property alone. Instead, scientists assess a combination of physical characteristics, such as structure and bulk density; chemical properties, including pH and nutrient availability; and biological indicators, such as microbial biomass, respiration and biodiversity. Together, these measurements provide a more complete picture of the soil’s capacity to function over time. This integrated perspective is reshaping agricultural research, environmental monitoring and land management across Europe. Rather than focusing solely on productivity, researchers are increasingly asking how soils can continue providing essential ecosystem services while remaining resilient in the face of climate change, biodiversity loss and growing demands for food production. The answers to these questions are becoming increasingly important as soils face mounting pressures across Europe and beyond.
Responding to a growing global challenge The growing appreciation of soil as a living ecosystem comes at a critical moment. Across the world, soils are under increasing pressure from intensive agriculture, urban expansion, pollution, erosion and climate change. These pressures rarely occur in isolation. Instead, they interact to reduce soil biodiversity, weaken ecosystem resilience and compromise the many services that healthy soils provide. Agricultural intensification has undoubtedly contributed to global food security over the past century, yet it has also altered the biological functioning of many soils. Frequent tillage disrupts soil structure and fungal networks, heavy machinery compacts the soil, while excessive applications of fertilisers and pesticides can reduce microbial diversity and disturb natural nutrient cycling. Combined with the loss of organic matter, these changes gradually diminish the soil’s capacity to regulate water, store carbon and support diverse biological communities. Climate change brings further pressure. Rising temperatures accelerate the decomposition of soil organic matter, reducing carbon storage and altering nutrient cycling. Prolonged droughts suppress
microbial activity and limit the biological processes that sustain healthy soils, while increasingly intense rainfall events accelerate erosion, wash away fertile topsoil and degrade soil structure. These changes not only reduce agricultural productivity but also threaten soil biodiversity and weaken the resilience of ecosystems to future environmental change.
Building resilience One of the most encouraging developments in recent decades has been the emergence of land management practices designed not simply to minimise environmental damage but to actively restore soil functions. Conservation agriculture, regenerative farming, cover cropping, reduced tillage, crop diversification and agroforestry all seek to work with natural biological processes rather than against them. Instead of viewing soil as an inert medium requiring constant external inputs, these approaches aim to rebuild soil organic matter, encourage biological activity and improve the natural cycling of nutrients and water. Healthy soils are remarkably resilient when given the opportunity to recover. Increasing organic matter improves soil structure, allowing rainfall to infiltrate more effectively while reducing erosion and flood risk. Diverse microbial communities enhance nutrient availability and suppress soil-borne diseases, reducing dependence on chemical inputs. Improved soil aggregation also increases carbon storage, contributing to climate-change mitigation while simultaneously enhancing agricultural productivity. Recent research suggests that one of the greatest opportunities lies in integrating physical, chemical and biological indicators into comprehensive assessments of soil health. Historically, soil monitoring has focused heavily on measurable physical and chemical properties such as pH, nutrient concentrations and bulk density. Biological indicators - including microbial diversity, respiration and ecosystem functioning - have often received comparatively less attention, despite their central role in determining long-term soil resilience.
At the centre of sustainability Recognising the strategic importance of soils, the European Union has made soil protection a cornerstone of its environmental agenda.
Far from being inert dirt, soil is a living, dynamic system. It regulates water, stores carbon, cycles nutrients, supports food production and provides habitat for an extraordinary diversity of organisms. 40
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The European Green Deal established an ambitious roadmap towards climate neutrality while placing biodiversity restoration, sustainable food systems and ecosystem resilience at the centre of European policy. Within this broader framework, the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 identifies healthy soils as fundamental to achieving climate objectives, reversing biodiversity loss and ensuring longterm food security. The strategy represents a significant shift in environmental governance. Rather than treating soils primarily as agricultural resources, it recognises them as living ecosystems that require active protection and restoration. Its objectives include reducing soil degradation, increasing soil organic carbon, improving monitoring systems, promoting sustainable land management and supporting research that links soil science with climate, biodiversity and human wellbeing. A major component of this vision is the Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”, one of the five Horizon Europe Missions launched by the European Commission. Its goal is both ambitious and practical: to establish 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses across Europe where scientists, farmers, businesses, policymakers and local communities collaborate to develop and test innovative approaches to soil restoration under real-world conditions. Unlike traditional research projects, Living Labs encourage continuous collaboration between researchers and land managers, allowing scientific discoveries to be translated rapidly into practical solutions. Farmers become partners in innovation rather than passive recipients of research outcomes, while researchers gain valuable long-term data from diverse environmental conditions.
The role of the European Soil Partnership Complementing these European initiatives is the European Soil Partnership (ESP), the regional branch of the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership. The ESP plays an essential role in strengthening cooperation between governments, researchers, universities and international organisations working on sustainable soil management. Its activities include promoting soil monitoring, supporting harmonised soil data, encouraging education and public awareness, facilitating scientific collaboration and helping countries implement sustainable soil policies. Importantly, the Partnership recognises that soil challenges extend beyond national borders. Soil degradation, erosion, declining organic matter and biodiversity loss affect entire regions, requiring coordinated responses based on shared scientific knowledge. The ESP also contributes to several broader international objectives, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and global climate commitments. By connecting scientific research with policy development, it helps ensure that advances in soil science are translated into practical action.
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Looking beneath the surface Despite remarkable progress, many aspects of soil biodiversity remain unexplored. Scientists estimate that a substantial proportion of soil microorganisms have yet to be described, while the interactions between microbial communities, plant roots and environmental change continue to present major research challenges. Emerging technologies are opening entirely new avenues of investigation. Environmental DNA (eDNA), metagenomics, high-resolution remote sensing, artificial intelligence and digital soil mapping now allow researchers to study soil ecosystems at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. These approaches are revealing hidden patterns of biodiversity, improving predictions of ecosystem responses to climate change and supporting more targeted restoration strategies. At the same time, advances in digital soil information are enabling more sophisticated models that integrate soil properties with climate projections, land-use scenarios and ecosystem services. Such tools will become increasingly valuable as policymakers seek evidencebased strategies for balancing agricultural production, biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation. However, important gaps remain. Much of the world’s soil research is still concentrated in relatively small number of countries, while many regions facing severe land degradation and biodiversity loss remain underrepresented in scientific studies. Expanding international collaboration and strengthening research capacity in these areas will be essential if global soil restoration goals are to be achieved.
The future begins beneath our feet For generations, soil was largely overlooked - hidden beneath crops, forests and cities, appreciated mainly when its productivity declined. Today, science is revealing a very different picture. Soil is not simply the foundation upon which ecosystems develop; it is itself one of the planet’s most complex and diverse ecosystems. Pedology has become central to understanding this hidden world. By linking soil formation with ecosystem functioning, biodiversity, hydrology and climate processes, the discipline provides critical insights into how landscapes evolve and how they can be managed sustainably in a rapidly changing world. Healthy soils support far more than agriculture. They regulate freshwater resources, capture and store carbon, sustain biodiversity, reduce flood risk, recycle nutrients and provide resilience against environmental change. Protecting these functions is therefore not only an environmental priority but also an economic and societal necessity. As climate change accelerates and biodiversity continues to decline, the future of terrestrial ecosystems may depend less on what happens above ground than on the living world beneath our feet. Understanding, protecting and restoring that hidden world is no longer simply a scientific challenge - it is one of the defining priorities for a sustainable future.
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Protecting Europe’s Water Future Across the North Sea region, climate change is putting groundwater and soil under unprecedented strain. The EU-funded BLUE TRANSITION project brings together scientists, authorities, farmers and communities to rebalance water systems for the long term. We spoke with project lead Mike MüllerPetke and project manager Ilke Borowski-Maaser about how Europe is redefining water resilience. From
drought-stricken
fields
to creeping saltwater in coastal aquifers, Europe’s groundwater systems are under pressure. Groundwater is the water stored beneath the Earth’s surface in soil and rock layers, supplying Europe’s drinking water and a large share of its irrigation. Climate change is accelerating long-standing environmental stresses, while agriculture, tourism, industry and urban growth continue to compete for the same finite resource: clean groundwater. At the heart of this challenge lies a simple but urgent question - how can Europe protect both the quality and quantity of its groundwater in a warming world? The BLUE TRANSITION project was created to help answer precisely that question. Running under the Interreg North Sea Region Programme and spanning six countries - Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and France - BLUE TRANSITION brings together 23 partners. “BLUE TRANSITION is really about how to manage groundwater and soil resources in times of climate change,” explains Mike MüllerPetke, lead partner of the project and Professor at the LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics jointly with the Leibniz University Hannover. “We look at urban, agricultural and natural landscapes together, and at how human land use changes the water balance within them.” The project emerged from a growing recognition across the North Sea region that groundwater systems were becoming increasingly fragile - affected by droughts, flooding, salinisation, pollution and overextraction. “Most of our drinking water and much of our irrigation water comes from groundwater,” adds project manager Ilke Borowski-Maaser. “Ensuring that it remains clean and abundant is absolutely fundamental to our societies.”
Rewetting wetlands at the Belgium pilot.
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Key directions of action for a Blue Transition.
From system understanding to local action The pressures on groundwater across the North Sea region are diverse but tightly interconnected. In coastal zones, excessive pumping threatens to draw seawater into aquifers. In agricultural areas, irrigation demand is rising as summers become hotter and drier. In northern lakes, changing land use and peatland drainage contribute to brownification, where organic material discolours surface waters and complicates water treatment. What unites these challenges is the need to restore balance between extraction, recharge, land use and ecosystem health. As the project evolved, the consortium identified three recurring directions of action that link all 16 pilot areas. Across regions, partners are diversifying water sources, reducing dependency on a single supply and balancing groundwater with surface water where possible. Many pilots also adjust land use to protect aquifers - through wetland restoration, peatland rewetting and protected recharge zones. Improving soil health has emerged as a parallel strategy, strengthening moisture retention and long-term resilience.
“These three directions appear again and again across very different landscapes,” says Mike Müller-Petke. “They give us a shared framework, even though every local system is unique.” One of the clearest lessons so far, however, is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each pilot requires deep understanding of its own geology, hydrology, land use and social context before any meaningful intervention can take place.
Pilots, people and place-based solutions The 16 pilots are deliberately at different stages of development - from early data collection to full-scale implementation. In Sweden, researchers are investigating increasing brownification in lakes that supply drinking water. Monitoring stations are being installed to trace the flow of organic material from former peatlands into surface waters. “They know the problem is increasing, but they are still working to understand exactly where it comes from,” Mike Müller-Petke explains. In northern Germany, one focus is on
The Blue Transition consortium.
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irrigation management near protected natural areas. Here, the hydrological system is already well understood. The task now is to optimise pumping from multiple wells so that farmers have sufficient water without damaging sensitive ecosystems nearby. On a tourist-heavy Danish island, authorities have completed a full groundwater mapping campaign. They are now identifying land parcels to purchase for protection zones, preventing future contamination as visitor numbers continue to grow. “These pilots show the full range, from understanding the system, to testing measures, to actually implementing changes on the ground,” highlights Mike Müller-Petke. Some of the most compelling impacts of BLUE TRANSITION come from pilots that actively involve local communities. In
is developing augmented reality applications that allow users to visualise underground water flows and geological layers through their smartphones. By scanning a QR code in the field, users can explore the hidden subsurface in real time. While technical solutions are vital, the partners agree that the greatest challenge lies in governance and long-term political commitment. Short-term measures are often easier to implement, while systemic change - such as altering land use or redesigning groundwater protection zones - demands stability, funding and public support. “In times of political uncertainty, it becomes harder to commit to climate adaptation strategies that only show their full benefits in ten or twenty years,” says Ilke Borowski-Maaser.
“BLUE TRANSITION is really about how to manage groundwater and soil resources in times of climate change.” Belgium, an environmental organisation integrated the project into a large wetland restoration programme. What began as a conservation effort expanded rapidly, attracting private investment and enabling restoration at a scale several times larger than originally planned. Rewetting wetlands now helps store water naturally, reduce flood risk and protect peat soils that would otherwise release carbon. In the Netherlands, prolonged droughts since 2018 have led farmers, who once rarely worried about water scarcity, to test practical soil-moisture measures directly in their fields. “We hold kitchen-table conversations with farmers,” says Ilke Borowski-Maaser. “They test measures themselves, they see what works, and then others follow.” France contributes another dimension through citizen science. Volunteers use simple test strips and smartphone apps to measure nitrate levels in local surface waters, uploading data to central servers. This not only expands monitoring capacity, but also builds public awareness of invisible water quality risks. “In the end, everyone wants clean drinking water and a healthy landscape. BLUE TRANSITION shows that farmers, scientists and authorities can work towards the same goal - even if they take different paths”, says Ilke Borowski-Maaser.
From Science to Strategy Alongside data collection and modelling, BLUE TRANSITION is using innovative communication tools to make groundwater systems visible to the public. One partner
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Each pilot is therefore developing a local, stakeholder-driven strategy, which will feed into a joint policy recommendations document presented at European level in 2026. Policy dialogue is also embedded in every transnational partner meeting to ensure that scientific results reach decision-makers. The project’s strength, however, lies as much in how it works as in what it delivers. “Having scientists working closely with water authorities and farmers is not common,” Mike Müller-Petke admits. “What makes this project special is that everyone realises they benefit from listening to each other.”
Beyond 2026: a blueprint for Europe Although BLUE TRANSITION focuses on the North Sea region, its lessons extend far beyond northern Europe. Many southern regions already face severe drought and water stress - challenges the North Sea is now beginning to experience. “Even if other regions may not face salinisation like we do near the coast, they absolutely face waterbalance challenges,” says Mike Müller-Petke. “Understanding the system, diversifying water sources, rethink land-use, improving soil health - these principles apply everywhere.” With the project concluding in 2026, continuity is a key concern. Many themes from crop resilience to groundwater recharge - demand long-term monitoring. Several partners are now seeking follow-up funding, while regional authorities embed results into future strategies. Ultimately, BLUE TRANSITION shows that climate adaptation is a practical, local effort, unfolding quietly beneath Europe’s landscapes.
BLUE TRANSITION Balancing water and land use to minimize the effects of climate change
Project Objectives
Blue transition targets a balanced water and land use to mitigate the effects of climate change and human activities on groundwater and soil to ensure enough good quality water at any time.
Project Funding
The Blue transition project is co-funded by the Interreg North-Sea Program 2021-2027.
Project Partners
Sweden: • Lunds universitet • Sydvatten • Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning (SGU) Germany: • LIAG Institut für Angewandte Geophysik (LIAG) • OldenburgischOstfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV) • Dachverband Feldberegnung Uelzen • Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen • Landesamt für Bergbau, Energie und Geologie (LBEG) • Universität Bremen • Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe The Netherlands: • Provincie Drenthe • Waterschap Noorderzijlvest • Waterschap Hunze en Aa’s Belgium: • Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij • Natuurpunt Beheer vzw Denmark: • Region Midtjylland • Region Syddanmark • Aarhus Universitet • De Nationale Geologiske Undersøgelser for Danmark og Grønland (GEUS) • Aabenraa Kommune • VIA University College France: • Université de Rennes • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique • Lorient Agglomération
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Mike-Müller-Petke mike.mueller-petke@liag-institut.de LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) Stilleweg 2 30655 Hannover E: Mike.Mueller-Petke@liag-institut.de W: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/bluetransition
Mike Müller-Petke
Mike Müller-Petke is Professor at the LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics jointly with the Leibniz University Hannover. His interests are in developing geophysical techniques for groundwater and soil investigation and to transfer these novel techniques into practical applications.
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The overlooked part of biodiversity: Putting genetic diversity in the spotlight Genetic diversity is the foundation of biodiversity and is essential for species survival, adaptation, and ecosystem resilience. Now countries across the world have pledged to monitor and report on it. The GINAMO project team is developing evidence-based, practical tools for monitoring genetic diversity, as Dr Christina Hvilsom and Dr Myriam Heuertz explain. Individuals
within species can vary in many traits, such as size, colour, disease resistance, or tolerance to heat. This often reflects genetic differences between individuals. All genetic differences together form the population’s genetic diversity. Crucially, a high level of genetic diversity equips the population to deal with environmental changes such as climate change or new pathogens, and to survive over the long term. The more diverse a population is, the more likely it contains at least a few individuals that are adapted to the new conditions and whose genes can then increase in frequency over time. For example, research has shown that kelp (large marine algae) populations with low genetic diversity have suffered more severely from marine heatwaves than highdiversity populations (see figure opposite). Genetic diversity within wild species has not historically been a major consideration in the development of nature conservation plans. Existing biodiversity reporting schemes, such as the EU Habitats Directive and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Global and National Red Lists, require countries to collect extensive biodiversity data - but genetic diversity has so far been excluded from these assessments. Several studies have shown that species not currently classified as threatened in the IUCN Red List may still have critically low genetic diversity. Without monitoring genetic diversity, we might therefore miss species that require active management to preserve and restore their genetic health. To change this, in 2022, 195 countries (plus the EU) committed to giving genetic diversity far greater attention: they adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. “The nations are now required to gather data and report on indicators of genetic diversity,” says Dr Christina Hvilsom, a researcher at Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, working on conservation genetics and biodiversity policy. “An indicator helps summarise complex information on a 44
Impact of the 2011 marine heat wave on kelp forests with different genetic diversities. During the Austral summer of 2011, an extreme marine heat wave devastated low latitude kelp forests with low genetic diversity (a), whereas forests with intermediate genetic diversity showed partial kelp canopy loss (b) and high latitude high-diversity forests showed no discernible impact on kelp canopy cover (c) despite similar temperature anomalies. Prior to the 2011 marine heat wave, there were no differences in kelp canopy cover among these kelp forests. All photos taken by T. Wernberg. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70273-x
species or population. The main genetic diversity indicator that countries need to report on is based on a genetic measure of population size. It reflects the proportion of populations that is large enough to avoid genetic diversity loss over time.” The smaller a population, the more quickly it loses genetic diversity. This is because in each generation, by chance, some individuals have no offspring, while others reproduce successfully - and these chance patterns have much more dramatic consequences in small populations. “Think for example of a small island, inhabited
GINAMO project The novel requirements to monitor and report on genetic diversity pose a challenge for practitioners and policymakers. There are many practical questions that need to be answered such as which species to assess, how to define populations, and how to best estimate genetic diversity when large DNA datasets are available. This is where the GINAMO project comes in, bringing together 11 partners in Europe and one in the USA to provide countries with science-based, user-friendly tools.
“ The GINAMO project has been set up to improve the reporting of genetic diversity indicators. We’re working with five focal countries on identifying their specific challenges and needs to improve the monitoring and ultimately the protection of biodiversity.” by ten or fewer birds of a species. Some of them may reproduce in one year, the others may not, just by chance. That way, genetic information can easily be lost completely, so a small population of just ten individuals will not keep its diversity in the long-term,” says Dr Myriam Heuertz, research director at INRAE in France with a focus on conservation genetics. By contrast, in a larger population, even if some individuals don’t reproduce, there will likely be others that carry the same genetic variants and pass them on to the next generation. “This is why the population size plays such a key role in genetic diversity monitoring”, concludes Dr Hvilsom.
As part of this team, Dr Heuertz and Dr Hvilsom emphasise the importance of collaborating with the stakeholders now involved in monitoring genetic diversity. “We’re working with five countries Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, and Sweden - with the goal of co-creating guideline documents and software tools together,” explains Dr Hvilsom. “This work with stakeholders is crucial to ensuring our output matches their needs and resources, and that this will continue in future. The co-creation process is also evaluated by GINAMO’s social scientist team, so that in the end we’ll have a good idea of what worked and what didn’t.”
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Genetic diversity is the foundation and one of the three key aspects of biodiversity. It enables adaptation within a species’ populations and is necessary for evolutionary change. GINAMO aims to support countries in assessing genetic diversity to ensure healthy and resilient populations, both today and in the future.
