The BIOWYSE consortium includes a balanced mixture of industry (both big companies and SMEs), academia and research organisations, with ESF (non-profit) being the coordinator of the action. The consortium includes partners that are world authorities in water biocontamination (CNR-IRSA, SMAT), industrial leaders in space systems development (TAS Italia), experienced SMEs in the fields of biomonitoring, water disinfection and hardware and software design (GLBio, AquiSense, LE respectively). The consortium also includes UniFi, which played a key role in the Viable ISS project, ESF which has a long tradition in European framework programmes coordination and A-ETC, an SME specializing in design and communication, with a dual focus in Earth and Space. Each partner brings to the project their unique strengths that act complimentary to the rest of the partners in the consortium:

European Science Foundation

ESF will coordinate the BIOWYSE project, act as a link with the Research Executive Agency, and coordinate communication and dissemination activities and support TAS Italia activities in the costing of the flight demo. ESF brings to the consortium its experience in coordinating European projects (Space and non-space), an extensive network of scientists in Europe and worldwide as well as national and agency officials. The ESF has been involved in the definition of priorities for research in Habit Management (THESEUS) and is keen to contribute to a project that answers to several key issues identified therein. The BIOWYSE project will enable ESF to take an even more active role in this field, by coordinating a project that will enable innovative development in the area of microbiological control for space. At the same time, the BIOWYSE concept might offer interesting spin-off opportunities for terrestrial applications and ESF is keen to assist the various scientific communities in realizing the fullest potential from the project’s results.

www.esf.org

Thales Alenia Space

Combining 40 years of experience and a unique diversity of expertise, talents and cultures, Thales Alenia Space (a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo) architects design and deliver high technology solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments, institutions and companies rely on Thales Alenia Space to design, operate and deliver satellite-based systems that help them position and connect anyone or anything, everywhere, help observe our planet, help optimize the use of our planet’s – and our solar system’s – resources. Thales Alenia Space believes in space as humankind’s new horizon, which will enable to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. Thales Alenia Space will be the BIOWYSE system integrator and provide technical advice to the module developing partners, especially for issues concerning the space environment. Thales Alenia Space will also lead the design of a flight demonstration experiment and system, provide the prevention modules of BIOWYSE and play the role of system engineer for the project.

www.thalesaleniaspace.com

Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche

CNR-IRSA is a scientific institution aimed at providing the National Parliament, the Governmental Administrations, as well as water-management agencies and national industries, with the know-how necessary for rational utilization and protection of Italian water resources. The institution has world class know how on the subject of water quality assessment and treatment and has played key roles in several national and European projects that involved chemical or microbiological assessment of water sources. CNR-IRSA has access COMPET-4-2015 call BIOWYSE Proposal Sections 1-3 BIOWYSE Page 63 of 69 to state of the art equipment and facilities dealing with water biocontamination. CNR-IRSA will act as scientific project-coordinator, assisting the consortium partners in matters regarding microbial identification and overall system disinfection. It will also assist in the validation of the system tests, cross-validating the results with their own techniques and act as a multiplier regarding the project result dissemination, since CNR-IRSA stuff have excellent publication records in scientific journals. Participation in BIOWYSE will expose CNR-IRSA to the space water management area, where their advanced knowledge of the subject matter can play a key role in future projects.

www.cnr.it

Societa Metropolitana Acque Torino SPA

SMAT is a leader in the field of integrated water services operating in the areas of engineering, construc-tion and management of diversified water sources, state-of-the-art drinking water treatment systems, purification and recycling networks and recovery systems. SMAT will bring to the consortium its knowledge on water management systems and excellent testing facilities/know-how. It will identify some of the potential terrestrial uses of the BIOWYSE system and contribute to the validation tests by organising the two field tests of the system. The objectives of BIOWYSE are in accordance with the SMAT mission statement and SMAT’s interest in the proposal is twofold: as an integrated water management system with focus on efficiency in water management, it matches SMAT core values very well. Finally, SMAT has involved in ISS potable water production and is keen to continue and expand its involvement in water management for space habitats.

www.smatorino.it

   

GL Biocontrol

GLBio is an SME specializing in environmental risk management, with focus on microbiological monitoring of water and surfaces. GLBio specialises in innovative products that increase the efficiency, the rapidity, the specificity and the sensitivity of the analysis of microbiological contaminants. GLBio will develop the monitoring module for the BIOWYSE project, which will include an innovative surface sampler for space habitats. BIOWYSE will benefit from the expert knowledge of GLBio, both for hardware development of water monitoring systems but also the industrial application of said systems in terrestrial systems. GLBio will benefit from the workings of BIOWYSE by acquiring space hardware development experience as well as identify potential new terrestrial applications for automated control of bacterial biomass monitoring, which will strengthen its position in the field through a technological advantage over its competitors.

www.gl-biocontrol.com

Liewenthal Electronics Ltd

LE is a hardware and software engineering company, with a focus in electronics and software design and testing. The company specialises in embedded custom made solutions and testing against various standards. LE will be responsible for the design and manufacturing of the control module of the BIOWYSE system. LE will benefit from the involvement in BIOWYSE by getting exposure in the space systems design constraints and acquire experience on the standards utilised in the space industry.

www.liewenthal.ee

Universita Degli Studi Di Firenze, Italy

The University of Florence (Università degli Studi di Firenze) is an academic organization devoted to university level teaching and research. In particular the Department of Biology is involved in the organization and teaching activities for the BSc and MSc courses of Natural Science, Biology, Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology and is hosting the PhD program in Biology. Within the Department of Biology there are six main research activities, namely eco-ethology, anthropology, botany, physiology, genetics and microbiology carried out by ca. 50 permanent staff members and ca. 100 among MSc and PhD students. The University of Florence participates in and is responsible for several EU projects and at February 2015, 13 research projects were financed under H2020.

www.unifi.it

AquiSense Technologies (Europe) Ltd

AquiSense Technologies (Europe) Ltd is a research arm of Aquisence Technologies, located in the UK. Aquisense take the best available UV-LED sources and integrate them into UV disinfection products, for water, air and surface applications.  With technical research into the application of UV-C LED’s starting as far back as 2003, AquiSense acquired the assets of the longest serving and most experienced laboratory for the evaluation of UV-C LED devices.  With devices tested from 12 different manufacturers globally, they also have the largest database of UV-C LED performance data compiled.  Using this knowledge base, AquiSense has engineered highly efficient disinfection products.  With a deep patent portfolio, it was the first to launch a commercial UV-C LED water treatment system.

www.aquisense.com

A-ETC s.r.o.

A-ETC is a young architecture and design company with a dual focus on Earth and Space, which has considerable experience in space habitat design. The company will bring a professional edge in the project’s visual identity and website and will develop a video animation of the BIOWYSE system, a powerful communication tool, especially with respect to the public stakeholders. A-ETC will expand through the project its involvement in space focused projects in the European landscape.

www.a-etc.net