The Race for Water Foundation is a charity dedicated to water preservation. The Foundation aims to identify, promote and help implement solutions that give end-of-life plastics a value and therefore prevent the plastic pollution of the waterways. Using an innovative approach inspired by the principles of a circular economy and social entrepreneurship, the foundation seeks to create new sources of income for the people most affected by pollution by giving an economic value to plastic waste.
In July this year the Race for Water vessel has been transformed into a scientific station, acting also as a conference center for the first “From plastic waste to energy” seminar and for the first workshop of the Odyssey 2017-2021.
More specifically, Race for Water was turned into a floating laboratory for a series of sampling and testing of micro-plastics on the Bermudian beaches and surrounding waters. Raimundo Blanco (University of Vigo), Camilla C. Carteny (University of Antwerp) and Christelle Clérandeau (University of Bordeaux) are the first scientists to benefit from the facilities on this 90m2 oceanographic research vessel. All three scientists are involved in the EPHEMARE project, supported by the European consortium, JPI Oceans, and are studying the contamination by micro-plastics and consequent effects on aquatic species, both invertebrates and fish. On board Race for Water, with the help of the crew and local scientists, they will collect as many micro-plastic samples as possible from water columns, emerged and submerged sediments, as well as sea cucumbers and bivalves. Three areas of interest will be covered: Whale Bone Bay, Well Bay and Evans Bay. The samples will then be used to distinguish the pollutants present on the surface of these micro-plastics and to measure their potential toxicity with respect to one or two model marine species.
JPI Oceans was established in 2011, as a coordinating and integrating strategic platform, open to all EU Member States and Associated Countries, who invest in marine and maritime research. JPI Oceans covers all European sea basins with 21 participating countries and provides a long-term integrated approach to marine and maritime research and technology development in Europe. Seas and oceans namely provide an essential part of our wealth and well-being. The EU’s maritime regions account for around 40% of its GDP and the maritime economy for 3 to 5%.
JPI Oceans focuses on making better and more efficient use of national research budgets and on developing joint research programmes in which countries can be involved on a voluntary basis. Participating countries decide what contribution to make, which may include institutional, project-related or new funding. It also encourages working with non- EU countries on research and policy initiatives in order to achieve its objectives and will actively seek out partnerships with non-EU countries.
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The Joint Programming Initiative – JPI Climate is a pan-European intergovernmental initiative, bringing together European countries to jointly coordinate climate research and fund new transnational research initiatives that provide useful climate knowledge and services for post-COP21 Climate Action.
JPI Climate aims at responding to the knowledge needs of the policy and the European society at large to address climate change, and to:
JPI Climate furthermore:Foster an excellent science base, world-class research infrastructures and a new generation of researchers;
- Cooperate with partners in advanced, emerging and developing countries;
- Achieve greater impacts through involvement of the public and private sectors in knowledge creation and mobilisation;
- Innovate with the end-users on societal transformation for resilience and sustainability.
JPI Climate furthermore:
- Provides a platform to align national research priorities according to a jointly agreed Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) with the aim of complementing and supporting initiatives at the European level (ERA-NETs, Horizon 2020, Climate KIC, ESFRI Projects, Copernicus),
- Facilitates the coordination, collaboration and exploitation of synergies in climate change research, learning and innovation while working against fragmentation and duplication of efforts,
- Connects different disciplinary approaches in natural and social sciences leading to interdisciplinary research efforts of higher quality and relevance,
- Connects top researchers and research groups from different European countries, leading to high quality and efficient research efforts, long term collaborations and a stronger global position,
- Connects scientific insights with the demands of policy makers, decision makers and other stakeholders from local to international levels, leading to more effective policies.
Continue reading JPI “Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe
The Transformations to Sustainability Programme (T2S) is a research initiative of the International Social Science Council (ISSC), implemented in partnership with members of the Belmont Forum. 
The programme supports research to help advance transformations to more sustainable and equitable societies around the globe. It aims at providing a deeper understanding of the processes and impacts of the transformative social change in the context of global environmental change. It facilitates the creation of solutions to the problems of environmental change and sustainability, in the context of social and cultural diversity as well as promotes the use of the best knowledge about social transformations by researchers, educators, policy makers, practitioners, the private sector and citizens.
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