New joint call JPI Oceans on micro-plastics

NWO takes part as a funding partner in the international call for proposals in the field of ecological aspects of micro-plastics in the marine environment organized by the Joint Programming Initiative Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans (JPI Oceans). Deadline for submitting proposals is March 31, 2015. Dutch researchers can join the call as part of international consortia. The budget of NWO is € 700,000. Funding is up to € 250,000. The submission tool will be open on February 10, 2015.

JPI Oceans is a coordination platform comprising 21 countries who are committed to jointly take up challenges in the field of marine and coastal research. This call 'Ecological aspects of microplastics in the marine environment' is a pilot action. The primary aims are to harmonize and improve the analytical methods for identifying micro-plastics, to increase our knowledge about the distribution of micro-plastics in marine systems and to investigate eco-toxicological effects of micro-plastics on marine organisms.

The joint call comprises three main themes:

• Validation and harmonisation of analytical methods (interlaboratory study);

• Identification and quantification of microplastics;

• Eco-toxicological effects of microplastic - impact on marine organisms.


For this call Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have reserved a total amount of € 7 million. In addition to these funding partners Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom would like to participate explicitly with in-kind contributions. Each participant in consortium will be funded by his or her national partner organisation. The maximum duration of a project is three years. The starting date is should preferably be December 1, 2015.