The meeting provided an opportunity for the projects to align their activities and discuss common challenges. Throughout the day, the projects had a chance to connect to external policy processes related to microplastics and start discussions on communication and outreach and how to maximise the impact of their research.
The agenda can be found below:
- Policy context, Dr. Georg Hanke, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
- Results and outcomes JPI Oceans Microplastics projects (2016-2019), Dr. Andy Booth, SINTEF
- ANDROMEDA - Analysis techniques for quantifying nano-and microplastic particles and their degradation in the marine environment – Coordinator: Dr Richard Sempéré, Université d'Aix-Marseille, France
- HOTMIC - Horizontal and vertical oceanic distribution, transport, and impact of microplastics – Coordinator: Dr Aaron Beck, GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, Germany
- FACTS - Fluxes and Fate of Microplastics in Northern European Waters – Coordinator: Prof Jes Vollertsen, Aalborg University, Denmark
- microplastiX - Integrated approach on the fate of MicroPlastics (MPs) towards healthy marine ecosystems - Prof Luca Brandt KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
- i-plastic - Dispersion and impacts of micro- and nano-plastics in the tropical and temperate oceans: from regional land-ocean interface to the open ocean – Coordinator: Prof Patrizia Ziveri, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
- RESPONSE - Toward a risk-based assessment of microplastic pollution in marine ecosystems - Coordinator: Prof Francesco Regoli, Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy
- Communication & Outreach – Resources and guidelines - Willem De Moor, JPI Oceans secretariat
The new round of projects build on an initial call for proposals of which four international research projects were funded from 2016 until 2019. These research projects have substantially improved knowledge about the analysis, weathering and ecotoxicological effects of microplastics in the marine environment. However, not all relevant questions have been addressed in the four earlier projects, leading to a second joint call for transnational research projects.
Based on the evaluations by peer referees and an expert panel, six projects were selected. Funding was awarded through a competitive call process in which 38 joint proposals requested in total €42 million.