KESTA

Environmental protection and technology programme KESTA

“Environmental protection and technology R&D programme (KESTA)” (directive No. 161 of the Minister of Education and Research from the 1st of November 2011) of the measure “Supporting environmental technology research and development activities” (directive No. 13 of the Minister of Education and Research from the 1st of April 2011) of the first-priority area of the operational programme for the development of economic environment known as “Strengthening the competitiveness of Estonian research and development activities through modernizing research programmes, institutions of higher education and research institutions”.

The environmental protection and technology R&D programme concentrates on analysing and preventing research-based environmental risks and on developing sustainable technologies. The projects implemented in this programme address, for example, applied research on ecosystem matter cycles and conditions of biodiversity, innovative environmental-technological solutions and risk analysis encompassing environmental hazards in Estonia.

The objectives of the programme are:

  1. to achieve results in the priority fields of environmental protection and technology, which would provide scientifically proven adequate information to the state for the purpose of decision processes and policy-making
  2. to ensure coherence and scientific support for fully developing the objects in the Estonian Research Infrastructures Roadmap
  3. to analyse coherence between state-run and academic environmental information systems with the purpose of supporting research in the fields of biodiversity informatics as well as climatic and environmental changes
  4. to develop research-based prognoses for responding to threats in a quick and precise way.

The target groups of the programme comprise individuals, organizations, research and development institutions and enterprises which investigate and analyse the field of environmental protection and technology. The partners of the programme include the Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Tallinn University, Tallinn University of Technology, the University of Tartu, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu Observatory, the Estonian Biocentre and Cybernetica AS.

Applications were admitted from the 3rd of June 2011 to the 12th of August 2011. Altogether, 12 applications were submitted, which underwent technical inspection and were presented for evaluations, the results of which were announced on the 23rd of September 2011.

Funding was allocated to 8 applications:

Activity 1. Developing applied research in the priority fields of environmental protection and technology.

  • Applied studies in nature conservation (LOORA)
  • Estimation of environmental response to future climate projections in Estonia using dynamic models of air, sea and catchment areas (EstKliima)
  • Removing biologically non-readily degradable substances from wastewater with physical-chemical and biological methods to decrease the pollution load of aquatic environment (CHEMBIO)
  • Dynamics of living systems in the context of nature preservation (EDULOOD)

Activity 2. Supporting research activities concerning the objects of the Estonian Research Infrastructures Roadmap related to the field of environmental protection and technology.

  • Estonian observatory of aquatic environment (VeeOBS)
  • the Estonian Environmental Observatory’s research and development activities regarding the biosphere and atmosphere (BioAtmos)

Activity 3. Analysing coherence between state-run and academic environmental information systems and funding development projects of analytical capability for supporting research on biodiversity informatics and climatic and environmental changes.

  • Geoinformatic development of biodiversity, soil and earth data system (ERMAS)

Activity 4. Developing research-based prognoses for responding to threat in a quick and precise way.

  • Developing research-based prognoses and quantifying risks for responding to threat in a quick and precise way in the context of the Estonian mainland, bodies of water, seaboard and atmosphere (TERIKVANT)

Application form (APPLICATION for the sub-activities of the KESTA programme research, operational and development activities)