Co-creation In each of the five focal countries, the GINAMO team started the co-creation process by bringing together a broad range of stakeholders - nature managers, species experts and researchers, NGO’s, and the governmental agencies responsible for reporting. They went through a process guided by trained facilitators to identify the current state and the challenges each country is facing. “What do they already have in place in terms of reporting on genetic diversity? Do they have a list of species that they’re interested in reporting on? Do they In facilitated workshops, stakeholders from France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, and Italy mapped the challenges they face in implementing the new indicators for genetic diversity. Credit GINAMO
have genetic or population size data for some species? Where do they encounter obstacles?” Dr Hvilsom outlines. In total, the stakeholders in the five countries identified 85 challenges, many of which were shared among multiple countries from issues that needed further research to those that can be addressed with cocreated solutions. The first step of genetic indicator evaluation that poses challenges - and the first step GINAMO is developing guidance on - is the selection of species to assess. “It’s not obvious how to best select the species. There are a lot of possible criteria: A species might be included because it is economically important, holds cultural value, or is nationally emblematic,” says Dr Hvilsom. “Some countries may focus
on threatened species. It is important to aim for a broad representation, covering different taxonomic groups, instead of focusing just on mammals, for example. Together with colleagues at the Finnish Environment Institute and with our stakeholders, we are working on processes and tools to make the selection of species as objective as possible, based on criteria developed in each country.” Another challenge stakeholders face is obtaining the relevant data for the chosen species. However, often it is unnecessary to collect DNA samples: “A lot of useful information can be extracted from existing reports and databases,” highlights Dr Heuertz. “Because of the relationship between population size and genetic diversity, genetic diversity can be
GINAMO partners consist of both senior and junior geneticists, biologists and social scientists. Credit GINAMO
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GINAMO
Genetic Indicators for NAture MOnitoring
Project Objectives
Genetic diversity helps species survive environmental change over time. Across the world, countries have now committed to assessing and reporting indicators of genetic diversity. GINAMO supports the implementation and use of these genetic indicators in practice by developing the science behind calculating genetic indicators using DNA and non-DNA data. In a facilitated and scientifically evaluated co-creation process with stakeholders, it develops user-friendly tools and pipelines.
Project Funding
European Biodiversity Partnership, in the context of the GINAMO project under the 2022-2023 BiodivMon joint call. It was co-funded by the European Commission (GA No. 101052342), The Research Council of Norway,The Belgian Science Policy, L’Agence nationale de la recherche, Ministero dell’Università, Naturvårdsverket, Rymdstyrelsen, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Innovation Fund Denmark.
Project Partners
https://ginamo.org/team/
Contact Details
Project Coordinator GINAMO, Christina Hvilsom, PhD Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark E: christina.hvilsom@sund.ku.dk W: www.ginamo.org
Christina Hvilsom
Myriam Heuertz
Christina Hvilsom is a researcher based at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She leads research at the interface of biobanking, conservation genetics, and biodiversity policy. As coordinator of the EU Biodiversa+ GINAMO project, Christina works to integrate genetic indicators into biodiversity monitoring frameworks, helping strengthen evidence-based conservation action from local to global scales. Myriam Heuertz is a Research Director at INRAE, the French National Research for Agriculture, Food and Environment. Her work focusses on population and conservation genetics of tropical trees, and on developing and mainstreaming genetic indicators for biodiversity policy, monitoring, and conservation practice.
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assessed without running genetic analyses. Of course, DNA data will often provide the most accurate estimates - but a count of mature individuals is often enough for a rough estimate. This can reduce the costs and workload for genetic diversity assessments.” Once all necessary data has been gathered, the indicators can be calculated, with the GINAMO team working to develop improved methods. “Calculating indicators is not always straightforward, because there are multiple alternative approaches to choose from that do not always give the same result. We have done research to identify the best approaches under different scenarios. Together with
measures. “If a species’ populations are too small to maintain genetic diversity, further action might be necessary to protect it,” outlines Dr Hvilsom. “If needed, one can first run more detailed genetic analyses. Is there evidence of inbreeding? What is happening within the genome? This kind of information can help develop concrete management options.” For example, genetic diversity loss can be halted by increasing the habitat available to the species and by connecting isolated populations with each other. In some cases, natural populations can be supplemented by individuals raised in captivity or translocated from larger wild populations.
“If a species’ populations are too small to maintain genetic diversity, further action might be necessary to protect it” stakeholders, we have developed userfriendly calculation tools and made them easily accessible in an open web platform. The project team is currently improving and refining the tools further, again in collaboration with stakeholders.” Dr Heuertz says this work has also attracted interest from the private sector. “Some companies that offer consulting services on genetic diversity are very interested in our tools, and they’ve given us some very useful feedback,” she continues.
Action Ultimately, low genetic diversity indicator values should prompt conservation
Such measures to protect and restore genetic diversity are central to biodiversity protection and achieving the goals set out in the KMGBF. The project team is in regular dialogue with policy-actors, aiming for the inclusion of genetic diversity indicators in national action plans for biodiversity protection. “We hope that genetic diversity management will become much better integrated with species- and ecosystem-level biodiversity management efforts,” says Dr Heuertz. The importance of genetic diversity within species is now more widely recognised, and research in this area will continue, well beyond the conclusion of GINAMO.
The workshops arranged by GINAMO allowed for stakeholders to discuss both challenges and solutions and to kick-start new collaborations around genetic diversity reporting. Credit GINAMO
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Engaging citizens in soil monitoring Soils across Europe are significantly degraded, threatening their long-term ability to support food production and filter water, as well as perform other essential functions. European citizens have a major role to play here in gathering data that can then inform efforts to restore the health of soils, an issue at the heart of Tanja Mimmo and Oleg Osychenko’s work in the ECHO project. More than 60% of EU soils are in in a relatively poor state of health, with high levels of contaminants and continued erosion among the factors which threaten their ability to perform essential functions. The European public can play a major role here in gathering data, which can then inform efforts to restore the health of soils across the continent, an issue at the heart of Professor Tanja Mimmo’s work as coordinator of the EU-backed ECHO project. “In the project we’re encouraging citizens to gather more soil health data,” she outlines. The project brings together 16 partners from nine European countries, reflecting wider concern about the health of soils across the continent. “We aim to gather soil health data across Europe, covering different countries, land uses and biogeographical regions. We will also look into the potential of exploiting citizen science-generated data for monitoring programmes,” continues Professor Mimmo.
which will provide a fuller picture of soil health across Europe. “Other soil databases are also in development. We want to incorporate the data in ECHOREPO in a broader European data environment,” he continues. This will provide a valuable resource for researchers and other interested parties, and also help inform future soil management practices. A variety of parameters need to be considered in assessing the health of soils, underlining the importance of long-term monitoring and the provision of reliable data. “The EU Soil Monitoring Law defines healthy soil in terms of its capacity to deliver ecosystem services. We can’t tell whether soils are healthy simply by analysing their pH or level of organic matter, we have to see the whole picture,” stresses Professor Mimmo. “We are assessing soil samples, and on a long-term basis the idea would be to keep on monitoring the health of European soils.” Overview of the ECHO workflow, showing the key actors involved, the main project activities, the exchange of samples and information, and the participating countries.
“We aim to gather soil health data across Europe, covering
different countries, land uses and biogeographical regions. We will also look into exploiting that citizen sciencegenerated data for monitoring programmes.” Public engagement An initial key step was to send out soil sampling kits to citizens, who then gathered samples, which have now been sent back to Professor Mimmo and her colleagues at the Free University of Bolzano for analysis. Citizens were involved right from the beginning in developing the kits and training materials, part of the wider aim of engaging the public in soil healthrelated issues. “We’re looking to enhance soil literacy” explains Professor Mimmo. This includes work with primary and secondary schools, with the ECHO Soil Challenge – Soil Stories designed to stimulate curiosity among the next generation, and encourage them to get involved in monitoring the health of soils around them. “The ECHO Soil Challenge – Soil Stories is a way of interacting with schoolkids of different ages and increasing their awareness
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of soil health. With the challenge, they can really start interacting and be creative on the topic of soil health,” says Professor Mimmo. The ECHOREPO data repository is also a key engagement tool, through which citizen scientists can share the data they have gathered in the project and look at how it fits into the wider picture of soil health. ECHOREPO is an open-source repository and data infrastructure for the acquisition, data quality control, visualisation, publication and reuse of soil data generated in the project. “With new interfaces and an interactive environment, users could carry out practical, statistical analysis of the data,” says Dr Oleg Osychenko, developer of ECHOREPO. So far, the database brings together data on over 8,000 soil samples from across Europe, and Dr Osychenko is working to bring this together with other sources of data,
ECHO Soil
Engaging Citizens in Soil Science Funded by the European Union under GA no. 101112869 and by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under GA no. 10068004. Tanja Mimmo Free University of Bolzano-Bozen Italy E: tmimmo@unibz.it E: oosychenko@quanta-labs.com W: https://echosoil.eu/
Tanja Mimmo is Full Professor of Agricultural Chemistry and Prorector for Research and Innovation at the Free University of Bolzano. Oleg Osychenko is currently a Data Scientist at Quanta Labs in the Greater Barcelona Metropolitan Area. He holds a Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Physics from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona.
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The future of Carbon Farming The more carbon can be stored in soil, the less there is in the atmosphere, so increasing sequestration capacity can help mitigate climate change. We spoke to Tristano Bacchetti De Gregoris about how the Credible project is helping carbon farming initiatives across Europe learn from each other and develop robust approaches for land managers to maximise carbon sequestration. There is a growing recognition that soil can play an important role in the fight against climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it, a process known as carbon sequestration. Carbon farming methods like keeping soil covered with vegetation and reducing tillage can make an important contribution in this respect, while Tristano Bacchetti De Gregoris, research strategist at SAE Innova in Spain, says they also have other positive effects. “The carbon farming concept encompasses different methods, including agriculture on arable lands, agroforestry, peatland restoration and grassland and forestry management techniques. These methods also lead to other environmental benefits, such as improving biodiversity and water retention,” he explains. However, increasing organic content in the soil may not necessarily boost profits for farmers, so there is also a business component to carbon farming. “Climate finance has emerged over recent decades as a tool to put money into climate action, for example promoting carbon emission reductions. That kind of system is now being adapted to the agriculture sector,” he notes.
This approach is designed to support the economic viability of carbon farming and so encourage more farmers across Europe to adopt these practices. A farmer may want to stop ploughing their land for example, to prevent carbon in the soil
Several carbon farming research initiatives have been established across Europe over recent years, including a number exploring the impact of specific carbon farming practices. Now, as coordinator of the EU-funded Credible project, which
“The carbon farming concept encompasses different methods, including agriculture on arable lands, agroforestry, peatland restoration and grassland and forestry management techniques.” from being released to the atmosphere, but this may in turn reduce its productive capacity, for which farmers then need to be compensated. Financial mechanisms are in place here to encourage the adoption of carbon farming practices that have not yet been implemented at scale. Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems are used to build data streams, providing a picture of the impact of different practices and interventions in terms of the volume of CO 2 removed, or emissions avoided, which can then be converted into revenue for farmers.
brings together 21 partner organisations from across Europe - spanning research, farming, technology and policy -, Bacchetti De Gregoris is working to build momentum around them. “The role of Credible is to help all these different projects connect and learn from each other,” he outlines.
Credible project A key first step is to ensure that projects are working to common standards using established methodologies, so data gathered from different locations can then be easily compared and the impact of carbon farming
Plenary session “Financing the transition: current trends and emerging opportunities” at the European Carbon Farming Summit in Padua, 2026. Gerdus van der Laarse - Metabolic, Gabriella Cevallos - Deloitte, Christian Holzleitner - European Commission, Hugh McDonald - Ecologic, Chris Adamo - Danone, and Giulia Stellari - Fall Line Capital (left to right).
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practices accurately assessed. The Commission is coordinating the methodologies around calculating carbon removals, so that farmers can make clear, verifiable claims, which will then enable the cross-comparison of results across different locations. Deeper insights can then be drawn about the impact of specific carbon farming practices. The key challenge in terms of encouraging wider adoption is developing the right incentives for farmers to make the transition to carbon farming, using climate finance mechanisms. Carbon farming is not an instrument to finance the status quo, but rather about supporting the transition to regenerative agriculture, to change the way we interact with nature. One example is the carbon avoidance project currently promoted by the startup Radica to save centuries-old olive groves affected by a plant pathogen called xyllela fastidiosa. The beneficial effect of regenerative practices and healthier soils in halting the widespread of this silent tree killer is relatively known, but farmers often lack the financial capacity to deploy the right interventions. The support from climate finance can prevent the trees from dying, consequently avoiding the carbon contained in their biomass to be released back into the atmosphere. Following this principle, there are plenty of opportunities for carbon farming to become a vehicle for the sustainable transformation of agriculture. However, specific competences are required to choosing the right methodology, the standard, the claimverification system, the monitoring approach and so on, which represent a great barrier to the implementation of carbon projects across the EU. One of Credible’s objectives was to reduce such barrier and facilitate knowledge flow among stakeholders.
European Carbon Farming Summit A number of representatives and stakeholders attended the recent annual European Carbon Farming Summit held in Padova, organised by the Credible consortium and led by SAE Innova and the Climate KIC. The summit was very well-attended, bringing scientific experts together with agri-food businesses, farming organisations and policymakers, who had the opportunity to discuss their work and share their findings more widely. Notably, Director Generals Kurt Vandenberghe (DG Clima) and Elisabeth Werner (DG Agri) addressed the audience in the opening panel, together with COPA President Massimiliano Giansanti, and Royal Canine Chief Sustainability Officer Rémi Rocca.
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There was a very positive atmosphere at the event, testament to a wider commitment to carbon farming and a desire to push forward and promote different practices. The intensifying effects of climate change underline the urgency of effective mitigation, yet there was also a recognition at the summit that collective power can have a positive impact, and mutual support between stakeholders can spur further progress and help shape the future of climate actions. The strong presence of policymakers - including senior representatives from DG Clima and DG Agri- reflected the increasing prominence of carbon farming on the European policy agenda. Throughout the summit, they engaged with scientific experts, farmers, agri-food businesses and other stakeholders to better understand the practical challenges of implementation and explore how policy can support the wider uptake of carbon farming practices. The direction of knowledge exchange is now shifting. The initial aim in the Credible project was to build momentum on carbon farming in Europe, and to help expert knowledge reach the Commission for the development of the regulatory framework. Now that the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF) has been established, the obstacles for a wide adoption of carbon farming have changed. “Information will not need to flow from the experts to our representatives in Brussels, but rather from the Commission to the actors that will operationalise carbon farming at the ground level, using the provided framework for increased recognition and robustness,” explains Bacchetti De Gregoris. This will be central to the agenda of Credible 2.0, a follow up project funded by the Mission Soil and coordinated by the EIT Food that started in June, aiming to build on the progress that has been achieved so far. Methodologies are in place and the overall framework has been established, so the priority is now mobilising the relevant actors to put it into practice. Agricultural policies and financing streams are often managed at the regional level, and stakeholders have to understand the system if they are to promote it and encourage the adoption of carbon-friendly practices. This forms the backdrop to Credible 2.0, as EU countries work towards meeting their climate targets. “There is a lot of work to do now in knowledge-sharing and training on how the system should be used,” says Bacchetti De Gregoris.
CREDIBLE Building momentum and trust to achieve credible soil carbon farming in the EU
Project Objectives
The CREDIBLE project aims to build momentum and trust for the implementation of carbon farming across Europe. Acting as a knowledge hub, it brings together researchers, farmers, businesses, policymakers and other stakeholders to develop robust, transparent and harmonised approaches for monitoring, reporting and verifying soil carbon sequestration. By promoting common methodologies, facilitating knowledge exchange and supporting the implementation of the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF), CREDIBLE seeks to accelerate the uptake of carbon farming while ensuring environmental integrity and creating credible opportunities for climate finance.
Project Funding
The CREDIBLE project is funded by the European Research Council, ERC Starting Grant agreement Nº 101112951.Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Partners
Links to all the beneficiaries websites can be found at the bottom of the project webpage https://www.project-credible.eu/project
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Tristano Bacchetti De Gregoris Founder & Head of Research & Innovation Soluciones Agroecológicas Ecoinnovadoras Calle Alcalde García Sánchez 9, 30009. La Albatalía, Murcia. Spain E: tristano@sae-innova.com W: https://www.project-credible.eu/project
Tristano Bacchetti De Gregoris
Tristano Bacchetti De Gregoris is a research strategist dedicated to transforming the agrifood sector through innovation, system thinking, and bridging the knowledge-to-practice gap. He works at the intersection of science, policy, and industry to advance regenerative organic agriculture and climate-smart farming solutions.
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Living Labs to improve soil health Mediterranean soils are reaching a critical point, as years of degradation and the effects of climate change threaten the long-term productivity of agricultural land. The LILAS4SOILS project has launched five living labs to test Carbon Farming Practices under real farming conditions to discover which approaches can best regenerate soils and support more resilient agriculture. A large proportion of soils around the Mediterranean basin are in an unhealthy condition, and they are being degraded further by ongoing climate change, a situation which represents a significant threat to their agricultural productivity. The EU has established a Mission called ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ to address the issue, using Living Labs to test different practices, including CFPs, and identify those that can help restore the health of soils across the region. The goal of the Mission is to establish 100 Living Labs by 2030. Funded under Horizon Europe, LILAS4SOILS encapsulates the mission’s goal and objectives, having created five Living Labs. As Sonia Pietosi, the Project Coordinator, states “the purpose of Living Labs is to bring together different stakeholders – including researchers, farmers and agri-food businesses, policymakers and civil society – to test new ideas and innovations in real-life environments. The Living Labs get innovation to the ground, moving it from controlled environments within universities and research institutes to operational and commercial farms, in order to test CFPs in real conditions and increase adoption at scale.”
LILAS4SOILS project The Living Lab approach provides deeper insights into the complexities of implementing different CFPs such as agroforestry, nutrient management and soil organic carbon (SOC) management, which are known to increase the sequestration capacity of the soil and so mitigate the impact of climate change. The Living Labs established by LILAS4SOILS will now test different CFPs and evaluate their effectiveness, which will ultimately point the way towards healthier soils. These Living Labs — IBERSOILL (Portugal/Spain), SOFRALL (France), SHARE Innovation Lab (Italy), GRECFL² (Greece) and RAGILL (Israel) — bring their own regional focus to the trials. “There are 100 active sites in the project, so 20 in each of the five Living Labs. Of these, 85 are commercial farms, and 15 are more controlled sites covering a wide variety of crops and soil types. While individual CFPs have been shown to be effective in isolation, the project team is now looking at the effectiveness of combining different practices in a real production context,” outlines Pietosi.
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Soil sampling campaigns across all five Living Labs.
With the project going into the third year of its five-year term, Pietosi says the focus is moving towards measurement and demonstration. “We will soon get the results of the soil campaign that was conducted in autumn 2025 across all Living Labs, that will provide a baseline for comparison. We will also be moving forward with a second round of co-creation workshops going from the last months of 2026 to 2027,” she says.
The measurements provide a clearer picture of the impact of different combinations of CFPs on carbon sequestration, which can then encourage more farmers to adopt these practices, with beneficial effects on soil health. This will then help pave the way for farmers to participate in future carbon markets, as reliable MRV data builds the evidence base needed for carbon farming certification under the CRCF framework. The co-creation workshops, implemented locally by each Living Lab, are also an important part of the project’s agenda, providing a forum for stakeholders to share their perspectives, discuss the challenges they face, and identify potential solutions. Agriculture in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe is constantly changing, often testing the resilience of farming systems. Co-creation serves as a support system for farmers in this context by fostering knowledge exchange, continuous learning, the exploration of diversified income sources, and the testing of new technologies, among others. “We are following a multistakeholder approach, where we discuss practical issues around the implementation of CFPs,” continues Pietosi. “When we structured our co-creation strategy we focused on
“We are following a multi-stakeholder approach, where we discuss practical issues around the implementation of Carbon Farming Practices. We are focusing on 20 practices in the LILAS4SOILS project.” A sampling protocol has been established to assess the impact of different combinations of CFPs on soil carbon levels and soil health, while the project team is also working with 15 technology providers of Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) tools to test other measurement approaches and improve the cost-accuracy trade-offs that still exist. “A number of different technologies have been selected to sample and monitor soils and measure carbon and biomass levels, as well as levels of nitrogen and other nutrients. Baseline results are expected in mid-2026 with a view to supporting future carbon farming certification under the EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF),” explains Pietosi.
working with farmers with previous experience in CFP implementation and collaboration with researchers to ensure that the soil data collected are as accurate as possible, providing clear evidence of the environmental benefits of carbon farming. At the same time, the collaboration with technology companies, industry players and the public sector ensures that the right socio-economic incentives are put in place for adoption at scale.” The first round of co-creation workshops across the five Living Labs concluded in March 2026, and the results shed light on both the barriers limiting the wider spread of CFPs and the wider opportunities that these practices offer. Farmers accounted for 60 percent of attendees at the workshops, and at this stage of the project stakeholders identified twice as
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many barriers as opportunities when it came to adopting CFPs. The co-creation workshops highlighted the need to strengthen technical advisory services for farmers, particularly regarding machinery selection, the integration of multiple practices into coherent farming systems, and the management of agronomic constraints. Across the six countries, stakeholders also addressed the importance of transparent monitoring and certification procedures, recognising and rewarding early adopters, and fostering farmer networks that support peer-to-peer learning. Creating a support community for farmers that decide to adopt CFPs is equally important, particularly for those farmers that operate in more remote locations with neighbours operating in a different way. The Living Labs will also help heighten awareness of CFPs, build capacity and spread knowledge through demonstration events. “For example IBERSOILL, the Living Lab covering a region around the SpanishPortuguese border, has organised two webinars – one on agroforestry, another on livestock management,” outlines Pietosi. Similar momentum is building across the project with for example GRECFL² launching ten pilot stations across Greece, and SHARE Innovation Lab opening a Lighthouse farm in the Po Valley. A selection of successful farms – to be known as lighthouses – will open their doors for demo visits, enabling peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, and providing guidance for farmers outside the Living Labs who may be interested in adopting CFPs beyond the conclusion of the project. “We are also focused on translating what we learn into practical recommendations for the sector, and we plan to publish five practice abstracts by the end of this year. We will keep building on that momentum with further publications as the project progresses,” continues Pietosi. Soil sampling campaigns across all five Living Labs.
