Objective
Harmful algal blooms, in particular toxic cyanobacterial blooms, pose severe environmental threats to water security, public health, and local economies. BloomSCAN is a portable field instrument that turns a few millilitres of lake water into a risk assessment on harmful cyanobacterial blooms within minutes. Building directly on ERC-StG project FluMAB, it combines Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)-enabled 3D colony morphology measurements, an on-cartridge toxin screen, and on-device AI to identify taxa and compute a physics-based buoyancy/scum-formation risk score.
We will demonstrate the feasibility and innovation potential of this integrated approach, and de-risk the route to adoption by water authorities. We will design and assemble an integrated prototype (optics + chemical assay + embedded AI + physic-informed prediction algorithm), validate analytical performance in bench tests (detection and quantification limits for microcystins and anatoxin; repeatability and drift with on-cartridge controls), and run multi-site pilots with Dutch water boards and applied institutes.
Success will be measured by time-to-decision of less than minutes, agreement with accredited laboratory methods, toxin sensitivity at WHO/EPA-relevant levels, and a risk score that outperforms pigment proxies; we will also deliver SOPs, a technical validation report, and a pilot-to-purchase playbook. Expected outcomes are advancement from TRL 3 to TRL 4 and from CRL 2 to CRL 4, filed IP on the trait-to-risk algorithm, OCT integration and device design, and a commercialization pathway.
BloomSCAN will change current practice by establishing a new standard for algal bloom diagnostics, enabling real-time decision-making at the shoreline, and opening a market segment for in-situ, rapid diagnostics, delivered through a single, easy-to-use field decision tool for water authorities.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1012WX Amsterdam
Netherlands
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