Provider: Ministerstvo školství mládeže a tělovýchovy
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: ACTRIS, long-term air quality monitoring and research, atmospheric aerosols, global climate change
Annotation of project:
A goal of this project is development of the ACTRIS-CZ research infrastructure as a unique platform for research and monitoring of the background air quality in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. ACTRIS-CZ will contribute to essential improvement of knowledge level in problems of air quality and climate change. The RI represents a national node of the existing ACTRIS RI established within EU 7th Framework Programme INFRA-2010-1-1.1.16 and currently followed-up within ACTRIS-2 under Horizon 2020. Moreover, the ACTRIS RI has been selected on the ESFRI roadmap 2016. Essential is the coordination with the ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) activities. Actually, the Czech Republic is one of the first European countries where the ACTRIS and ICOS activities are coordinated at the same site. The RI is closely connected to capacities of the accredited laboratories of two partners (CHMI and RECETOX). The RI provides an access to the RI equipment. The user community is also entitled to an access to various data sets and products including standard operation procedures, calibration results, data protocols, and support to environmental policies. ACTRIS-CZ users include the individual researchers or students, organizations and institutions as well as general public. The development is planned both in line with the long-term goals of international ACTRIS and within the national consortium. A significant enhancement is planned in research of the surface-atmosphere exchanges of aerosols and associated chemicals. More attention will be paid to the monitoring and research on the aerosol optical properties having influence on the climate issues. The long-term development of aerosol measurements within 10 years will continue with on-line monitoring and chemical analysis of aerosol source tracers and precursors of secondary aerosols.

Provider: Ministerstvo školství mládeže a tělovýchovy
Recipient: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: climate change and modelling; ecological physiology and metabolomics; green house gases; remote sensing
Annotation of project:
The main goal of the research infrastructure (RI) CzeCOS is to enable open access to the entire scientific community, to provide research services to external users, and to facilitate knowledge transfer (training and education of students, PhD students, postdocs, researchers and other experts) in the field of long-term sophisticated research on global change (GC) impacts on terrestrial ecosystems in the Czech Republic (CZ) and Central Europe. Particular aims are (1) to form a national complement to the existing ESFRI infrastructures ICOS, AnaEE, and EUFAR, (2) to provide unique facilities for (i) long-term impact studies on effects of environmental factors on plants/ecosystems, (ii) operation of atmospheric and ecosystem stations for observational research and quantification of greenhouse gas fluxes, (iii) physiological research, (iv) metabolomic and isotope investigation and (v) flying laboratory of process imaging; (3) to significantly contribute to the global network of GC research; (4) to represent a unique platform for a broad national and international interdisciplinary collaboration. RI comprises a unique set of facilities for the research of GC impacts on ecosystems, study of adaptation mechanisms and the development of mitigation measures. Expected innovations are prediction of future stability of different ecosystems, identification of potential risks and producing the adaptation measures, identification of crop cultivars with increased tolerance to stressors, preparation of vegetation indices and thematic maps applicable in landscape planning, etc. The aim of the RI is fully in compliance with the National priorities for oriented research, experimental development and innovations (R&D&I) determined as a certain and concrete object of the state and public interest, which combines a long-term goals and multi-field focus, is applicable in the whole society and desirable (a climatic change is specified explicitly as a priority area).

Provider: Technologická agentura ČR
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: Waste utilization; Circular economy; Biomass energy processing; Sustainable use of resources; Environmentally friendly technologies; Sustainable energy; Bioplastics, Bioactive substances; Reuse of discarded solar panels, Agriculture reclamation of dumps
Annotation of project:
The goals are new products from renewable sources related to the Circular Economy employed environmentally friendly technologies addressing individual elements of EGD concerning current social and environmental issues. The effective utilization of waste originated in agriculture, animal production or forestry, various discarded constructions, electrical facilities and plastic materials to obtain biostimulants from green hydrolyzate from animal wastes, agriculture reclamation of dumps by mixed biochar with biostimulants for fast-growing trees, new biopesticides for chemical pesticides replacement; catalysts for synthesis of petrochemicals from ethanol based on lignocellulosic materials, oil products from the complete recycling of plastics, green energy by reuse of discarded solar panels.

Provider: HORIZON EUROPE
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: Soil health; European benchmark indicator framework; forestry, urban and agricultural land-use systems; sample, space and statistical measurements; local, landscape, regional and European scale.
Annotation of project:
Soil health is crucial for challenges related to climate, environment and society. As such, this Soil Health and Food Mission proposal directly links in to the other HE missions, as well as to the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategies. Both public and private sectors are proposing a sustainable vision, that depends on a reliable assessment of the effects of management and policy innovations on soil health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to ensure that the EU sets the benchmark of a reliable cost-effective framework for measuring soil health. In alignment with existing initiatives such as EU Soil Observatory, EJP Soil and the LUCAS Topsoil survey, and using open science approaches, the BENCHMARKS consortium will co-design an Integrated Soil Health Monitoring Framework. This framework will build upon the assessment of soil-based ecosystem functions to co-develop an interactive soil health dashboard for (1) the selection of appropriate soil health indicators, (2) soil health assessment and indexation, and (3) recommendation of management practices to support soil health. The dashboard will be suitable at local, landscape, regional and European scales for a variety of stakeholders in urban, agricultural and forestry land use systems. BENCHMARKS indicators will be relevant to the stakeholder’s objectives, applicable to the different land use systems and pedo-climatic zone and appropriate in terms of logistical, financial and sensitivity requirements. To inform on the appropriate spatial resolution of indicators, the Soil Health Mission and BENCHMARKS proposed indicators (samplebased measurements, stats (data and model derived measurements), space (earth observation techniques)) and citizen science observations will be tested in 24 Living Labs across Europe. Finally, BENCHMARKS will support policy development and value-chain innovation through increased evidence on the links between soil health, functions and ecosystem services.

