Objective Urban water systems are important for millions of EU citizens living in urban areas. They have a major impact on their quality of life by preventing serious illness and disease, protecting and enhancing the environment and enabling economic and social development.A key achievement of the EU has been to ensure the provision of sewerage and water services whilst protecting and enhancing the environment. However, urban water systems throughout Europe face significant new challenges due to the impact of longer-term changes in climate and increases in economic activity. Urban water systems are a major component of the water cycle and present unique challenges; the systems are large, highly interconnected and dynamic and their overall performance is controlled by the interaction between physical, chemical and biological processes. There is strong evidence to suggest that sewer flow and water quality is strongly influenced by microbiological activity.The Pennine Water Group (PWG) is the leading UK research group with regard to Urban Water Systems, but its scientific expertise is mainly understanding physical and chemical, rather than microbiological, processes. Through the recruitment of 3 fellows, each specialising in a different type of microbiological technique and environmental application, the knowledge transfer in this programme will allow the PWG to apply microbiological techniques in the context of urban water environments and to combine this new knowledge with existing field and laboratory-based studies.The addition of core skills in molecular microbiology of urban environments will provide significant impact to the PWG through the acquisition of new tools and knowledge, new research and networking opportunities as well as training and education. The knowledge developed from this project will provide the fundamental research necessary to be able to develop innovative tools that have the potential to develop innovative ways of managing urban water systems. Fields of science engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processesdrinking water treatment processesengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental scienceshydrology Keywords Environmental Microbiology Sewer Networks Urban Water Systems Water Distribution Programme(s) FP6-MOBILITY - Human resources and Mobility in the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration "Structuring the European Research Area" under the Sixth Framework Programme 2002-2006 Topic(s) MOBILITY-1.3 - Marie Curie Host Fellowships - Transfer of knowledge (TOK) Call for proposal FP6-2005-MOBILITY-3 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme TOK - Marie Curie actions-Transfer of Knowledge Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD EU contribution No data Address Firth Court, Western Bank SHEFFIELD United Kingdom See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
