Project SOWAEUMED is a Coordination and support action (CSA) of the EU 7^th Framework Programme (FP7) program CAPACITIES, within the Call which refers to strengthening the research potential of the Mediterranean countries, in order to enable them to collaborate in the future on scientific projects with research institutions of the EU on an equal footing basis. Its objectives are to establish a sustainable cooperation platform for forming strategic partnerships between scientists, scientific managers, policy makers, technology transfer and industrial experts between EU Member States (MS), Associated States (AS) and the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPC), concerning the development and implementation of solid waste and water treatment technologies. Details omn the Project are published on CORDIS pages of the European Commission.

The Project Consortium is composed of partners from 6 institutions:

      1.  Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona (Spain)

      2. Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm (Sweden)

      3.  Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI), Zagreb (Croatia)

      4. Université Cadi Ayyad (UCAM), Marrakech (Morocco)

      5. NADREC S.A. (NAD) , Barcelona (Spain)

      6. Sousse University (SOU), Sousse (Tunisia)

This 3-years project worth 880 000 € started on 1 December 2009. The project foresees the exchange of scientists, several scholarships for young associates, and acquisition of equipment necessary for future research in the Mediterranean countries. Together with three other projects of the 7^th Framework Programme within the category CAPACITIES this project forms the WASTE cluster dedicated to treatment of solid and liquid waste. The first meeting of the cluster initiative was held in Marrakech, from 13 to 15 January 2010. The cluster was also presented on the Week of Innovative Regions in Europe (WIRE), held in Granada from 15 to 17 March, 2010. The SOWAEUMED Newsletter has been designed to disseminate the information about the project and to promote the project’s results to interested users.

The funds assigned to the Laboratory for Measurement of Low-level Radioactivity (LNA) of the Rudjer Boskovic Institute are 97 995 €. Unlike other participants in the Consortium, who generally treat the problem of pollution and the removal of solid and liquid waste from urban or industrial areas, co-workers of LNA focus their work on the protected karst areas where very low amounts of contaminants can irreversibly affect the ecological balance, so the presence of these contaminants should be constantly monitored. Within the Project activities the collaborators of the Ruđer Bošković Institute will organize the presentation of their previous research (Case study) for professionals and students from participating countries. The Case study will be organized at the Plitvice Lakes National Park in spring 2011. Research related to water quality with emphasis to parameters responsible for the processes of carbonate precipitation from natural water in the form of tufa barriers and possible contaminants that may affect these processes will be presented. Analyses of lake sediments in order to monitor changes in the lakes and in the surrounding environment in past will be demonstrated. For this purpose different geochemical and isotopic analyses have been used. Several lectures of experts, who performed research on protection of the Plitvice Lakes, as well as demonstrating fieldwork, will be organized too.

Several shorter scientific visits of the RBI senior staff to the institutions-partners in the project and two 1-2 month scholarships for young colleagues from LNA at UAB in Spain and KTH in Sweden are planned.

visits since January 1, 2010