Provider: HORIZON EUROPE
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: xxx
Annotation of project:
DANUBIUS-IP is a 36-month Coordination and Support Action to support the ongoing development of DANUBIUS-RI – an environmental research infrastructure linking rivers and seas – as it proceeds towards its Operational Phase. The project proposes 7 work packages, in two parallel workstreams, that together will: • deliver a new governance structure for the RI as it transitions to DANUBIUS-ERIC; • enhance the ICT potential of the RI to enable virtual delivery of key services; • implement the Science and Innovation Agenda supported by agile and quality assured scientific services; • demonstrate the value of the RI through examples of the unique services that the RI can offer to end-users across Europe and internationally; • expand the DANUBIUS-RI community and enhance its standing in the wider European and International environmental RI landscape; and • ensure that the potential of DANUBIUS-RI to have significant social and economic impact is widely communicated. DANUBIUS-IP is coordinated by GeoEcoMar (Romania) and brings together 25 experienced partners from 14 countries from across Europe in a consortium with complimentary areas of multi-disciplinary expertise across the freshwater and marine research fields. The project specifically seeks to address recommendations from the recent ESFRI and High-Level Expert Group reports (on DANUBIUS-RI) and make a significant contribution to the expected outcomes and wider impacts of the Horizon Europe Programme. As such the project considers the importance of sustainability of financial commitments, the need to test the funding model and to enhance the visibility of the RI. DANUBIUS-IP will further demonstrate the efficacy of an integrated and interdisciplinary approach embracing a 'river-sea continuum' perspective to fill current gaps in the Research and Innovation landscape to address key societal challenges in these environments impacted by anthropogenic pressures and climate change.

Provider: HORIZON EUROPE
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: ecosystem condition, biodiversity, ecosystem services, policy making, transdisciplinary, sustainability
Annotation of project:
The importance of biodiversity (BD) and healthy ecosystems and the services they deliver has increasingly been acknowledged. Policy initiatives, such as the EU BD Strategies 2020 and 2030, IPBES, IPCC and CBD were launched to address BD, natural capital and related values. Research has created a knowledge base to better understand nature-human interactions that are at the base of ecosystem services (ES) delivery. The key aim of related actions is to provide robust information that can be harnessed to support protection, restoration and sustainable as well as climate-neutral use of ecosystems in the EU by 2030. MAES has provided the conceptual, methodological and data base for comprehensive assessments on different spatial scales, including the EU-wide assessment (2020) and assessments in EU member states. Knowledge and data for different ecosystem types (including protected and marine areas) are increasingly available. The next step is to integrate the different MAES components (ecosystem mapping, condition, ES, accounting) and to enable the uptake of ES in decision making. Key challenges include the proof of BD-ecosystem condition-ES relationships and to link them to EU policies. The consortium brings together experts from all EU member states, associated countries and EU overseas regions with stakeholders from various public and private sectors. The expertise in the consortium includes leading experts (ecologists, economists, social scientists) on ES science, ecosystem accounting and on science-policy-business interfaces from related actions (OpenNESS, ESMERALDA, MAIA, MAES, ESP, IPBES, BD Partnership). Therefore, the project will successfully address the call's challenges and provide applicable tools and models together with guidance how to use them. The project will deliver real cases for an evidence-, ES-based and harmonised decision making across Europe, enabling transformative change to halt BD decline and to secure essential ES-sustainable supply and use.

Provider: HORIZON EUROPE
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: Biodiversity, climate, transformative change, leverage points, levers, tipping interventions, social innovation, nature-based solutions, dialogue, planetary boundaries, justice, integrated assessment
Annotation of project:
The global biodiversity and climate crises cannot be solved in isolation or by merely ramping up what is already being done. Urgent and ambitious transformative changes are needed in our economies and societies. Through inclusive deliberation TRANSPATH identifies leverage points and interventions for triggering transformative changes at consumer, producer and organisational levels. It seeks whole-of-society opportunities for achieving climate-neutrality whilst simultaneously allowing local communities and nature to flourish. TRANSPATH draws on diverse contexts in Eastern and Western Europe, Africa and Latin America, to engage with those who affect and are affected by trade regimes and associated ‘greening’ mechanisms. Through deliberation on alternative visions, values, actions, and their systemic interactions across scales and over time, TRANSPATH identifies leverage points that can trigger positive cascading biodiversity changes. Policy packages and other interventions are designed, to enable the emergence of leverage points at different scales of action in ways that changes the choice architecture underlying daily decisions. These interventions consider the synergies and trade-offs of actions across multiple people and places, and the role of incentives and political barriers to implementation. TRANSPATH delivers a suite of Transformative Pathways with a Toolbox of Transformative Interventions for triggering and enabling these pathways. A Transformative Navigation Toolkit guides practitioners on how to enable and navigate pathways, acknowledging that arriving at what constitutes a ‘transformative pathway' is also a product of an iterative and adaptive process that emerges and evolves over time. To implement these, TRANSPATH develops a multi-scalar network of activated agents of change, who can foster inclusive and legitimate decisions, and build capacity and willingness among their actor networks to collectively move forward on transformative pathways.

