Kick-off meeting eSYMBIOSIS
Minutes of the Kick-off meeting for eSYMBIOSIS Project
November 3rd 2010
Location: Athens, Greece
Meeting room: Teleconference Room, Library Building National Technical University of Athens
9, Heroon Polytechniou Street Zographou Campus, 15780
Project Title: Development of knowledge-based web services to promote
and advance Industrial Symbiosis in Europe
Participants:
Coordinating beneficiary
1. Viotia Prefecture (VIOT): Konstantina Kotsifi, Evangelos Kalianiotis, Mirella
Skoubla
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Associated beneficiaries
National Technical University of Athens (NTUA): Nikolaos Markatos,
Maria Loizidou, Antonis Kokossis, Konstantinos Moustakas, Stella Pitsari
University of Surrey (UoS): Franjo Cecelja
Link 2 Energy ltd (L2E): Malcom Bailey
AVCO Systems ltd (AVCO): Raphael Kanza
CLMS SA (CLMS): Yannis Zorgios
Envireco Consulting (ENVI): Athanasios Vasilakos
Welcome and Introduction
Professor Markatos welcomed all the participants and officially announced the
commencement of the kick-off meeting.
At first, the three NTUA Professors presented their three different profiles, especially
in relation to their acquired lab experience, research activities as well as the nature
and contents of several projects undertaken (Prof. Markatos spoke about the
Computational Fluid Dynamics Unit, Prof. Kokossis about decision support
technology & Professor Loizidou about the profile and extensive experience of the
Unit of Environmental Science & Technology.
Next, Professor Loizidou made an overview presentation of the symbiosis project,
provided information about the Viotia Region and the relevant industrial activities
and thanked the Viotia Prefecture and especially Mr. Pergantas for the decision of
the coordinating beneficiary to lead the symbiosis consortium. She also explained
that Viotia Prefecture will not exist after 1st January 2011 and the relevant
responsibilities will be transferred to the Region of Sterea Ellada, which also
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includes also Fthiotida, Evritania, Fokida and two islands (Evia and Skiros). That
certainly increases the potential impact of the symbiosis project, since the overall
industrial activity of the total Region of Sterea Ellada is around 50% more than that
of Viotia, according to Ms. K. Kotsifi. Prof. Kokosis also added that the impact could
be even larger seeing that the extended area also means higher quantities of
agricultural waste, etc.
The Representatives of VIOTIA presented the profile of Viotia Prefecture,
geographical data, information about industrial activities and currently
encountered environmental issues concluding by emphasizing their willingness,
strong interest and determination to collaborate in line with eSYMBIOSIS project.
The representative of the University of Surrey, Dr (Senior Lecturer) F. Cecelja
specialized in Process & Information Systems Engineering presented the Faculty of
Engineering and Physical Sciences.
Mr. M. Bailey proceeded with a corporate presentation of Link 2 Energy ltd
(L2E) which constitutes the cornerstone company of the NISP cluster.
Straight after, the business profile of AVCO Systems ltd was briefly presented by Dr.
Cecelja, who has a long cooperation with AVCO for many years, since Dr. Kanza did
not manage to attend the meeting. AVCO constitutes the corporate entity being the
IT accredited software house providing data services and software solutions to
public sector organizations and blue chip/first class companies.
Then, Mr. Y. Zorgios presented CLMS SA Hellas, an organization which provides
software solutions that enable organizations to integrate adaptable systemic
business models with modern software components providing the answers to
complex business problems that influence their performance. CLMS will generate
software from models (process models will guide CLMS to develop software, not
generate by hand). Following Dr. A. Vasilakos presented the profile of the last
symbiosis partner, Envireco Consulting SA that will lead the dissemination action.
Dr. Vasilakos, a new comer in Envireco, has also extensive experience in cloud
computer (distributing computing) that can also contribute to the project success, as
Dr. Cecelja noted.
Professor Kokkosis set out an elaborated analysis of the project focusing on
each individual action and its respective inclusive activities. The responsible
beneficiary was identified and nominated for each activity. The Representatives of
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UoS, L2E and NTUA determined the development plan of the project and the
interactions between beneficiaries according to their obligations, namely allocating
each corresponding task to each action.
Representatives of VIOTIA provided information and pointed out specific industrial
sectors within the Prefecture. These are related to crucial environmental issues due
to their considerable waste disposals. All partners discussed about the potential
industrial sectors involved in the survey of the project and the way to be perfectly
matched with each other. This will be achieved through a system approach for
analyzing, managing and optimizing the interactions between technological systems
and the environment.
Mr. M. Bailey stressed the importance of contacts and good relationships with the
industries in order to succeed. He made reference to the symbiosis example from
UK, where the whole attempt started from 24 initial industries and now around
13,000 companies are participating, some of which have branches in Viotia (Air
Liquid for example). He also mentioned that food industries can be an important
waste source, while indicatively cement industries (located in Evia) could use certain
waste streams. All waste outputs that are considered crucial will be considered, eg.
timber, waste from oil facilities, biowaste, metals, etc.
Action 2 is the key activity for the success of the project. This was mainly supported
by the slide presented by Dr. Cecelja who talked about the role of each partner in it.
