The project investigates the quality of the water of the Maros (Mures) River at both side of the border at least ten sampling places. This study provides a new insight into the natural processes which decrease water contamination.General objective:Improve the R+D co-operation activities in the border area and strengthen the economic cohesion.Specific objectives:1. Development of research tools, databases and strain collection for strengthen environmental-oriented research in the cross-border area.2. Improve communication between target groups, and knowledge exchange.The main activities of the project are: Developing methodology, Preliminary testing and optimizing of methods (Investigation of water chemical properties, Diversity of water bacterial community, Investigating the diversity of the water fungal community, Investigation of functional diversity, Genotoxicity investigations) and Analysis of samples, database and collection of pollutant-degrading microbes.The target group consists of: 19 Hungarian and Romanian researchers, working directly in the project investigating pollutant content of Maros (Mures), students, other researchers involved in this scientific area (200), farmers and SMEs (150), agricultural enterprises (15).