The Tire Industry Project Announces the Awardees of Its First Open Call for Projects and Opens New Funding Round
GENEVA, September 16, 2025 /3BL/ - At the recently concluded Tire Emissions Research Conference, the Tire Industry Project (TIP) announced the selection of five proposals under its first Open Call for Projects (OCP) with a total funding of nearly USD 2 million, while launching the second OCP.
The OCPs are designed to enhance scientific knowledge of tire wear emissions and their mitigation, providing financial support to independent projects across the world. Three of the selected projects from the inaugural OCP that was announced at the end of 2024 will focus on researching tire wear emissions in the environment, while two are centered on the development of mitigation solutions. The second OCP being launched now will focus on the potential ecological impacts of tire wear emissions.
“The topic of tire wear emissions is extremely complex - one that requires deep, evidence-based investigation and cross-stakeholder collaboration. Recognizing 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 designed to foster innovation and collaboration, with the objective of understanding and addressing the evolving environmental issues relevant to the tire 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.”
Awardees from the first OCP announced in 2024:
The five chosen projects, listed below, were selected from 22 submissions received over a four-month period:
Research Projects:
- Geospatial Record and Interpolation of Tire Wear Pollution in Roadside Soils, Technical University Darmstadt, Germany
- Tire 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 Tire Char as a Treatment Media for Stormwater Runoff, Washington State University, USA
- Green Streets, Clean Waters? Taming Urban Tire Wear Pollution with Green Infrastructure, Ocean Conservancy, USA
All applications were reviewed by the OCP evaluation committee 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.
2025 Open Call for Projects now inviting applications
The focus for the 2025 OCP will be on assessing and measuring the potential ecological impacts (real-world, lab-based or in silico) of tire wear emissions during tire use, including tire chemicals, leachates and their transformation products. This comes as the recently published State of Knowledge paper series uncovered significant knowledge gaps and inconsistencies in scientific understanding of tire wear emissions.
Interested applicants are encouraged to 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 9.00am CEST and 5.00pm CEST. To register for the webinar, please click here.
The deadline for submission of proposals is January 15, 2026 (17:00 CET).
- ENDS -
About TIP
Formed in 2005, the Tire Industry Project (TIP) is a voluntary CEO-driven initiative with a mission to anticipate, understand and address global environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues relevant to the tire industry and its value chain.
TIP acts by commissioning independent research of the highest standards, collaborating on sectoral solutions and engaging with external stakeholders.
TIP is part of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), bringing together 10 leading tire companies that represent more than 60% of the world’s tire manufacturing capacity.
In 2025, TIP marks its 20th anniversary - a milestone that reflects its long-term commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and fostering collective industry action to improve sustainability across the tire value chain.
For more information, visit The Tire Industry Project.
