Scientific Support to the Danube Strategy

EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR)

• Macro-regional approach launched by Commissioner Hahn and DG Regio in 2011

• Objectives:

Tackle the challenges and priorities of the Danube Region

in an integrated manner

Develop into a durable framework for cooperation

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Scientific Support to the Danube Strategy

• Initiative launched by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in November 2011

• Objectives:

Gather essential scientific expertise and data to help decision-makers and other stakeholders of the Danube Region to identify the policy measures and actions needed for the implementation of the EUSDR

Reinforce ties and cooperation amongst the scientific community of the Danube Region

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Launch and implementation

Phase 1: Launch and consultation of stakeholders

• Nov 2011: Signature of a Letter of Intent with Sciences Academies• Jan 2012: Kick off meeting in Sofia

Phase 2: Definition and validation of scientific priorities• Apr 2012: High-level event in Brussels

Phase 3: Identification and validation of flagship clusters• Jan-Feb 2013: Consultation of interested partners• March 2013: Scientific meeting in Ispra

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Priorities

4 vertical priorities:

• Environmental protection

• Irrigation and agriculture development

• Navigability

• Energy production

1 horizontal priority:

• European Governance (Support to research and innovation strategies for Smart Specialisation)

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Flagship clusters and activities

4 flagship clusters:

• Danube Water Nexus (DWN)

• Danube Land and Soil Nexus (DLSN)

• Danube Air Nexus (DAN)

• Danube Bio-energy Nexus (DBN)

2 horizontal activities:

• Danube Reference Data and Service Infrastructure (DRDSI) pilot

project

• Smart Specialisation6

Next steps

• 26 April 2013: Smart Specialisation seminar, Brussels

• 16 May 2013: High-level event in Bratislava

gathering high level representatives of Danube countries

flagship projects will be presented and discussed

• 2nd half of 2013: Beginning of concrete work on the flagship clusters

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Flagship Clusters

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• Matching availability and demand of water needs to be evaluated in terms of competing objectives of the different sectors

• Look at the implications for water resources allocation

• Agriculture and energy as the priority sectors in which water saving and efficiency should be improved in order to avoid scarcity

Agriculture

Environment

Tourism Drinking water

Industry

Energy

Danube Water Nexus (1)

Aim and scope

• Deliver integrated impact assessments of

water resources in the face of increasing trends

of global population, urbanisation, pollution,

over-exploitation, climate change

• Focus on Europe and Africa: Danube-Niger

river basins and the Mediterranean region

as pilot areas

Danube Water Nexus (2)

Objectives

Danube Water Nexus (3)Expected outputs: Sharing efforts in the Danube Region: towards common end products

Scenarios of environmental and economic impacts of alternative water allocation measures across competing water-using sectors, inc. assessment of provision/valuation of ecosystem services

Methodology for modelling of water resources in the Danube river basin integrating quantity, quality, ecology and hydro-morphology.

Supporting the implementation process of the Water Framework Directive and planning of medium and long-term actions for the 2nd cycle of River Basin Management

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Danube Land and Soil Nexus (1)

Scope

•Land and soil availability

•Land and soil quality

•Land and soil-related risks

•Preservation and restoration of above- and belowground ecosystems and biodiversity

•Harmonised data collection and monitoring

•Awareness raising and capacity building

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Danube Land and Soil Nexus (2)

Expected outputs :

•Documenting land and soil resource conditions of Danube Basin, and effectiveness of management

•Determining how land and soil resources respond to environmental, societal and economic change and pressures

•Addressing challenges of land resource efficiency, including knowledge base

•Examining adequacy of existing policy framework

•Proposals for policy development13

Danube Air Nexus (1)

Scope•Addressing air-related issues in the Danube Region and especially the assessment of air quality sources of the impacts of air pollution on health.

