Author: SynAir-G

Image 1: IDEAL Cluster project representatives at IDEAL Cluster Annual General Meeting 2024 (Espoo, Finland)

After a year and a half from the previous in-person meeting of the IDEAL Cluster in Athens, the members of the IDEAL Cluster met again in Espoo (Finland) for the annual general meeting. The event took place on the 15th and 16th of May 2024 at Aalto University, hosted by InChildHealth project and which is currently coordinating the IDEAL Cluster Initiative.

The IDEAL (Indoor Air Pollution and Health) Cluster is a task force promoted by the European Commission to optimise synergies, avoid overlaps and increase the impact of the projects selected for funding under the call HORIZON-HLTH-2021-ENVHLTH-02-02. SynAir-G is part of the Cluster, together with InChildHealth, K-HealthinAir, LEARN, TwinAir, INQUIRE and EDIAQI, and they collaborate with the creation of 7 working groups focused on topics of common interest.

The meeting counted the participation of approximately 20 people in person and 70 connected online during the two days of the event, including Rita Araújo, Policy Officer at the European Commission and in charge of supervising the IDEAL Cluster.

IDEAL Cluster Projects updates 

The first day began with the presentations of the progress, highlights and learnings of the seven projects by their project coordinators:

• Heidi Salonen (InChildHealth),
• Pernilla Bohlin Nizzetto (INQUIRE),
• Ernesto Alfaro-Moreno (LEARN),
• José Fermoso Domínguez (K-HealthinAir),
• Nikolaos Papadopoulos (SynAir-G, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens),
• Stylianos Karatzas (TwinAir),
• Mario Lovrič (EDIAQI).

In general, all projects have achieved significant progress in the past 18 months, and they look forward to sharing new results in the future.

The presentations were later followed by greetings from Rita Araújo and the European Commission Officers who were connected online.

Image 2: IDEAL Cluster Project Coordinators (from left to right: Pernilla Bohlin Nizzetto (INQUIRE), José Fermoso Domínguez (K-HEALTHinAIR), Heidi Salonen (InChildHealth),  Ernesto Alfaro-Moreno (LEARN), Rita Araújo (European Commission), Nikolaos Papadopoulos (SynAir-G), Mario Lovrić (EDIAQI), and Stylianos Karatzas (TwinAIR))

IDEAL Cluster Working Groups updates

Throughout the two days of the meeting, participants shared updates on the activities, achievements as well as challenges of the 7 projects, together with the joint work implemented in the IDEAL Cluster Working Groups.

From SynAir-G, Valeria Ramiconi (EFA) presented as a co-leader of Working Group 1 on Science translation for policy and practice, Stefan Kelnberger (DIN) for Working Group 4 on Guidelines, and Tuomas Jartti (University of Turku) for Working Group 6 on Health Outcomes.  Similarly to projects, the working groups are also moving forward with their activities and deliverables.

If you wish to learn more about the IDEAL Cluster and its activities, visit: synairg.eu/ideal-cluster or idealcluster.eu.

Sharing useful learnings within the Cluster

Together with providing space to catch up on the projects and working groups activities, the annual meeting was also the occasion to discuss common strategies to close the gaps in understanding the impact on our health and well-being of indoor air quality, as well as identify common challenges that all projects face, to learn from each other and maximise the impact of the projects.

The European Commission, represented by Policy Officer Rita Araujo, highlighted the importance of the work that the Cluster projects are doing to improve and safeguard the health and well-being of citizens in indoor environments. The meeting ended with the promise to meet again in person next year, while continuing joining forces and resources.

The recently published PeARL Pediatric Asthma Monitoring Guidelines, formally endorsed by EAACI, REG, APAPARI, INTERASMA, and WAO (Ped Allergy Immunology 2024; 35:e14129), include the need for evaluation of possible exposure to irritants, such as tobacco smoke and other air pollutants, in children whose asthma is not well controlled. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood with prevalence reaching 20% in some populations.

Asthma is characterised by airway hyperresponsiveness, therefore patients are the first to suffer from air pollution; most children with asthma have atopic allergy, making them susceptible to common environmental allergens.

PeARL also points out that allergen exposure, as well as markers of sensitization, are among the key monitoring parameters. The PeARL Monitoring Guidelines have been led by SynAir-G Principal Investigator, Prof Nikos Papadopoulos, with several SynAir-G partners who have contributed.

Disclaimer: PeARL (Pediatric Asthma in Real Life) is an initiative not linked to or funded by SynAir-G project.

