Capacity Building

NIER’s TNT and EANET’s Capacity Building Program

Background

The Technical and Training (TNT) program of the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), R. of Korea, and the EANET Capacity Building Program have joined forces since 2023 to provide training on acid deposition and air quality management in the EANET Participating Countries.

EANET, through its individual training and capacity-building activities, has trained over 200 government officials and researchers in the region on acid deposition and air quality issues since 2002. The individual trainings are in-depth training courses usually conducted in the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP) in Niigata, Japan which hosts the Network Center (NC) for the EANET. Participants endorsed by the Participating Countries are provided in-depth mentoring and support.

NIER, under the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea, has been the sole institute for research on the global environment since its establishment in 1978. With its headquarters located in Incheon, it has 9 intensive air quality monitoring stations and 4 major river research centers. It carries a wide range of research from environmental health, climate & air, water, and resources to energy. It also has provided support for research and policies responsive to the environmental concerns of people drawing on its research base and joined various international joint projects to commit to the global community’s efforts to protect the environment.

In 2025, the combined TNT and EANET Capacity Building Program was approved to continue at the Twenty-seventh Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG27) on the EANET, as a Project Activity, co-funded by the EANET Project Fund and the Republic of Korea.

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Timeline

In 2026, the Program will be organized in two sessions, each session being divided into two parts with the training happening alternatively in the Republic of Korea and Japan. Dates and locations of the training are as follows:

  1. 1st session (from 11 May to 22 May 2026)
    • 11-15 May : at the Network Center for the EANET (Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), Niigata, Japan
    • 18-22 May: at NIER, in Incheon, Republic of Korea
  2. 2nd session (from 12 October to 23 October 2026)
    • 12-16 October: at NIER, in Incheon, Republic of Korea
    • 19-23 October:  at the Network Center (Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), Niigata, Japan

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Objective

The Training Program will focus on acid deposition monitoring (wet/dry/soil & vegetation/inland aquatic environment/catchment), QA/QC activity of monitoring, monitoring sample analysis in the laboratory, data analysis and reporting of monitoring data, monitoring and analysis of air quality, air pollution management and control, and air quality and pollution forecast.

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Nomination and Selection Process

The National Focal Points from the EANET Participating Countries will nominate one or more relevant candidate(s) to apply for the training program in 2026. The deadline for nomination is 30 January 2026. The NC will select trainees from the EANET Participating Countries, based on their professional backgrounds, technical implications in monitoring activities, and motivation, to participate in the training. For any questions related to the nomination and selection process, contact the NC.

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Useful Resources

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Find out more on EANET Project Activities on the EANET Project Fund web page.