Joint Call 2019: Smart Water Management for Sustainable Society

The European Interest Group Concert-Japan is delighted to announce the opening of its 6th joint call for proposals on the theme of Smart Water Management for Sustainable Society. Proposals from interested researchers are now accepted, starting from Monday, April 15th until Friday, June 14th this year. 

What is the aim of the Smart Water Management for Sustainable Society call?

This call aims to contribute to the overall challenge of water sustainability by inviting research teams from both Europe and Japan to collaboratively explore new areas of smart water management. The collaborative activities will fall in line with the United Nations 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. Specifically, the research scope tackles Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including, but not limited to, Goal 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation”, Goal 9 “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructures”, Goal 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and Goal 17 “Partnership for the Goals”.

There is a pressing need at a global scale to develop innovative technologies and systems of water use which are resilient to various natural and social changes, widely applicable to our societies with local consideration, and simultaneously sustainable in the long term. This is what motivates this call for research proposals on the theme “Smart Water Management for Sustainable Society”.

What is EIG CONCERT-Japan?

The European Interest Group (EIG) CONCERT-Japan is an international joint initiative to support and enhance science, technology and innovation (STI) cooperation between European countries and Japan. EIG CONCERT-Japan is flexible and inclusive in nature, able to accommodate a range of forms of collaboration ranging from unanimous concerted efforts to optional participation among its core members and other interested STI institutions.

The primary function of the EIG CONCERT-Japan is to implement multilateral joint funding collaboratively, with the objective of enhancing cooperation and promoting transnational mobility between European countries and Japan in various fields of STI.

Which countries and institutions are participating?

The following national/regional funding organisations have agreed to participate in this joint call, leveraging their national/regional R&D programmes and applying their respective funding regulations:

Bulgaria: Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)

Czech Republic: Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Ministry of Education, Sports, Youth and Science (MEYS)

France: National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

Germany: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Japan: Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

Lithuania: Agency for Science, Innovation & Technology (MITA)

Poland: National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR)

Slovakia: Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS)

Turkey: The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)

How should project consortia be composed?

Each project consortium submitting an application should consist of at least 3 eligible beneficiaries (project partners), 1 from Japan and 2 from two different European countries participating in the Joint Call. In addition, in consideration of the priority to spread research networks across Japan and the Europe, projects with 4 or more partner countries will be given strong consideration.

Can researchers from other European institutions participate?

Researchers and research teams from other European institutions may participate as additional partners in a project consortium if they can prove that they have secured funding from other sources that allows them to fulfil their obligations within the consortium. A confirmation letter of the external sponsoring institution has to be submitted at the time of proposal submission.

For more information

EIG Call 

Access the Call Document here >

View Guidelines for Applicants >

About EIG CONCERT-Japan

Specific Information and Annexes for Countries

Contact Information for National and Regional Contact Persons >