About the network
Our mission is to integrate applied research with the needs of industry and facilitate development of innovative environmental technologies for building sustainable future.
Objectives:
ENVITECH-Net's primary objective is to contribute to an effective implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan in Europe.
ENVITECH-Net is aimed to help establish applied research collaborations of international RTD units and academia with industry and SMEs in the area of environmental technologies development and application using available funding mechanisms.
Productive cooperation between the community of researchers and environmental technologies end-users cannot take place without an effective communication and exchange of ideas. Therefore ENVITECH-Net has been designed to serve as a forum for identification and sharing of the existing problems together with a dissemination and exchange of information on RTD accomplishments and relevant solutions addressing environmental technologies.
To strengthen the need for solutions that help protecting our natural environment and increase their absorption on the market, ENVITECH-Net supports promotion of innovative technological achievements together with raising the environmental awareness of their end-users.
Organisational structure:
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The past and the present:
The network was established in 2002 as an initiative of Polish RTD units and academia active in the area of environmental technologies research in response to the increasing need for environment focused RTD due to the implementation of EU laws in Poland, in particular the IPPC Directive. Originally the research areas defined for the network reflected the technological scope of the IPPC Directive. The network was established by a group of 67 Polish RTD units - original ENVITECH-net members. Soon, 15 European-level and 8 domestic Centres of Excellence established by the networking organisations have become partners to ENVITECH-Net. a report produced by the European Commission in 2002 that provided an overview of possible developments in the field of environmental technologies together with an outline of the environmental technologies market, including some of the barriers to their development (COM(2002)122) gave a start-up to modify the scientific scope of ENVITECH-Net. In consequence, in 2003 the Steering Committee made a decision to define the research fields of the network accordingly to the trends in technology development set up in the above mentioned EC Communication. In 2004 ENVITECH-Net has become open to international research community. That time inquiries from 11 countries were made in order to join ENVITECH-Net. Currently there are over 60 members from 8 countries, who declared their interested in co-operation and participation in the activities of the network. We have extended an open invitation to all RTD units and academia who would like to join us and identify with network's mission and objectives.
Research Fields:
The present ENVITECH-Net research scope has emerged during the period of intensified actions leading to implementation of the Environmental Technology Action Plan. Thus, the scope of network interest reflects the technological areas indicated in this document, i.e.:
- 1.1. Development of improved water metering and leak detection systems
- 1.2. Development of improved water and sewage decentralised distribution systems
- 1.3. Development of technologies for sustainable water recycling/reuse from wastewater ("grey-water" and "black-water")
- 1.4. Development of measurement methods - techniques for remote sensing, standards for measurement methods and data collection, multi-sensors
- 1.5. Research on water resources shaping and flood control, in that:
- 1.6. Development of mathematical models for flood prediction/prevention and impact mitigation
- 1.7. Development of innovative environmental protection technologies: Membrane-based technologies
- 1.8. Development of innovative environmental protection technologies: advanced oxidation technologies
- 1.9. Development of innovative environmental protection technologies: Separation and recycling technologies
- 1.10. Development of innovative environmental protection technologies: Biotechnologies - production of tailor-made biofilms
- 1.11. Development of innovative environmental protection technologies: Innovative technologies based on advanced biological nutrient removal processes
- 1.12. Development of innovative environmental protection technologies: Technologies based on anaerobic processes
- 1.13. Development of innovative environmental protection technologies: Sewage sludge technologies
- 2.1. Development of technologies for hydrogen production from fossils, renewable and other sources
- 2.2. Development of technologies for transport, storage and end-use of hydrogen ( fuel cell systems ) for clean decentralized energy supply
- 2.3. Development of greenhouse gas-free energy technologies
- 2.4. Development of technologies for sequestration of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels
- 2.5. Development of technologies based on renewable energy sources, such as: wind, biomass, photovoltaic and photothermal cells, wave and ocean energy
- 3.1. Development of clean technologies based on effective use of resources
- 3.2. Development of resource-based technologies
- 3.3. Development of nano-science and nanotechnology; clean processes, products and materials accompanied by an emphasis on life cycle analysis
- 3.4. Development of technologies for the treatment of waste, including hazardous waste, with recovery of materials
- 4.1. Development of biotechnology and research on life science technologies that improve our understanding of soil microbiology and microbial diversity
- 4.2. Development of bio-remediation technologies for contaminated soil
- 4.3. Development of technologies that fight land degradation desertification and soil contamination and help protect vulnerable ecosystems
- 4.4. Development of technologies for soil monitoring and development of soil erosion and degradation biomarkers
- 5.1. Development of Information Communication Technologies for better control of industrial processes (such as equipment, probes, control systems), that improve collection, storage, processing, standardization and interpretation of data
- 5.2. Development of management and monitoring systems
- 5.3. Development of telematic technologies
- 5.4. Development of e-Business, including commerce, industry and services
- 5.5. Development of biotechnologies in environmental protection and engineering
- 5.6. Development of Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, (programmes for radio navigation by satellite)
- 5.7. Development of socio-economic research and policy analysis tools: for example, tools to internalise environmental costs into pricing and accounting systems