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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ECARS (East European Centre for Atmospheric Remote Sensing)

Teaser

Summary

ECARS (East European Centre for Atmospheric Remote Sensing) project was a project addressing to Twining European Unionâ€™s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme with the aim to improve the research capacity in atmosphere remote sensing and create a pole of excellence in Eastern Europe. This research domain of atmospheric remote sensing is deficit in the Eastern part of Europe. Reducing the deficiencies of research from the East to Western countries are done by means of knowledge transfer, dissemination and networking. For this were defined 3 objectives: to strength INOE\'s expertise in atmosphere remote sensing, to increase beneficiary\'s research performance index and to increase INOE\'s visibility.
Were identified 4 different research directions for knowledge transfer, correlated with the activities under development or to be implemented within the beneficiary Remote Sensing Department, and correlated with the directions at EU level. These directions are ground-based Raman lidar, airborne high spectral resolution lidar, retrieval of space-borne products, and study of aerosol content through different sources. Top European institutions were identified to provide training in the areas where they excel. Ground-based Raman lidar is subject of training with experts from Max Planck Institute for Meteorology- MPI-M, airborne high spectral resolution lidar is subject of training with experts from Deutsches Zentrum fÃ¼r Luft- und Raumfahrt - DLR, satellite remote sensing is subject of training with experts from National Observatory of Athens NOA, while data exploitation is subject of training with experts from the National Research Council of Italy - Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis - CNR - IMAA.
The second objective of the project is to improve the research performance index by bringing the scientific gap with world-class institutions and networks. Participation to summer schools, conferences and publishing articles together with partners from the projects meant to tackle difference. All the indicators targeted at the beginning of the projects were achieved. INOE promoted ACTRIS activities at national level, by creating and leading ACTRIS-RO community, and then promoting the new community at the national level.
The third objective is to increase the international visibility of INOE and linking with the scientific community and the public. By this INOE organized at national level different dissemination activities (meeting with stakeholders, public communications and media appearances, fun lessons of physics, science ambassadors in schools, researchers night etc.). A major success is considered by organizing the first European Lidar Conference, addressing to the European lidar community.

Work performed

Each objective was subject to a different WP, having particular means to approach its subject.
Tools to strengthen the expertise are virtual training, short term staff exchange, short term on-site training, expertsâ€™ visits, technical workshop and webinars.
All virtual training sessions, 4 in total, were done in the spring of 2016 using WebEx sessions, were the trainees presented the topics of knowledge transfer to attendees from INOE.
Activities continued with short-term staff exchange, were INOE staff spend 1 month approximately at partner\'s laboratories, in order to understand and overcome organizational and scientific differences, including different work styles and habits, to capture as much experience as possible from the partnering organizations, by having access to advanced laboratories and research tools. The staff exchange was held in 2016 and 2017, consisting of visits to MPI-M/Hamburg, NOA/Athens, CNR-IMAA/ Potenza and participation to NAWDEX campaign during DLR\'s airborne campaign. Expertise transfer continued with short-term on-site training, done in November 2016, and November 2017 at MPI-M/Hamburg, and in April 2017 with participation to NOA/Pre-Tech campaign. Follow up were experts visits, with visits from MPI-M, DLR-IPA, CNR-IMAA, and NOA during February 2018. Three technical workshops were organized in total, the first two in parallel with ECARS summer school.
This knowledge transfer process carried out with webinars, for paper preparation and submissions at conferences or at high ranked journals.
During ECARS were organized two summer school: in May - June 2016 in Magurele (HQ of INOE), and in April 2017 by NOA in Crete. Dissemination by participation at conferences and article publication it was dedicated task, the indicators were achieved, by publishing 13 articles in ISI indexed journals for mid-term review, and 35 in total, with a cumulated impact factor of 32 for MTR, and 50.84 at the completion of the project. Networking by participation to international working groups and committees is an activity foreseen continuously, with active involvement in COST Actions, EARLINET, ACTRIS, PANDONIA and promotion of these networks at the national level.
In May-June 2016 it was organized the first technical workshop, hands-on training on good practices in lidar operation. The second training, on of satellite calibration/validation activities was organized in Crete, Greece in April 2017. The first two technical workshops were held in parallel with ECARS summer schools. The third technical workshop was organized in January 2018, in Bucharest, and was focused on data synergy and exploitation.
The improvement of INOEâ€™s research performance index by bridging the scientific gap with world-class institutions and networks was done by participating to summer schools, participation to conferences, publications, participation to expert groups and networks and spreading of knowledge at the national level.
The increase INOEâ€™s international visibility and links within the scientific community and public were done using traditional tools as presentations given to students, stakeholders, and also by maintaining a social media presence; thus, Twitter posts were published on the ECARS Twitter account highlighting achievements done within the project in context with international dissemination.

Final results

By creating a pole of excellence in a region represented in a poor way compared with the western part of Europe, this project brings benefits from local to regional scale. On the long term, the beneficiaries of this project are:
â€¢ researchers involved in the training, since they will have the opportunity to interact and work with top-level scientists in the field of atmosphere remote sensing;
â€¢ partners involved in the project, assuring institutional collaboration that on the long term will bring to more joint projects;
â€¢ national networks, and national communities (i.e., RADO, ACTRIS-RO), by having representatives in the international networks, assuring implementation of the measures taken in the international field and promoting the trends to national institutions;
â€¢ international networks (i.e., ACTRIS, EARLINET, PANDONIA, COST Action), is represented in a region of Europe not that active as the west-European countries.
Except for direct implication of the project, an added value of implementation of the project is represented by indirect beneficiaries:
â€¢ master or PhD students will have the opportunity to do their research in INOE laboratories;
â€¢ young students, that in their annual visits to INOE, have the chance to be familiarized with atmospheric research.