Project objectives:
Main objectives of IMAGE-TRAIN were:
- to establish topic-links between RTD projects dealing with innovative groundwater management and to promote their practical application, and
- to transfer existing and emerging knowledge to young scientists and academics in the European Union and the EU Accession Countries. IMAGE-TRAIN is an accompanying
measure towards cost-effective and eco-efficient remediation technologies for groundwater resources in Europe. It aims at identifying related and complementing
topics of current RTD projects concerning cost-effective groundwater management approaches and at establishing topic-links. Major focus of this project
is to establish an efficient knowledge and information transfer towards the scientific community and potential end-users, with specific emphasis on the
situation in EU Accession Countries. This will be achieved by
- three Advanced Study Courses (ASC) for academics and young scientists,
- clustering of running RTD projects and
- application of findings along practical case studies
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Project
Summary:
Groundwater protection and drinking water conservation are key issues for EU Member Statesand an enormous challenge for EU Accession (EA) Countries due to
many environmental and financial problems. IMAGE-TRAIN is a training programme for 10 EA Countries, providing innovative knowledge on cost-efficient groundwater
management (GWM) and will train 40 participants, mainly GWM decision makers, over 3 years. IMAGE-TRAIN comprises scientific and technological input from
current FP5 research projects in the field of GWM, local expertise and requirements of EA Countries, an introduction to general funding opportunities, and
the overcoming of language barriers. The key objectives are to improve the GW situation in EA Countries and in particular to render projects feasible by introducing
cost-effective and easy-toimplement technologies. IMAGE-TRAIN will strengthen European excellency in GWM and contribute to the EU's enlargement policy.
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Achieved Objectives:
IMAGE-TRAIN operated at two levels. (1) At the Senior Expert Level, Cluster Meetings for researchers of ongoing research projects dealing with contaminated
land and groundwater were organised with the objective to improve the information flow between those projects, and to promote the practical application of
research achievements. Furthermore, practical case studies with selected experts were organised to perform short feasibility studies related to current
groundwater or soil management problems. (2) At the Junior Expert Level, Advanced Study Courses were organised with the objective to quickly transfer new
research
achievements from the contaminated land and groundwater research community to young European academics.
Three one-week Advanced Study Courses were held with broad participation of new EU-Member States. Additionally three 3-day Cluster Meetings were held.
Three Case Studies were carried out by small expert groups to work on emerging topics. between ongoing research projects in the field of soil and groundwater
IMAGE-TRAIN initated the following activities: (1) The lack of implementation of promising soil and groundwater remediation technologies has led to the
initiation of a network on technology demonstration. A proposal for a co-ordination action was successfully submitted under the 6th EU Framework Programme
for Research and Development (EURODEMO, European Platform for Demonstration of Efficient Soil and Groundwater Remediation).
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Product Descriptions:
Main objectives of IMAGE-TRAIN were:
- to establish topic-links between RTD projects dealing with innovative groundwater management and to promote their practical application, and
- to transfer existing and emerging knowledge to young scientists and academics in the European Union and the EU Accession Countries.
IMAGE-TRAIN proceedings, course materials, and reports are freely available from the project's website (http:www.image-train.net).
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Prof Paul Bardos