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Spreading Carbon Farming Practices One of the main lessons from LILAS4SOILS so far is that CFPs are being adopted by an increasing number of farmers, with the project receiving 280+ applications in response to the initial open call, evidence that these practices are moving closer to the mainstream. Notably, many of the farmers who joined were already applying elements of carbon farming before the project began — over a third were using reduced tillage, and similar numbers had adopted cover cropping and nutrient planning — suggesting these practices are gaining ground independently of any single initiative. Pietosi hopes to make further progress over the course of the project. This depends to a large degree on showing that carbon farming is commercially viable, alongside looking at the impact of CFPs on soil quality. “CFPs need to work for farmers both agronomically and economically,” stresses Pietosi. “Most farmers who have adopted CFPs have done so because they see the advantages in terms of the health of their soils, which in turn means resilience of their farms and the ability to produce in the long term.” This is of course key to the prospect of CFPs being adopted more widely in the longterm. Stakeholders are at the core of the Living Lab methodology and require wellthought through and regular engagement that responds to the need of farmers, agribusinesses and other actors along the value chain, as well as policymakers and researchers. Over the life of the project, the LILAS4SOILS - www.lilas4soils.eu - team is developing a series of open-access, peerreviewed publications, training materials and policy briefs. These documents will be made more widely available, with dedicated communication and dissemination efforts to carry scientific results well beyond the Living Labs and reach farmers, policymakers and the wider public.
LILAS4SOILS
Fostering Carbon Farming Practices through Living Labs in the Mediterranean & Southern EU for the healthy future of European soils
Project Objectives
LILAS4SOILS addresses the climate challenges affecting agricultural soils in southern Europe, particularly the rapidly warming Mediterranean region, by implementing Carbon Farming Practices (CFPs) that promote climate adaptation and mitigation. Over five years, the project will establish five Living Labs across six countries, engaging 24 partners, over 80 farmers and 125 stakeholders. CFPs will be tested across 85–100 demo-sites, targeting peatland management, agroforestry, soil organic carbon, livestock and manure, and nutrient management. LILAS4SOILS will advance healthy soils and robust Monitoring, Reporting and Verification frameworks.
Project Funding
The LILAS4SOILS project is funded by the European Union (Grant no. 101157414), HEU Mission Soils. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor any other granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Partners
https://lilas4soils.eu/partners
Contact Details
Sonia Pietosi Project Specialist European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Food Calle de Serrano Anguita, 13 28004 Madrid (Spain) Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia Lekandene. Laida Bidea 214. 48170 Zamudio (Bizkaia) Spain T: +34 689 965 562 E: sonia.pietosi@eitfood.eu W: https://lilas4soils.eu/ EIT Food South - EIT Food W: www.eitfood.eu
Sonia Pietosi
Sonia Pietosi is Project Manager at EIT Food and coordinator of the LILAS4SOILS project. She has more than 15 years of experience in managing multi-year, international projects focused on multi-actor approaches for applied research and innovation.
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How do pollutants spread in the environment? Contaminants in the soil may spread more widely across ecosystems than had previously been thought, potentially posing a threat to ecosystem and human health. The SOILPROM project team is developing advanced models of pollutant transport processes, aiming to reduce soil pollution and strengthen environmental protection, as Mahrooz Rezaei and Coen Ritsema explain. A wide variety of chemical compounds are used in agriculture and other sectors which can spread from soil to water, air and plants. Of particular interest are emerging contaminants, like microplastics, pesticides, PFAS, as well as heavy metals, and nutrients, which can move from source areas to surrounding locations or even further away. “The pathways by which pollutants spread around the environment are complex and need more study” outlines Coen Ritsema, Professor of Soil Physics at Wageningen University, and SOILPROM’s scientific coordinator. For this purpose, the SOILPROM project brings together 12 partners from across Europe. “We’re looking at the physical processes by which pollutants are transported within and between environmental compartments. These include transport of pollutants from soil to atmosphere by wind, from soil to surface water by runoff and erosion, from soil down to groundwater by percolation, and from soil to plants by water uptake,” says Mahrooz Rezaei, Associate Professor at Wageningen University and overall SOILPROM project coordinator.
SOILPROM
Soil pollution monitoring, modelling, and development of digital tools This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101156589. W: https://soilprom.eu Partners: https://soilprom.eu/partners/
Dr. Mahrooz Rezaei is the project coordinator of the SOILPROM. She is an Associate Professor at Wageningen University, working at both the Soil Physics and Land Management chair group and Meteorology and Air Quality chair group. E: mahrooz.rezaei@wur.nl Prof. Dr. Coen Ritsema is Project Scientific Coordinator of SOILPROM. He is an Emeritus Professor and former chair of the Soil Physics and Land Management chair group at Wageningen University. E: coen.ritsema@wur.nl E: coen.ritsema@nibio.no For Project enquiries: Charly Dubail (EuroQuality EQ, Project Coordination Member). E: charles-edouard.dubail@euroquality.fr
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Processes and pollutants covered in SOILPROM EU Project (GA n°101156589).
Pollutant transport The main aim of the project is to understand how certain pollutants found in the soil move further across the ecosystem, and if they exhibit a significant threat to ecosystem or human health. As an example, pollutants such as pesticide residues are spread far more widely than had previously been thought, now researchers are looking deeper into the issue. “We’re looking in detail at how dust particles, which may carry pesticide or micro-plastic residues, move away from soil into the atmosphere and are transported elsewhere” says Dr. Rezaei. “There are nine usecases in SOILPROM in six different countries and extensive field measurement campaigns are being conducted to collect data to better understand the underlying physical processes and to improve transport simulation models,” continues Professor Ritsema. “Each of the usescases is unique regarding soil and landscape characteristics and pollution problems faced, and will need tailor-made solutions to resolve the situation. For instance, our Spanish use-case deals with heavy metal pollution from earlier extensive mining activities, while the Belgian usecase is under threat of serious PFAS pollution due to on-going emittance from industry.” “Within the project, better understanding of transport processes will lead to improved SOILPROM project partners at one of the project plenary meetings
simulation models. These models will be validated on the basis of the data collected in each of the use-case sites,” says Dr. Rezaei. The project team will also explore model-based scenarios to reduce soil pollution levels in the use-cases in the future, which according to Dr. Rezaei “can provide targeted recommendations for authorities in each of the use-cases to either prevent further contamination or assess whether the area should be remediated”. Model scenarios to be explored can be based on local stakeholder views, farmers’ perceptions or on EC plans for the regulation of certain contaminants. “Results will provide information on how pollution levels in use-cases might change in the future depending on the type of management scenarios explored.” Also, the impacts of pollution levels on ecosystem services will be assessed to prevent the breaching of critical thresholds. The project team is developing a modelling platform to host the different model codes for other interested users outside the project consortium, in particular modellers and specialised academics. The models and use instructions will be available to download. “There will be manuals and information leaflets on model functionality, required input data and expected model output data,” Prof. Ritsema explains. The project consortium will also develop a decision support system for nonspecialist users to create awareness about soil pollution dynamics and to explore how different management scenarios affect pollution levels in use-cases. “We aim to increase awareness about soil pollution and how these compounds move around ecosystems and how that might impact ecosystem health,” says Dr. Rezaei.
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Getting to the roots of plant diversity The application of fertilisers has led to significant quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus being transferred to soils in natural habitats across Europe, which is contributing to biodiversity loss. In the framework of the DiviN-P project, an international consortium coordinated by Professors Martin Wassen and Jerry van Dijk is investigating the relationship between nutrient availability, plant diversity and climate. The widespread use of fertilisers has led to substantial emissions and losses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to the atmosphere and aquatic environments, which have enriched naturally nutrientpoor ecosystems, affecting plant species composition and diversity. This topic lies at the heart of Professor Martin Wassen’s work as the initiator and principal architect of the DiviN-P project, which brings together four partners from across Europe. “The project is about the effect of nutrients – especially nitrogen and phosphorus – and their balance on plant diversity. These nutrients are provided in agricultural fertilisers, which have been instrumental in increasing food production capacity, but they also have negative effects on the plant diversity of natural and semi-natural habitats,” he outlines. The project team has compiled a large dataset, covering grasslands across Europe, Asia and beyond. “We currently have more than 5,000 grassland sites in the database. We have measured nutrient levels, biomass production and plant diversity,” Professor Wassen says. “We are also looking at the causal relations between nutrient availability and plant species diversity, and how some plants may benefit more than others from higher nutrient levels and changes in nutrient balance, and can then out-compete other species. And since the total species list contains some 1,500 vascular plant species this database enables us to examine an enormous amount of species interactions in their real world habitats.”
Vegetation recording, Oudewater, the Netherlands.
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Soil sampling, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, the Netherlands.
This research is being conducted against a backdrop of intensifying concern about our changing climate and its likely impact on plant biodiversity, an issue that researchers are also taking into account in the project. One important aim here is to uncover how nutrients and climate interact to shape plant diversity. “To achieve this, we draw on the extensive geographical coverage of our database, manipulate water and nutrient availability in controlled greenhouse experiments, and take advantage of the climatic contrasts among the partners’ countries to establish coordinated field experiments,” outlines Susana Bautista, Professor in the Department of Ecology at the University of Alicante, one of the project partners. “We have partners in Spain,
Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands” explains Professor Wassen. “The geographical spread of the partners is a strong point of the project in this respect. It enables us to compare highly contrasting climatic conditions, including aridity gradients within the driest region.” Saint Paul Island, Bering Sea, Alaska.
Sub-alpine vegetation, Piëmont, Italy.
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Plant interactions and diversity The wider aim is to prevent biodiversity loss, and so ensure the effective functioning of ecosystems. If the number of species in an ecosystem decreases then certain functions may be impaired, such as pollination, water regulation, and nutrient cycling, which may have a severe impact on human life. “From the human perspective, biodiversity loss also implies the loss of services, of the benefits that we get from ecosystems,” explains Professor Bautista. This underlines the importance of protecting plant diversity. The focus here is on plant diversity in herbaceous ecosystems, from mires and fens to dry grasslands. While these ecosystems share some characteristics, they may differ in terms of things like soil type, management, and wetness, while the presence of alien species is a further complicating factor. “Some alien species may grow faster in higher temperatures, or they may have an unusual root system which helps them capture nutrients from deeper in the soil,” says Professor Wassen. The project team is also investigating the impact of alien species on native plant communities, and how this impact may change with nutrient availability. While some species can arrive in a new region and spread relatively slowly, without having a big impact on native plants, some other alien plants can have more dramatic effects and become invasive. As part of her role in DiviN-P, Professor Bautista is looking into the underlying factors behind the rapid spread of one of those invasive species. “We want to know if nutrient availability modulates the invasive capacity of Pennisetum setaceum (fountain grass). So
Lathyrus Cicera
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DiviN-P greenhouse experiment at the University of Alicante.
in our experiments we grow this species, together with native species, and we modify the balance of nutrients. Then we can see under which conditions we could expect this species to out-compete the native species, to be more or less dangerous,” she says. Other experiments in the DiviN-P project, led by Professor Harry Olde Venterink, from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, investigate how plants spreading northwards from southern regions compete with native grassland species, and whether nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization influences these interactions. The outcome of these interactions between species shape plant communities, alongside the availability of resources locally. Data on nutrient availability in the local environment of the grassland sites considered in the project can open up deeper insights into the
tolerance range of certain plants. “If you have data on 5,000 plots and a species occurs in say 1,000 of them, then you can analyse the nutrient and climate gradients. You can then model the optimum conditions of a species, and look to understand its ecological niche,” outlines Professor Wassen.This can be thought of as essentially the range of conditions that a species can tolerate; Professor Wassen says that species with a narrow ecological niche are often less able to deal with change in their local environment. “Some species may have a very specific niche, and just a slight divergence in the site conditions can make the environment unattractive,” he explains. “By characterizing the nutrient niches of a wide range of grassland species, we can better understand how nutrient availability and balance shape the diversity and composition of grassland communities.”
DiviNP research team.
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Led by Mara Baudena, senior researcher at the National Research Council in Torino, Italy, DiviN-P researchers are also working to include interactions between species in models, which is a complex area of investigation. The idea here is to select a few mechanisms and processes, then test their importance in terms of their impact on biodiversity. For example, exploring the role of niche similarities in driving species interactions and diversity, and then testing whether the predicted outcomes correlate with the data from the project field sites and the experiments conducted.
and natural resources administrations to address the issue. The project could play an important role here by identifying areas particularly vulnerable to biodiversity loss and then relating efforts to manage them more effectively. “From our results, we hope to identify regions, ecosystems and species of special concern. We aim to provide useful information for managers and policy-makers, which can then guide them in identifying priorities,” says Professor Bautista. A deeper understanding of the relationship between climate, nutrient availability and plant diversity
“The project is about the effect of the availability and balance of nutrients – especially nitrogen and phosphorus – on plant diversity. While the widespread use of agricultural fertilisers has greatly expanded food production, it also has negative effects on plant diversity.” Working together with stakeholders This work is still ongoing, and the project partners will work together with the relevant stakeholders to identify the key messages and insights to inform policy and practice.“We have followed quite a collaborative action model of knowledge transfer,” explains Professor Bautista. “The idea behind the model was to focus knowledge transfer on stakeholder engagement and participation in the project, so they have been closely involved in DiviN-P right from the start, for instance in helping us select sites and species to work with.” This collaborative approach will heighten awareness of the impact of nutrient enrichment on biodiversity, and in the process encourage stakeholders such as agricultural organisations
would then enable a more precisely targeted approach to land management. “It’s about identifying the conditions under which a particular invasive species may become more dangerous, or an endangered species more vulnerable, and in which areas conservation and management actions are most likely to make a difference,” continues Professor Bautista. The project team are keen to share their findings more widely and help shape a more integrated policy in future. “The EU has passed legislation trying to limit the impact of nitrogen, but less attention has been paid to phosphorus. We want to encourage a more integrated nutrient policy on the European level, which includes also the balance between these nutrients,” says Professor Wassen.
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Protecting plant diversity via stoichiometric nutrient networks across Europe
Project Objectives
DiviN-P aims to identify which types of plant communities are most vulnerable to species loss and turnover in response to changes in nutrient supply, nutrient stoichiometry, species invasions and climate change, in order to deliver management and planning recommendations to conservation practitioners and environmental policy makers.
Project Funding
DiviN-P has received funding from the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), the Ministry of Universities and Research of Italy (MUR), and the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) through the PCI2022 call, under the Biodiversa+ European Biodiversity Partnership.
Project Partners
• Utrecht University, The Netherlands (coordinator) • Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium • National Research Council in Torino, Italy • University of Alicante, Spain
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Dr. Jerry van Dijk Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development Utrecht University Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht The Netherlands T: +31 30 253 4410 E: j.vandijk2@uu.nl W: https://www.biodiversa.eu/2023/04/19/divin-p/
Martin Wassen, Jerry van Dijk, Susana Bautista, Harry Olde Venterink, and Mara Baudena (left to right)
Martin Wassen is Emeritus Professor of Environmental Sciences at Utrecht University. Jerry van Dijk is Associate Professor at Utrecht University. Susana Bautista is Professor of Ecology and Head of the Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Alicante. Harry Olde Venterink is Professor of Plant Ecology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Mara Baudena is a Senior Researcher at the National Research Council in Torino (CNR-ISAC).
Natural Park of Marguareis, Cuneo, Italy.
National Park Drentsche Aa, the Netherlands.
DiviN-P
Ophrys Scolopax
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Revealing the Hidden Half of Crops Root systems make up around half of most plants, yet remain hidden from view within the soil. We spoke to Assistant Professor Saoirse Tracy, coordinator of RootEd, an EU-funded MSCA doctoral network phenotyping plant roots to reveal how they explore soil and how crop breeding might incorporate this knowledge into its programmes. Root systems account for roughly half of most plants and perform the functions on which everything above ground depends, drawing water and nutrients from the soil and anchoring the plant so that it remains upright. Yet roots remain among the least understood components of crop biology. Soil is opaque, and until recently, root systems could be examined only by excavating and washing them, a procedure that destroys the very architecture under investigation. Crop breeding has consequently concentrated on the visible half of the plant, the flowers, ears, and grain, while the root system has been neglected and, in many cases, inadvertently diminished. This omission has grown more consequential as growing conditions become less predictable and as many chemical interventions once available to European farmers are withdrawn. These concerns lie at the heart of RootEd, an MSCA Network funded under the Horizon Europe programme. Coordinated at University College Dublin (UCD) by Assistant Professor Saoirse Tracy, it unites nine partner organisations across Europe, spanning universities, research institutes, and industry, and trains ten doctoral researchers in the plant and soil sciences.When the grant was awarded, reviewers observed that it would be the first doctoral network devoted specifically to roots. The consortium was assembled to span disciplines rather than concentrate expertise within any one of them, combining biology, chemistry, and physics. Its work is organised across three strands. The first concerns the physical constraints that govern how roots explore soil.The second addresses the biology of the rhizosphere, the zone of soil influenced by roots and their associated microorganisms. The third examines the plasticity of roots in a changing chemical environment. The rationale follows from decades of breeding directed almost entirely at what could be seen above ground. “Most of the crop breeding has been done on the top half of the plant, the part we can see, where the flowers are, the wheat, the ears. The roots have been forgotten about, and if anything, we have bred out the roots and made the root system smaller and less able to handle these climate shocks. If we can get an understanding
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The Hydra-Maize platform in the greenhouse. Credit : Erfan Nouri, UCLouvain Control boxes (left). Credit : TianJiao Wei, UCLouvain
Some DC members of RootEd.
Nantom X-ray CT scanner at UCD. Credit Gabrielle Young.
of what a good root system is, whether it should be long roots, deep roots, or wide roots, then we will gain a lot of new knowledge to lead on to follow-on projects,” explains Dr. Tracy. RootEd was conceived to establish that understanding, rather than a finished agronomic prescription. Early indications suggest that a high root surface area is among the traits worth pursuing, and the network is intended to lay the groundwork on which more targeted research can build.
Imaging the Invisible Much of the network’s technology has been borrowed from other disciplinary fields. X-ray computed tomography (CT), central to its imaging work, was developed for clinical medicine, while other methods have been drawn from robotics, engineering and the gaming industry. “In this field we always utilise technologies from elsewhere. CT scanning was invented to look at the brain in three dimensions, but we can use it to look at roots and soil in three dimensions,” says Dr. Tracy.
The choice of X-ray CT follows from the physical properties of soil, a heavy, dense material containing iron particles that limits the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging. X-ray CT performs well wherever there is a pronounced difference in density, such as that between solid soil and the air within its pores. Roots are considerably more difficult to resolve, being essentially tubes of carbon whose greyscale values closely resemble those of the surrounding soil. X-ray CT has been used in soil science since the 1980s. However, the application to roots, dates only from the turn of the millennium. The volume of image data generated by these techniques has made analysis the principal bottleneck, and artificial intelligence is central to overcoming it. Fengjiao Lu is developing models to automate the analysis of images captured through rhizotrons, transparent panels that enable roots to be photographed as they grow against a soil surface. “By teaching computers to see and measure root structures instantly, we can
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achieve high-throughput phenotyping, the ability to analyse massive amounts of plant traits at incredible speeds,” she explains. Renaud Bulpa has pursued a comparable aim in three dimensions, developing a deeplearning segmentation pipeline to increase the throughput of X-ray CT scan analysis while investigating how tomato roots respond to soil compaction. Once published, he hopes it will help standardise three-dimensional root segmentation and broaden the technique’s applications in plant phenotyping.
