The EURODEMO Project (2005 – 2008), fully titled “European Co-ordination Action for Demonstration of Efficient Soil and Groundwater Remediation”, aimed to be the principal European co-ordination activity for soil and groundwater remediation technology demonstrations and was funded under the  EC’s 6th Framework Programme.  The project is followed up by the present voluntary initiative EURODEMO+, with website address: www.eurodemo.info.

EURODEMO+ has the following Mission Statement:

EURODEMO+ together with volunteer R/NDP's will promote and encourage the use of soil and groundwater remediation technologies through demonstration, with emphasis on the use of sustainable and cost-effective remediation practices.  This mission is based upon national/regional structures and needs, stimulated through pan-European exchange.  Our goal is to assist and connect stakeholders on "good quality" demonstration practices across Europe.

Project EURODEMO Background

The EURODEMO consortium which undertook this 3 year project represented 13 EU Member States, led by the Austrian Federal Agency, Umweltbundesamt. The project’s mission was that it aimed to be the principal European co-ordination activity for soil and groundwater remediation technology demonstrations, by:

• preparing a detailed database of remediation projects demonstrating “new” remediation technologies;
• creating a database of funding resources available for demonstration projects;
• working to reduce the barriers which hamper the use of promising soil and groundwater remediation technologies; and
• promoting the harmonisation of quality criteria for the reporting of soil and groundwater remediation demonstration projects.

CL:AIRE played an active role in the project, leading Co-ordination Group 2 & 3, titled “End User Needs” & “Programmes and Projects” respectively. As part of this role CL:AIRE fulfilled a number of deliverables including the initiation of a projects database to showcase new, promising, innovative and state-of-the-art remediation technology demonstration projects undertaken throughout Europe.

EURODEMO, had clear and separate objectives from other concurrent and past EU soil and groundwater projects, but rather than re-inventing existing infrastructure and relying solely on self-development, EURODEMO used, and emphasised its links with, other relevant European organisations and projects, such as: SNOWMAN; CLARINET; NICOLE and, particularly, EUGRIS – the European web portal for Soil and Groundwater Management .

Facts & Figures

• Project type: Co-ordination Action of the 6th EU RT&D Framework Programme
• Duration: 3 years (start Jan. 2005)
• Budget: 1,000,000 €
• Co-ordination: Umweltbundesamt
• Principal Contact: Yvonne Spiria
• UK Contact at CL:AIRE: enquiries@claire.co.uk
• Project partners: 24 EU partner, service providers (SMEs), research organisations, and public organisations
• Website http://www.eurodemo.info
  

Project Details

Background

Technology demonstration in the field of soil and groundwater management is, to a large extent, subject to national, regional or private funding programmes with different priorities such as regional development, support of innovation or environmental protection. For the selection and handling of demonstration projects different criteria exist all over Europe. Despite of the growing need for cost-efficient soil and groundwater remediation the market for promising technologies is stagnant. Co-operation of European demonstration programmes both through agreement on common priorities and the co-operation at the project level is indeed desirable. Through concerted efforts of a large European consortium, covering the whole spectrum of relevant stakeholders EURODEMO aims at finding solutions to this discrepancy.

Objectives

EURODEMO has the ambition to become the central platform for technology demonstration in the field of soil and groundwater management. Specific measures are:

• To create synergies among already existing funding programmes for technology demonstration.
• To establish common quality criteria for the management of demonstration projects, in particular with regard to performance evaluation of demonstrated technologies.
• To produce the best overview concerning technology demonstration in the field of soil and groundwater management at the programme and the project level.
• To establish a central clearing point for demonstration of soil and groundwater management technologies.

Consortium Partners

Work Packages & Co-ordination Cluster Groups

Output

• Establishment and maintenance of a secretariat for the demonstration of soil and groundwater management technologies.
• Production of a European catalogue of funding opportunities for soil and groundwater management technologies (public access via the internet and regular update)
• Establishment of common criteria for the verification of technology performance
• Production of a European database for demonstration projects
• Definition of prioritisation plan for technology demonstration in the field of soil and groundwater management
• Generation of a business plan for the maintenance of the EURODEMO secretariat and EURODEMO activities

The Benefits

Key stakeholders to benefit from EURODEMO are:

• Funding organisations, who will be better able to target their funds more efficiently by avoiding overlaps, by receiving reliable information on demands for technology demonstrations and by establishing joint funding programmes,
• Technology demonstrators, who will benefit from the better overview of funding opportunities, and
• End users, who will have more confidence in demonstration results because of better access to, and harmonised verification of, soil and groundwater remediation demonstration results