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Limits to Growth Revisited - Call for Applications - Volkswagen Foundation Winter School; Hanover, Germany; November 24 to December 1, 2012

2012-02-22T00:00:00Z

The buzzword of our time, “sustainability”, is closely related to a book published 40 years ago, in 1972: “The Limits to Growth” by an MIT project team involving Donella and Dennis Meadows. Only few things seem to have changed since then. Again the various developments in different societies call for new matching modes of thinking that promise a secure future for everyone. What is smart or good growth? Why are so many findings of the report still unresolved? Will there be solutions? And which ones could that be?

In order to give fresh impetus to the debate, the Volkswagen Foundation, who funded “Limits to Growth”, aims to foster new thinking and the development of different models in all areas related to the “Limits to Growth” study at the crossroads of natural and social sciences.

The Winter School “Limits to Growth Revisited” (November 24 to December 1, 2012) is directed specifically at highly talented young scholars from related disciplines.

The Volkswagen Foundation intends to grant this selected group of post docs and PhD students the opportunity to develop new hypotheses, ideas, and questions. These results will be presented at an international conference on “Limits to Growth” in Hanover held by the Volkswagen Foundation and Dennis Meadows together with high-ranking international experts from various disciplines on the “Limits to Growth” topics. The conference will take place in Hanover (Germany) on Wednesday, 28 and Thursday 29 November, 2012. Please visit: www.volkswagenstiftung.de/limits

Applications are to be submitted as a pdf file before April 30, 2012 to ltg@volkswagenstiftung.de.

2012-02-22T00:00:00Z

Extension of ACQUEAU 5th Call deadline

2012-02-22T00:00:00Z

Following our successful Brokerage event for Call 5 this January, and discussions post this event, we have decided to extend the deadline for the Project Outline phase to the 26th March 2012.

The call is constructed from three wide-ranging themes:

Call 5A – Water & ICT Innovations for Sensing & Monitoring Applications in the Water Cycle
Call 5B – Sustainable Processes for Disinfection & Oxidation
Call 5C – Open Call within the context of the ACQUEAU Blue Book

For this call, ACQUEAU places a strong emphasis on the delivery of exploitable RTD outcomes, and on the forming of strong partnerships between SMEs and large enterprises, with the support of leading European RTD institutions.

You can visit our website to see more details on the project guidelines, theme descriptors, and other information for how to get involved with this call.

Please do not hesitate to contact us, should you have any enquiries.

It is important to note that:

We would like to encourage all interested organisations who want to be part of consortia to make contact with partners at the earliest opportunity.
We would also like to stress that you can still submit project proposals and participate in the call, even if you did not attend the brokerage event.
If you wish to submit a proposal, you should get in touch with your National Project Coordinator as soon as possible, regarding your project outline and funding.

We look forward to working with you on our 5th Call.

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Important Documents:

1. PO Template for Call 5

2. General ACQUEAU Label Conditions

3. Call 5 Guidelines

4. Call 5 Theme Descriptions

4. ACQUEAU Process

5. Model of Consortium Agreement (required at FPP stage)

6. Letter of Intent (required at PO stage)

ACQUEAU is the first EUREKA Cluster dedicated to environmental and water related technologies.

It aims at promoting innovation and market driven solutions to develop new technologies in the water sector

ACQUEAU is an initiative supported by more than 25 countries and 70+ companies across Europe

The ultimate aim of a EUREKA Cluster is to facilitate the generation of market-driven, pan- European collaborative water research and technological development R&D projects for the benefit of the European industry

The EUREKA ‘Label’ is awarded to project proposals with the potential of developing breakthrough innovations. It allows successful consortium companies to apply for national funding in support of the labelled project; the label is an assessment of quality, economic interest and viability of the projects.

Lebanon: CIUDAD water management project to help save drinking water

2012-02-22T00:00:00Z

The first of 8 decentralized waste water treatment plants was inaugurated in the town of Baakline, Lebanon. The first results of collection and purification of “grey” water carried out by the EU-funded Urban Water Management project (WADI) in the Mount Lebanon governorate were presented at the meeting of project partners held in Baakine from 8 to 10 February. “Grey” water from washing and household activities is purified and used for irrigation, putting less pressure on drinking water supplies.

Moreover, the collection and purification process used in this project is low-tech and low-cost. Seven other plants planned in the project are under construction. The project hopes to use them to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the proposed solution both for improving sanitation and saving water. The first results presented during the meeting aroused keen interest among the local institutions and associations involved in the management of wastewater as well as members of the press.

