Final Report Summary - SUDSOE (CHARACTERIZATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF EGYPTIAN DEGRADED SOILS)
Executive Summary:
SUDSOE project aimed to increase the scientific regional leadership and reinforce both the scientific capacities and the cooperation abilities of NARSS. This goal includes pursuing, transferring, and providing knowledge on the most advanced technologies in the fields of characterization and sustainable use of degraded soils. On the other hand, SUDSOE would strengthen the abilities of NARSS to cooperate with EU partners by developing planned joint activities including its participation in the EU Waste Cluster Initiative. With the present action, NARSS will achieve a regional leadership on the indicated field contributing to the sustainable use of Egyptian degraded soils and building the self-capability to utilize these technologies to support the activities for National development. Such challenges would be achieved through reinforcing its excellence and creativity, thus contributing to regional economy and social welfare in line with EU 2020 Strategy, which sets priorities on developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation. NARSS demonstrates high level of human resources, infrastructure, material and organizational capacity. NARSS has gone through several collaboration experiences with European and African countries, but SWOT analysis indicates some weaknesses to be faced in order to reach the scientific regional leadership. Based on the SWOT analysis and in accordance with the Work Program of the call, coherent set of measures were elaborated. Full research potential were planed to be realized in close cooperation with three outstanding EU partnering organizations (POs) in the same S&T domain. NARSS human resources were enhanced by: developing strategic partnership with POs, by transferring and sharing of experience and knowledge; recruitment of experienced researchers to prevent brain drain; - dissemination and promotion of acquired knowledge at national, regional and international level, especially in the MED region. SUDSOE outcome is related to diverse beneficiaries, such as scientific community, general public,local authorities, policy makers and diverse stakeholders.
Project Context and Objectives:
Since the beginning of the project, January 1st 2012, work has been carried out in context of the six work packages included in project proposal. A number of 18 deliverable have been elaborated and submitted along the project lifetime. A number of Eleven milestones have been achieved and explained in the current final report.
In the WP1 "SETTING A STRATEGY" a number of three tasks were performed (i.e. identify of socio economic needs, action plan and interaction with stakeholders). NARSS action plan is derived from the SWOT, where the plan is to be carried out by complementing SUDSOE partner's experience. The action plan is developed to be performed on a series of steps, starting with analysis of the proposed improvement, and ending with implementation of the agreed actions. Target groups of stakeholders were identified as those whom are responsible for regional development strategies and setting policies related to the research areas. Meeting stack holders lead to identify opportunities, barriers and challenges to participate in supporting the sustainable use of Egyptian degraded soils and encouraging the EU FPs and RTD programs.
Concerning the WP2 "EXCHANGE OF KNOW-HOW THROUGH TWINNING ACTIVITIES WITH PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS", the most significant elaborated activities refer to the development of a road map exchange visits, which was agreed upon by the project consortium, at the kick off meeting. The document establishes the specific rules and scope for the training and exchanges to be funded by the SUDSOE budget. Moreover, two short exchange visits and a medium one from NARSS to UAB and KTH were carried out along the project period. Teams of different partners collaborated on preparing scientific Material that were uploaded on SUDSOE website, as components of the e-learning platform. The material focus on remote sensing and peaceful space science, IPR and technology transfer activities and Artificial Neural Network applications.
The WP3 "BOOST NARSS COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION WITH INDUSTRIES" witnessed distinctive activities during the project duration. Different dissemination and promotional activities were undertaken, addressed to target groups such as researchers, students, society, local / regional / state authorities. Moreover, NARSS catalogue, Seminar following the kick off and some steering committee meetings, workshop held in collaboration with MU during the period April 9-11, 2013 on “Artificial Neural Network –ANN support collaboration and innovation with industry.
Moreover, the established innovation office at NARSS will master proceeding with, projects preparation phases, fostering the cooperation with industry and supporting innovation development. (Project No.: 295031 Period number: 2nd Ref: 295031_SUDSOE_Periodic_Report-12_20150302_113232_CET.pdf Page - 4 of 11).