Image: Panagiotis Chaslaridis (on the left), EFA Senior Policy Advisor, attended as a speaker at a EVIA event on  Indoor Air Quality policy (Brussels, 15 February 2024)

Poor indoor air quality impacts everyone, but especially our community; people with respiratory diseases and other underlying health conditions including allergy. EFA, one of SynAir-G partners, was a guest speaker at a policy event on Indoor Air Quality organised by the European Ventilation Industry Association (EVIA), where we brought to the table the perspective of patients with chronic respiratory conditions.

Europeans spend 90% of their time indoors. But did you know that indoor air can be 2-5 times, even up to 100 times, more polluted than outdoor air?

On 15 February, EFA was invited to participate in the policy event ‘Breath of Change – Elevating Indoor Air Quality in European politics’, organised by the European Ventilation Industry Association (EVIA) in Brussels.

The panel discussion gathered an interesting line-up of speakers, including representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy (leading the revision of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which includes provisions for ventilation indoors), regional authorities, technical ventilation experts, as well as the ventilation industry and EFA.

Since 1991, EFA has worked across the policy spectrum advocating for improved IAQ at the EU/Europe levels. EFA works on Indoor Air Quality also in the context of the SynAir-G project, which is part of a larger cluster of EU-funded research projects known as the IDEAL Cluster.

Check the full article on the EFA website

Image: CNR Team presented SynAir-G Project at Futuro Remoto science and technology fair (Naples (Italy), 21 – 26 November 2023) 

The National Research Council of Italy (CNR) presented their research activities at the 37^th edition of Futuro Remoto 2023, a European fair for the dissemination of scientific and technological culture, organized in Naples (Italy) from 21st to 26th November 2023, in collaboration with Città della Scienza Foundation.

Futuro Remoto is a scientific fair, organised every year by the Città della Scienza Foundation in Naples and other cities in the Campania region, which aims to promote the relationship between science, knowledge and society.

This edition was focused on exploring the different forms of Intelligence, including Smart Sensing, the focus of CNR research activities. Smart sensing can be defined as an IoT (Internet of Things) technology that takes input from the physical environment and uses built-in computing resources to perform predefined functions upon detection of specific input and subsequently process data before passing it on. CNR actively use it for monitoring food quality, environmental factors and safety, including in its tasks within SynAir-G.

While promoting its activities in the field of smart sensing in food science, CNR also promotes and disseminates the objectives and the impact of SynAir-G on science and society. Their participation in Futuro Remoto is in alignment with the effort of each partner to promote the project on every appropriate occasion and reach the vastest number of people.

CNR successfully presented the activities of SynAir-G during Futuro Remoto scientific fair, where they also demonstrated to the public the use of smart sensors. This activity is the first step to spreading the voice about the project within the Italian community and increasing awareness about its activities and the future impact on indoor air quality in schools and children’s health.

Image 1. Children testing the game “Save the World” during “Next Generation Conference: Literacy of the Future” (Aahrus (DK),  7-8 November 2023)

As part of SynAir-G activities, LTU has organized and conducted two events to engage children in testing and providing feedback for further improvements to the “Save The World” game, an application being designed and developed by INLECOM. The gamified application “Save The World” is being developed to promote participation in the health outcome assessment questionnaire. The app serves as an educational tool, involving students in environmental health and sustainability. Save The World employs gamification to encourage students to learn about the impact of pollutants in Europe, offering a captivating approach to education. The main objective is to involve students from six European countries in completing health questionnaires.

The application presents real-life environmental challenges through interactive gaming experiences, where players navigate through European cities facing a pollution crisis. Mini-games within the app require critical thinking and problem-solving skills to combat the adverse effects of pollutants. Save The World is designed for a diverse audience, available in six languages, and accessible on mobile devices and computers with parental consent.

The first workshop took place at the Luleå Science Centre, Teknikens Hus, as part of the Researchers’ Day (forskarfredag). This annual event, organized nationwide in Sweden, provides an opportunity for citizens, particularly youngsters, to explore the latest research developments through various workshops. During this event, LTU showcased the SynAir-G game to 28 ten-year-old children. They actively participated in a 3-hour game test (two sessions before and after lunch), offering valuable feedback for improvements. The children completed a questionnaire, expressing their likes and dislikes, issues they identified, and suggesting areas for enhancement. The event was deemed a great success.

The second game showcase occurred in Aarhus, Denmark, as part of the “Next Generation Conference: Literacy of the Future.” Employing the same strategy, 24 ten-year-old children engaged in the activity. Results indicated increased confidence, with fewer reported errors compared to the first event, demonstrating clear success in addressing issues identified earlier.

Overall, a high level of engagement and commitment was observed throughout both events.

Do you want to stay in touch with SynAir-G activities? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the SynAir-G Newsletter!