Results Below Ground Although many of the network’s findings are still emerging, its first published output concerns the carbon held in agricultural soils. Working across nine paired land-use trials spanning a wide range of soil textures in Germany, Abebaw Misganaw Ambaw and colleagues found that grassland soils stored more organic carbon than the adjacent cropland at every site. Topsoil carbon rose almost linearly with years under grassland, showing no sign of saturation. The gains were smallest in coarse, low-input soils with limited capacity to stabilise carbon, indicating that carbon inputs and stabilisation capacity together constrain accrual. The authors conclude that converting cropland to grassland can raise soil carbon in temperate
RootEd RootEd Doctoral Network
Project Objectives
RootEd investigates how plant roots interact with their environment from physiological and phenotypic perspectives, using noninvasive imaging and deep learning to accelerate analysis. The network trains ten doctoral researchers in plant and soil sciences, supporting sustainable agriculture and contributing to the European Green Deal and a Soil Deal for Europe.
Project Funding Main image: Rear view of a three-plant HydraMaize rhizotron, with maize inbred line Mo17 three days after sowing. Credit : Erfan Nouri, UCLouvain Inset image: Rear view of a single-plant HydraMaize rhizotron. Credit : Erfan Nouri, UCLouvain
A Network Across Borders The doctoral network is not merely a funding mechanism but a structural feature of the research. Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions require candidates to relocate to take up their positions, so that most RootEd researchers, drawn largely from outside Europe, are new to the country in which they work.The scheme also provides for candidates’ family circumstances and pays a wage well above that offered in many national systems, provisions Dr.Tracy regards as unusually progressive and a strong argument for continued investment in programmes that draw the best researchers into European science.
“We know more about the surface of Mars than we do about soil, in a lot of ways. It was just under our feet, and we ignored it.” regions, with outcomes depending on texture, depth, and site productivity. Such decisions must nonetheless weigh other constraints, including food production and rural livelihoods. Elsewhere in the consortium, emerging results concern competition beneath the surface. Denis-Florentin Sfrangeu is investigating how the three-dimensional structure of soil mediates interactions between wheat and blackgrass, a herbicideresistant weed responsible for substantial annual losses in yield and profit. Preliminary work using X-ray CT on co-cultivated plants suggests that wheat responds differently to a wheat neighbour than to blackgrass. Its lateral roots appear able to detect the weed and to respond at the level of gene expression. A field trial during the 20242025 growing season additionally recorded lower blackgrass biomass under deep noninversion tillage than under direct drilling, alongside varietal differences in the capacity of wheat to suppress the weed. This work has yet to be published, and its findings remain provisional.
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Because imaging and software expertise are widely shared within the discipline, the consortium has run joint image-analysis training with RootToRes, a Horizon Europe project addressing related questions. “Thanks to this MSCA doctoral network, I have had the opportunity to visit world-leading facilities in plant phenotyping that would otherwise have remained abstract concepts,” notes Renaud Bulpa, reflecting a collaborative culture Dr. Tracy considers essential in a field too small for any single group to advance in isolation. The network’s central ambition is to establish a foundation on which future work can build. A clearer picture of what constitutes a good root system would let breeders select for traits long overlooked. It would also support agriculture that works with the soil rather than attempting to control it, an approach the project links to the European Green Deal and a Soil Deal for Europe. Results from the remaining candidates continue to emerge, and the network’s programme has been extended to allow that work to be completed. The questions RootEd has opened will therefore be pursued well beyond the life of the grant.
This project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon-MSCADN-2021 programme under grant aghreement No. 101072588. It will train a new generation of 10 high-achieving doctoral researchers in plant and soil sciences.
Project Partners
The RootEd MSCA Doctoral Network comprises eight beneficiaries and seven associated partners and consolidates the complimentary expertise of an international, interdisciplinary, and multisectorial team. https://www.ucd.ie/rooted/network
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Dr. Saoirse Tracy Assistant Professor in Applied Plant Biology Director UCD X-ray CT Facility University College Dublin (UCD) Agriculture and Food Science Centre E: rooted@ucd.ie W: https://www.ucd.ie/rooted
Dr. Saoirse Tracy
Dr. Saoirse Tracy is an Assistant Professor at University College Dublin (UCD), where she coordinates the RootEd MSCA Doctoral Network. Her research uses X-ray CT to non-destructively image plant roots in soil, a technique she has helped establish within soil and plant sciences.
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Curiosity at the heart of soil education Soil is essential to life, yet many of us lack knowledge about its composition and the vital functions that it performs. The CURIOSOIL project team are working to enhance soil literacy across Europe, which will contribute to the wider goal of restoring soil health in the face of human-induced pressures, as Sónia Rodrigues and Cristina Biddlecome explain. The soil beneath our feet plays a number of vital ecological roles, such as supporting food production, filtering water and sequestering carbon. Many of us take these functions for granted however, and lack basic knowledge about both the composition of soil and its wider importance, an issue central to the EU-funded CURIOSOIL project, which brings together 14 partners from 10 countries across Europe. “Our main goal is to improve soil literacy in Europe,” says Sónia Rodrigues, the project’s coordinator. The backdrop to this work is growing concern over the status of European soils, a large proportion of which are degraded and face serious threats to their health. “Pollution and contamination adversely affect the health of soils, while there are also other threats, such as erosion and compaction,” continues Rodrigues.
CURIOSOIL project As part of her role in the project, Rodrigues is now working alongside the CURIOSOIL team to spread knowledge about soil across the population, which will then have a wider impact in terms of how people understand and relate to it. The starting point here is the project’s soil literacy assessment framework, which defines a baseline of what people know already. “We are running assessments and surveys in several different countries,” outlines Rodrigues. This work is still ongoing, and the overall picture is not yet entirely clear, but Rodrigues says soil education policy analysis has revealed some differences. “Some countries give greater prominence to soil in education than others,” she acknowledges. “People may also be more aware of threats to soil health in countries that have recent experience of extreme events like floods, where soil degradation has affected its capacity to absorb water.” The next step then is to develop materials for different educational levels, from primary and secondary schools, right through to university students. Lessons are being prepared for teachers to use, while a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) will be developed for the university level, designed to engage and enthuse students. “We are developing challenges at the university level,
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CURIOSOIL Project concept diagram.
and students who enrol get extra credits,” explains Rodrigues. Teachers themselves may not always be highly knowledgeable about soil, so a series of training videos are being prepared, while Rodrigues says the project team is also promoting the inclusion of soil in the overall curriculum. “We have a work package focusing on soil education and are lobbying for the inclusion of soil science, both as a single topic and also related to other major issues, like sustainability,” she continues. A number of national workshops will be held as part of the project, at the end of which recommendations will be produced on how soil policy and education can be improved in the participating countries. The aim here is to give greater prominence to soil and related topics, which Rodrigues hopes will then translate into a more soil-literate population, ready to take action to protect and conserve
what is a critical resource. “The project is not only about helping people learn more about soils, but also about considering what they can do to improve them,” she stresses. This depends largely on understanding the functions and services that specific soils provide, and identifying the threats to this. “Various solutions can be implemented to restore the health of different types of soils,” says Rodrigues. This includes relatively simple actions that we can all take in our day-to-day lives, like rotating plants in the garden and avoiding the use of pesticides. Alongside making policy recommendations, the project team is also taking a more bottom-up approach to improving soil health, aiming to encourage people to take action themselves. “We want people to understand that soil is a living system and that it must be protected,”
CURIOSOIL partners gathered at Gramona Farm in Portorož, Slovenia.
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explains Rodrigues.A lot of emphasis is placed in the project on promoting this message, and stimulating people’s curiosity about soil. “Curiosity is integral to the project, it’s playful and multi-sensorial. We’re not only trying to boost soil as a subject in itself, but also to infuse it into other, existing topics,” outlines Cristina Biddlecome, the project’s communications manager. “For example, we’ll use an interactive exhibit to encourage people to engage with soil in a sensory and memorable way.”
women have shaped soil science and education, aiming to encourage younger girls to participate and address the gender imbalance. These campaigns help shine a light on soil and give it greater prominence in the public consciousness, and while the project is only around halfway through its funding term, Biddlecome says their work is already bearing fruit. “We get a lot of engagement from farmers and researchers, who appreciate our work in bringing soil to life,” she says. The project team hope to build on this positive momentum over the rest of the
“Curiosity is integral to the project, it’s playful and multisensorial. We’re not only trying to boost soil as a subject in itself, but also to infuse it into other, existing topics.” Soil exhibitions The project consortium includes ISRIC, the World Data Centre for Soil, who manage the World Soil museum in the Netherlands. Multi-sensorial artworks will be displayed at the museum as part of CURIOSOIL, giving visitors the opportunity to interact with soil from different perspectives, in line with the project’s ethos (https://curiosoil.eu/curiositykit/curiosoil-app/). “We’re not teaching about soil solely in a didactic way, but rather aiming to engage different senses,” stresses Biddlecome. This will support the goal of engaging all parts of the population in soil-related topics, and four different campaigns will be conducted over the course of the project. “We’ll conduct one campaign a year, touching on different aspects of soil education for different audiences,” outlines Biddlecome. The first was called; ‘Why I Teach Soil’, in which different educators talked about the importance of engaging students in the topic, while a second campaign highlighted the way CURIOSOIL partners gathered at the project consortium meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
project term.“Following on from the interactive exhibition’s debut at the World Soil museum, it will also be showcased next year at a science centre in Portugal, while we’re also working on the training materials for teachers and educators,” outlines Rodrigues. The project team are also making progress in developing the educational and training materials, designed to boost the soil literacy of the population, such as the Soil Curiosity Kit. This will contribute to wider efforts to monitor the health of soils and improve their health over the long-term. “A new EU soil monitoring law has now been approved. Member States need to monitor specific indicators and criteria, and to report specific data,” explains Rodrigues. “We aim to increase knowledge about soil and soil health all around Europe. Then citizens may take a greater interest in soil quality in their local environment, and become more actively involved in monitoring its health and potentially restoring it.”
CURIOSOIL
Awakening Soil Curiosity to Catalyse Soil Literacy
Project Objectives
The CURIOSOIL project aims to improve soil education, which is critical to fostering closer connections between the public and the soil beneath our feet, which filters water, sequesters carbon and provides food. The capacity of soil to perform these essential ecological functions is being affected by human-induced pressures, underlining the wider importance of education, which can then prompt action to restore soil health.
Project Funding
This project is funded by the European Union, Project ID Number: 101112875. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or [Name of the Granting Authority]. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Partners
The project is led by the University of Aveiro and comprises a consortium of 14 partners from across Europe
Contact Details
Cristina Biddlecome, Project Manager Nest City Lab, C d’Àlaba, 100, 08018 Barcelona T: +34 626 703 503 E: cristina@revolve.media W: https://curiosoil.eu Let’s improve soil literacy together - Take our Questionnaire: https://wur.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_0UOe3rAYIlKdzKe?Q_CHL=qr
Cristina Biddlecome Sónia M. Rodrigues
Sónia M. Rodrigues is the Coordinator of the CURIOSOIL project and an Assistant Professor at the Department of Environment and Planning of University of Aveiro, Portugal, working in environmental chemistry specializing in soil pollution, metal behavior and risks, sustainable soil restoration, advanced fertilizer technologies, and in soil education/ soil literacy. Cristina Biddlecome is Communication Lead for the CURIOSOIL project and a Project Manager at REVOLVE, working on EU-funded initiatives in soil literacy, climate adaptation, and sustainable agriculture.
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Landscapes for Nature and People Protecting biodiversity depends not only on safeguarding isolated habitats, but on how landscapes are managed as connected systems that support both people and nature. The LANDPATHS team, led by Associate Professor Malgorzata Blicharska at Uppsala University, is exploring how governance, citizen participation and land-use strategies can promote resilient multifunctional landscapes. Across Europe, landscapes are under growing pressure. Climate change, biodiversity loss, urbanisation, food production, forestry and competing economic demands increasingly shape how land is used and managed. Yet landscapes rarely serve a single purpose. Forests provide timber, recreation and habitats for wildlife. Coastal regions support livelihoods, tourism and ecosystems. Urban green spaces contribute to biodiversity while improving physical and mental wellbeing. The challenge is clear: how can landscapes simultaneously support biodiversity, economic activity and human wellbeing? This question lies at the centre of LANDPATHS, a five-year Swedish research programme funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. Bringing together researchers across institutions and disciplines, the programme seeks to develop governance and management strategies that strengthen biodiversity while promoting multifunctional landscapes that benefit different actors in society. Rather than treating landscapes as static spaces, LANDPATHS views them as dynamic systems shaped by overlapping uses, competing interests and shared futures. At its core lies a deceptively simple idea: biodiversity should not be treated as an afterthought. “Many people think biodiversity is about protected areas and a few species somewhere,” explains Prof. Malgorzata Blicharska. “But biodiversity depends on wider landscapes and connectivity between places. Protected areas alone are not enough.” The programme began in 2022 and spans forests, agriculture, coasts, mountains and urban landscapes. Yet researchers stress that these categories are largely practical distinctions. In reality, landscapes overlap, as do the people, policies and priorities that shape them. A suburban area may border forests and farmland; a coastal region may simultaneously support fisheries, tourism, conservation and housing. For LANDPATHS, the key question is therefore not simply ecological, but social and political: how can societies govern landscapes to balance competing functions while protecting biodiversity?
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Visit to the forest. Photo Credit: Johan Hammerlund
Beyond protection A central tension running through LANDPATHS is the relationship between production and conservation. Historically, biodiversity has often been confined to protected areas while the rest of the landscape is used intensively for forestry, agriculture, infrastructure or development. Researchers argue that this separation no longer works. For decades, conservation efforts have largely focused on safeguarding isolated sites of ecological importance, while productive landscapes have been managed primarily for economic efficiency. Yet biodiversity does not exist in isolation. Species move across landscapes, ecosystems depend on connectivity, and environmental resilience is shaped by what happens between protected areas as much as within them. Small nature reserves alone cannot sustain healthy ecosystems if surrounding forests, farmland or urban areas are managed without considering biodiversity. LANDPATHS therefore challenges the assumption that societies must choose between production and conservation. Instead, the programme explores how
landscapes can support biodiversity alongside livelihoods, recreation and economic activity, while helping decisionmakers better balance competing priorities. The researchers point to Sweden’s forests as a powerful example. In southern Sweden, monoculture spruce forests – planted for efficient timber production – have become increasingly vulnerable to drought, storms and pests. At the same time, mixed forests, forests with more than one species such as spruce, can be more resilient. With climate change intensifying, biodiversity is no longer merely a conservation concern but a resilience strategy. “Without biodiversity, without nature and the services it provides, none of the other activities in the landscape can thrive” says Dr. Jayne Glass, a researcher within LANDPATHS. Rather than seeing biodiversity as a barrier to economic development, the programme encourages policymakers and local actors to reframe it as an opportunity. Could forestry practices become less dependent on clear-cutting while still supporting livelihoods? Could biodiversityrich urban woodlands improve public health
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while strengthening ecosystem resilience? Could coastal conservation help revitalise local economies? LANDPATHS explores these questions not through theory alone, but through practical engagement with the people who live and work in these landscapes.
Citizen voices A defining feature of LANDPATHS is its participatory approach. Instead of researchers studying landscapes from afar, the programme works with communities to co-create visions – or “imaginaries” – of future multifunctional landscapes. Researchers and stakeholders jointly explore what landscapes should look like in the future, what barriers stand in the way and what governance pathways could help achieve change. One particularly innovative method has been the use of citizens’ juries. In the forested region of Voxnadalen, invitations were sent to 5000 residents, from which a representative mini-public of citizens was assembled to reflect diversity in age, education, background and life experience. Across two weekends, participants heard evidence from experts, deliberated in small groups and debated the future of municipal forest management.
observe” says Dr. Jayne Glass. “We try to co-create visions with local actors about the future of the places where they live and work.”
Working Together The lessons emerging from LANDPATHS extend beyond Sweden. Biodiversity is deeply cross-cutting, yet governance systems often remain fragmented. Agriculture, forestry, conservation, water management and planning are typically handled in separate institutional silos, limiting opportunities for integrated decision-making. Even within municipalities, biodiversity may sit within small environmental departments disconnected from decisions about housing, transport, health or economic development. The project therefore asks not only what future landscapes should look like, but how governance systems themselves must change. The programme combines case studies with broader work on governance pathways, barriers and opportunities, aiming to deliver practical recommendations and implementable tools that help public agencies, policymakers and practitioners support multifunctional landscapes. Researchers are also developing a “call to action” – a roadmap intended to guide future planning and policy.
“Without biodiversity, without nature and the services it provides, none of the other activities in the landscape can thrive” says Dr. Jayne Glass. The discussions moved beyond simple arguments for or against conservation. Residents weighed biodiversity, recreation, jobs, cultural identity and long-term resilience, ultimately supporting less clear-cutting, more ecological management approaches and stronger local benefits from forestry. The process highlighted something crucial: landscapes are not only ecological systems but places of memory, identity and livelihood. Similarly, in Sweden’s coastal archipelago, LANDPATHS researchers explored how communities facing depopulation and economic uncertainty imagine their futures. Citizen discussions examined how biodiversity conservation and economic opportunity could coexist, challenging assumptions that environmental protection necessarily restricts development. Instead, local stakeholders considered how stronger environmental stewardship might support new forms of tourism, community resilience and sustainable local economies. “We don’t go in as researchers and simply
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The work aligns closely with wider European priorities, including the Nature Restoration Law and the European Landscape Convention, both of which emphasise integrated approaches to landscapes and ecological restoration. For LANDPATHS researchers, however, the message is ultimately straightforward. “Biodiversity is a very cross-cutting issue”, says Prof. Malgorzata Blicharska. “It goes across different landscapes and sectors, but decisions about biodiversity are often taken separately, without enough collaboration. We need to think about landscapes in a much more connected way.” The future of biodiversity will not be secured only through isolated reserves or protected spaces. It depends on whether societies can rethink the everyday landscapes where people live, work and depend on nature. The challenge is no longer choosing between conservation and development, but learning how landscapes can sustain both.
LANDPATHS
Future multifunctional landscapes in Sweden
Project Objectives
LANDPATHS is a five-year research programme that aims to promote multifunctional landscapes that are both biodiversity rich and provide multiple benefits for a range of actors. The research is addressing governance and management challenges within a broad set of landscapes and applying crosscutting and integrative analyses. LANDPATHS will deliver innovative and practically applicable knowledge and recommendations for practitioners and public agencies.
Project Funding
LANDPATHS is funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency´s Research Grant in collaboration with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.
Project Partners
The programme is led by Uppsala University in Sweden, with partners from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Södertörn University, and the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
Contact Details
Associate Professor, Malgorzata Blicharska Senior Lecturer, Department of Earth Sciences Uppsala University Villavägen 16 75236 Uppsala E: malgorzata.blicharska@geo.uu.se : https://www.linkedin.com/in/landpaths/ W: https://landpaths.blog.uu.se/en
Malgorzata Blicharska
Jayne Glass
Malgorzata Blicharska is an Associate Professor at Uppsala University, Sweden, and a sustainability scientist whose research focuses on environmental governance, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem services, with particular emphasis on linking science, policy, and practice. Jayne Glass is a Researcher in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her work focuses on multifunctional landscapes, naturebased solutions, multi-purpose forestry and the water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus.
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A New Era of Food Safety As climate change, geopolitical instability and changing consumption patterns reshape global food systems, new food safety risks are emerging in unexpected places. Nathan Meijer, Bas van der Velden and Debora Serra explain how the HOLiFOOD project is pioneering an AI-powered, holistic approach to identifying emerging hazards and strengthening Europe’s capacity to protect public health. Food safety is often taken for granted in Europe. Yet behind this confidence lies a complex network of farmers, food producers, laboratories, regulators and risk assessors working to keep food safe. In fact, today, that system is facing growing challenges. Climate change, geopolitical disruptions and shifting dietary habits are creating new food safety risks and making traditional monitoring approaches less effective. At the same time, EU initiatives such as the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy are driving the transition towards more sustainable food systems. Policymakers therefore need better tools to anticipate trade-offs and support evidencebased decisions. The EU-funded HOLiFOOD project is tackling this challenge by developing a new, integrated framework for food safety risk analysis. Combining artificial intelligence (AI), big data technologies, advanced laboratory methods and stakeholder engagement, the project aims to help authorities identify emerging risks earlier and respond more effectively.
