The Opening Meeting of the 'Enhancing the Scientific Capacity of TÜBİTAK MAM in the Field of Smart Environmental Technologies for Climate Change Challenges (SMART4ENV) Project' funded by the European Commission under the HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03-01 Horizon Europe program call was held on 08-09 November 2022 at TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center.
The hybrid event took place in two sessions, allowing all partners and team members to learn about the operational and structural aspects of the project development. The sessions also included the election of the project advisory board and board of trustees.
The meeting, which was attended by more than 20 people, including 7 virtual participants, started with the opening speech of Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, Vice President of Climate Change and Sustainability at TÜBİTAK MAM. In her speech, Özsoy emphasized the impacts of climate change on our world and the environment and underlined that digital technologies offer an important opportunity to combat these impacts. Özsoy concluded her speech by thanking the stakeholders.
The project coordination team presented an overview of the project and information on project quality and risk management. After the introduction of the partners, the project work package leaders made presentations on the work package objectives and work schedule. On the second day of the meeting, the summary and results of the first day of the meeting were evaluated and the works to be completed in the first six months of the project were discussed. In addition, a site visit to Gebze Wastewater Treatment Plant was organized.
SMART4ENV consortium of 5 partners (TÜBİTAK MAM, Turkey; Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy; Fundación Universitaria Balmes; Sustainable Innovation Technology Services Limited, Ireland and Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway) with a budget of 1.5 Million Euros is coordinated by TÜBİTAK MAM. The project aims to build the research and innovation capacity of TÜBİTAK MAM researchers on digital and smart technologies in the areas of water management, smart irrigation, coastal management and air quality to address future climate challenges. It also aims to strengthen TÜBİTAK MAM's scientific reputation and networking channels, share knowledge with stakeholders and upskill national stakeholders on smart environmental solutions. SMART4ENV is scheduled to end in October 2025.