Below you can download the IDEAL Cluster press release in PDF format:

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Episode 1: Indoor air quality in schools: impact on children wellbeing and role of research in Europe 

 Image 1: Speakers and moderators during SynAir-G workshop (Montpellier, 09 October 2023)

The SynAir-G workshop series are part of the WP7 – Data management, Guidelines, Dissemination and Exploitation, aiming at exchanging know-how and practices between partners and stakeholders to present the project and validate its impact indicators while gathering feedback and state-of-the-art advancements in the field of indoor air quality and its impact on health. 

Over the course of the project, 3 workshops will be organised, to facilitate discussion, and engage the public, while presenting the results as the project progresses.  

The first workshop ‘Indoor air quality in schools: impact on children wellbeing and role of research in Europe’ took place on the 9th of October in Montpellier (France). The hybrid event brought together patient representatives, health care professionals, researchers across Europe to discuss the importance of indoor air quality in schools, its impact on the wellbeing of children and the role of research and development of new technologies and know-how. 

Specifically, the workshop facilitated a discussion on the status and challenges of Indoor Air Quality in schools in 3 European countries (France, Greece and Poland), including socio- economic and technical barriers and highlighting the importance of indoor air quality in schools and its effects on all the people who attend schools, including teachers and other staff members.  

Emphasis was also placed on the role of preventative care in NCDs (Non-Communicable Diseases), including asthma and allergies, and the synergist dialogue and coordination between different experts to ensure good quality of life for the people living these conditions, including people spending time in schools. 

The workshop hosted a panel discussion on how to innovate devices and services in the school sector through participatory approaches. The speakers were representatives of the SynAir-G, K-HEALTHinAIR and InChildHealth projects, members of IDEAL Cluster, an EU Commission initiative aiming at filling knowledge gaps in the understanding of the impacts on our health and well-being of those environmental, occupational and socio. During this session, the three projects discussed their objectives, promising impact on society, and the importance of advocacy. 

The first workshop ‘Indoor air quality in schools: impact on children wellbeing and role of research in Europe’ was organised by the  European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA), and the hybrid sessions were moderated by Prof. Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, SynAir-G Coordinator, and Valeria Ramiconi, EFA Programme Manager. 

The SynAir-G Workshop series will continue with two other episodes in the upcoming years to discusse the SynAir-G project impact on science and on European policy, and disseminating its results. 

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Image 1: SynAir-G Consortium group picture (Montpellier, October 10 2023)

On 9 and 10 October 2023, the SynAir-G project’s consortium gathered in Montpellier (France) for the first annual General Assembly, hosted by Centre Hôpitalier Universitaire de Montpellier (CHUM).

SynAir-G aims to:

• improve our understanding of the main sources and interactions of chemical and biological indoor air pollutants in schools
• develop user- and environmentally-friendly solutions and interventions with a particular focus on vulnerable populations
• disseminate the generated knowledge and interventions to key stakeholders

The two-day meeting offered the SynAir-G partners the space for discussions on the status of the project, updates on the different work packages, and alignments on the upcoming timelines, tasks and deliverables.

The meeting was chaired by Prof. Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, SynAir-G Coordinator, and the different work packages and tasks leaders provided comprehensive updates on the progress made over the past twelve months and outlined their action plans for the upcoming period.

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GA²LEN, one of the SynAir-G partners, announced the publication of SynAir-G Stakeholders database, an important milestone for the activities for the activities of communication and dissemination of the project.

This is another tool that will help SynAir-G to shed light on the intricate interactions between various pollutants that impact our health. From unraveling mechanisms to real-life scenarios, our focus is directed towards the school environment.

SynAir-G is promoted to different stakeholders to join the database, and integrate into a diverse network comprising experts, researchers, industry leaders and many more sectors, all united in their dedication to fostering healthier and more sustainable indoor spaces. The presence within this database isn’t just about sharing your expertise; it’s a catalyst for collaboration and innovation in the realm of indoor air quality.

SynAir-G envisions this database as a central hub for collective learning, a gateway to exchange best practices, and for advancing our goals.

Participating in this endeavor is as simple as dedicating a few minutes of your time to provide your name and details for inclusion. However, the impact will extend far beyond those moments. Your contribution will resonate in shaping the EU’s approach towards indoor air quality for years to come. This is your opportunity to effect positive, enduring change in the lives of countless individuals.

Embrace this chance to transform the status quo by submitting your information through the link provided: https://forms.office.com/e/fZgFCxMb97

SynAir-G assures potential stakeholders that all shared data will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and solely utilized for the project’s objectives. They retain the freedom to opt out at any time.

Please feel free to share this database link with your contacts and other stakeholders.

Do you want to stay in touch with SynAir-G activities? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the SynAir-G Newsletter!