Emerging Risks One of the project’s central concepts is the idea of emerging risks. These are hazards that are either entirely new or becoming more significant because of changing environmental or societal conditions. According to Nathan Meijer, Project Coordinator at Wageningen Food Safety Research, mycotoxins provide a clear example. These toxic compounds, produced by fungi, have long been associated with warmer regions of the world. However, climate change is altering their distribution. “We’ve known about some hazards for decades, but all of a sudden we start to see them popping up in new products, new regions, or at higher concentrations,” explains Meijer. “Mycotoxins are a good example. They were traditionally associated with other parts of the world, but now we are increasingly seeing them in parts of Europe because of climate change.” As temperatures rise and weather patterns shift, mycotoxins are increasingly being detected in parts of Europe where they were previously uncommon. Hazards that
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The image above illustrates the holistic approach applied within the project.
once seemed geographically distant are now becoming relevant for European consumers and regulators. Climate is only one driver. The team also examines the impact of geopolitical instability, economic developments and technological change. Events such as disruptions to agricultural production or global trade routes can influence food safety risks in ways that traditional systems may struggle to anticipate.
safety monitoring. Traditional monitoring systems already rely on evidence and historical data. However, this new approach expands the scope of analysis by incorporating hundreds of variables linked to potential drivers of change, including environmental, economic and social indicators. These data are used to model contamination patterns, identify emerging risks and explore future scenarios. “Climate change is only one driver,” says
“When citizens think about food safety, they often think only about what happens in the kitchen. What I found fascinating in this project is how much happens before food reaches our plates – on farms, during transportation and throughout the entire food production chain.” To explore these interactions, the project focuses on three representative supply chains: maize, chicken and lupin. These were chosen to reflect key food system trends, from climate-sensitive cereal production and microbiological risks in animal proteins to the rise of plant-based alternatives. Together, they provide a valuable framework for assessing how emerging food safety risks may evolve in the future.
Smarter Monitoring A key innovation of the project is the use of AI and machine-learning models to support food
Bas van der Velden, Head of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at Wageningen Food Safety Research. “It can also be geopolitical instability, socioeconomic developments or advances in science and technology. We try to look at food safety from as many angles as possible and anticipate what the effect of these changes will be on different supply chains.” The goal is not to replace existing monitoring programmes but to strengthen them. AI-driven insights can help authorities determine where risks are most likely to emerge and where sampling efforts should be
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concentrated. This creates opportunities for more efficient risk-based monitoring. Rather than increasing testing indiscriminately, resources can be directed towards locations and products where hazards are most likely to occur. At the same time, the project recognises the importance of maintaining a degree of random sampling. Relying exclusively on historical patterns can create blind spots and potentially overlook new threats. The framework therefore combines predictive intelligence with broader surveillance strategies. The project’s holistic philosophy extends beyond data modelling. Researchers are also employing untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometry and metagenomics approaches to detect chemical and microbiological hazards that may otherwise remain unnoticed. Instead of searching only for known contaminants, these methods enable scientists to identify unexpected signals and emerging threats.
Beyond Assessment Food safety is about more than identifying hazards. The project embraces the full risk analysis framework, encompassing risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. This broader perspective recognises that policy decisions often involve complex tradeoffs. Measures designed to reduce one risk may create challenges elsewhere. For example, restrictions on certain pesticides may reduce chemical residues in food while simultaneously affecting farmers’ ability to control pests and fungal infections that threaten crop yields. Food safety, food security, economic sustainability and environmental goals are often interconnected. To address these complexities, the project actively engages stakeholders through a series of Living Labs. These participatory environments bring together regulators, researchers, industry representatives, food safety authorities and other end users to help shape the project’s tools and outputs. Rather than developing solutions in isolation, the consortium has adopted a co-creation approach that ensures innovations are aligned with real-world needs and priorities. The project has established three complementary Living Labs: one focused on AI-driven emerging risk identification, another on holistic risk assessment and stakeholder acceptance, and a third dedicated to the co-design of digital decision-support platforms. Through workshops, surveys, Delphi exercises and cross-fertilisation sessions, stakeholders have contributed
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directly to the development and refinement of prediction models, assessment frameworks and user interfaces. These activities have played a crucial role in defining user requirements, testing dashboard prototypes and evaluating the usability of the project’s decisionsupport systems. By involving stakeholders throughout development, the consortium has ensured that the resulting tools are both scientifically robust and practical for adoption by food safety authorities and other end users after the project concludes. Recent crossfertilisation workshops have also helped translate project findings into policy-relevant recommendations that will contribute to the project’s final White Paper. The project has also explored innovative approaches to public engagement. A multilingual influencer campaign launched during Food Safety Month translated project findings into accessible content tailored to audiences in different countries and cultural contexts. Working with science communicators, dietitians and food safety advocates, the initiative reflects a growing recognition that effective risk communication is essential for building public understanding and trust in food safety systems. “When citizens think about food safety, they often think only about what happens in the kitchen,” says Debora Serra, Communication Manager at EUFIC. “What I found fascinating in this project is how much happens before food reaches our plates – on farms, during transportation and throughout the entire food production chain.” As the project approaches its conclusion, the consortium is focused on ensuring that its innovations achieve lasting impact. The models, datasets and decision-support tools developed during the project are reaching high levels of technological readiness, creating opportunities for uptake by food safety authorities, laboratories and organisations such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The project’s commitment to open science further strengthens this legacy. By sharing data, code and analytical resources, the consortium is helping to create a foundation upon which future research and innovation can build. In a world where food systems are increasingly shaped by uncertainty, the project demonstrates the value of moving from reactive responses to proactive prevention. By combining advanced analytics, stakeholder participation and a genuinely holistic approach to risk analysis, the consortium is helping Europe prepare for the food safety challenges of tomorrow.
HOLiFOOD Future-Proofing Food: Transforming Risk Analysis for a better and more adaptive food system
Project Objectives
To improve the integrated food safety risk analysis (RA) framework in Europe to support the early detection of emerging food risks in the food chain for a safe and sustainable food system. Work will focus on a holistic view for drivers of change, targeted and non-targeted detection methods, and AI to support early detection.
Project Funding
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101059813.
Project Partners
https://holifoodproject.eu/partners/
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Dr. Nathan Meijer Wageningen University & Research Akkermaalsbos 2 6708WB WAGENINGEN E: nathan.meijer@wur.nl W: https://holifoodproject.eu/ W: https://zenodo.org/communities/holifood/ records?q=&l=list&p=1&s=10&sort=newest Kızılilsoley, N., van Meer, F., Mutlu, O., Hoenderdaal,W., Hobé, R., Mu,W., ... & van der Velden, B. (2026). Food safety trends across Europe: insights from the 392-million-entry CompreHensive European Food Safety (CHEFS) database. Food Control, 182, 111816. Sari, N. H., Feliciano, R. J., Orszagh, E., Moriceau, N., Benighaus, L., Reale, F., ... & Frewer, L. J. (2025). Citizen preferences for risk communication associated with emerging food risks linked to climate change. Journal of risk research, 28(8), 893-911.
Dr. Nathan Meijer, Debora Serra, and Dr. Bas van der Velden (left to right)
Dr. Nathan Meijer is a senior researcher at the Agrochains group of Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR). Debora Serra is a senior communications manager at the European Food Information Council, responsible for managing communications for EU-funded food and health projects. Dr. Bas van der Velden is Head of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at Wageningen Food Safety Research.
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Establishing Nature-based Solution services for transformative change Nature-based Solutions can address climate, biodiversity and societal challenges, but how can their benefits be sustained? Dr Ursula McKnight, Dr Kaidi Tamm, Hanna Hamad Johansson, Mathieu Madison and Dr Luciana Zedda explain how NBSPLUS is developing Nature-based Solution Services to support participatory governance, biodiversity, climate resilience, long-term performance and human well-being. Climate change, biodiversity loss and increasing water-related risks are placing unprecedented pressure on communities across Europe and beyond. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are ways of working with nature to solve societal challenges, for example by restoring wetlands, creating urban green spaces or protecting rivers. By using natural processes rather than relying solely on engineered infrastructure, NbS can reduce flooding, improve environmental quality, support biodiversity and create healthier living environments. Yet despite growing investment in NbS, many initiatives remain isolated projects embedded within fragmented planning, governance and monitoring systems, limiting their impact. According to Dr Ursula McKnight, Senior Researcher at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and Coordinator of the NBSPLUS project, this fragmented, project-based approach is one of the biggest obstacles to achieving lasting impact. “Many nature-based solutions are still implemented as project-based interventions,” she explains.“What we need is a paradigm shift towards thinking about them as long-term services that require adaptive stewardship, long-term monitoring and iterative evaluation to enable learning and adjustment over time.” This need is increasingly recognised across Europe.The European Environment Agency has highlighted that the wider uptake of Naturebased Solutions is being held back by limited long-term monitoring and assessment of their environmental, social and economic outcomes. NBSPLUS addresses these gaps by bringing together experts in hydrology, climatology, biodiversity, governance and the social sciences to develop the frameworks and tools needed to plan, monitor, assess and manage NbS as part of broader social-ecological systems.
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Citizen science survey testing event in Husie Mosse, a restored urban wetland park in Malmö, Sweden, exploring how blue-green spaces along the Risebergabäcken stream contribute to health, well-being, spatial justice and biodiversity. (Dr Heidi Tuhkanen, Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre - SEI Tallinn) The main background landscape photograph was also taken from the same site location.
Connecting knowledge NbS encompass interventions ranging from urban streams and ponds to restored wetlands, agricultural landscapes and blue-green corridors. While often designed to address challenges such as flooding, they can deliver multiple benefits when planned as multifunctional measures. This requires connecting knowledge across disciplines to support better planning and long-term stewardship. “We often approach climate adaptation problems from a single perspective,” says Dr Ursula McKnight, “Maybe we’re trying to reduce flood risk, or improve biodiversity, or enhance public spaces. But when solutions are designed through only one lens, we risk overlooking important trade-offs and creating unintended consequences elsewhere.”
The project’s response is the emerging concept of Nature-based Solution Services. It brings together the methods, tools, governance structures and knowledge needed to support the planning, implementation, monitoring, assessment and long-term management of Nature-based Solutions. “The services are not the benefits themselves,” McKnight explains. “The services are the tools and methods that help us deliver those benefits and be more transparent in communicating and understanding the tradeoffs involved.”
Innovating with nature The project is developing the emerging NbS Services concept through case studies in Malmö (Sweden), Valencia (Spain) and the
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OBV Rivière du Nord watershed, Québec, Canada. Together, these use cases explore how Nature-based Solutions generate and sustain benefits under different environmental, social and governance conditions. The three case studies were deliberately selected to represent different environmental settings and stages of Nature-based Solution implementation. Malmö focuses on an established urban environment where existing NbS are being evaluated alongside new interventions currently under development. Valencia examines water management across a peri-urban agricultural landscape exposed to both floods and droughts. In contrast, the Canadian case spans urban, peri-urban and rural areas, where partners are exploring how Nature-based Solutions can be planned and supported through long-term participatory watershed governance. “The idea is not to create one solution that fits everywhere,” says McKnight. “It’s to understand what works under different environmental, social and governance conditions, and to identify approaches that can be transferred while still being adapted to local needs.”
Rivière du Nord watershed, Québec, Canada, it builds upon more than twenty-five years of participatory watershed governance involving municipalities, community organisations, businesses and environmental groups. “We’re not really an environmental organisation,” says Mathieu Madison, President of the OBV Rivière du Nord watershed, Québec, Canada. “The environment just happens to be the excuse. Most of what we actually do is bringing people together.” By coordinating diverse stakeholders, the organisation helps translate scientific knowledge into practical decisions. The project also enables European and Canadian partners to compare governance approaches and identify transferable lessons.
Nature and well-being A distinctive aspect of NBSPLUS is its focus on the relationship between biodiversity and human well-being. “Contact with nature can support both physical and mental health and well-being. Research shows that visiting bluegreen recreational areas provides calmness, restoration and a sense of connection. However, these benefits are not automatic”
“Many nature-based solutions are still implemented as projectbased interventions. What we need is a paradigm shift towards thinking about them as long-term services that require adaptive stewardship, long-term monitoring and iterative evaluation to enable learning and adjustment over time.” The Malmö case study illustrates these challenges particularly well. According to Hanna Hamad Johansson, Climate Adaptation Strategist at the City of Malmö, the project centres on one of the city’s largest urban streams, which collects around one-third of Malmö’s surface runoff. “The stream was straightened during the nineteenth century and, following severe rainfall in 2014, it became clear that flooding was becoming a major issue,” she explains. “At the same time, the stream runs through both green areas and densely populated neighbourhoods, so every intervention needs to balance climate adaptation, biodiversity and people’s everyday lives.” The site also highlights governance challenges within urban planning. Responsibilities for flooding, parks, water management and urban development can be spread across different municipal departments, making integrated planning difficult. NBSPLUS is exploring how better collaboration and shared decisionsupport tools can help bridge these divisions. The Canadian case study offers a complementary perspective. Led by the OBV
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says Dr Kaidi Tamm, Head of the Sustainable Cities and Resilient Communities Unit at the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre. “They depend on how these places are designed, governed and maintained, how safe and accessible they feel, and how well they respond to local needs.” The project is conducting field observations, interviews, surveys and citizen science activities across case-study locations in Sweden, Canada and Spain. A key question is how ecological quality and human wellbeing are connected. “We know that biodiversity matters,” says Dr Kaidi Tamm. “But we still need better ways to understand how ecological quality translates into benefits for people and how people perceive biodiversity in these environments. By bringing together residents’ observations and experiences with ecological information, the project seeks to understand how people experience Nature-based Solutions, how they perceive biodiversity and how these experiences relate to ecological quality.” Addressing this challenge requires reliable ways of assessing biodiversity. To explore
the effect of Nature-based Solutions on biodiversity and to evaluate ecological quality across terrestrial, freshwater and atmospheric environments, the project is developing a habitat-overarching biodiversity monitoring framework that combines multiple bioindicators, including lichens and nematodes. “Lichens growing on trees provide information about air quality, while the diversity of nematodes reflects soil and freshwater conditions”, says Dr Luciana Zedda, one of the project’s biodiversity specialists. Researchers also assess functional biodiversity - the variety of species traits known to be related to environmental gradients and to ecosystem functioning enabling meaningful comparisons between regions with very different climatic and ecological conditions. The monitoring framework has been designed for both researchers and the public, with simplified protocols enabling citizen scientists to participate in biodiversity assessments. Initial testing in Malmö and Canada showed the methods performed well across contrasting environments, while citizen science events demonstrated that participants could successfully collect useful data, highlighting the approach’s wider potential. “It was very easy to take part,” says Hanna Hamad Johansson, Climate Adaptation Strategist at the City of Malmö, who participated in one of the citizen science events. “You begin to understand why biodiversity matters and how these different organisms tell us something Participants collect environmental samples for nematode analysis during a citizen-science biodiversity activity in Barron Park, within the OBV Rivière du Nord watershed, Québec, Canada. The sampling contributes to establishing a biodiversity baseline ahead of planned NbS interventions, including floodplain restoration to support water regulation and greenspace enhancement. (Dr Katarina Cetinic, Norwegian Institute for Water Research - NIVA)
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NBSPLUS
Nature-based solution services promoting local biodiversity, wellbeing and scalable solutions
Project Objectives
NBSPLUS develops NBS Services delivering actionable knowledge and decision tools to support planning, risk assessment and trade-off analysis for NBS, and examines how socioeconomic, ecological and governance contexts may shape performance.
Project Funding
This research was funded by Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership, in the context of the NBSPLUS project under the 2023-2024 BiodivNBS joint call. It was co-funded by the European Commission (GA No. 101052342) and the following funding organisations:The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural, Sciences, and Spatial Planning (Formas), Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., Research Council of Norway, Agencia Estatal de Investigación; Fundación Biodiversidad, Estonian Research Council (ETAG), Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ). IBN, partner and subcontractor, has been co-financed by FORMAS, Agencia Estatal de Investigación; Fundación Biodiversidadand, FRQ.
Project Partners
• Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) • University of Lisbon, Portugal (IST-ID) • Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) • Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) • Institute of Biodiversity – Network (IBN) • Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre (SEI Tallinn) • McGill University, Canada • Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) • Malmö City, Sweden
Contact Details
Ursula McKnight, Ph.D., Senior Researcher Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) Hydrological Research Unit SE - 601 76 NORRKÖPING T: +46 76 495 7634 E: ursula.mcknight@smhi.se W: https://www.smhi.se/nbsplus Dr Ursula McKnight is an ecohydrologist, and Senior Researcher at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). Hanna Hamad Johansson is a climate adaptation strategist at the City of Malmö. Dr Luciana Zedda is an agricultural and environmental scientist specialising in biodiversity research and communication for Institute for Biodiversity – Network (IBN). Dr Kaidi Tamm is a Senior Expert and Head of the Sustainable Cities and Resilient Communities Unit at the Stockholm Environment Institute’s Tallinn Centre. Mathieu Madison is a biologist and environmental management specialist, and President of the Rivière du Nord Watershed Organization in Quebec, Canada.
about the environment around us. It’s a way of helping people see that protecting nature isn’t only the responsibility of the municipality - they can contribute as well.”
Building resilience As the project enters its second phase, the consortium is transforming scientific knowledge into practical tools for planners, practitioners, researchers and investors. One objective is to “stress-test” Nature-based Solutions against future climate conditions, including more frequent floods and droughts, helping identify where interventions are most likely to remain effective under changing climatic conditions. Participatory system mapping and modelling also allow stakeholders to explore interactions between ecological, hydrological, social and governance processes, revealing trade-offs while identifying opportunities to maximise multiple benefits. A major focus of the project is understanding the performance of Naturebased Solutions over time. While NbS are increasingly implemented around the world, there are still few standardised ways to determine whether they continue delivering the outcomes they were designed to achieve. “It’s about understanding performance,” explains McKnight. “What types of tools do we need to understand whether these measures are actually doing the job they were designed for? Are they reducing flood risk? Are they supporting biodiversity? Are they improving people’s well-being?” Developing these methods is central to the NbS Services concept. By combining ecological monitoring, climate modelling and stakeholder knowledge, NBSPLUS evaluates the effectiveness and multifunctionality of Nature-based Solutions. Reliable indicators will support adaptive management, guide future investment and strengthen participatory governance. The Canadian case study illustrates the importance of this collaborative approach. Rather than measuring success only through environmental indicators such as water quality, stakeholders increasingly define success in terms of resilience, adaptation and
stronger partnerships between organisations. “For a long time, we measured success using targets that we couldn’t always control,” Madison explains. “Now we’re focusing much more on resilience, adaptation and collaboration. We’re asking how science can become useful within participatory decisionmaking, so that research reaches practitioners much faster.” Reducing the gap between researchers and practitioners is one of the project’s broader ambitions. By involving stakeholders throughout the research process, NBSPLUS hopes scientific knowledge can be translated more rapidly into practical decision-making, allowing municipalities and communities to respond more effectively to emerging environmental challenges. The project also demonstrates how different governance systems can learn from one another. While the Canadian case study contributes decades of participatory watershed governance experience, the European case studies provide complementary expertise in Nature-based Solutions policy and implementation. Together, they help identify transferable approaches while recognising that successful Nature-based Solutions must always reflect local contexts. “We may not be able to create a single solution that works everywhere,” says McKnight. “But we can develop better ways of connecting knowledge across disciplines, understanding trade-offs and helping planners, practitioners, and policy-makers design solutions that work for both people and nature. Transparent decision-making, supported by appropriate financing, robust participatory processes and stakeholder engagement, will be key to maximising synergies and delivering lasting benefits.” As climate pressures intensify, application of integrated approaches like those under development within NBSPLUS will become increasingly important. Through its emerging Nature-based Solution Services concept, the project is developing the governance, monitoring and performance tools needed to help decision-makers create resilient landscapes where both people and nature can thrive.
The Albufera of Valencia, a coastal wetland where nature-based solutions support biodiversity, improve water quality and enhance landscape resilience. (Prof. Rafael Bergillos, Polytechnic University of Valencia - UPV)
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Promoting sustainable holiday homes Tourism is an important part of the economy in Trøndelag and Jämtland, and there is pressure to provide more houses for visitors, yet at the same time it’s important to protect the natural beauty of these two regions. Erik Melin, Margrete Vognild Blokhus and the Source project team are working to identify and promote sustainable practices in the provision and development of holiday homes. The
neighbouring regions of Trøndelag in Norway and Jämtland in Sweden attract a lot of tourists, and holiday homes have been developed across both areas to cater for the needs of visitors. The two regions are both fairly sparsely populated, and the tourism industry is an important part of the local economy, yet development must not come at the cost of the natural beauty which is central to their appeal, an issue of concern to both local residents and visitors. “There is a concern that holiday homes are taking up too much land in these areas and destroying nature,” says Erik Melin, a project manager at Mid-Sweden University. While many visitors come for skiing in the mountainous border area between Trøndelag and Jämtland, Melin says the two regions are increasingly becoming year-round destinations. “Winter skiing opportunities attract a lot of visitors, but summertime activities are also increasing, with lots of people coming for hiking and mountain biking,” he outlines. “A lot of businesses are working to promote leisure tourism in these two regions, highlighting sporting and recreational activities during Summer.”
