OIKON in EU projects - our experience

Doc.dr.sc. Zdravko Spiric

Oikon Ltd. - Institute for Applied Ecology

2010 IPSIT workshop on the intelligent underwater systems and technologies, University of Zagreb
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing
Zagreb, 15.4.2010.
 OIKON - CRO experience :
Motivation: challenges – opportunities
Capacity building; building and spreading of know-how, skills and methods
International cooperation - Scientific and/or technological excellence - FUTURE
The integration of Croatia’s research community into the European Research Area (ERA)
Example: CRO as a “White hole” on the EU ICP Vegetation map + EU FP6 PHIME
- EU partners understanding, support and encouragement ….

Restrictions: problem – barriers

Learning by doing
SUPPORT
Human (scientific expertise) :
Technical / logistic
Administrative
Political
Legal

Financial
 R&D expenditure
• The substantial part of research activities in Croatia are financed by the state budget
distributed by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports (MSES).
• The R&D intensity 0,81 (as percent of GDP) - EU27 average 1.83

Research institutions in Croatia

The research sector of Croatia is a rather complex system made up of:
• 7 universities (which are actually umbrella organisations of independent
faculties)
• 13 public polytechnics,
• 3 public schools of professional higher education,
• 25 private schools of professional higher education,
• 3 academies,
• 26 public institutes,
• 13 institutes in the private business sector,
 We are fully aware that during the period of economic and financial crisis
undertakings are in great need of support to their business/scientific conduct.
Scientific/Business opportunities should be looked for at various levels of cooperation,
whereby EU funds earmarked for cooperation in R&D
constitute one of more important co-financing source.
1) EU FP 6 PHIME (www.phime.org) 50% participation
2) EU FP7 REACT (www.react-transport.eu/ ) 25% participation
3) EUREKA - E! 3266- EUROENVIRON WEBAIR (/www.WEBAIR.at/) 50% participation
4) EUREKA - EUREKA/EUΝΕΑ/0609
5) EUROSTARS project on the 24/02/2010 with application reference : E! 5488 IMAPPS
6) NATO ARW Science for Peace www.NATOARW2009Schedule.pdf
7) NATO ARW Science for Peace www.NATO_ARW_WarfareEcology_Schedule.pdf
8) UNECE ICP VEGETATION http://icpvegetation.ceh.ac.uk/
9) MZOS - 273-0222882-2698 http://zprojekti.mzos.hr/page.aspx?pid=85&tgi=0&lid=1
10) MZOS - Natječaj za sufinanciranje hrvatsko – kineskih znanstvenoistraživačkih proj
 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
Working Group on Effects

CROATIA 2006
For the first time ever - 98 moss samples
were collected throughout entire Croatia:
two complementary analytical techniques
− INAA + AAS − were applied
to study atmospheric heavy metal deposition
V Content Ni Content
[ mg/kg ]
[ mg/kg ]

< 3 < 2

3 - 6 2 - 4

6 - 9 4 - 6

9 - 12 6 - 8

12 - 15 8 - 10

15 - 20 10 - 12

20 - 25 12 - 14

25 - 30 14 - 16

> 30 > 16
Hg Content
[ mg/kg ]

< 0 .0 4

0 .0 4 - 0 .0 7

0 .0 7 - 0 .1 0

0 .1 0 - 0 .1 3

0 .1 3 - 0 .1 6

0 .1 6 - 0 .1 9

0 .1 9 - 0 .2 2

0 .2 2 - 0 .2 5

> 0 .2 5
• Karolinska Institut, Sweden
• University of Rochester, USA
• Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
• Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania
• The Universite Catolique de Louvian, Belgium
National Institute of Public Health, Czech Republic
• University of Ulster, Northern Ireland
• University of York, England www.phime.org
• Lund University, Sweden
• Oikon Ltd., Croatia
Improving Health information and knowledge for the public health!!!
 WP III:1
Sources of exposure, geographical patterns and time trends
Exposure to elements in children and women

H g
M e d i a2 n5 % - 7 5 5%% - 9 5 %
1 . 6

1 . 4

1 . 2

1 . 0

0 . 8
Hg

0 . 6
0 . 4 7 8 7
0 . 4 3 6 2
0 . 4 0 . 3 5 0 1 . 31 4 0 4
0 . 2 7 6 6 0 . 2 7 6 6
0 . 2

0 . 0
U R I U R I

S e x : M S e x : F
A r e a
 The School of Medicine in Rijeka
Questionnaire: BRIEF Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka
Sampling: HAIR Delivery
Analysis: THg HAIR
Questionnaire: DETAILED
Sampling: MILK
Months 0 3 6 9

Pregnancy
CHILD NEURODEVELOPMENT
Sampling:
HAIR THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO HEAVY METALS
BLOOD
URINE
Child
0 18
Months

Clinical examination BAYLEY test

Sampling: DENVER II
CORD BLOOD (venous and arterial)
URINE (first, before breast-feeding)
HAIR
 EUREKA
E! 3266- EUROENVIRON WEBAIR
Web-Based Air Quality Assessment And Management
Web Information System for evaluation and / or forecast air quality in urban and industrial areas is developed
to provide decision support and management programs to reduce the impact of air pollution on health.

Test area: City of Sisak, Croatia

Development partner: OIKON ltd. - Institute of Applied Ecology – cost – 150.000 €
 The REACT vision is to raise awareness and, in parallel, to actively contribute to the shaping of a consensus among EC, Member
States and Associated States. This could result in a unified and more effective means of addressing climate friendly transport
challenges by fully exploiting the resources available. In this way, the project will efficiently address the social and economic
imperative to improve quality of life for European citizens and future generations by avoiding resource wastage and fragmentation of
research in the crucial issue of climate friendly transport.
Oikon - reliable and desirable partner!!!
 HUMAN : ECO BIOMOITORING ?
WHETHER & HOW?
Science to support policy
multidisciplinary approach for a large number of users

Traffic
Tourism
YES National Parks
Energy & Industrial pollution
Research of the cross- border pollution
Locations exposed to the military and war activities

Intelligent (underwater) systems and technologies

2. Conference on medical tourism