The WADI project, funded by the EU in the Framework of the CIUDAD programme, will help Lebanese and Palestinian partner municipalities train their staff on-the-job to develop surface water management and flood control plans (in Jericho) and decentralized wastewater treatment (in the Lebanese Chouf municipalities). It will also help implement selected pilot projects and work with NGOs to educate local communities about safe practices.

CIUDAD runs from 2009 to 2012 and co-finances 21 local grant projects in the Neighbourhood's South and East. The projects reflect the overall objective of CIUDAD and in particular the following themes:

• Environmental Sustainability and Energy Efficiency
• Sustainable Economic development and reduction of social disparities and
• Good governance and sustainable urban development planning.

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WADI project factsheet
CIUDAD – fiche and news
CIUDAD - website

Masdar Institute Appoints Renowned Expert in Desalination to Establish Centre of Excellence for Water Technologies: Dr. Nidal Hilal Joins Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering Program

2012-02-21T00:00:00Z

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced the appointment of Dr. Nidal Hilal, an expert in desalination and membrane technologies, as the Professor in Nano-membranology and Water Technologies at the Water and Environmental Engineering program.

Dr Hilal, who has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wales in the UK, is also entrusted with the responsibility of working with the faculty to establish a Centre of Excellence for Water Technologies at Masdar Institute. He is internationally recognized as a leader in developing and applying the force measurement capability of atomic force microscope (AFM) to the study of membrane separation and engineering processes at the nano-scale level.

The Centre of Excellence for Water Technologies at Masdar Institute will be the GCC region's first international-quality provider of localized solutions to water technology needs. It will focus on membrane technologies, a newer way of removing salt and impurities from seawater that is estimated to use about 90 per cent less energy than standard thermal desalination plants. More specifically, the Centre will aim to help reuse the UAE's wastewater, reducing the need to create desalinated water from the Gulf and thus saving on carbon emissions.

Dr Hilal is also the Editor-in-Chief of Desalination, published by Elsevier, the most widely respected international journal on the science and technology of desalting and water purification. Masdar Institute now leads the way in desalination.

Dr. Marwan Khraisheh, Dean of Engineering at Masdar Institute, said: “Our faculty represents a cross-section of talented and proven individuals in clean energy and sustainable technologies. Dr Hilal is an internationally-renowned expert in water-treatment technologies who brings enormous additional value to Masdar Institute’s highly focused research activities. We are delighted to welcome him and we thank the country’s leadership for creating an institution that serves as a magnet, attracting leading brains in science, technology and engineering.”

Dr Hilal’s research focus areas include the identification of innovative and cost-effective solutions to real world process engineering problems within the fields of chemical engineering, nano-water, membrane technology, water treatment including desalination, colloid engineering and the nano-engineering applications of atomic force microscopy (AFM).

As the Director of Centre for Clean Water Technologies at the University of Nottingham in the UK from 2003 until 2010 and later the Director of Centre for Water Advanced Technologies and Environmental Research (C WATER) at Swansea University in the UK, Dr Hilal has developed a successful research portfolio and established a wide range of international research collaborations over the last 10 years. He has more than 300 publications to his credit and his work has been published widely in journals, international proceedings including five books and 23 invited book chapters.

Dr. Nidal Hilal said: “Masdar Institute focuses on advanced technology solutions including new water treatment technologies and I am keen to contribute my expertise to identifying new solutions in this area. It is a privilege to be a member of Masdar Institute faculty and the additional responsibility of establishing the Centre of Excellence for Water Technologies demonstrates the institution’s confidence in my capabilities. I will contribute my efforts towards driving research and finding solutions in water technologies that is of paramount importance to the region.”

Dr Hilal won the Kuwait Prize of Applied Science in the Arab world in 2005 for his innovative development work in water technology. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) from the University of Wales in recognition of his outstanding research contribution in the fields of membrane technology and application of AFM to chemical and process engineering.

Representing 27 countries, Masdar Institute’s 63 faculty members across the eight Master’s programs are the alumni of some of the most globally-renowned universities.

Established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, Masdar Institute remains committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change.

Latest uploads

Limits to Growth Revisited - Call for Applications - Volkswagen Foundation Winter School; Hanover, Germany; November 24 to December 1, 2012

Extension of ACQUEAU 5th Call deadline

--Important Documents:

Lebanon: CIUDAD water management project to help save drinking water

Masdar Institute Appoints Renowned Expert in Desalination to Establish Centre of Excellence for Water Technologies: Dr. Nidal Hilal Joins Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering Program

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Important Documents: