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Water without toxic pharmaceutical residues? Norway Grants offer laboratories millions for instruments for water analysis

12.07.2022   |   Press release
Up to 19.5 million Czech crowns can be obtained by successful applicants for the purchase of laboratory equipment from the new call "Call-3A Ålesund", which is launched by the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic from the Norway Grants Programme - Environment, Ecosystems and Climate Change. The call aims to expand the equipment and analytical capabilities of laboratories for monitoring water pollution from pharmaceutical residues in line with the relevant European directives.
Zdroj: FotkyFoto

In the Norway Grants, in the area of water protection in particular, we focus primarily on the issue of water pollution by micropollutants in the form of pharmaceutical residues. This will also be the case in our new call “Ålesund”.  In this call we offer laboratories support in the range of 5.2 to 19.5 million Czech crowns for the acquisition of instruments for the analysis of micropollutants and the introduction or optimization of analytical methods for surface water monitoring in accordance with the Directive 2000/60/EC. This directive establishes a basic framework for determining the status of surface waters in the area of priority and specific pollutants. The call focuses specifically on the pollution of our waters by selected groups of substances, especially pharmaceuticals,” Petr Valdman, Director of the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic, presents the call.

Applicants – legal entities – can receive support for the provision of suitable infrastructure
and analytical methods for the identification of pollutants in the aquatic environment. Among the substances on which the European Union is currently focusing the most attention are, for instance, ibuprofen, some types of antibiotics or hormone-based preparations. Beneficiaries can cover up to 90% of the eligible costs of the project from Norway Grants.

Our membership in European and world groups brings with it requirements for careful monitoring of water quality in the territory of the Czech Republic. However, some of the established limits for monitoring new pollutants are at such a level that their fulfillment requires the introduction of new, more sensitive and accurate methods of measurement and analysis, for which our laboratories often do not yet have the appropriate equipment. We want to help them with that,” Petr Valdman explains.

Following previous support for advanced wastewater treatment technologies, the Ålesund grant call is another important financial tool to help protect our waters from contamination by toxic pharmaceutical residues, which can be very dangerous for both aquatic organisms and entire ecosystems.

Requests for support can be submitted via the Agenda Information System of the SFŽP CR at zadosti.sfzp.cz. Admission is open from 12 July (12:00) to 30 September 2022.

Documents and details of the call


The call is named after the Norwegian port city of Ålesund, which is known for its trading and fishing history. At present, it is one of Norway’s largest ports, a world rarity of art nouveau architecture and also a starting point for travelers who set off from here on the famous Trollstigen or the Geirangerfjord. It is one of the most visited places in Norway and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.