Innovative Solution

water, IWRM, triple helix, cluster, research, public-private, WFD

technical

policy, communication

NOVIWAM project promotes multilevel and interregional co-operation to identify and address RDI needs in the field of water management. It started with a comprehensive SWOT analysis of scientific research, socioeconomic aspects and administrative proceedings with main focus in 5 participant regions. This study fed workshops and consultations oriented to the preparation of a Joint Action Plan (JAP) that will help achieving the project goals:

• to push forward water-related research and technological development (with main focus on tools and methods for IWRM of interest to Southern European water authorities)
• to facilitate triple helix cooperation (researchers, authorities and entrepreneurs) in each regional cluster
• to consolidate a wide European research-driven network of clusters

The project is funded by the EC under FP7.

As soon as the strategic advice from the JAP allows it, the project will seek to strengthen alliances between the 5 participant clusters (Portugal, Albania, Spain, France and Cyprus) and groups from other European regions.  

Consortium: Consejería de  Medio Ambiente – Junta de Andalucía (Spain), Fundación Centro de las Nuevas Tecnologías del Agua – CENTA (Spain), Centro de Innovación y Transferencia de Tecnología de Andalucía (Spain), Universidad de Córdoba (Spain), Universidad de Granada (Spain),  Agua y Estructuras, S.A. – AYESA (Spain), Administração da Região Hidrográfica do Norte, I.P (Portugal), Universidade do Minho (Portugal), SIMBIENTE – Engenharia e Gestão Ambiental, Lda. (Portugal), Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications (Albania), Polytechnic University of Tirana (Albania), Water Supply and Sewerage Association (Albania), Sewerage Board of Limassol – Amathus (Cyprus), Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus), Atlantis Consulting Cyprus Ltd (Cyprus), Région Poitou-Charentes (France), Office International de l’Eau (France), L’Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique – INRA (France), CEMAGREF (France).

A group of external experts are supervising and feeding the deliverables and activities of the project.

The SWOT Analysis was the result of a previous phase of the NOVIWAM project, in which views of more than 800 stakeholders were used by the consortium to produced eight reports covering the following aspects of IWRM in the participating regions: Stakeholder Identification; Socio-Political framework; Legal and Administrative framework; Situation of the participating regions in the global framework; Tools being used in IWRM and impacts of the WFD; River Basin Management R&D; DSS users needs and developers capabilities; Global Catchment Management R&D trends.

The SWOT, a series of events and working teams allowed the production of the JAP (which should be available at any moment). The necessities detected in the SWOT became areas for strategic RDI that are studied in detail in the JAP:  Assessment and monitoring of water bodies status; Management of extreme event risk scenarios; Management of groundwater bodies; Management of coastal and transitional water bodies; Management of interior surface water bodies; Water social and economic value; Optimisation of IWRM infrastructures; Alternative sources of water; Integration of New Technologies; Bridging knowledge links between the triple helix actors; Improving governance and institutional capabilities.

Which technical solutions are local policy makers and public authorities demanding from researchers?
How can private and public actors of the triple helix cooperate towards an efficient management and effective implementation of water directives?
How region-specific research and innovation can reinforce and improve regional water management policies?

NOVIWAM addresses all of these questions, giving guidance to actors of the triple helix and providing orientation on strategic areas for RDI for the participant regions.

The project generated a series of deliverables and guidance documents supported by fresh information gathered through an innovative combination of methodologies. They provide orientation of use for short and long-term water RDI strategies in the participant regions. The various deliverables together with the diverse range of activities under the roof of NOVIWAM will not only help to fill the gap between end-user demands and technology/innovation developers, but also will facilitate direct collaboration within and between the participant regional clusters.

Degree of participation of stakeholders in the project’s questionnaires, interviews, public consultations, workshops, staff exchanges and training sessions.

Expressions of interest, preparation and implementation of innovative initiatives in connection with NOVIWAM.

Publication of the results of the project on its website, scientific papers, mass media, news letters and a final international conference.

Presentations of the developments achieved in each stage of the project through their presentation at European and international events.

1. All triple helix actors of the water sector, particularly those entities that could generate synergies through their involvement with the existing members of the consortium.
2. The consolidation of a research-driven network of clusters composed of entities with complementary profiles would have a great potential to push knowledge-based economic development in the participants regions as well as would help to deal with some of the most pressing technical and institutional challenges on the EU water sector.
3. The JAP and final  network of RDI clusters depends of their alignment with the priorities of authorities and funders

Some of tips for success would be:

• to strategically select potential partners looking at the long-term
• to reach the appropriate contact points within each organization, to ensure the full commitment of the whole hierarchy of each organization with the goals of the project and to get direct and efficient interaction with the staff finally involved in the day-to-day activities
• to adapt the message and management style throughout the life of the project
• to periodically bring together participants and other stakeholders is not only necessary to consolidate the direction of the work, but it is very effective to push many tasks all at once

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Spain (scientific coordinator): Foundation CENTA, Francisco Luque-Ruiz, fjluque@centa.es

France: Office International de l’Eau, Natacha Jacquin, n.jacquin@oieau.fr

Cyprus: Atlantis, C. Panayiotou, c.panayiotou@atlantis-consulting.eu

Portugal: Universidade do Minho, Gilberto Martins, gilberto.martins@deb.uminho.pt

Albania: Water Supply and Sewerage Association, Fationa Sinojmeri, f_sinojmeri@yahoo.com

NOVIWAM project website in 6 different languages:

http://www.noviwam.eu/

Contact email:

info@noviwam.eu