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Frielas hosted its second Living Lab

Frielas hosted its second Living Lab

On 25 October 2024, MAR2PROTECT held its second Living Lab workshop in Frielas, Portugal. This event was successfully hosted online by NOVA as the leading entity for the Lisbon area demo site of the project.

This innovative initiative aims to enhance collaboration among local communities, businesses, and research institutions to improve groundwater conditions in the Frielas region. On this occasion, the workshop gathered various stakeholders to share their perspectives on the technologies and materials developed through the project, specifically those applied in Frielas. The meeting also focused on co-creation activities that will soon be implemented in the region. Participants worked together to select and plan these activities with the goal of involving local citizens.

This Living Lab represents a significant step toward enhancing our community’s resilience and sustainability. Through workshops like this, MAR2PROTECT is getting closer to finding new ways to protect groundwater from global contamination.

Take a look at the event images!

News about Living Labs will be updated soon!

Frielas Livinglab brings stakeholders together for better local groundwater management

Frielas Livinglab brings stakeholders together for better local groundwater management

MAR2PROTECT has successful launched the Frielas LivingLab in Portugal during the last week. The event was proudly hosted by NOVA FCT, as the third demosite of the project. 

This exciting event was achieved in collaboration with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the Regulatory Authority for Water and Waste Services (ERSAR), the Municipality of Loures, the Municipality of Lisbon, the Municipality of Almada, Lisbon E-NOVA, the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (LNEC), the Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences (MARE), the Portuguese Association of Environmental Technologies Companies (Apemeta), Águas do Tejo Atlântico, and Aquapor, among others.

The first workshop brought together these prominent entities with the aim of discussing groundwater management both nationally and across Europe. The primary focus was on ensuring the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of the strategies proposed by the project. During the event, successful case studies were explored, key challenges were identified, and next steps were outlined to drive progress in this vital area.

The upcoming workshop of the LivingLab will focus on gathering stakeholders’ opinions on the technologies developed in the project, as well as co-creating awareness activities for civil society on this crucial topic.

The implementation of the LivingLab is supported by the methodology and detailed guidance provided by IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.

MAR2PROTECT seeks to save the world’s groundwater from contamination through an innovative and holistic approach.  This research project brings together two main strategies, the M-AI-R tool and LivingLabs, to create new approaches for safeguarding groundwater as it becomes more vulnerable in the face of climate change.

The project kicked off in December 2022 and will run for four years. It is funded by the Horizon Europe programme with a total cost of €4.143.681,25. MAR2PROTECT will usher in a new generation of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) that engages stakeholders and enhances both groundwater quality and quantity.