The preparation of the project application was realized within the framework of an existing cooperation network between partners: the Latvian Institute of Hydroecology, the Nature Research Centre, the Estonian University of Life Sciences and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research. The project partners from the Baltic States are the leading freshwater research centres in the respective countries. Despite this, the partners of the Baltic States lack experience in the planning and implementation of lake restoration. The Norwegian partner, on the other hand, has a lot of experience in these matters. Thus, the project team proved that it has the necessary skills to prepare a competitive project application while simultaneously strengthening cooperation between the Baltic States and Norway. Stakeholders also benefited from the implementation of the project by participating in public seminars and gaining knowledge about lake management and research.
The aim of the current project was to involve researchers from all the partner institutions in preparing a joint application on the overreaching topic of lake restoration planning and practical testing. The expected result was a ready for submission project proposal (at least one) to “Horizon Europe” or other relevant source of funding.
The aim of the implemented project is directly related to the aim of the program – to develop human resources and knowledge development in Latvia, promoting the mobility of university students and employees and bilateral cooperation in research between Latvia, donor countries, Estonia and Lithuania.
The project activities
6 project activities were carried out: project team meetings, publicity activities and preparation of the project application. The first activity was the project kick-off meeting in Estonia in September 2023, organised by the Estonian University of Life Sciences and attended by all partners. LHEI organised an online meeting for the preparation of the project application as well as a final meeting of the project team to discuss future cooperation opportunities with all partners. In the area of publicity, all project partners organised public seminars on the project theme and published information on their websites and social networks. The preparation of the joint project application was coordinated by LHEI with the participation of all partners. As a result, one joint project application for funding was prepared and submitted to the Water4All 2023 Joint Transnational Call “Aquatic Ecosystem Services”. Two additional project partners, Aarhus University and WaterITech, are involved in the joint project.
Benefits of the project
The project partner institutions, researchers and stakeholders involved in lake restoration were seen as the main final beneficiaries of the project. The established project team worked together effectively and the planned project results were achieved. We also involved other research groups in the preparation of the joint project application, thus benefiting a wider scientific audience. The project partners introduced the broader concept of lake restoration to stakeholders by organising 3 public workshops: in each Baltic country, thus benefiting the general public interested in lake restoration.
The total cost of the project was 60,000 EUR and the duration of the project was 12 months.
The Baltic Research Programme is implemented with the support of EEA grants within the framework of programme “Research and Education”, which is implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Latvian Council of Science. The total funding of the programme is 8,676,084 euros, of which the state budget co-financing is 15% or 1,301,413 euros and the EEA co-financing is 85% or 7,374,671 euros. In the Baltic research programme, 9 research projects and 5 small cooperation projects are implemented in Latvia.
4 partners were involved in the implementation of the Baltic Research Program project “Preparation of a joint project application on lake restoration in the Baltic states”:
Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Lithuania (NRC), Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonia, Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Norway.
Additional information:
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