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 at the Twenty-sixth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG26) on the EANET, as a Project Activity, co-funded by the EANET Project Fund and R. of Korea.

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Timeline

In 2025, the Program is organized in two sessions, each session being divided into two parts with the training happening alternatively in the Republic of Korea and Japan.

The First Session will take place from 14 April to 2nd May 2025. The first part of Session 1 will take place in Niigata, Japan, from 14-18 April 2025, followed by the second part, in Incheon, Republic of Korea from 21 April to 2 May 2025.

The Second session will be organized from 22 September to 10 October 2025. The first part of Session 2 will take place in Incheon, Republic of Korea, from 22 September to 3 October 2025. The second part of Session 2 will be held in Niigata, Japan, from 6 to 10 October 2025.

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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 nominated one or more relevant candidate(s) to apply for the training program in 2025. The NC selected eight 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.