SOURCE project Many people want their own cabin or house in these regions so they can pursue these activities, heightening the pressure on local infrastructure. There is a balance to strike here between meeting the needs of the tourism industry and protecting nature, an issue at the heart of Melin’s work as leader of the EU-backed SOURCE project, which brings together eight different partners in
cabins and houses should be put it in locations where the nature value is relatively low.” A prime candidate here are the so-called ‘grey’ zones, those areas in which nature has already been significantly degraded, such as old quarries and gravel pits. In one part of the project, researchers are looking into building cabins in these kinds of degraded areas, and whether this can be combined with efforts to restore nature. “With the investment coming
“Most houses in Trøndelag and Jämtland are built with wood, which is something we would like to promote and encourage, as there is a lot of it in the local area, but it can be used in more efficient and smarter ways.” Norway and Sweden.“In the project we are looking at a number of questions, such as whether we really need to build new homes, or if we could use existing ones more efficiently? If we do need to build new homes, in what areas should they be built and how large should they be?” he asks. “It’s important to think about the topography of the surrounding area when considering where a cabin or house should be built, and what would need to be removed. Ideally new
in, you can restore nature and have a positive impact in these areas,” says Melin. Researchers are also considering the spacing of holiday houses; the ideal scenario from a sustainability perspective is to avoid building in pristine areas, a message that Melin is keen to promote. “Cutting down trees or disrupting a hillside to develop cabins can have a very negative effect on nature and wildlife, contributing to erosion and increasing flood risk,” he stresses. “Even developing a single cabin can increase stress, as
Quarries at the island Stokkøya illustrate a so called ‘grey’ zones, areas in which nature has already been significantly degraded. In this location holiday homes are now planned. Photo credit Next Hero
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the increased movement of people can cause some wildlife to abandon an area.” The project team are working together with different stakeholders, including municipalities, construction companies and architects, to get a deeper picture of these kinds of issues and encourage the development of better, more sustainable holiday homes. The materials used in construction are a key consideration in this respect, and while it might be thought that radical shifts are required, traditional materials remain integral. “Most houses in Trøndelag and Jämtland are built with wood, which is something we would like to promote and encourage, as there is a lot of it in the local area, but it can be used in more efficient and smarter ways, for example as insulation materials. We also want to minimise the use of concrete, for example in the structural sole of buildings, and to promote the use of natural materials,” says Melin. The project’s agenda also includes encouraging the use of local businesses in the construction and maintenance of holiday homes, which Melin says will have a positive impact in terms of sustainability. “Hiring local companies, like carpenters and plumbers, and using local materials from the surrounding area benefits the local economy,” he continues. This work is primarily targeted at construction companies and municipalities with the power to approve or reject building plans in specific areas. An online toolbox www.recabin.no is under development in the project, designed to provide guidance to organisations and highlight alternatives to the established way of doing things. “We want to show for example that it’s not always necessary to clear the ground of trees and
dig away an area to create a flat surface for a concrete sole,” outlines Melin. An alternative is putting metal screws into the ground which a house can then essentially sit on, minimising disruption to the local ecology, while also meaning that they can be moved relatively easily in future if circumstances change. “If at some point a municipality decides that they don’t want cabins in an area any more then it’s fairly easy to just move these houses on screws, to simply take them elsewhere,” says Melin. “We try to promote these other, alternative ways to build, which we believe can add value to the surroundings by protecting nature.” The natural beauty of Trøndelag and Jämtland are what draws in visitors, and so it’s very much in the interests of municipalities to preserve it. By promoting nature-based solutions, Melin hopes to
An insulating material made of cooked wood fibre, has good insulating capacity and is more sustainable than conventional insulating materials. Photo credit: Mid Sweden University
An insulating material made of wood fibre has good insulating capacity and is a more sustainable than conventional insulating materials. Photo credit: Mid Sweden University
A project pilot in Storlien Jämtland, where stakeholders are learning how to reduce loss of nature in building projects. Photo credit: Mid Sweden University
Discussion around a proposed development area for holiday homes and how it could take more consideration to nature. Photo credit: Mid Sweden University
help protect the natural assets of these areas, while also providing housing and infrastructure for visitors. “This is about improving the ecosystem services around existing areas of housing, or where houses are going to be built in future. This could be building walls with natural stone instead of concrete for example, to provide habitats to animals,” outlines Melin. “Another possibility is planting vegetation on the roofs of houses, so they can then absorb water, reducing the risk of flooding and erosion.”
Sawed air pockets in wood blocks improve insulating capacity. Photo credit: Mid Sweden University
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SOURCE
Sustainable develOpment of hoUsing for ReCreational usE
Project Objectives
The SOURCE project are investigating a variety of questions around the development of holiday homes in the regions of Trøndelag in Norway and Jämtland in Sweden, seeking to balance the needs of the tourism industry with the goal of protecting the natural environment. Both regions attract a lot of visitors, and holiday homes have been developed to provide accommodation, yet this must not come at the cost of their natural beauty. The project team are exploring different issues around how degraded environments can be restored, as well as regenerative tourism, the circular economy and naturebased solutions, providing a picture of how a more sustainable tourism industry could look.
One of many workshops in the project where people from the public, private and the academia come together to co-create more sustainable solutions for holiday homes. Photo credit: Next Hero
Existing houses A further strand of the project’s agenda centres around using existing houses more efficiently, for example by promoting rentals and using resources available via the sharing economy. The most sustainable option in providing accommodation is to use the properties already available, and it may be possible to renovate existing buildings instead of putting up completely new ones. “Maybe farm buildings that are no longer in use could be renovated. This is about the circular economy, trying to use what is already there,” says Melin. The ultimate goal here is to provide more sustainable holiday homes in tune with the surroundings, and Melin says the project team are collaborating closely with local companies to translate the project’s work into tangible progress. “We are working with people, companies and other actors who want to take action,” he says. “We have held really exciting workshops together - some focused
on nature, others on resource or energy use in these cabins - and developed new ideas of how things could be done differently.” This work is centered on the regions of Trøndelag and Jämtland, yet Melin says it holds wider relevance to other parts of Scandinavia and possibly beyond. Tourism is an important industry in many regions, and while local authorities are often keen to attract visitors, they also need to preserve the natural assets and characteristics that make their area attractive in the first place. “A destination can go from being considered attractive to being over-exploited fairly quickly,” warns Melin. The project team are pursuing further research into the factors that guide development, which will feed into the wider debate around responsible tourism. “We’re looking into the forces behind municipalities’ decisions to allow development in some areas and not in others. What is steering development?” asks Melin. Holiday homes in Storlien Jämtland, Sweden. Photo credit: Mid Sweden University
Project Funding
The project is funded by Interreg SwedenNorway programme ID nr: 20359384 with cofinacing from the Jämtland Härjedalen county authority and the Trøndelag county authority.
Collaboration Partners
• Mid Sweden University • Nasjonalparken Næringshage • Norwegian University of Science and Technology • Norwegian Institute for Nature Research • Kärnvirke Architects • Peak Innovation • PIR2 Architects • White Architects
Contact Details
Erik Melin, Project Coordinator Mid Sweden University, Department of Natural Science, Design and Sustainable Development Akademigatan 1, 831 40 Östersund T: +46 (0)10-1428981 E: Erik.melin@miun.se W: https://www.miun.se/Forskning/ forskningsprojekt/pagaende-forskningsprojekt/ source---sustainable-development-of-housingfor-recreational-use.-
Erik Melin , Margrete Vognild Blokhus, Mari Kvarberg Erdal, & Lena Henriksson
Erik Melin is a project manager at Mid Sweden University, with a background in climate change education. His role is to co-create with stakeholders from the academic, public, private, and civil sectors, aiming to develop effective solutions to complex challenges. Margrete Vognild Blokhus is a Project Manager at Nasjonalparken Næringshage. She has spent much of the past eight years working on issues related to the cabin industry, tourism, and visitor management. Mari Kvarberg Erdal (Nasjonalparken Næringshage), Project Coordinator. Lena Henriksson (Mid Sweden University), Project Coordinator. This beam made of wood and Masonite, reduces the amount of wood used for construction. Photo credit: Mid Sweden University
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Who Shapes Development? International development cooperation involves a vast network of governments, donors, NGOs, local organisations and communities, yet surprisingly little is understood about how decisions are actually made. We spoke to Professor Susan P. Murphy about how the Geoformations project is mapping the governance relationships that constitute and animate international development, to support more effective, inclusive and locally led development cooperation. International development is often discussed in terms of funding commitments, humanitarian responses and sustainable development goals. Yet behind every development initiative lies a far more complex system of relationships that determines who makes decisions, how resources are allocated and whose voices are ultimately heard. Who, then, really shapes international development? According to Professor Susan P. Murphy, there is no simple answer. Development cooperation involves a vast web of relatively autonomous actors and organisations all interacting in different ways across different contexts. Understanding how these relationships influence decision-making lies at the heart of the ERC-funded Geoformations project. Rather than focusing solely on the outcomes of development projects, the research examines the often-invisible governance networks linking these diverse actors and organisations. By revealing how decisions are made in practice - and whose voices shape them - the project aims to generate new evidence that can strengthen the governance of development cooperation interventions and place local voices more firmly at the centre of decision-making. “There is a presumption that everybody involved in development is essentially working towards the same objectives and sharing the same interests” says Murphy. “In reality, it is a radically diverse and highly complex space, involving very different organisations with different priorities, governance systems and ways of working.”
An illustrative example of our assemblage approach to studying development governance as a relational process involving multiple actors and entities across different spaces and scales
“There are assumptions about partnerships and governance,” she explains. “But there are very few mechanisms for tracing who works with whom, how and in what ways, when different organisations are engaged, where decisions are actually made, how power is distributed or whose perspectives shape those decisions.” To address this gap, the project adopts what Murphy describes as an “assemblage” approach. Rather than viewing development as a simple relationship between donor and recipient, it maps the actors, institutions, technologies and environmental conditions Dr Susan P. Murphy (Principal Investigator), Maeve McGandy (Researcher), Ruby Paterson (PhD), Cynthia Mwende Maswili (Research Assistant) and Ellen Ravey (Research Assistant) {left to right}. Not present in photo: Elaine Elders(Administrator), Brooklyn Cowenferenc (Research Assistant).
Mapping governance International development cooperation has evolved into an increasingly interconnected system involving thousands of organisations operating across multiple geographical scales. Funding may originate from donor governments, international institutions or philanthropic organisations before passing through international NGOs and eventually reaching local organisations responsible for implementation. While these flows are widely recognised, Murphy argues that surprisingly little is known about how knowledge and decisionmaking travel through these networks.
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that shape governance. The team began by analysing global development landscapes and the policies of both donor and recipient countries before moving into research with local organisations on the ground. Crucially, instead of starting with international organisations, the researchers anchor their analyses in local organisations, tracing governance relationships outwards. “We’re trying to trace interactions and relationships from their vantage point,” Murphy explains. “We’re asking who they collaborate with, who they make decisions with, how those relationships develop and how governance actually functions from the ground outwards.” Data collection is currently underway in four contrasting case study countries Kenya, Tanzania, Costa Rica and Ukraine - each selected because it represents a distinct governance landscape. In Kenya, the researchers are working with the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) network to explore how local civil society organisations addressing food security and nutrition connect with national and international donor networks. In Tanzania, the focus is on human rights defenders, examining how local organisations build partnerships and navigate an increasingly constrained civic space. Costa Rica, meanwhile, provides an opportunity to investigate how governance and practice within the climate-development sphere changes as a country transitions to highincome status. Ukraine presents a markedly different case. Since 2022, the country witnessed a rapid emergence of locally led humanitarian organisations and an unprecedented influx of international aid and actors. Rather than studying long-established development structures, the team is observing how governance systems are being built almost in real time, asking how newly formed organisations cooperate, how decisions are made under crisis conditions and how local actors can shape humanitarian responses.
Local knowledge Geoformations Project Team
The research has already revealed several important insights. Perhaps the most striking
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GEOFORMATIONS Geographies of dynamic governance assemblages in development cooperation civil society spaces
Project Objectives
is the contrast between how international organisations and locally based organisations experience development cooperation. “I underestimated the extent to which local organisations are accustomed to ongoing and continuous disruption,” Murphy reflects. “Funding priorities change, donors and international organisations come and go, and geopolitical shifts constantly reshape the landscape. For many local organisations, this precarity is not new - it has always part of their reality.” This resilience challenges common assumptions within the international development sector. While recent reductions in international development funding have generated significant concern and hardship, Murphy found that many local organisations have developed remarkable flexibility in adapting to changing circumstances while remaining committed to their own missions. Equally significant is the sheer diversity of knowledges these organisations hold.
responsibility and resources in the hands of local actors and organisations. However, Murphy believes that meaningful localisation requires much more than the transfer of funding. “It is also about rebalancing power dynamics through a transfer of decisionmaking ownership,” she says. “We need to understand how governance structures can genuinely reflect the interests, needs and priorities of affected communities.” The project’s longer-term ambition is to develop evaluation approaches that help organisations assess and strengthen their governance arrangements, ensuring they reflect their stated values and enable affected populations and local organisations to genuinely inform decision-making. The research also highlights the value of constructive engagement. Murphy stresses that the project’s aim is not to criticise development organisations, many of which operate under significant constraints while being staffed by committed individuals working within complex contexts.
Geoformations investigates how governance structures and processes operate across civil society organisations involved in international development cooperation. The project examines how these collaborations form, function and adapt in response to global challenges, generating evidence to inform more inclusive, accountable, locally led and effective development governance.
Project Funding
Funded/Co-funded by the European Union (ERC, GEOFORMATIONS – 101077353). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Partners
https://geoformations.eu/about/team/
Contact Details
Principal Investigator, Dr Susan P. Murphy, FTCD. Associate Professor in Global Development Practice (Geography) & Director of Research, School of Natural Sciences Museum Building, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin. T: +353 1 8963540 E: susan.p.murphy@tcd.ie W: https://geoformations.eu/
“Most people enter this sector with enormous enthusiasm and the best of intentions. Our goal is not simply to point out what isn’t working.” “There is often an assumption that expertise primarily sits within international organisations,” she says. “What we’ve found is that local organisations hold invaluable knowledge, deeply rooted in place, lived experience and long-term engagement with communities, and without which, development cooperation could not function.” Illuminating the value of this contextual expertise is one of the project’s central aims. Rather than viewing local organisations simply as implementing partners, Geoformations explores how their insights can strengthen governance. The findings also challenge technocratic and apolitical notions of participation. Murphy explains, “communities may tolerate externally imposed processes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those approaches become part of how decisions are actually made.”
Towards better development Ultimately, the project seeks not only to critically examine existing governance systems, but also to improve them. Development cooperation increasingly emphasises ‘localisation’, with donors committing to placing greater
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“Most people enter this sector with enormous enthusiasm and the best of intentions,” she says. “Our goal is not simply to point out what isn’t working. We want to understand how governance processes and relations can be strengthened so that development becomes more effective, more inclusive and ultimately delivers more appropriate outcomes for affected communities.” As Geoformations progresses, the research team plans to publish empirical studies from its case countries while engaging policymakers, research institutes and development practitioners. Over time, the project aims to build a richer understanding of how governance evolves across different contexts and how locally grounded knowledge can inform future development policy. For Murphy, the significance of the work extends well beyond the project’s lifetime. “We need to move beyond simply exposing problems,” she concludes. “The challenge is to reconstruct governance in ways that respect and engage local knowledges, strengthen partnerships and ultimately improve how development cooperation is practiced.”
Dr Susan P. Murphy
Dr Susan P. Murphy is Associate Professor of Development Practice at Trinity College Dublin and Principal Investigator of the ERCfunded Geoformations project. Her research focuses on development governance, accountability and climate justice, exploring how power and decision-making shape international development cooperation.
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Machine learning methods to profit society Machine learning algorithms are increasingly being used to support decision-making across a variety of sectors, so their development should be guided not just by technology companies, but the views and interests of stakeholders. In the ERC-backed SAML project researchers are developing a more collaborative approach to designing ML algorithms, as Professor Isabel Valera explains. The
emergence of ever-more sophisticated machine learning algorithms is central to the growth of the Artificial Intelligence industry, enabling the development of tools capable of adapting and responding to changing circumstances. These machine learning (ML) technologies are being applied to support decision-making across society, for example in recruitment and the financial sector, so their development must be guided not just by the technology sector’s desire for profit but also the views and interests of stakeholders.“It’s important to ask the people affected by new technologies what they expect from a system. What do they see as the potential benefits? What are the risks?” stresses Isabel Valera, Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Saarland in Germany. These issues are central to Professor Valera’s work as Principal Investigator of the SAML project, in which she is developing a new, more collaborative approach to training ML algorithms. “We’re looking to enhance transparency in the development of ML algorithms. We are investigating what different stakeholders view as acceptable trade-offs under a particular context,” she outlines. Machine learning algorithms This research is focused on the way in which historical data is used to train an algorithm, which then will have a strong influence on how that algorithm eventually operates and the decisions that are reached. As
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part of her work in the project, Professor Valera is examining publicly available, empirical data about past decisions. “For example, we’re looking at historical data from banks, investigating which kinds of loans they granted to which applicants and under which conditions. We’re also interested in company hiring decisions, where people’s CVs have been processed in such a way that they can be summarised in a tabular form,” she says. It has been argued that some of the algorithms used in making these kinds of decisions are
conceptions of justice, so Professor Valera is not aiming to please everybody, but rather to develop a transparent methodology. “We want to enhance transparency on the functionality of the algorithm. This means highlighting the implications in terms of the benefits and risks that it’s going to have for different groups of the population,” she explains. Machine learning algorithms can play an important role in clinical trials for example, yet many people want to maintain the security of their own data, and algorithms must be applied in a way that is consistent with wider societal values. “We
“We’re looking to enhance transparency in the development of ML algorithms. We are investigating what different stakeholders view as acceptable trade-offs under a particular context.” inherently biased against certain social and demographic groups, undermining public trust in them. Including a wider range of perspectives in development and training could help address this issue and boost public confidence. “We’re following a multistakeholder approach in the SAML project, drawing on ideas from a variety of different fields, including economics and distributive justice,” continues Professor Valera. The aim here is to heighten awareness of the performance-fairness trade-offs that are involved in optimising an algorithm.We all have different perceptions of what a ‘fair’ outcome is, according to the economic frameworks that we are familiar with and our own personal
want to look at the functionality of these algorithms and highlight the extent to which they are aligned with societal values,” says Professor Valera. “We aim to achieve a greater degree of control over the values reflected in an algorithm, while making the resulting tradeoffs transparent so that different stakeholders can assess the benefits and risks together and make an informed decision about which tradeoffs are acceptable for deployment in practice.” Researchers are ultimately working to develop a methodology of training algorithms, new ways of optimising them on the basis of wider engagement from stakeholders, including technology users, owners and regulators. This will help boost public trust
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in machine learning algorithms which, as essential components of AI technologies, are increasingly integral to our daily lives. “ML algorithms are being applied across society for a wide variety of different purposes. A prominent example is their use in Large Language Models (LLMs),” outlines Professor Valera. The growth of the AI industry is causing unease in some quarters, who fear its long-term social and ethical implications; a new, more broad-based method of training algorithms could help allay these concerns. “In the project I’m developing a methodology designed to be as general as possible. Essentially we are developing new ways of optimising these algorithms,” continues Professor Valera. “We aim to help navigate different trade-offs and adopt different functionalities during the deployment of an ML algorithm, with the same underlying foundations.”
Serving society This contributes to the wider goal of boosting public trust in ML algorithms and ensuring that they serve the interests of society as a whole, not just the technology companies that develop them. This is of course a fast-
moving area, and digital technology has moved on significantly even in the relatively short time since the project began, says Professor Valera. “Several things have changed over the last few years, with rapid growth in the number of LLMs, and takeovers of some social media companies,” she explains. The project initially had quite a broad scope, but over time it has become more tightly focused, and Professor Valera expects it to narrow further over the remainder of the funding term. “We are narrowing things down, and over the remaining 18 months we have a clear plan for a set of concrete use cases where multiple stakeholders have different objectives and may be affected differently by the same algorithmic decision,” she says. “These are precisely the settings where making the tradeoffs transparent, and enabling stakeholders to assess them jointly, could be particularly important.” “A number of papers have been written so far, outlining the project’s findings, for example on the trade-offs between performance and fairness.There will be others beyond classical applications of machine learning, exploring generative AI and a broader range of societal desiderata beyond fairness.”
