The main water subjects treated by Water JPI
Since its launch, the Water JPI has addressed many themes under the water field.
The Water JPI's main goal is tackling the challenge of 'Achieving sustainable water systems for a sustainable economy in Europe and abroad.' To meet this goal, the Water JPI has implemented research projects in the water field from complementary fields as biology, ecology, economy, human health or technologies.
Throughout its duration, the Water JPI spearheaded impactful joint calls, each addressing diverse themes and critical subjects in the realm of water research and innovation.
The 2013 Pilot Call, focused on Emerging Water Contaminants, saw the allocation of resources to tackle novel challenges and understand potential risks.
Subsequently, the 2015 Joint Call concentrated on Developing Technological Solutions, emphasizing services for water distribution and measurement, wastewater treatment and reuse, desalination, floods, and droughts. The joint call aimed at Improving Water Use Efficiency and Reducing Soil and Water Pollution for Sustainable Agriculture, emphasizing the intersection of water management and agricultural sustainability.
2017 Joint Call centred around Water Resource Management in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), aligning research efforts with global sustainability targets.
In 2018, the Joint Call addressed Closing the Water Cycle Gap, emphasizing sustainable water resources management to bridge critical gaps.
The 2020 Joint Call, in collaboration with JPI Oceans and JPIAMR, delved into Risks Posed to Human Health and the Environment by Pollutants and Pathogens in Water Resources, acknowledging the interconnectedness of water quality and public health.
Lastly, the 2020-2021 Joint Call with Biodiversa emphasized Conservation and Restoration of Degraded Ecosystems and Biodiversity, highlighting the crucial role of aquatic systems in broader ecosystem health.
These joint calls underscore the Water JPI's commitment to fostering collaborative research initiatives that span a spectrum of water-related challenges and contribute to sustainable solutions on both local and global scales.
It was crucial to consider various areas of expertise instead of concentrating on a particular field. The goal was to foster connections between complementary disciplines, allowing them to mutually enhance each other and contribute to the development of innovative technologies, the generation of knowledge, and the provision of holistic policy insights.
Given the intrinsic multidisciplinary of water challenges, the Water JPI has enabled collaboration with other partnering initiatives. Some of Water JPI calls have been co-implemented with other joint programming initiatives, such as the water and agriculture call in 2016 in collaboration with the JPI FACCE, BiodivRestore with the Era-Net Biodiversa, and AquaticPollutants in cooperation with the JPI AMR and JPI Oceans.
In addition to the different calls, which have allowed the funding of more than a hundred research projects, the Water JPI has launched a wide range of additional activities contributing to the coordination of research agendas and the alignment of thematic priorities. A few examples include knowledge hubs or networks of experts, clusters of projects funded at the national level (Thematic Annual Programming actions, TAPs), and impact assessments.
Read Other articles:
Closing the Water Cycle Gap: Achievements of WaterWorks2017
A brief overview of the different WaterJPI calls
Water4All & Water JPI: what is the difference?
Water JPI: Sharing a Decade of Expertise for Sustainable Futures