The Tire Industry Project (TIP) announced the five proposals under its first Open Call for Projects (OCP) at the recently concluded Tire Emissions Research Conference, with a total funding of nearly $2 million, while launching the second OCP
The OCPs aim to enhance scientific knowledge of tyre wear emissions and their mitigation, providing financial support to independent projects worldwide. Three of the selected projects from the inaugural OCP that were announced at the end of 2024 will focus on researching tyre wear emissions in the environment, while two are focused on the development of mitigation solutions. The second OCP will focus on the potential ecological impacts of tyre wear emissions.
“The topic of tyre wear emissions is extremely complex – one that requires deep, evidence-based investigation and cross-stakeholder collaboration. Recognising this, we decided to complement our own research and mitigation initiatives by launching the Open Call for Projects, inviting stakeholders across the world to join us in the quest to uncover this multi-dimensional subject,” said Larisa Kryachkova, Executive Director, TIP.
TIP’s OCP is a global initiative that aims to foster innovation and collaboration, with the objective of understanding and addressing the evolving environmental issues relevant to the tyre industry.
Dr John Bucher, part of TIP’s Assurance Group and a member of the OCP evaluation committee, said, “Sound science and robust evidence are essential to assessing the environmental challenges we face and to identifying the most effective solutions. Initiatives such as the OCP can act as a tremendous catalyst in this regard, opening a new world of possibilities. We are pleased with the diversity and quality of submissions received, which reaffirms the strong interest in this topic and the desire to engage in collaborative solutions.”
Listed below are the five chosen projects that were selected from 22 submissions received over four months:
Research Projects:
- Geospatial Record and Interpolation of Tyre Wear Pollution in Roadside Soils, Technical University Darmstadt, Germany
- Tyre and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) in Combined Sewer Overflows – A Neglected Pathway of TRWP to the Environment, Gustave Eiffel University, France
- A Marker Method for the High-Throughput Determination of TRWP in the Environment (T-Mark), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany
Mitigation Projects:
- Assessing Tyre Char as a Treatment Media for Stormwater Runoff, Washington State University, USA
- Green Streets, Clean Waters? Taming Urban Tyre Wear Pollution with Green Infrastructure, Ocean Conservancy, USA
The OCP evaluation committee reviewed all applications against pre-defined criteria, including relevance to the OCP objectives, feasibility and methodology, innovation and technological impact, economic and societal impact, as well as the capabilities of the applicants. The committee, consisting of TIP experts and external technical evaluators, ensured a rigorous and fair evaluation process.
“The initiative reflects our long-term commitment to building a collaborative research ecosystem through public platforms. The OCP takes us one step forward in harnessing the collective brainpower of the scientific community, and we look forward to evolving this further in the coming years,” adds Kryachkova.
The 2025 OCP will focus on assessing and measuring the potential ecological impacts (real-world, lab-based or in silico) of tyre wear emissions during tyre use, including tyre chemicals, leachates and their transformation products. This comes as the recently published State of Knowledge paper series uncovered significant knowledge gaps and inconsistencies in the scientific understanding of tyre wear emissions.
Interested applicants can visit https://tireindustryproject.org/open-call-for-projects/ for more information on the OCP, including details of the selection process.
TIP will also host an introductory webinar for prospective entrants on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 9:00 am CEST and 5:00 pm CEST. To register for the webinar, please click here. The deadline for submission of proposals is January 15, 2026 (17:00 CET).