In context of WP4 "DISSEMINATION, NETWORKING AND CLUSTER ACTIVITY (WCI) TO INCREASE NARSS VISIBILITY", promotional kit, composed of project logo, flyers, posters, brochures and newsletters, were prepared, displayed and distributed in different external communication. The materials were concerned with the project goals ensuring a professional and coherent visual identification and immediate recognition of the project related activities. A number of three posters were created for promoting SUDSOE project in different National, regional and International events. Each poster includes some information, that the three together give the reader a complete vision on SUDSOE project. The posters were displayed in the "Euro-Mediterranean Conference", Barcelona April, 2-3, 2012, and at the "EU-Egypt cooperation in science and innovation", Cairo, April 18th to 20th, 2013. A double side tri-folded initial brochure was made related SUDSOE project that describe the project scope, objectives, goals and partner's details. It was prepared in both digital and analogue formats; the digital one was uploaded on SUDSOE website. The analogue one was distributed in local, regional and International events. A number of 4 news letters were prepared and widely distributed by e-mail messages to a wide range of stakeholders. SUDSOE website was created and published to increase the visibility of different project partners along with their teams and their different disciplines. The news and events related to the project activities are still being disseminated to stakeholders and interested personnel in order to get in direct contact with the project. It also offers the facility to download different presentations and materials of e-courses that might help students, researchers and assist decision makers. SUDSOE partners have participated in different networking and cluster activities held in the region.
Concerning WP 5 "EVALUATION OF THE NARSS RESEARCH POTENTIAL GROWTH" , the external expert of the project has submitted two evaluation reports. The EVALUATION REPORT I concluded that Neither NARSS nor Egypt needs another bureaucratic entity to facilitate technological innovation and promote research by “wasting” unnecessarily the precious time of Egyptian researchers that otherwise must be engaged in real scientific research on their own. The external expert suggests that after three years starting from 2014, another critical review of the activities of the research Innovation Office, established by SUDSOE, must be conducted to check on its results and performance. The second evaluation report was provided by the external expert in month 36. The external expert concluded that SUDSOE provided NARSS its modest contribution to face challenges facing Egypt, as of land and water shortage, effects of climate change, needs for more energy, environmental sustainability under population growth pressure, expansion of urban population and many more. It proved that NARSS is able to develop, prepare and manage an EU-funded proposal on its own and bring it to successful completion. It showed to both local and foreign partners that NARSS is able to coordinate international projects and open new perspectives for the near future. It is now up to NARSS staff to follow up this first great step and make sure that this good experience in the SUDSOE project could be replicated.
In regard to WP6 PROJECT MANAGEMENT, The Project Coordinator with the help of WP leaders prepared the initial action plan. He kept regularly monitoring the project implementation and controlling the contents of the website, managing project funds in line with the work programme, while arranging the regular reporting to the commission in line with the contract (Periodic Activity Reports, Management Reports, Cost Claims and certificates, etc.).
Project Results:
Science and technology foregrounds are rather important in characterizing and sustainable use of degraded soils. The remote sensing and peaceful applications, mastered by partner 1 (NARSS, Cairo, Egypt) allow to overcome environmental obstacles that may hinder conventional field survey. The satellite images provide the synoptic view that helps in pointing out the source of the environmental obstacles that may be out of the ground observation horizon. The multi-dates satellite data allow to detect changes in land surface and environmental aspects. Wet analytical chemistry, characterizing partner 2 (UAB, Barcelona, Spain) provide new innovative approaches in characterizing different degradation processes status, distribution, rate and spread direction. The Nano material technology, owned by partner 3 (KTH, Stockholm , Sweden) proved to have innovative impacts on soil and water pollution. The Artificial Neural network, possessed by Partner 4 (MU) allow the possibility of processing huge amount of data, as satellite images, in addition of extracting interrelation ships between different processed elements. Integration of such multidisciplinary scientific foregrounds provide understanding of the studied problems.
The science and technology results are worth to be highlighted, as they will remain and be invested after project termination. The creation of SUDSOE web site, including the E-learning platform is an remarkable scientific result to support graduate and post graduate researchers of corresponding fields. NARSS catalog, in both English and Arabic language, is scientific document serving NARSS visibility. The establishment of the innovation office (NARSS-RIO) is a technological outcome giving the best possible institutional support to innovators based in, or collaborating with, the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences. The elaborated exchange visits in context of SUDSOE activities added valuable scientific results. Senior exchanges resulted in knowledge and experience exchanges, also some scientific publications were issued. The junior exchanges offered training opportunities and enrichment of Ph.D. studies of NARSS assistants.
