ABOUT PROJECT IMPACT
Collaboration
IMPACT will bring together three diverse entities together, each a key role that will be crucial for the success of this project, with the aim of strengthening and promoting synergy.
Established in 2001, MCAST is the country’s leading Vocational Education and training Higher Education Institution with over 10,000 students and 640 academics and corporate personnel and 6 Institutes offering vocational courses ranging from certificates to Master’s degrees. MCAST collaborates in numerous projects of a European level, including EU funded R&I projects namely under H2020, EIT Climate-KIC, Interreg Europe and Erasmus+. Through its role as an educator and the educational programmes offered, MCAST is also very well connected with industrial stakeholders in the environmental and water sectors.
IAS hosts the Water Research and Training Centre and one of its main research interests has evolved in the area of water research and microplastics. IAS’s interest in microplastics led to the investment in sampling and analytical equipment that have enabled a number of projects in the area.
A sample of previous projects and activities include:
FOWARIM (H2020, GA 692162) MCAST coordinated the project which sought to increase the research capacity of MCAST in the use of water in agriculture.
MICRO WATTS (Interreg Italia-Malta, GA C1-1.1-70) MCAST participated as partner to develop a micro greywater solar water treatment system, to tackle water shortage that islands such as Malta and Sicily face.
RENATURE (H2020, GA 809988) MCAST is coordinating the project which is seeking to establish and implement a nature-based solutions research strategy.
ABT Group is an international consulting company located in Malta, operating globally with clients and projects in over 55 countries within the sectors of aquatic environmental, fisheries and aquaculture. Established in 1996, and registered in Malta in 1998, the company has grown exponentially, becoming completely staff owned in 2001. Coming from a variety of backgrounds and experience, ABT Group houses a multinational team from over twenty countries. Aside from its international portfolio the company’s local experts have undertaken assignments in Malta, building a reputable name on the island with wide network of key sectors and stakeholders.
The ABT Group Environmental department undertakes environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and other aquatic environmental monitoring activities. Marine ecological baseline surveys and ROV inspections are also a core activity of the company. Our surveying department, ABT MarineTM provides a range of services including marine surveying and mapping/GIS. The techniques employed include bathymetric and side scan sonar surveys, bottom type assessments, sub-bottom assessments, data confirmation and site inspections using both remote sensing and underwater video techniques. Moreover, ABT Group conducts water quality analyses using different sampling techniques, portable multiparameter meters and inhouse GLP certified laboratories. ABT Group have experience in over 15 EU funded projects, nine of which have been awarded under the H2020 framework.
Relevant projects to this scope of work include:
Marine environmental investigations in the Grand Harbour, Malta (April 2020 – October 2020) ABT Group conducted marine environmental investigations such as marine habitat classification and mapping using scientific SCUBA divers and an ROV. Moreover, an extensive sampling and testing of seawater quality was done throughout the Grand Harbour.
Marine bathymetric surveying around Malta (MEPA, 2012 – 2013) Marine bathymetric surveying around the entire coast of Malta for MEPA; One of the largest assignments ABT Group has undertaken in Malta relates to the Malta’s PA contract for the bathymetric mapping and grab-sampling of the entire Maltese coastline out to one nautical mile or 300m depth.
TAPAS Project (EU H2020 project, 2016 – 2020) TAPAS project aimed to promote and consolidate the environmental sustainability of the European aquaculture. ABT Group conducted fieldwork research on Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture Systems to create models of the environmental impacts of aquaculture and scientific SCUBA divers for collecting samples for stable isotope and managed the dissemination and exploitation WP.
Zibel is a registered Voluntary Organisation and was founded in 2017. It has since grown with the help of its team members and over 4000 volunteers. Zibel's main pillars of work are sustainability, waste management and environmental protection, achieved through education, research, lobbying and public awareness activities. Some flagship projects in the NGOs portfolio are the SeaBin Project, SWAPS, Project Xibka, and Zibel Clean Ups. Additionally, the eNGO is commonly consulted and takes on an advisory role for government authorities for legislation and actions around education of plastics and waste management.
Zibel has equipped itself with the knowledge and resources to run plastic collection and research projects in the marine environment. To date, Zibel has removed over 75 tons of debris, run numerous public awareness campaigns and created educational and informative content for public and industrial sectors, resulting in a significant impact to Maltese natural environment. This has been done by working with local stakeholders, both public and private, providing Zibel with the experience in multidisciplinary project consortia.