5th Management Committee Meeting in Galati: Progress and Plans

On January 22-23, 2026, the management committee of the BSB00168 – Know What You Breathe: Mobilizing Communities for Air Quality in the Black Sea Basin (AIRQUEST) project convened in Galati, Romania. Hosted by the Galati Tehnopol Association (ATG), the meeting brought together representatives from Türkiye, Bulgaria, Ukraine (online), and Romania to review progress related to the air quality monitoring mobile application “BSB Airquest”, the financial status of the Project, the development of a digital game, and to decide important dates about activities. The meeting also focused on planning upcoming activities, including a STEM contest and exhibition, an e-book, and awareness-raising seminars. During the meeting, participants collaborated on planning future activities and developing project outputs, ensuring the continued progress of the AIRQUEST project.

Mr. Mocanu Ionut-Razvan (Executive General Director of ATG), the host of the management committee meeting, welcomed all project partners and delivered the opening remarks.

Meeting Highlights

Current Status
During the meeting, partners reviewed the activities completed in Periods 4 and 5 and discussed the roadmap for upcoming activities planned for Periods 5 and 6. The current financial status of the project was evaluated, including challenges related to delays in the verification of the third reporting period. Key project milestones were also confirmed, such as the Launch Meeting to be held in Zonguldak and the STEM Exhibition planned in Varna.
Brainstorming and Q&A Session
An interactive brainstorming session was held to shape the upcoming STEM contest and STEM exhibition, focusing on potential themes, formats, and implementation strategies. This was followed by a Q&A session addressing outreach targets for awareness-raising seminars, timelines for the story contest, and partner-specific schedules for STEM activities. In addition, the digital game scenario, collaboratively developed by all partners, was presented, and partners were invited to share their feedback.
Outreach & Promotion
Partners emphasized the importance of visibility and outreach for the success of the project. It was agreed to revise the project brochure in line with programme visibility requirements and to include updated information about the mobile application. All partners are committed to actively promoting the application and encouraging downloads in their respective countries. Furthermore, partners will produce promotional videos covering the Story Contest, STEM contests, the STEM Exhibition in Varna, and tree-planting activities.

Participants visited the Air Quality Monitoring Station and Laboratory at the Environmental Protection Agency in Galati as well as the Clean Air & Biodiversity site at the Botanical Park in Galați, to observe local biodiversity and air quality conditions.