Microplastics are ubiquitous, persistent, and can cause physical harm and toxicological effects on the environment. Their modes and mechanisms of toxic action have been demonstrated on different biological systems. They can moreover act as an artificial substrate that can not only affect ecological processes and biodiversity but also facilitate the transport of invasive species and pathogens.
However, knowledge of the origin, size, abundance and spatial distribution of microplastics in marine systems remains limited. Their toxicological and ecological effects on marine organisms and human health have also been insufficiently studied to date.
In this context the partners of the European "JPI OCEANS" programme are launching a first international transdisciplinary call for proposals. It aims at increasing knowledge on three main themes:
Nine countries are participating in the call: Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
Only transnational projects will be funded: each consortium must therefore include at least three teams from at least three different countries participating in the call.
The total provisional budget for the call is €7.5 M. Each agency will fund the teams from its own country, therefore the candidates must ensure that they comply with the rules of eligibility of their respective agencies. ANR will thus only fund the French teams. Project submission and selection shall take place as an integrated peer evaluation process with the other countries.
Find out more:
| JPI OCEANS: Towards healthy and productive seas and oceans |
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The Joint Programming Initiatives (JPI) constitute a mode of cooperation between member States working to build the European Research Area. The JPIs aim to optimise national research efforts and network the actors (organisations and funding agencies) in order to respond as effectively as possible to the major societal challenges facing European communities. JPIs aims at avoiding the fragmentation of research efforts in Europe by combining and coordinating the efforts and setting up joint research programmes on issues that are of major importance for European societies. The JPI OCEANS focuses on the societal challenges linked to the seas and oceans. The partners in this initiative are thus focusing on defining joint long-term strategic priorities for marine and maritime research in Europe. It has just launched its first call for collaborative research project proposals. |