SAML Society-Aware Machine Learning
Project Objectives
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an increasingly important tool across many sensitive areas, including recruitment and finance, leading to intense debate about whether existing systems are fair or biased. To build public trust, and to ensure that new technologies meet standards, there is a clear need for technology designers to engage all relevant stakeholders in machine learning development. This is where the EU-funded SAML project steps in. The aim is to develop a completely new methodological approach for the development of machine learning algorithms, which ultimately contribute to the aim of ensuring they are accepted by society as a whole.
Project Funding
This project is funded by an ERC Starting Grant Grant agreement ID: 101040177.
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Isabel Valera Prof. Dr. Isabel Valera Department of Computer Science Saarland Informatics Campus Bldg. E1 1, R. 225 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany T: + 49(0) 681 302 70171 E: ivalera@cs.uni-saarland.de W: https://machinelearning.uni-saarland.de/ society-aware-ml/
Professor Isabel Valera
The paradigm shift towards society-aware machine learning. Rather than optimising only the algorithm owner’s objective, SAML incorporates the objectives of multiple stakeholders, making economic and societal trade-offs transparent and supporting informed decisions about which algorithms are acceptable for a given deployment context.
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Isabel Valera is a Professor of Machine Learning at the Department of Computer Science of Saarland University in Saarbrücken (Germany), and Adjunct Faculty at MPI for Software Systems. She is a fellow of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS).
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A path towards a circular economy in lithium-ion batteries Electric vehicles are an increasingly common presence on our roads, reducing the environmental impact of the transport sector, yet supplies of critical materials are not infinite. We spoke to Martin Devaulx de Chambord, Julius Ott, Juan Castro and Aleix Vila Cano about their work in developing new technologies to recover critical raw materials from car batteries. The development of the electric vehicle market is helping reduce the environmental impact of the transport sector, and demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to grow as countries seek to meet their emissions reduction targets. Mining lithium in the first place causes significant environmental damage however and supplies are not infinite, leading to an increased focus on recycling lithium and other materials and moving towards a more circular model of usage, an issue at the heart of the EU-funded FREE4LIB project. “We are developing several processes in FREE4LIB to recover critical materials from car batteries, as well as from other mobility devices, for example electric scooters,” says Martin Devaulx de Chambord, European Affairs consultant at Alienor, one of 22 partners in the project consortium. This covers not just lithium, but also cobalt, nickel and manganese, all four of which are essential to the production of lithium-ion batteries. The project team is developing 21 different technologies, aiming to recycle materials from lithium-ion batteries at the end of their lives and enable their re-use in new products. “We start with collecting endof-life lithium ion batteries, then they are dismantled and disassembled into healthy and unhealthy cells. The unhealthy cells are then treated with different processes,” explains Julius Ott, a researcher at the University of Graz working on the project. This leads to the production of so-called ‘black mass’, essentially an aggregate of different materials, which Ott says is then separated, enabling the recycling of resources and their reuse. “Different purification and precursor production strategies lead into the eventual production of new battery cells,” he says. The project partners have been working to develop different technologies across the entire value chain, with the ultimate aim of recycling materials so that they can be reused in the circular economy. One project partner is developing a process for the carbothermal reduction of black mass for example. “This involves a low temperature pyro-metallurgy step, plus a leaching step,” outlines Juan Castro, a researcher at the CARTIF research centre in Spain, the project’s overall coordinator. Alongside pre-treatment
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Overview of FREE4LIB’s research throughout the battery recycling value chain.
technologies, researchers are also developing recycling and re-using technologies, which will help bring recovered materials closer to practical application. “Another partner has developed a technology to produce precursor materials, ready for application in manufacturing new batteries,” says Castro.
provides a picture of its health, which can then inform decision-making. “The platform helps recycling companies identify which parts can be re-used,” continues Devaulx de Chambord. The battery passport platform is designed to enhance traceability down to the modular level, and help recycling companies and
“We are developing several processes in FREE4LIB to recover critical materials from car batteries, as well as from other mobility devices, for example electric scooters.” Battery passport A lot of progress has been made in the project and a new battery pack has been produced entirely from old batteries, an example of the kind of circular re-use of materials that the EU is keen to encourage and promote. Clear data on a battery, on how it was produced and certain performance and health status indicators, can play an important role here, an issue the project team is also working to address through the development of a battery passport platform. “The battery passport platform gives us a better understanding of the contents of batteries throughout the value chain, and also of the condition of their components,” explains Devaulx de Chambord. Reliable data about a battery
other stakeholders comply with evolving regulatory requirements. Data will be recorded throughout the whole life of a battery on a digital passport, covering things like their energy capacity and charging rates, which will then be made available via the platform for people to study their performance characteristics. “There are user interfaces on the platform for manufacturers, assemblers, and also recycling companies,” says Aleix Vila Cano, a researcher at Eurecat, one of the project partners.The platform is in the process of being updated, with Vila Cano and his colleagues working to overcome some remaining technical challenges. “The platform has been built using blockchain technology, and we’ve encountered some challenges,” he acknowledges.
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This work holds valuable lessons for developers of other digital product passports, which are a central part of efforts to improve recycling rates more generally, not just car batteries. Building on his experience in FREE4LIB, Vila Cano is committed to sharing the project’s findings more widely. “We’re going to provide guidelines on how to use blockchain technology in a digital passport product environment, on how it can be used effectively. This technology must be implemented as a multi-organisational way of sharing information,” he says.The project team is contributing to the wider debate about digital product passports, and helping shape their ongoing development. “We want to help build a foundation of knowledge that can then be used in EU-wide guidelines, or legislation on digital product passports for car batteries,” outlines Devaulx de Chambord.
Legislative and regulatory framework A lot of attention now is focused on communicating the project’s findings and promoting the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. Improving recycling rates is widely recognised as an urgent priority, as Europe holds only limited reserves of lithium and demand is projected to increase up to 58,000 tonnes a year in 2030. “With ongoing de-carbonisation efforts demand for lithium is expected to skyrocket not only in the EU, but also many other parts of the world. With countries looking to develop green mobility solutions
and reduce emissions, there will be even more players on the demand side for these materials in future,” stresses Devaulx de Chambord. Effective recycling methods can help meet this demand, underlining the wider importance of the project’s work. The next step would be to test these technologies and assess their viability in a practical recycling environment. However, with FREE4LIB set to conclude shortly, the more immediate priority is to present the project’s findings, aiming to inspire change and influence the evolving legislative and regulatory framework. “We are communicating our findings to stakeholders and EU policy-makers, and have finalised our policy recommendations,” outlines Devaulx de Chambord. At the same time the consortium are keen to build on the progress that has been made, and to explore the wider possibilities that may arise out of the project’s work. “We are working with a dedicated partner, Politecnico di Milano to try and use some of the findings, and translate them into both further research opportunities and also business use opportunities,” he says.
FREE4LIB
Feasible Recovery of critical raw materials through a new circular Ecosystem FOR a Li-Ion Battery cross-value chain in Europe
Project Objectives
FREE4LIB is a Horizon Europe project advancing a circular value chain for lithium-ion batteries by developing innovative technologies for efficient recycling, material recovery and battery remanufacturing. Through digital tools, including Battery Passports, the project enhances traceability, increases the supply of secondary raw materials, and supports Europe’s transition to sustainable, low-carbon mobility.
Project Funding
This project has received funding from the Horizon Europe programme, under the Grant n°101069890. *
Project Partners
FREE4LIB consortium is composed of 22 partners across 7 different countries: CARTIF • ACCUREC • ALIENOREU • AIMPLAS • Kellen • AVL • CSIC • ERION • Fraunhofer • EURECAT • IREC-CERCA • FBK • ITL • LUREDERRA • NextMove • NESSTEC • POLIMI • RECYCLIA • SAKARYA • TORRECID • UNIGRAZ • Watt4Ever
Contact Details
Communication & Dissemination partner, Martin Devaulx de Chambord AlienorEU Rue Montoyer 31 - BE 1000 Brussels T: +32 491 39 21 E: martin.devaulx@alienor.eu W: https://www.freeforlib.eu/ * Views and opinions expressed are however those of
the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.
Aleix Vila
Julius Ott
Aleix Vila works for Eurecat as a blockchain researcher and full-stack developer specializing in cybersecurity, applied cryptography, smart contracts, and distributed systems-technical lead and blockchain instructor. Julius Ott has a bachelor of engineering in industrial engineering and a master of science in circular economy. He works as a project assistant for the FREE4LIB project at the University of Graz, Austria. Julius is also also a member of the International Society for Industrial Ecology. His research focuses on sustainability assessment with the help of a digital product passport. The process flow for executing and storing battery passport transactions: 1) User Signs a Message 2) Signed Message Sent to API (Application Programming Interface) 3) API Forwards the Request to the Signing Module 4) Signing Module Creates a Signed Transaction 5) API Submits the Signed Transaction to the Blockchain 6) Blockchain Oracle Detects the Event 7) Blockchain Oracle forwards to the API 8) Transaction Data Stored 8) Client Retrieves Updated Data
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Thirty years of investing in Europe’s researchers For three decades, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) have helped researchers cross borders, disciplines and sectors. As the programme celebrates its 30th anniversary, two fellows from different generations reflect on how this unique European initiative shaped not only their research, but the way they think, collaborate and lead. When Marie Skłodowska-Curie left Poland for Paris in 1891, she began a scientific journey that would transform the world. The only person ever awarded Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines, she came to embody curiosity, perseverance and international collaboration. Those same values continue to define the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), which this year celebrate 30 years of supporting researchers across Europe and beyond. Since its launch in 1996, the programme has become one of the European Union’s flagship investments in research talent. More than 150,000 researchers have benefited from MSCA funding, with alumni going on to lead universities, launch innovative companies and win prestigious scientific awards, including 23 Nobel Prizes. Unlike many research funding programmes, the MSCA places researchers - not projects - at its centre. Through international mobility, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector experience, fellows develop
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Learning to embrace uncertainty
qPCR results are shown as amplification curves, where an earlier increase indicates more DNA in the environmental sample.
scientific expertise alongside leadership, communication and entrepreneurial skills. This people-centred approach is increasingly important as challenges such as artificial intelligence, climate change and global health demand researchers who can work across disciplines and borders. By investing in individuals, the MSCA creates an impact that extends far beyond a single project, strengthening Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem for the future.
For Stephanie Gauttier, now Associate Professor in Information Systems at Grenoble Ecole de Management in France, the MSCA was never simply a source of research funding. Looking back, she describes it as the beginning of a journey that fundamentally reshaped the way she approaches research, leadership and even uncertainty itself. Gauttier first joined the programme through the Innovative Training Network EDUWORKS at Trinity College Dublin, where she explored technology-enhanced learning while completing her doctoral research. Several years later, she returned to the MSCA through an Individual Fellowship, GLASNOST, at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, focusing on the ethics of human enhancement technologies in the workplace. Together, she says, the two fellowships became defining milestones in her career.
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Today, alongside directing the MSc Managing with AI, leading Grenoble Ecole de Management’s Information Systems research team and chairing its ethics committee, she continues to build on that experience. She has since secured European funding for initiatives supporting researchers’ mental health, including the Erasmus+ PeerPower project and the Researcher Mental Health Observatory COST Action, while her work in Q methodology earned her the Donald J. Brenner Award early in her career. “The projects themselves eventually end,” she reflects. “But the way they shape your thinking doesn’t.” For Gauttier, one of the programme’s greatest lessons had little to do with scientific techniques. Instead, it came from repeatedly placing herself in unfamiliar environments. Moving between countries, institutions and even research traditions forced her to become comfortable with uncertainty - something she now considers one of the most valuable qualities a researcher can develop. “When you constantly start over - in a new country, a new institution, sometimes even a new discipline - you eventually stop expecting everything to be predictable,” she says. “Instead, you learn that uncertainty is not something to fear. It’s something you can work with.” Equally transformative was the opportunity to experience different academic cultures across Europe. Each institution approached research through its own traditions, methodologies and assumptions about what constitutes good science. Instead of replacing one way of thinking with another, Gauttier says the MSCA taught her to move comfortably between them. “It creates new pathways in your brain,” she explains. “You realise there isn’t only one way to understand a problem.” This intellectual flexibility now shapes the way she leads research teams and teaches students. Some of the educational approaches she encountered during her time in Ireland and the Netherlands - particularly the emphasis on collaboration and shared responsibility for learning - have become central to her own teaching philosophy. “I don’t think we’re simply teaching students,” she says. “We’re creating a space where they also take responsibility for their own learning.” For Gauttier, however, perhaps the programme’s greatest strength lies beyond scientific excellence. Unlike many research grants that focus primarily on producing
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increasingly rare: the freedom to grow not only as scientists, but as people. “It changed the way my brain works,” she says. “It becomes part of how you approach every problem for the rest of your career.”
Building bridges between disciplines
A view of Aspergillus fumigatus, a species of fungus that is typically found in soil and decaying organic matter, through the microscope.
publications, the MSCA invests in the researcher as a whole. Fellows develop leadership, communication, project management and public engagement skills while building international networks that often last throughout their careers. “The MSCA is not really about building a project,” she says. “It’s about building people.” That investment often reveals its true value years later. Gauttier still collaborates with researchers she first met during her doctoral fellowship through European research projects and international initiatives. “The return on this investment happens gradually,” she explains. “You don’t necessarily see it immediately, but eventually these experiences influence every research team and every institution that former fellows become part of.”
While Stephanie Gauttier reflects on the long-term impact of the MSCA from the perspective of an established academic, Andi Hunklinger represents a new generation of researchers whose careers are only just beginning. Currently completing an MSCAfunded industrial doctorate between the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona and Bayer in Germany, they are working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, biology and healthcare, using explainable AI to better understand how deep learning models can support enzyme design and accelerate scientific discovery. Alongside their doctoral research, Hunklinger was recently a finalist at the Bio x AI Hackathon in Berlin and co-authored a perspective article in Nature Machine Intelligence exploring how explainable AI can be integrated into protein language models, reflecting their growing contribution to one of today’s fastest-moving fields. Although their research focuses on some of today’s most advanced AI technologies,
“Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions changed the way my brain works. It becomes part of how you approach every problem for the rest of your career.” The programme also changed the way she thinks about research leadership. Writing her Individual Fellowship proposal forced her to ask questions that extended beyond scientific objectives: What kind of researcher did she want to become? What contribution could she make to the community around her? Those reflections, she believes, laid the foundations for the leadership roles she now holds. Her commitment to improving research culture has become another lasting legacy of the MSCA experience. After witnessing talented doctoral researchers leave academia because of poor supervision or unhealthy working environments, Gauttier co-founded a mentoring initiative connecting early-career researchers with more experienced peers. That effort has since grown into broader European projects addressing researcher wellbeing and mental health. Thirty years after its launch, Gauttier believes the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions continue to offer something
Hunklinger’s path into science was far from conventional. After studying chemistry, biochemistry and computer science, they gradually realised that machine learning could become a powerful tool for understanding biological systems. Yet pursuing a PhD was never an obvious choice. Coming from a family where no previous generation had attended university, a research career felt largely unknown. “There wasn’t a clear roadmap,” they recall. “Everything was new - from studying abroad to thinking about what a research career could look like.” Their introduction to the MSCA came during their master’s studies, when they worked alongside several doctoral researchers funded through an earlier MSCA programme. Hearing first-hand about their experiences sparked an interest that eventually led them to apply for an industrial doctorate combining academic and industrial research.
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Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions 30th anniversary Celebrating 30 years of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MSCA Objectives
Celebrating 30 years in 2026, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is a research and training programme that supports the career, skills development, and mobility of researchers at all stages of their careers and from all over the world. The MSCA does this by funding and co-funding excellent doctoral networks, postdoctoral fellowships, and R&I staff exchanges with a focus on international, inter-sectoral (between academic and non-academic organisations) and inter-disciplinary cooperation.
MSCA Information
• 150,000 researchers, including 23 Nobel Prize Laureates involved as fellows, supervisors or project coordinators • Around 50% of organisations taking part in the MSCA are companies, including SMEs • Nearly 45% of supported researchers are women • Over 40% of supported researchers come from outside the EU
Contact Details
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions E: EAC-MSCA-COMMUNICATION@ ec.europa.eu W: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions. ec.europa.eu/ W: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions. ec.europa.eu/30th-anniversary
Stéphanie Gauttier Andrea Hunklinger Kopp
Stéphanie Gauttier is an Associate Professor at Grenoble École de Management, leading the Information Systems for Society team. A former MSCA ITN fellow at Trinity College Dublin and IF fellow at the University of Twente, she researches the ethics of emerging technologies. Andrea Hunklinger Kopp is trained as a chemist and computer scientist, and uses AI, especially explainable AI methods, to advance life science research and biomolecule design for pharmaceutical applications.
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The programme gave Hunklinger the opportunity to spend half of the fellowship at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona and the other half at Bayer in Germany, complemented by a secondment at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. Experiencing both academia and industry, they say, transformed their understanding of how research creates impact. “In academia, publishing often feels like the end goal,” they explain. “In industry, that’s really just the beginning. You need to work with the people who will actually use what you’ve developed, understand their needs and keep improving it.” Rather than seeing the two sectors as separate worlds, Hunklinger believes
Those interactions gradually built confidence - both scientifically and personally. Meeting internationally recognised researchers through conferences and training events made academia feel more accessible and encouraged them to reach beyond their immediate network. Another unexpected lesson was the importance of communication. Initially unsure why the programme emphasised public engagement, Hunklinger now sees science communication as an essential part of research. In 2025, they were selected as one of the MSCA ambassadors at the AI in Science Summit in Copenhagen, where they presented how industrial doctorates strengthen collaboration between academia and industry.
“You realise you’re surrounded by people working on completely different problems, but everyone is willing to share ideas. You learn just as much from conversations over coffee as you do during the lectures.” innovation happens where they intersect. Academic curiosity provides the foundation for discovery, while industry offers the opportunity to translate those discoveries into practical applications. Beyond the research itself, the fellowship encouraged a level of independence that proved equally valuable. Rather than being given a predefined scientific path, Hunklinger’s supervisors challenged them to shape their own research questions and think carefully about the broader impact of their work. “At first it was difficult because I wanted someone to tell me exactly what to do,” they admit. “But eventually I realised how empowering it was. You start thinking not just about solving a problem, but about why it matters.” The international nature of the programme also played a defining role. Regular doctoral schools, workshops and consortium meetings brought together researchers from different countries and scientific backgrounds, creating an environment where exchanging ideas became as important as formal training. “You realise you’re surrounded by people working on completely different problems, but everyone is willing to share ideas,” Hunklinger says. “You learn just as much from conversations over coffee as you do during the lectures.”
The event brought together leading figures in AI, including Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio and Agata Laydon, who leads the Google DeepMind Impact Accelerator, highlighting the growing role of early-career researchers in Europe’s AI ecosystem. “I now understand why communication matters,” they say. “It creates opportunities for collaboration and reminds us that research is ultimately about benefiting society.” Asked what advice they would give prospective applicants, Hunklinger doesn’t hesitate: “If you’re excited by research, just apply.”
Looking ahead As Europe faces increasingly complex challenges, the need for researchers who can work across disciplines, sectors and borders has never been greater. For 30 years, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions have invested not only in excellent science, but in the people behind it. The experiences of Stephanie Gauttier and Andi Hunklinger show how the programme builds confidence, fosters collaboration and prepares researchers to translate knowledge into real-world impact. Its greatest legacy lies not only in the discoveries it enables today, but in the generations of scientific leaders it continues to nurture, strengthening Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem for the future.
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Seeking freedom of non-religion What happens when people are persecuted not for their religion, but for their lack of it? Through the EU ROSA (Religion and Its Others in South Asia and the World: Communities, Debates, Freedoms) project, Dr Ben Laws and colleagues investigated the experiences of non-religious asylum seekers in Europe, revealing how asylum systems often struggle to recognise claims based on non-belief. For many people across the world, religion provides a source of identity, belonging and community. Yet for others, the decision to reject, question or move away from religion can come at a significant personal cost. In several countries, individuals who identify as atheists, humanists, rationalists or freethinkers face discrimination, social exclusion, threats and, in some cases, violence. While international human rights frameworks recognise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right not to hold religious beliefs, the realities experienced by non-religious individuals often tell a different story. These realities formed the basis of the ROSA project, an interdisciplinary initiative examining violence against non-religious people in South Asia and the many ways in which such persecution shapes people’s lives. The project explored this issue through four complementary case studies. While three focused on the experiences of non-religious individuals within South Asian societies, Dr Ben Laws, a qualitative researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge, examined what happens after people flee persecution. His research followed the experiences of nonreligious asylum seekers as they attempted to build new lives in Europe, exploring how the effects of discrimination can continue long after individuals leave their countries of origin. “The project was interested in the ripples and aftershocks of violence,” explains Laws. “What happens when people leave their country because of threats linked to their non-belief? How are those experiences understood when they arrive somewhere that is supposedly safer?”