NTUA will be mainly involved in classification and the actual data sets (eg. xls).
AVCO and CLMS will the two developers. They will be involved in the actual
webpage and the model processing.
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eSYMBIOSYS: Development Plan
IS
Practitioner(s)
Techn. & Intermediate
classification
Waste classification
Feature
Feature
Feature
Feature
Feature
Product
Feature
Product
Product
Product
Product
Product
NTUA, NISP
AVCO
NTUA, NISP
Knowledge model
update portal
Auditing NTUA
process
User
IS model / algorithm
AVCO
Re
Waste Type
Ontology
NTUA
UoS, NTUA
(NISP)
URI
URI
Registration
portal
Waste datasets
(databases)
qu
es
Technology &
Interm. Ontology
NTUA
t
Technology & Interm.
datasets
(databases)
UoS, NTUA
Technology &
Interm. Ontology
CLMS
SWS
framework
IS
Practitioner(s)
Service
descrip.
Service
request
Knowledge model
update portal
Regulatory
requirements
Data
storing
Ontology
matchmaker
AVCO
Feedback
facility
Graphics &
reporting
Auditing NTUA
process
Service descrip.
repository
Web service
(semanticaly
enriched)
Metrics
Geography map
User interface(s)
Workflow
AVCO
AVCO
Data acquisition
Complex solution (IS
chain) algorithm
NTUA (UoS)
Optimisation
process
IS
IS
partners partners
IS
Practitioner(s)
IS partner
datasets
The need to have rich descriptive tools was noted. The tools have to be automatic,
since there are no conventional tools and even waste description is made hardly, as
industries are declaring things in a different way. The distribution of roles between
UoS, AVCO, CLMS & NTUA will be finalized in the “technology” meeting that will be
held in UK probably at Surrey facilities within January 2011. It was decided to
develop the main tool in English so that it could also be used to other regions in
Europe and not only Viotia, which will constitute the first pilot.
It was expressed by Mr. Zorzios that the developed tool should be quite simple in
order to be successful, but at the same time some of its aspects could inevitable be
more complex, as added by Prof. Kokossis.
The Representatives of beneficiaries agreed to organize the launching event in
Viotia within December 2010 after the completion of the forthcoming Municipal
and Region elections in Greece. Since the active participation of the industries is a
necessary precondition for the success of the implementation of the symbiosis
project, this extra time will enable Viotia Prefecture and NTUA representatives to get
in contact with the industries of the Region, inform them about the ambitious goals of
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the project and convince them to participate by exhibiting all beneficial aspects
attached thereat. The participation of Viotia Prefecture is considered as the key point
for getting close to industries. Mr. Bailey noted that based on his experience from
UK one month is at least necessary in order to organize a successful launching
event and persuade industries to participate. In the unfavorable case, that it is found
that more time is needed, the launching event could take place in January, but all
attempts will be made in order to have it within December. In that case, the
launching event would be combined with the “technology meeting” in January that
would take place in Greece instead of UK.
It was stated that the steering committee will be formed at the Launching event
through which all relevant stakeholders will be informed about the project’s
objectives and the ways these are planned to be achieved. Regarding the
composition of the Management (Executive) Committee, it was decided that it will be
consisted of 9 members (Viotia Prefecture Representative, Prof. Markatos, Prof.
Loizidou, Prof. Kokossis, Dr. Cecelja, Mr. Bailely, Dr. Kanza, Mr. Zorzios & Dr.
Vasilakos). It was that the Beneficiary Country representative will be named and
added after the Steering Committee has been formed.
It was discussed about after project’s life constraints and assumptions and it was
clarified that all beneficiaries are interested in continuing work and exploiting benefits
from the project outcome. Furthermore, it was pointed out that subsequently to the
project’s implementation, each and every beneficiary from its own perspective and in
compliance with their part of obligations in the project is entitled to take advantage of
project results. The symbiosis output will be available to all partners.
A presentation of LIFE common provisions was made by Mr. K. Moustakas. Details
and clarifications about legal and administrative provisions as well as financial
arrangements were given to the representatives of all beneficiaries. Mr. Moustakas
draw the attention of partners to timesheet that have to be signed on monthly basis
and short reports have to be submitted to the external Monitoring Team (Dr. Georgia
Valaoras) on monthly basis, described the expenses foreseen within the symbiosis
project and provided information on cooperation agreements, VAT, preconditions for
receiving the following installments, etc. Mr. Moustakas referred to the availability of
the NTUA team for providing feedback for any relevant issue and question raised.
He also committed to send the relevant ppt presentation to all partners within the
following days so that the financial services of all partners are informed.
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Regarding the project leader, Mr. Moustakas proposed Ms. Kotsifi as project leader.
The relevant decision will be taken after the elections in Greece.
The Hellenic Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate Change, the Hellenic
Federation of Enterprises (SEV) and the association of companies dealing with
recycling and energy utilization (SEVIAN) were proposed as potential participants in
the symbiosis kick-off meeting to be involved in the project.
Participants mentioned the risks and limitations that could be faced throughout the
project implementation and proposed several actions so as to efficiently deal and
overcome them in time.
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