Potential Impact:
SUDSOE final expected results will reinforce NARSS to enhance its performance through the proposed activities of capacity building. The proposed exchange visits encouraged knowledge exchange and developing assessment and usage of models for degraded soils. Collaboration with the three project partners (UAB, KTH and MU) have its impact on developing integrated knowledge and practices of survey and best usage of degraded land. Training of post graduate studies and post-doctoral research approved the enhancement of staff performance and potentialities. Dissemination activities lead to getting more closer to stakeholders and end users, creating awareness at local user’s level regarding the assessment and manipulation of degraded and polluted land.
Main SUDSOE objectives can be referred to as follows:
# Strengthening and enlarge existing NARSS human resources and their capabilities for the implementation of soil regulations, having as a reference the EU directive for sustainable use of soils.This is achievable in close collaboration and exchange know-how with three research institutions from Spain, Sweden and Czech Republic, facing the problem of degraded soils.
# Reinforce NARSS human potential through enlargement of activities with private particular laboratories, however NARSS suffers more and more the lack of human potential.
# Retain the best research professionals at NARSS “brain gain” and to attract the experienced researchers from abroad for the purpose of reinforcing know-how and experience implementation.
# Gain first-hand knowledge of the state-of-the-art in specific areas of solid waste and waste water treatment technologies research that are of interest to both the EU and MED.
# Strengthen existing and to establish new collaborations between involved complementary research groups by transferring and sharing the experience and expert knowledge with the aim of building an interdisciplinary SUDSOE Network of excellence as a prerequisite for formation of a research-driven cluster.
# Foster the collaboration between NARSS and external partners from public and private sectors at both national and international level, improving technology transfer activities by the appropriate support between NARSS and industrial partners. In this concern, the WCI (EU Waste Cluster initiative) will be a specific key tool to accomplish this objective.
# Increase the technical capacity of the applicant for future research activities
# Encourage NARSS to be a specific support for the sustainable use of Egyptian degraded soils related to the development of a directive for the sustainable use of soils. This will contribute to the national and regional sustainable socio-economic development by generating new services.
List of Websites:
www.narss.sci.eg
SUDSOE website aims to disseminate different activities of the project related to the characterization and sustainable use of the Egyptian degraded soils. Recent techniques and experience of different partners are highlighted. The website also aims to increase the visibility of different project partners along with their teams and their different disciplines. In addition to the previous points, the news and events related to the project activities are disseminated to stakeholders and interested personnel in order to get in direct contact with the project. SUDSOE website also offers the facility to download different presentations and materials of e-courses that might help students, researchers and assist decision makers.
SUDSOE project aimed to increase the scientific regional leadership and reinforce both the scientific capacities and the cooperation abilities of NARSS. This goal includes pursuing, transferring, and providing knowledge on the most advanced technologies in the fields of characterization and sustainable use of degraded soils. On the other hand, SUDSOE would strengthen the abilities of NARSS to cooperate with EU partners by developing planned joint activities including its participation in the EU Waste Cluster Initiative. With the present action, NARSS will achieve a regional leadership on the indicated field contributing to the sustainable use of Egyptian degraded soils and building the self-capability to utilize these technologies to support the activities for National development. Such challenges would be achieved through reinforcing its excellence and creativity, thus contributing to regional economy and social welfare in line with EU 2020 Strategy, which sets priorities on developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation. NARSS demonstrates high level of human resources, infrastructure, material and organizational capacity. NARSS has gone through several collaboration experiences with European and African countries, but SWOT analysis indicates some weaknesses to be faced in order to reach the scientific regional leadership. Based on the SWOT analysis and in accordance with the Work Program of the call, coherent set of measures were elaborated. Full research potential were planed to be realized in close cooperation with three outstanding EU partnering organizations (POs) in the same S&T domain. NARSS human resources were enhanced by: developing strategic partnership with POs, by transferring and sharing of experience and knowledge; recruitment of experienced researchers to prevent brain drain; - dissemination and promotion of acquired knowledge at national, regional and international level, especially in the MED region. SUDSOE outcome is related to diverse beneficiaries, such as scientific community, general public,local authorities, policy makers and diverse stakeholders.
Project Context and Objectives:
Since the beginning of the project, January 1st 2012, work has been carried out in context of the six work packages included in project proposal. A number of 18 deliverable have been elaborated and submitted along the project lifetime. A number of Eleven milestones have been achieved and explained in the current final report.
In the WP1 "SETTING A STRATEGY" a number of three tasks were performed (i.e. identify of socio economic needs, action plan and interaction with stakeholders). NARSS action plan is derived from the SWOT, where the plan is to be carried out by complementing SUDSOE partner's experience. The action plan is developed to be performed on a series of steps, starting with analysis of the proposed improvement, and ending with implementation of the agreed actions. Target groups of stakeholders were identified as those whom are responsible for regional development strategies and setting policies related to the research areas. Meeting stack holders lead to identify opportunities, barriers and challenges to participate in supporting the sustainable use of Egyptian degraded soils and encouraging the EU FPs and RTD programs.
