Strategic positioning of the ‘ERATOSTHENES Research Centre’ and exploration of new R&D opportunities in the fields of Earth Surveillance and Space-Based of the Environment

The aim of this paper is to present our strategy and vision to upgrade the existing ERATOSTHENES Research Centre (ERC), established within Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), into a sustainable, viable and autonomous Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR), which will provide the highest quality of related services both on the National, European and International levels. The ‘EXCELSIOR’ project is a Horizon 2020 Teaming project, addressing the reduction of substantial disparities in the European Union by supporting research and innovation activities and systems in low performing countries. It also aims at establishing long-term and strategic partnerships between the Teaming partners, thus reducing internal research and innovation disparities within European Research and Innovation landscape. The ERCis already an established player in the local community and has excellent active collaboration with actors from various sectors in (a) the government, (b) industry, (c) local organisations, and (d) society. In order to further engage users and citizens and to become more attractive to international research and education community, the Centre aims to be fully involved in strategic positioning on the national level, but also in Europe, the Middle East region and internationally. Some examples of how space technologies are integrated with other tools or techniques such as UAV, field spectroscopy, micro-sensors, EO space/in-situ sensors etc. for the systematic monitoring of the environment is shown. Indeed such examples fulfills the objectives of the COPERNICUS academy network (in which ERC is a member) for empowering the next generation of researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs with suitable skill sets to use Copernicus data and information services to their full potential. Finally, opportunities for future collaboration and investments with the ERC in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are stated. Five partners have united to upgrade the existing ERC into a CoE, with the common vision to become a world-class innovation, research and education centre, actively contributing to the European Research Area (ERA). More specifically, the Teaming project is a team effort between the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT, acting as the coordinator), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), the German Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and the Cyprus’ Department of Electronic Communications of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works (DEC-MTCW)

D9.1 Communication Action Plan, WP9

This report represents the Communication Strategy and Action Plan for the project EXCELSIOR, Deliverable D9.1. The Communication Action Plan aims to produce a strategic communication roadmap for the ECoE Communication and Dissemination activities to ensure maximum visibility and awareness has been developed and reached targeted audiences. It aims to highlight the different communication target audiences, the tools, methodologies and expected impacts utilised towards their effective involvement in the project’s activities. Thus, the communication tools (e.g. website, brochure, events) and strategic communication priorities are tailored considering the diverse nature of the different stakeholder groups. The present document constitutes the first issue of ‘Communication Action Plan’ in the framework of the EXCELSIOR project, dedicated to Task 9.1 ‘Communication strategy and action plan’ under the work package WP9 ‘Communication, Engagement and Networking’. The Communication Action plan will be updated according to the needs of the communication strategy. D9.1 is delivered on Month 02 of the project and focuses on the first 15 months of the project, up to the first reporting period of the project. This document will be updated twice, one in Month 32 and one in Month 70 of the project, shared with partners in order to adopt a common policy related to any communication, branding and outreach activities implemented under the auspices of the ECoE

D9.1 Communication Action Plan, WP9

This report represents the Communication Strategy and Action Plan for the project EXCELSIOR, Deliverable D9.1. The Communication Action Plan aims to produce a strategic communication roadmap for the ECoE Communication and Dissemination activities to ensure maximum visibility and awareness has been developed and reached targeted audiences. It aims to highlight the different communication target audiences, the tools, methodologies and expected impacts utilised towards their effective involvement in the project’s activities. Thus, the communication tools (e.g. website, brochure, events) and strategic communication priorities are tailored considering the diverse nature of the different stakeholder groups. The present document constitutes the first issue of ‘Communication Action Plan’ in the framework of the EXCELSIOR project, dedicated to Task 9.1 ‘Communication strategy and action plan’ under the work package WP9 ‘Communication, Engagement and Networking’. The Communication Action plan will be updated according to the needs of the communication strategy. D9.1 is delivered on Month 02 of the project and focuses on the first 15 months of the project, up to the first reporting period of the project. This document will be updated twice, one in Month 32 and one in Month 70 of the project, shared with partners in order to adopt a common policy related to any communication, branding and outreach activities implemented under the auspices of the ECoE

Occurrence of a single-species cyanobacterial bloom in a lake in Cyprus: monitoring and treatment with hydrogen peroxide-releasing granules

Background: Excess loads of nutrients finding their way into waterbodies can cause rapid and excessive growth of phytoplankton species and lead to the formation of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyano-HABs). Toxic cyanobacteria produce a broad range of bioactive metabolites, some of which are known as cyanotoxins. These metabolites can negatively impact the ecosystem, and human and animal health, thus their presence needs to be closely monitored and mitigated. This study aimed to monitor St. George Lake (Athalassa National Forest Park, Cyprus) for its water quality characteristics, and initiate a new methodology to control the bloom that occurred in the lake during summer 2019, by comparing hydrogen peroxide treatment with novel metallic peroxide granules as source of hydrogen peroxide. Results: Lake monitoring showed that pH, salinity, total dissolved solids and conductivity varied throughout the year, and nutrients concentration was high, indicating a eutrophic lake. The cyanobacterium Merismopedia sp. bloomed in the lake between June and September 2019, comprising up to 99% of the phytoplankton biovolume. The presence of microcystin synthase encoding gene (mcyB, mcyE) was documented, however microcystins were not detected by tandem mass spectroscopy. Treatment with liquid hydrogen peroxide in concentrations 1 to 5 mg L−1 had no effect on the phycocyanin fluorescence (Ft) and quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) indicating an ineffective treatment for the dense Merismopedia bloom (1 million cells mL−1 ± 20%). Metallic peroxide granules tested for their H2O2 releasing capacity in St. George Lake water, showing that CaO2 released higher H2O2 concentration and therefore have better mitigation efficiency than MgO2 granules. Conclusion: The present study highlights the importance of monitoring several water parameters to conclude on the different actions to be taken to limit eutrophication in the catchment area. The findings demonstrated that testing for the presence of genes involved in cyanotoxin production may not be sufficient to follow cyanotoxins in the water, therefore it should be accompanied with analytical confirmation. Treatment experiments indicated that slow release of H2O2 from peroxide granules may be an alternative to liquid hydrogen peroxide when applied in appropriate doses, but further investigation is needed before it is applied at the field