Examples of collaboration
Spatial information sharing in Europe
The collection of spatial information provides
the scientific evidence that underpins the conception
of environmental policies for Europe.
INSPIRE brings together 28 European countries. In Malta, collaboration
is maintained by the Malta Environmental and Planning Authority (MEPA).
This initiative intends to create a European infrastructure enabling its users
to discover, view, transform and download spatial and geographical
information from a wide range of sources in an interoperable way.
Target users include policy makers, planners and managers at European,
national and local level and their citizens and organisations. The JRC
coordinates the development of the technical specifications which are
necessary to harmonise datasets in 34 environmental themes, and ensure
that web services can communicate effectively across Europe.
Malta
and its collaboration with the European Commission’s in-house science service,
Joint Research Centre
http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu
Enhancing nuclear safety and environmental
radioactivity management
© spacekris - Fotolia.com
© Paul C. Smits
The Maltese Civil Protection Department is an important partner of the JRC
in accomplishing its EU-wide task to collect information on environmental
radioactivity to protect the population against the dangers of ionising
radiation. The collaboration is performed through systems like REMdb
(Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring) for normal situations and EURDEP
(European Radiological Data Exchange Platform) and ECURIE (European
Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange) in case of radiological/
nuclear emergencies. These systems allow EU-wide access to the Maltese
environmental situation - and vice versa - and assist the Maltese competent
authorities in fulfilling their international reporting obligations.
As the European Commission's in-house science
service, the Joint Research Centre's (JRC) mission
is to provide EU policies with independent,
evidence-based scientific and technical support
throughout the whole policy cycle.
Working in close cooperation with policy
Directorates-General, the JRC addresses key
societal challenges while stimulating innovation
through developing new methods, tools
and standards, and sharing its know-how
with the Member States, the scientific community
and international partners.
http://eurdep.jrc.ec.europa.eu
Research and Innovation Strategies
for Smart Specialisation
The collection of spatial information provides
the scientific evidence that underpins the conception
of environmental policies for Europe.
Malta is actively collaborating with the JRC in the development of its
research and innovation strategies (RIS3) through its participation in the
Smart Specialisation Platform (S³P). S³P was established by the European
Commission to provide professional advice to EU countries and regions for
the design of their research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3), which will form the basis for Structural Fund investments
allocations. Malta is among the registered countries actively participating
in peer-review workshops which have already submitted and reviewed their
place-based RIS3 for 2020. This included setting their tentative priority
areas, such as tourism marketing, maritime services or resource efficient
buildings, but also working on the right governance set up to lead this process, or outlining the future collaboration dynamics between academia and
the business community to strengthen it.
Key priorities
Economic and
Monetary Union
(EMU)
Internal market:
growth, jobs
and innovation
Low-carbon
economy and
resource efficiency
(environment,
climate change,
energy, transport)
European Commission
Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Communication Unit
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 29 74181
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc
Email: www.jrc.ec.europa.eu/contact
National Contact Point
Laura Sue Mallia
Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST)
Villa Bighi,
1320 Kalkara
Malta
Tel: +356 2360 2172
Website: http://www.mcst.gov.mt
Email: jrc.mcst@gov.mt
SPB.05.177 © European Union 2015 - 09-2015
Contact the JRC
Agriculture and
global food security
Public health, safety
and security
Nuclear safety
and security
•• 3 023 personnel
•• 7 scientific Institutes
•• 5 sites in Belgium, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands and Spain.
Across Europe, the JRC has built up successful
partnerships with a large number of public and
private organisations under the EU Research Framework Programmes, the latest being Horizon 2020.
The JRC collaborates with its Maltese partners on:
Framework Programme projects
Scientific networks
3
12
Collaboration agreements
3
Together they work in a wide range of areas
including ocean and marine data management,
marine environmental research in the Southern
European seas, air quality, spatial information,
radiological information exchange, nuclear
emergency information, assessment of risks of
chemicals, genetically modified organisms (GMOs),
food contact materials, biocidal substances,
classification and labelling for chemical
substances, export and import of dangerous
chemicals, harmonisation of test methods,
and smart specialisation.
Joint
Research
Centre
Examples of JRC partners in Malta
National authorities and laboratories
•Civil Protection Department (CPD)
•Ministry for Energy and Health
•Minister for Sustainable Development,
the Environment and Climate Change
•Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs
Authority (MCCAA)
•Malta Environment and Planning Authority
(MEPA)
Academia
•University of Malta
•Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology
(MCAST)
Industry
•Paragon Limited
The Joint Research Centre and Malta
JRC collaboration with Maltese research organisations – examples
Framework Programme projects
The JRC is involved in more than 150 collaborative research
projects and networks as part of the EU's Framework
Programmes for research and innovation – the latest
being Horizon 2020 – under the same conditions as other
organisations. This enables the JRC to form partnerships with
major European and international research players. Project
activities may involve work carried out at JRC facilities
which results in increased access to and use of the JRC’s
specialised infrastructures and databases by scientists and
researchers. Some examples of Framework Research and
Innovation Programme projects which involve Malta
partners are:
Scientific networks
The JRC collaborates with organisations which share
a common interest in specific research areas.