Concerning the WP2 "EXCHANGE OF KNOW-HOW THROUGH TWINNING ACTIVITIES WITH PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS", the most significant elaborated activities refer to the development of a road map exchange visits, which was agreed upon by the project consortium, at the kick off meeting. The document establishes the specific rules and scope for the training and exchanges to be funded by the SUDSOE budget. Moreover, two short exchange visits and a medium one from NARSS to UAB and KTH were carried out along the project period. Teams of different partners collaborated on preparing scientific Material that were uploaded on SUDSOE website, as components of the e-learning platform. The material focus on remote sensing and peaceful space science, IPR and technology transfer activities and Artificial Neural Network applications.
The WP3 "BOOST NARSS COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION WITH INDUSTRIES" witnessed distinctive activities during the project duration. Different dissemination and promotional activities were undertaken, addressed to target groups such as researchers, students, society, local / regional / state authorities. Moreover, NARSS catalogue, Seminar following the kick off and some steering committee meetings, workshop held in collaboration with MU during the period April 9-11, 2013 on “Artificial Neural Network –ANN support collaboration and innovation with industry.
Moreover, the established innovation office at NARSS will master proceeding with, projects preparation phases, fostering the cooperation with industry and supporting innovation development. (Project No.: 295031 Period number: 2nd Ref: 295031_SUDSOE_Periodic_Report-12_20150302_113232_CET.pdf Page - 4 of 11).
In context of WP4 "DISSEMINATION, NETWORKING AND CLUSTER ACTIVITY (WCI) TO INCREASE NARSS VISIBILITY", promotional kit, composed of project logo, flyers, posters, brochures and newsletters, were prepared, displayed and distributed in different external communication. The materials were concerned with the project goals ensuring a professional and coherent visual identification and immediate recognition of the project related activities. A number of three posters were created for promoting SUDSOE project in different National, regional and International events. Each poster includes some information, that the three together give the reader a complete vision on SUDSOE project. The posters were displayed in the "Euro-Mediterranean Conference", Barcelona April, 2-3, 2012, and at the "EU-Egypt cooperation in science and innovation", Cairo, April 18th to 20th, 2013. A double side tri-folded initial brochure was made related SUDSOE project that describe the project scope, objectives, goals and partner's details. It was prepared in both digital and analogue formats; the digital one was uploaded on SUDSOE website. The analogue one was distributed in local, regional and International events. A number of 4 news letters were prepared and widely distributed by e-mail messages to a wide range of stakeholders. SUDSOE website was created and published to increase the visibility of different project partners along with their teams and their different disciplines. The news and events related to the project activities are still being disseminated to stakeholders and interested personnel in order to get in direct contact with the project. It also offers the facility to download different presentations and materials of e-courses that might help students, researchers and assist decision makers. SUDSOE partners have participated in different networking and cluster activities held in the region.
Concerning WP 5 "EVALUATION OF THE NARSS RESEARCH POTENTIAL GROWTH" , the external expert of the project has submitted two evaluation reports. The EVALUATION REPORT I concluded that Neither NARSS nor Egypt needs another bureaucratic entity to facilitate technological innovation and promote research by “wasting” unnecessarily the precious time of Egyptian researchers that otherwise must be engaged in real scientific research on their own. The external expert suggests that after three years starting from 2014, another critical review of the activities of the research Innovation Office, established by SUDSOE, must be conducted to check on its results and performance. The second evaluation report was provided by the external expert in month 36. The external expert concluded that SUDSOE provided NARSS its modest contribution to face challenges facing Egypt, as of land and water shortage, effects of climate change, needs for more energy, environmental sustainability under population growth pressure, expansion of urban population and many more. It proved that NARSS is able to develop, prepare and manage an EU-funded proposal on its own and bring it to successful completion. It showed to both local and foreign partners that NARSS is able to coordinate international projects and open new perspectives for the near future. It is now up to NARSS staff to follow up this first great step and make sure that this good experience in the SUDSOE project could be replicated.
