The Biology Centre is a national public research institution founded in 2006 by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic by merging five previously separate scientific institutes and service centres. Its research covers ecological topics with a focus on biomedicine and is based on interdisciplinary cooperation, the use of various methodological approaches (molecular biology, genetics, taxonomy, field ecology, mathematical modelling, etc.) and a combination of analytical and holistic problem-solving approaches. Its Department of Hydrochemistry and Ecosystem Modelling investigates biogeochemical cycles and processes that control the composition and quality of surface waters, e.g. the recovery of mountain lakes and their catchments after acidification, the eutrophication of lakes and reservoirs due to external and internal nutrient loads, the modelling of lake hydrodynamics, the recovery of historical trends in biogeochemical cycles in catchments and the photochemical processes involved in the transport of nutrients via dissolved organic matter from soils into aquatic systems.

Brockmann Geomatics Sweden AB, founded in 2011, is a Swedish private company for geoinformatic consulting, offering tailored services, information products, and methodological solutions based on remote sensing and GIS technology. BG specialises in wetland and water quality monitoring, with running agreements with, and services for, authorities and end users responsible for national, regional and local environmental monitoring. Services ranging from Near Real Time Alert information and satellite data provision via interactive viewers, to long term data compilation for water resource management and reporting needs, such as WFD reporting.

Brockmann Consult GmbH is a German private company, providing software and geoinformation services focusing on Earth Observation data and products, including water quality products for inland and coastal waters and ecosystems, and software solutions including tools and interfaces for using Earth Observation data in different contexts. With a wide customer base, Brockmann Consult provide tailored services and products, including near-real time data and information, archive production for long time series, on-demand services launched by users or trigger events such as alerts for harmful algal blooms, services for water resource management and reporting such as statistical analyses per water body, interactive viewers, configurable dashboards and state-of-the-art software for remote sensing data visualisation, analysis and processing.

The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Germany, was established in 1991 and is one of the world’s leading research centres in the field of environmental research, enjoying high social recognition. It demonstrates ways in which sustainable use of natural resources is possible for the benefit of both mankind and the environment. The UFZ currently focuses on the following research areas in a highly integrative manner: (i) Environment and Society, (ii) Ecosystems of the Future, (iii) Water Resources and Environment, (iv) Chemicals in the Environment, (v) Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology, (vi) Smart Models and Monitoring.

Founded in 1966, the University of Southern Denmark ranks in the top 50 young universities worldwide. The Department of Biology at SDU is renowned for developing innovative solutions to environmental challenges. It contributes to FERRO with its expertise in ecology, advanced phosphorus (P) management, and sustainable practices. Together with partnering departments, it provides excellent infrastructure, featuring state-of-the-art analytical instruments and soil enzyme assays, facilitating research at the highest level. The freshwater research group is specialised in studying the role of phosphorus in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. The group also has significant expertise in greenhouse gas measurements at high temporal and spatial resolution and uses lake bottom sonar scanning equipment to detect variations in sediment composition or macrophyte coverage.

Pensoft Publishers is an SME specialising in academic, open-access book and journal publishing, software development and web design, project dissemination, and science communication. The company’s project department is a motivated team of active scientists, project managers and science communicators offering services including consultancy and development of communication strategies, plans for dissemination and exploitation, and data management plans. 

Pensoft is leading WP6 Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation, supporting the communication and dissemination activities for the entire project. Moreover, the team will contribute to the stakeholder mapping process and will assist in the organisation of various workshops and other events. In addition to supporting WP6, PEN will also contribute to WP7 Project Management.  

The University of Helsinki (UH) is Finland’s largest and oldest academic institution and an innovative centre of science and thinking. Founded in 1640, UH contributes to the establishment of a fair and equal society that is considered one of the best in the world. With 12 faculties, the university embraces multidisciplinarity in fostering innovation in many fields, including a strong focus on sustainability and environmental research. The UH contributes to FERRO with the expertise in sediment phosphorus release, its implications for lake water quality and sustainable lake restoration (specifically by sediment removal and sediment P recycling in agriculture).  Department of Agricultural Sciences (DAS) is one of the pioneering units in research on the reuse of the lake sediments as fertilizers that is of central importance in FERRO. DAS has all necessary research facilities and infrastructure (including greenhouses and experimental fields). The experts have led the development of a framework for sustainable lake restoration, claiming for the wider benefits of lake restoration (Tammeorg et al., 2023), and are striving for the evidence in FERRO.