This collaboration is essential for the JRC’s work on
harmonising and validating methods and measurements,
establishing common standards, and providing scientific
and technical support for the implementation of EU
legislation. The JRC collaborates with over 1000 partner
organisations in around 100 institutional networks
worldwide. Some examples of scientific networks which
involve Maltese partners are:
Air Quality Reference Laboratories (AQUILA)
European Community Urgent Radiological
Information Exchange (REM-ECURIE)
Working Group on the identification
of PBT and vPvB Substances (WG PBT)
This information exchange system was set up to allow for the early
notification and exchange of information in the event of a radiological
or nuclear emergency.
The Working Group comprises experts from Member States'
competent authorities with a mandate to identify Persistent
Bioaccumulative and Toxic substances (PBT), and very Persistent
and very Bio-accumulative (vPvB) substances in the environment.
•• Civil Protection Department
Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring
data bank (REM-REMdb)
•• Malta Environment and Planning Authority
A data bank for information provided by Member States on levels
of radioactive contamination of the various compartments
of the environment (air, water, soil) which is used to produce
annual monitoring reports.
•• Malta Environment and Planning Authority
SeaDataNet II: Pan-European infrastructure for ocean
and marine data management (SEADATANET II)
•• University of Malta
The overall objective of this project is to upgrade the present
infrastructure into an operationally robust system and one
for providing up-to-date and high quality access to ocean
and marine metadata, data and data products.
Policy-oriented marine Environmental Research
in the Southern EUropean Seas (PERSEUS)
A network of Air Quality Reference Laboratories which carries out
quality assurance programmes with the participation of national
reference laboratories in Member States.
European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL)
•• Malta Environment and Planning Authority
A network that aims to solve technical and analytical problems
which laboratories face in the food sector and the environment.
It aims to harmonise Member State approaches in relation
to genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
•• University of Malta
EU National Coordinators for Testing Methods (EU NCTM)
•• Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority
In order to ensure a harmonisation of test methods in as wide
an international context as possible, according to the principle
of Mutual Acceptance of Data, the Commission and the JRC
participates in the OECD Test Guidelines Programme.
Technical Meeting on biocidal substances (TM Biocides)
•• Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority
The Biocides Technical Meeting is a subsidiary body which provides
technical and scientific support to Member State authorities
and the European Commission for the approval of active substances
in biocidal products.
This project aims to identify the interacting patterns of natural
and human-derived pressures on the Mediterranean and Black Seas,
assess their impact on marine ecosystems and to design
an effective and innovative research governance framework based
on sound scientific knowledge.
Official EURL-NRL Network on Food Contact Materials
This is the official network of national reference laboratories which
have been nominated by their competent authorities to support
the European Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials.
Technical Committee on Classification and Labelling (TC C&L)
Enhancing ecoSysteM sERvices mApping for poLicy and
Decision mAking (ESMERALDA)
Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE)
•• Malta Environment and Planning Authority
The committee prepares the classification and labelling proposals
for chemical substances under the Dangerous Substances Directive
(Directive 67/548/EEC).
The INSPIRE initiative facilitates the sharing of information between
Member States about the environment or on activities that may have
a direct or indirect impact on the environment.
Working Group for customs collaboration
on Edexim (WG EDEXIM)
•• Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology
ESMERALDA aims to deliver a flexible methodology for pan-European, national and regional ecosystem mapping and assessment in
relation to policy requirements in the areas of planning, agriculture,
climate, and water. Mapping and assessment of ecosystems and
their services are core to the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
•• Ministry for Energy and Health
•• Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority
This project carries out state-of-the-art assessment of risks of
chemicals, and promotes the exchange of information and views on
quantitative and qualitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs).
The information contained in this leaflet is correct at the time of compilation but may be subject to change.
Collaboration agreements
The JRC has around 200 operational collaboration agreements
and Memoranda of Understanding with public and private
research organisations, universities, and national and
international bodies. The majority of these agreements
concern joint research, information sharing and the exchange
of personnel. Some examples of collaboration agreements
which involve Maltese partners are:
Memorandum of Understanding on the EUropean Radiological
Data Exchange Platform (EURDEP)
•• Malta Environment and Planning Authority
This Memorandum of Understanding relates to Maltese participation
in the EURDEP system during routine and emergency conditions.
EURDEP is a network for the exchange of automatic monitoring data.
It makes radiological monitoring data from most European countries
available in near real-time.
Collaboration agreement on nuclear emergency information
•• Civil Protection Department
•• Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority
•• Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority
Technical Committee for New and Existing
Substances (TC NES)
•• Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority
The European Database for the Export and Import of Dangerous
Chemicals (EDEXIM) provides classification and labelling information
for substances covered by Regulation (EC) 689/2008. This working
group was set up to enhance collaboration between customs.
This collaboration agreement deals with nuclear emergency
information exchange with EU Member States under Council
Decision 87/600/Euratom.