Asia where much of the ROSA research was focused, non-belief is often treated as a deviation from accepted social norms. Individuals who reject religious traditions may face accusations of betraying their communities, abandoning cultural values or aligning themselves with foreign influences. In recent years, several prominent secular activists, writers and bloggers have been attacked or killed, highlighting the risks associated with openly expressing nonreligious views. Against this backdrop, some individuals seek asylum abroad.Yet arriving in Europe does not necessarily mean that their difficulties end.
A system struggling to understand Laws conducted ethnographic research with asylum seekers, support organisations and professionals involved in asylum procedures across Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. His findings suggest that non-religious applicants often occupy an uncomfortable blind spot within asylum systems. Many asylum officers are familiar with claims involving religious conversion. Applicants who have converted to Christianity, for example, can often present evidence through church attendance records, letters from religious leaders, certificates from
Memorial poster produced by Punjab rationalists commemorating figures including Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M. M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh. The poster illustrates how communities of irreligious dissent cultivate their own traditions of public remembrance. Photo by Vishav Bharti, October 6, 2025. Courtesy of Tarksheel Society Punjab and Vishav Bharti.
Beyond religion One of the project’s starting points was the challenge of definition itself. Researchers quickly discovered that there was no single term capable of capturing the diversity of people they were studying. Some identified as atheists, others as humanists, rationalists or freethinkers, while many preferred no label at all.The term “non-religious” ultimately became a practical umbrella category, although Laws acknowledges that it remains imperfect. The complexity reflects a broader reality. In many societies, particularly in South
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pieces of evidence during asylum interviews. In certain cases, individuals engaged in highly visible and controversial acts because they believed this would strengthen their applications. The phenomenon reveals a troubling paradox. Systems designed to assess danger may inadvertently encourage behaviours that increase exposure to danger. As standards rise, applicants can feel pressure to become more visible, more outspoken and more provocative in order to prove that they genuinely face persecution. Yet these same actions can expose them to online harassment, threats from transnational communities and even physical danger.What begins as an attempt to satisfy administrative requirements may ultimately increase vulnerability.
Cover of Dissentiments: Non-religion,Violence and the Politics of Visibility in South Asia (Cambridge University Press), featuring Unsilenced (2015) by Gurpreet Singh. Painted in the wake of the murder of the rationalist scholar M. M. Kalburgi, the work embodies the book’s concern with the vulnerabilities and enduring commitments of irreligious dissenters across South Asia.
educational programmes or testimony from faith communities. These forms of evidence fit comfortably within existing administrative frameworks. Non-belief, however, does not lend itself to the same kind of documentation. “How do you prove the absence of belief?” asks Laws.“Many people have spent years hiding their views because disclosure could place them at risk. They often arrive with very little evidence precisely because staying safe required them to leave no trace.” As a result, non-religious claims are frequently assessed through frameworks originally developed for religious conversion cases. Laws found that applicants were often treated as if they had converted to another belief system, even when they had simply rejected religion altogether. This can lead to misunderstandings about motivation, identity and risk.
The burden of credibility A major theme emerging from the research concerns credibility. Across Europe, asylum systems have become increasingly focused on evidentiary standards. Following the migration pressures experienced during the mid-2010s, many countries introduced stricter procedures, temporary protection measures and higher thresholds for demonstrating risk. For non-religious asylum seekers, these developments have had unintended consequences. Laws found that some applicants felt compelled to generate evidence to demonstrate the sincerity of their non-belief. Social media posts criticising religion, blogs discussing atheism and participation in public campaigns sometimes became important
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that could continue to place him at risk long after the asylum process had ended. These cases reveal how persecution can transcend national borders. Digital communication, transnational networks and close-knit diaspora communities mean that social pressures often travel with individuals. Physical relocation may reduce some immediate threats, but fear, uncertainty and social exclusion can persist in new environments. Laws also highlights the emotional burden of the asylum process. Applicants must repeatedly justify deeply personal aspects of their identity, often to decision-makers unfamiliar with nonreligious worldviews. Many found themselves caught between the need to remain safe and the need to make their non-belief visible and credible.
“How do you prove the absence of belief?” asks Laws, “Many people have spent years hiding their views because disclosure could place them at risk. They often arrive with very little evidence precisely because staying safe required them to leave no trace.” Life after arrival
Creating change
The research also challenges assumptions that relocation automatically resolves the problems experienced by non-religious individuals. One case involved a Pakistani woman who arrived in the Netherlands believing that she would finally be able to express her views freely. Instead, she encountered what Laws describes as a form of “double silencing”. While she had left behind a social environment in which expressing non-religious views could be dangerous, she found herself living alongside other Muslim women from similar cultural backgrounds and remained cautious about openly discussing her beliefs. When she later experienced harassment linked to her online activities, the advice she received from the police was not to speak out more freely, but to delete her social media content. Rather than feeling protected, she felt that she was once again being encouraged to remain silent. Another example highlights the unintended consequences of asylum procedures themselves. Laws described the case of a nonreligious asylum seeker in Sweden whose application required him to demonstrate the risks he would face if he returned to his country of origin. Over time, the claimant became increasingly active online, publicly criticising religion and eventually participating in highly visible acts, including the burning of the Quran. While these actions strengthened the evidence supporting his asylum claim, they also made it impossible for him to maintain a low profile. Public letters, videos and social media content created a permanent digital record
Despite these challenges, the research points towards opportunities for improvement. For example, Norway has introduced specific guidance for assessing atheist asylum claims, marking an important step towards recognising the distinct experiences of non-religious applicants. Through accessible publications, collaboration with NGOs and engagement with organisations working directly with refugees, the project seeks to bridge the gap between academic research
Pen and blood. Commemorative magazine cover with photos of murdered rationalists Dabholkar, Kalburgi and Pansare. The recurring image of the pen evokes writing as a practice of dissent and remembrance, suggesting that ideas continue to circulate even after attempts to silence their authors. Photograph by Jacob Copeman of the front cover of Tarksheel magazine. Courtesy of Tarksheel Society Punjab.
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and professional practice. By documenting the lived experiences of non-religious asylum seekers and highlighting the challenges they face within existing asylum procedures, the research provides valuable evidence to inform policy discussions, professional training and future guidance. In doing so, it promotes a more nuanced understanding of how non-religious claims are assessed in practice and how asylum systems can better respond to this often-overlooked group. The project’s findings are brought together in 2026, in an open-access volume, Dissentiments: Non-religion, Violence and the Politics of Visibility in South Asia, which synthesises the insights generated across the ROSA project through extensive ethnographic research conducted in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Europe. Bringing together the expertise of the project’s researchers, the book moves beyond individual case studies to examine how violence against non-religious people is intertwined with religion, nationalism and political authority. It also explores the complex politics of visibility, showing how speaking out can become both an act of resistance and a source of vulnerability, forcing many individuals to navigate the difficult balance between remaining silent and making their views publicly known. Ultimately, ROSA demonstrates that non-belief is not simply an abstract philosophical position or the absence of religion. For many individuals, it is a deeply personal aspect of identity that shapes their relationships, opportunities and, in some cases, their safety. By documenting these lived experiences and examining how they are understood within asylum systems, the project provides valuable evidence that can support more
ROSA A closer look at asylum claims based on religious freedom
Project Objectives
ROSA investigates violence targeting people labelled as non-religious in South Asia and its global repercussions. Drawing on long-term ethnographic research, the project examines how irreligious minorities experience persecution and seek recognition, showing how attention to freedom of non-religion reshapes our understanding of religious violence.
Project Funding
ROSA was made possible through the support of the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 817959).
Contact Details Portrait of the murdered rationalist Narendra Dabholkar by the Punjab artist Kewal Krishan. The pen piercing a gun symbolises the movement’s conviction that critical inquiry and public debate are more powerful than violence. Photo by Vishav Bharti, October 6, 2025. Courtesy of Kewal Krishan and Vishav Bharti.
informed assessment practices and contribute to ongoing discussions among policymakers, practitioners and organisations working with refugees. More broadly, the research highlights how the consequences of violence and discrimination extend well beyond the communities in which they originate, influencing people’s lives, migration journeys and experiences of protection across borders. By bringing these often-overlooked stories to light, ROSA encourages a deeper understanding of the interconnected nature of persecution, identity and belonging in an increasingly globalised world.
Project Coordinator, Professor Jacob Copeman Institute of Studies and Development of Galicia (IDEGA) University of Santiago de Compostela ANTE Territorial Analysis E: jacob.copeman@usc.es W: https://jacobcopeman.academia.edu/ research • Dissentiments: Non-religion,Violence, and the Politics of Visibility in South Asia (Cambridge University Press, 2026). By Copeman, Blom, Laws, Quack & Schulz. • Asylum and Nonreligion: Emotions, Evidencemaking and Credibility (Palgrave. 2024). By Laws • Cultivating Secularity: Politics, Embodiment and Criticism of Religion in Bangladesh (NYU Press, 2026). By Schulz. • Global Sceptical Publics: From Non-Religious Print Media to Digital Atheism (UCL Press, 2022). Edited by Copeman & Schulz. • An Anthropology of Non-Religion? (Special Issue of Religion & Society, 2023). Edited by Schulz & Binder.
Jacob Copeman
Ben Laws
Jacob Copeman is Oportunius Research Professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela. A socio-cultural anthropologist, his research explores religion, non-religion, media and South Asia, supported by multiple European Research Council grants. Ben Laws is currently Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge.
A rationalist bookstall in Punjab during fieldwork for the ROSA project. Printed literature remains central to the movement’s efforts to foster public debate and cultivate cultures of rationalist inquiry. Photo by Vishav Bharti, June 6, 2024. Courtesy of Vishav Bharti.
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Navigating Quotas and Identities: Displaced Persons in a New Global Order The management of mass migration and the resettlement of millions of people in the period after the Second World War can tell us a global and connected story of how a new international order emerged. Kerstin von Lingen and her colleagues in the GLORE project are investigating how resettlement was managed and experienced after 1945. The Second World War led to the displacement of millions of people across Europe and Asia, and resettling them afterwards proved to be a huge challenge. While the victorious Allies may have initially thought that most people would be happy to be repatriated to their home countries, the situation in Europe was much more complex and many displaced people (DPs) in fact refused to be resettled, for various reasons. “For example, many Jewish refugees refused to return to their home countries because everything they knew had been destroyed and their families had died. Former Soviet POWs and slave labourers were not keen on being repatriated to Stalinist Russia, because rumours quickly spread that people who came home were immediately imprisoned again,” explains Kerstin von Lingen, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna. As Principal Investigator of the ERC-backed GLORE project, Professor von Lingen is now looking to build a deeper picture of how resettlements were managed in the period between 1945-51, drawing on several sources of data, among them governmental and non-governmental documents, church files, passenger lists and ego-documents.The project’s vision is to explain how societies can cope with the enormous task of mass resettlement and how they resolve the question of integration: the politics of resettlement was central to the creation of a global order after 1945.
Displaced persons This research involves looking at records from several sources, including the Red Cross, the United Nations Rehabilitation and Relief Administration (UNRRA) and the Arolsen International Tracing Service, which provide detailed information on individual cases and life stories. In Europe, DPs initially stayed in camps run by UNRRA, which can be seen as a kind of transit hub.“The idea was not that people would stay there in the long-term. These camps would provide accommodation for some months, then people would move on,” says Professor von Lingen. Typically DPs were asked if there was somewhere they would particularly like to go to, or which skills they held, as delegations from all round the world came to European camps to seek labour for their countries. “If your family had fled to Sydney to escape the Nazis then you
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Jammed into eight camps, German and Austrian refugees live out of steamer trunks. Shanghai, China - April 1946. Clothing is hung from the ceiling to save space UNRRA has erected Quonset huts to alleviate the housing shortage (Photo by Rothstein), (UNARMS, CNRRA/ 30, Item S-0801-0009-0001-00059).
might want to go to Australia for example,” says Professor von Lingen. “We see that many DPs were desperate to get away from the places that they associated with trauma and suffering. A lot of Jewish refugees wanted to go to Palestine for example, because they had this idea that it was a Jewish state, and that they would be safer from persecution there.” Migration circulated on many routes, both open and hidden, in the years after the war, and renewed racial hatred - for example anti -Jewish pogroms in Poland - stirred another refugee wave amongst people who had just returned from camps or from hiding in Eastern
Europe. It was not until 1948 that the state of Israel was formally established however, and a more channelled migratory route opened up for Jewish DPs, while many others dreamt of moving to America or Australia to start afresh. Some DPs moved to what was Palestine before 1948, but circumstances were not always ideal, particularly for those with health problems. “A lot of disabled concentration camp survivors were sent to Switzerland for a year, to recover in the fresh air. Some were then sent to Palestine, and they found themselves in temporary camps in the desert, in quite difficult conditions,” outlines
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Professor von Lingen. Faced with these kinds of challenges, some DPs decided that it was better to return to Europe, and organisations had to adapt. “There was a learning curve for all the institutions involved. People might have initially wanted to flee trauma, but they sometimes found that a hospital in Austria or Germany provided a more settled environment and better health care,” continues Professor von Lingen. “We see a degree of resignation in letters from DPs, that while they had wanted to get away from their former Nazi neighbours, they found they had not many options on the labour market and being in the fresh air at a sanatorium in Germany was not too bad.” There were also many DPs who were determined to leave and forge new lives abroad, often in countries with a high demand for labour. Countries would establish a quota for how many DPs of a specific nationality they would accept, which were strictly enforced. “If the quota had been met then DPs could not travel on a ship, even if the authorities in Europe said they should move on,” says Professor von Lingen. At this point many DPs, in particular those from Eastern Europe, would try to navigate their way through the system to their own advantage, as Professor von Lingen explains. “They might disappear from a camp, and enrol again in another, claiming to be of a different nationality to try and get on the next ship,” she continues.
A group of refugee passengers on the deck of the Marine Falcon leaning on the rails to say a last farewell, Shanghai, Jan. 1947 (UNARMS, CNRRA / 333 A, Item S-0801-0009-0001-00014).
Global resettlement The Second World War was very much a global conflict, and the project team is also keen to look beyond Europe at the wider picture, including how resettlements were managed in China. While China was one of the ‘big four’ Allied powers during the War, it did not receive a lot of international support in dealing with
“We’re looking at how people can integrate into a new culture, a new society and labour market, and how they are navigating the system they have been forced to live in.” This is related to the particularities of Central and Eastern Europe, where borders had shifted multiple times in the 20th century and many people had mixed families and held multiple identities, often speaking five or more languages. A particular phenomenon is the policy towards refugees of ‘ethnic German’ origin, who had been expelled from their century-long settlements following the Allied victory in Europe in 1945. In the years after the war these ethnic Germans - the Volksdeutsche - were excluded from UNRRA help. It was not until 1948 that UNRRAs successor organization, the IRO (International Refugees Organization) started providing help with shelter and resettlement programs and many ethnic Germans were resettled, mostly in Germany and the Americas.This is a relatively under-researched topic, but is now being addressed within the GLORE framework, from both transnational and comparative perspectives.
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resettlement as the direction of political travel became clearer. “Towards the end of ‘44 it became apparent that Chiang-Kai-Shek was in decline and that Mao Zedong was gaining power. In the initial planning for the post-war order it had been envisaged that China would play a huge role, but this diminished as the Communist influence grew,” explains Professor von Lingen. China established its own organisation, the Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation Organisation (CNRRA), independent of UNRRA but modelled on broadly similar lines, while at the same time largely dependent on Western funding. “The Chinese government wanted to make it clear that they were in charge and making the decisions,” says Professor von Lingen. “They had only partial Allied help, but they modelled their approach to the resettlement of refugees on the way in which the issue had been managed in Europe.” A large number of DP camps were set up, with healthcare and educational facilities, before
Chinese refugees could then be resettled in suitable locations within the country. At the same time the Chinese government was keen to accelerate the removal of foreign nationals who had found temporary refuge in the country during the War; most had left by the end of 1948, marking a new stage in the resettlement process. “This was the point where the Chinese authorities were able to concentrate more of their attention on internally displaced people,” outlines Professor von Lingen. This was a demanding task, as while these people may have been displaced within their own country, von Name cards at Arolsen archives (Photograph: Gollhardt 2014), Source: Arolsen Archives
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GLORE
Global Resettlement Regimes: Ambivalent Lessons learned from the Postwar (1945-1951)
Project Objectives
The project team aims to shed new light on the complex practices of resettlement, focusing on the period between 1945-51, when the authorities were dealing with mass displacement following the end of the Second World War.Their vision is to explain how societies can cope with the enormous task of mass resettlement and how they resolve the question of integration. We see the politics of resettlement as central to the creation of a global order. This research will lead to a fuller understanding of the modern world, and the large-scale movements of refugees and economic migrants that we see today.
Project Funding
Funded by the European Union (ERC, GLORE, ECGA Nr. 101053242) Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the ERC. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Team Members
• Jiayi Tao, BA MA PhD, • Pauli Aro, BA MA Mres, PhD, • Raphaela Monika Bollwein, BEd MA • Lena Clara Christoph, BA MA • Elisabeth Czerniak, BA MA • Anna Deriugina BA MA • Johannes Glack, BA MA • Konstantin SchischkaZeidler BA BEd MA MEd (Digital Humanities)
Contact Details
Photo by Barbara Mair/Uni Wien
Principal Investigator, Prof. Dr. Kerstin von Lingen, M.A. Institut für Zeitgeschichte Universität Wien Spitalgasse 2-4/Hof 1 (1l-01-20) 1090 Wien T: +43-(0)1-4277-41216 E: kerstin.von.lingen@univie.ac.at W: https://global-displacement-andresettlement.univie.ac.at/ Vienna Global Research Blog for the History of Refugees: https://blog-dgg.univie.ac.at/
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Prof. Dr. Kerstin von Lingen, M.A.
Prof. Dr. Kerstin von Lingen, M.A. is the Chair of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna, a position she had held since 2019. Her research focuses on the history of genocide and violence, especially the Holocaust, forced migration and decolonisation processes.
Mass inoculation of Chinese children at TB clinic, Shanghai, China - November 1947 (Photo by Larry Gahn), (UNARMS, CNRRA / 769, Item S-0801-0007-0001-00026).
Lingen says the environment was often very unfamiliar. “Northern China is very different to southern China. There are vast distances involved and entirely distinct cultural traditions and languages,” she stresses. One of the observations the team has made, with the help of digital humanities methods, is the phenomenon of ‘multiple resettlements’, and sometimes even second generation refugee
Professor von Lingen. This reflects a degree of flexibility in how migrations were managed, a willingness to adapt plans in line with circumstances. “We call that the learning system. If a plan doesn’t work, then you need to adapt,” continues Professor von Lingen. “We can see phases in the way the resettlement process was managed, and people on the ground had a lot of autonomy, particularly in remote areas.”
“Previous historical research has largely focussed on the international framework for resettlement, and on the personal experiences of displaced people, but we lack an understanding of the complex practices of resettlement. By using archival as well as digital humanities methods, we shall fill this gap.” fates. “We have found Russian emigrées fleeing the October revolution in 1917, then somehow ending up in Harbin, China, in the 1920s,” says Professor von Lingen. “They then fled the Japanese advance to Shanghai in the 1930s, and after being resettled by the Allies to the Philippines in the late 1940s, they then found their way to the US in the 1950s.” The project’s agenda also encompasses research into the Allied staff who moved to China to work in supporting the resettlement of DPs, with a lot of movement between Europe and Asia in the Summer of 1945. These were often people who had previous experience of China, maybe they were fluent in Cantonese or Mandarin and were enrolled with UNRRA or CNRRA, and were on the spot. “They are missionaries, businessmen, church people, who have knowledge of humanitarian aid,” says
There was a degree of leeway in how DP camps were managed, and some people saw their role as being about more than simply providing food and shelter, but also in helping people overcome the trauma they had experienced. This is an important step towards dealing with the past and successfully integrating in a new country. “We’re looking at how people can integrate into a new culture, a new society and labour market, and how they are navigating the system they have been forced to live in” outlines Professor von Lingen. This is a prominent issue today, with large numbers of people fleeing war-torn areas across the world, so Professor von Lingen and her team are keen to bring their work to wider attention. “We have an active blog, as well as a podcast, and we are very interested in visualizing our findings through digital humanities,” she stresses.
EU Research