In regard to WP6 PROJECT MANAGEMENT, The Project Coordinator with the help of WP leaders prepared the initial action plan. He kept regularly monitoring the project implementation and controlling the contents of the website, managing project funds in line with the work programme, while arranging the regular reporting to the commission in line with the contract (Periodic Activity Reports, Management Reports, Cost Claims and certificates, etc.).
Project Results:
Science and technology foregrounds are rather important in characterizing and sustainable use of degraded soils. The remote sensing and peaceful applications, mastered by partner 1 (NARSS, Cairo, Egypt) allow to overcome environmental obstacles that may hinder conventional field survey. The satellite images provide the synoptic view that helps in pointing out the source of the environmental obstacles that may be out of the ground observation horizon. The multi-dates satellite data allow to detect changes in land surface and environmental aspects. Wet analytical chemistry, characterizing partner 2 (UAB, Barcelona, Spain) provide new innovative approaches in characterizing different degradation processes status, distribution, rate and spread direction. The Nano material technology, owned by partner 3 (KTH, Stockholm , Sweden) proved to have innovative impacts on soil and water pollution. The Artificial Neural network, possessed by Partner 4 (MU) allow the possibility of processing huge amount of data, as satellite images, in addition of extracting interrelation ships between different processed elements. Integration of such multidisciplinary scientific foregrounds provide understanding of the studied problems.
The science and technology results are worth to be highlighted, as they will remain and be invested after project termination. The creation of SUDSOE web site, including the E-learning platform is an remarkable scientific result to support graduate and post graduate researchers of corresponding fields. NARSS catalog, in both English and Arabic language, is scientific document serving NARSS visibility. The establishment of the innovation office (NARSS-RIO) is a technological outcome giving the best possible institutional support to innovators based in, or collaborating with, the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences. The elaborated exchange visits in context of SUDSOE activities added valuable scientific results. Senior exchanges resulted in knowledge and experience exchanges, also some scientific publications were issued. The junior exchanges offered training opportunities and enrichment of Ph.D. studies of NARSS assistants.
Potential Impact:
SUDSOE final expected results will reinforce NARSS to enhance its performance through the proposed activities of capacity building. The proposed exchange visits encouraged knowledge exchange and developing assessment and usage of models for degraded soils. Collaboration with the three project partners (UAB, KTH and MU) have its impact on developing integrated knowledge and practices of survey and best usage of degraded land. Training of post graduate studies and post-doctoral research approved the enhancement of staff performance and potentialities. Dissemination activities lead to getting more closer to stakeholders and end users, creating awareness at local user’s level regarding the assessment and manipulation of degraded and polluted land.
Main SUDSOE objectives can be referred to as follows:
# Strengthening and enlarge existing NARSS human resources and their capabilities for the implementation of soil regulations, having as a reference the EU directive for sustainable use of soils.This is achievable in close collaboration and exchange know-how with three research institutions from Spain, Sweden and Czech Republic, facing the problem of degraded soils.
# Reinforce NARSS human potential through enlargement of activities with private particular laboratories, however NARSS suffers more and more the lack of human potential.
# Retain the best research professionals at NARSS “brain gain” and to attract the experienced researchers from abroad for the purpose of reinforcing know-how and experience implementation.
# Gain first-hand knowledge of the state-of-the-art in specific areas of solid waste and waste water treatment technologies research that are of interest to both the EU and MED.
# Strengthen existing and to establish new collaborations between involved complementary research groups by transferring and sharing the experience and expert knowledge with the aim of building an interdisciplinary SUDSOE Network of excellence as a prerequisite for formation of a research-driven cluster.
# Foster the collaboration between NARSS and external partners from public and private sectors at both national and international level, improving technology transfer activities by the appropriate support between NARSS and industrial partners. In this concern, the WCI (EU Waste Cluster initiative) will be a specific key tool to accomplish this objective.
# Increase the technical capacity of the applicant for future research activities
# Encourage NARSS to be a specific support for the sustainable use of Egyptian degraded soils related to the development of a directive for the sustainable use of soils. This will contribute to the national and regional sustainable socio-economic development by generating new services.
List of Websites:
www.narss.sci.eg
SUDSOE website aims to disseminate different activities of the project related to the characterization and sustainable use of the Egyptian degraded soils. Recent techniques and experience of different partners are highlighted. The website also aims to increase the visibility of different project partners along with their teams and their different disciplines. In addition to the previous points, the news and events related to the project activities are disseminated to stakeholders and interested personnel in order to get in direct contact with the project. SUDSOE website also offers the facility to download different presentations and materials of e-courses that might help students, researchers and assist decision makers.