Provider: HORIZON EUROPE
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: biodiversity loss, behaviour change, intersectionality, leverage points, transformation pathways, social learning, equity, plural values, knowledge, perception, policy prioritization, creative methods
Annotation of project:
Alarming and continued loss of biodiversity now threatens both the biosphere and human life through failures in fundamental ecosystem service delivery. System-wide transformative changes are needed, including altering paradigms, behaviour and values (IPBES, 2019). To address this, PLANET4B will provide insight into the diverse perceptions of biodiversity and its communication to understand behaviours and motivations around biodiversity prioritisation. Existing multidisciplinary behaviour theories (e.g. framing, nudging, leverage points) that could be applied for biodiversity decision-making will be explored. Factors such as gender, religion, ethnicity, race, age, culture, disability will be reviewed to understand how they can potentially impact biodiversity perception and decision making. Founded on this knowledge, a transdisciplinary framework will be developed for changing attitudes and behaviour in a generative way, which actively embraces the transformative power of plural knowledges and intersectional diversity. Relevant behaviour change (e.g. experiential games), creative and deliberative (e.g. story-telling) methods will be adapted and applied in 11 place-based and sectoral cases from 8 countries, EU and at global level to explore the applicability of these theories and methods for triggering transformative change. Having monitored the impacts of these co-creative and participatory interventions in a range of key sectors, as well as socio-cultural and environmental settings, the findings will be synthesised and scaled up to EU and global levels to serve as inputs for EU and international policies (e.g. implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, post-2020 global biodiversity framework) and for businesses about how transformative change can be triggered. Target groups, sectors and institutions will be enabled with the gained knowledge and methods to initiate transformative change.

Provider: HORIZON EUROPE
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: transformative change, nexus, scenarios
Annotation of project:
BIONEXT will develop knowledge, tools, and guidance for mainstreaming biodiversity into policy making and provide concrete options on how to initiate, accelerate and upscale biodiversity relevant transformative change in society. It will deliver an innovative Nexus Modelling Framework that will integrate scenarios and pathways in a co-production process with stakeholders, while modelling interlinkages between biodiversity, water, food, energy, transport, climate, and health, and enabling simulation of the impacts of indirect and direct drivers on biodiversity. Through its database of transformative change cases, BIONEXT will involve policy- and decision-makers and allows them to explore the concept of just transformative change. Plausible futures and desirable, nature-positive visions for Europe and multiple just transition pathways will be co-created in workshops and focus groups taking place in various cities around Europe. With the involvement of diverse stakeholders, the BIONEXT Pathways App will be delivered as a novel decision support tool that allows users to explore transformational building blocks, for formulating policies and implementation pathways for the biodiversity nexus. The results will contribute to science brokerage, capacity building and networking to IPBES, EU policymakers, and civil society.

Provider: HORIZON EUROPE
Another participant in the project: Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR, v. v. i.
Keywords: Food Systems, Transformation, One Health, Leverage Points, Equity, Southern Africa
Annotation of project:
Food Systems Transformation in Southern Africa for One Health (FoSTA-Health) will develop ambitious and inclusive visions of, and action plans for food systems transformation for achieving positive One Health outcomes in southern Africa. The project is centered around four key transformation agendas: (1) transformations within and out of maize; (2) transformations of land use and irrigation; (3) transformations from domestic to export markets; and (4) diet diversification. In relation to each, we will work with cross-system stakeholder groups (from government, industry, farmers, non-governmental organisations, and rural communities) and draw on evidence from case study contexts in Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia to build an understanding of the complex system dynamics that link food systems transformation to diverse animal, environmental and human health outcomes. A set of representative transformation pathways (RTPs) describing alternative plausible transformation futures, will be outlined, and novel integrated modelling tools used to collaboratively evaluate the potential these offer for delivering positive One Health outcomes. This will be combined with a mapping and analysis of leverage points of food system transformation at local/landscape, national and regional government, and supply chain scales. Action plans will be developed and capacities built for supporting action around leverage points at each of these scales. Across FoSTA-Health particular attention will be paid to equity and justice in the visioning, governing and outcomes of transformative change. Critical reflection on participation and power dynamics within the focal contexts of the project, and within the project itself, will be the basis for making recommendations and advocating for the equitable and inclusive governance of food systems transformation.