Proposed work packagesIdentifying air pollution sources

Scenarios of future air quality emissions

Climate impact on air quality and health

Assessing impacts of PAH on health

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Danube Air Nexus (2)

Expected outputs

Identification of air pollution sources

Future emission scenarios for air pollutants

Evaluation of impacts of atmospheric Polycyclic

Aromatic Hydrocarbons on child development

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Danube Bioenergy Nexus (1)

Scope•Addressing challenges of energy production in the Danube Region, focusing on the development of bioenergy and its possible impacts on the agriculture sector in the Region as well as on the environment

Proposed work packagesMapping bioenergy development potential of the Region Assessing the relevant technological optionsAssessing the impacts of bioenergy development on agriculture, climate change, soil quality and on biodiversity

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Danube Bioenergy Nexus (2)

Expected outputs

Extension of National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) databases to non-EU Danube countries and update of EU countries' data

Detailed maps of raw resources potential (e.g. crop residues, forest residues, sewage and other waste, manure for biogas)

Methodologies for assessing different sustainability aspects of bioenergy exploitation (e.g. water consumption and quality, soil erosion, etc.) for the preparation of further impact maps.

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Danube Reference Data and Service Infrastructure (DRDSI)

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Danube Reference Data and Services Infrastructure (DRDSI) Pilot Project

Aim and scope

•Creating an innovative scientific platform fit to user needs and providing a flexible solution for scientific support of informed decision-making

•Frontend to scientific information (data, models, projects, documents, others) with focus on the Danube Region

•Aligned to the Priority areas of the Danube strategy

•Based on lessons learned from the INSPIRE implementation process at JRC

•Regional approach, i.e. platform reflecting actual needs of the users in the Danube region

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DRDSI - Ingredients

Shared Governance and Ownership

•Building a community of stakeholders to share data, knowledge and ideas

•JRC Knowledge base (data, models,..) for the Danube Region

•Close link with Digital Agenda for Europe (ICT standardisation, OpenData, PSI, …) and Digital Science

•Collaborative Platform and

•Distributed Facilities

….. resulting in …A relevant tool for

innovation and new projects formulation

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DRDSI – Development stages

Design and Development (1st release)

• DRSDI Portal focussing on Data Discovery, View and Access

Inventory of JRC Data and setting up the DRDSI Data Catalogue

• relevant JRC data fully documented

Access to JRC Data

• through the DRDSI Portal

Inventory of external sources and collaboration agreements

• New data ingestion (relevant data fully documented and accessible)

Design and Development (2nd release) - EVOLUTION

• Link with other Danube Clusters

• New data and functional requirements

• Citizen Observatory 21

DRDSI portal – 1st release

Prototype running with initial functionalities:• Discover data• View data• Access and download data

Iterative development based on mock-up simulating user experience

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• Interconnected Collaborative platform for all

• Citizen observatory

• Frontend for Sensor networks in the Danube region

• Utilization and scientific use of data from social media (Big Data)

• Support INSPIRE implementation

DRDSI– 2nd release

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Smart Specialisation

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Designed to assist regions and Member States in developing research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3)

Launched in June 2011

Managed by a team established at JRC-IPTS in Seville

106 regions registered at present

http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu

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Main activities of S3 Platform in support of the countries/regions preparing RIS3

2. Peer Review workshops & trans-national learning

4. RIS3 assessmentand support to REGIO desks

3. Outreach & Country Events

(Seminars in Member States & EU Macro-

regions)

6. Newsletter and Website with special access for regions &

interactive tools

1. The RIS3methodological Guide

5. Thematic workshops &

working groups

7. Research agenda

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Smart Specialisation for the Danube Region

Aim and scope:•Danube Region to be used as a pilot area to study and foster integration and coordination of regional or national RIS3 at macro-regional level

Action plan:•Identification of important elements of transnational dimension of RIS3 in the wider macro-regional context

=> Kick-off event on 26 April in Brussels

•Development of new actions targeted at national policy-makers

•Strengthening of support already provided to the regional authorities of the EU Danube countries, but also of the non-EU Danube countries