Water JPI Strategic activities in 2022
Following the recent launch of the Water4All Partnership, and as decided by its members, the Water JPI has not launched any new calls for proposals in 2022. The initiative has reduced its activities and it is now focusing on the implementation of an action plan based upon the valorisation of results both from funded projects and additional activities.
The following paragraphs outline some of the activities undertaken last year as well as latest news as regards the development of the Water JPI Consortium.
Water JPI Membership
In 2022, the Water JPI welcomed Malta, represented by the Energy and Water Agency (EWA), as an Observer country. EWA is one of the members of the SD-WISHEES Consortium, described below. Two Members, Cyprus and Romania, changed their status to become Associated Partners, and Israel withdrew its participation. Esther Diez Cebollero (ANR, France), who has a long-lasting experience within the Water JPI community, was elected as new Coordinator of the Water JPI until December 2023, and the mandates of Giuseppina Monacelli (MUR, Italy) as Water JPI Chair and of Miguel Angel Gilarranz (AEI, Spain) as Water JPI vice-Chair, have been renewed for two years.
In June 2023, the Water JPI memberships counts with seventeen voting Member countries (AT, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, IE, IT, LV, MD, NL, NO, PT, SE, UK and ZA), seven Associated Partners (BE, CY, EE, PL, RO, TN and TR), four Observers (EL, HU, MT and SI), and the European Commission as non-voting member.
Launch of the Water JPI’s international cooperation strategy and participation in international events
As part of the activities of the IC4WATER project, the Water JPI completed its international cooperation strategy. The document lays out strategic areas in the field of water research and innovation, and it lists strategic partners with which collaboration will be strengthened in the future e.g. Belmont Forum, PRIMA, Danube-based organisations. In addition, the strategy offers a good understanding of barriers for cooperation with more than 30 countries all over the world as identified by the initiative thorough the IC4WATER project with more than 30 countries all over the world.
In addition, the Water JPI has participated in several international events in 2022. The Water JPI was present in the last edition of the Ecomondo conference, held in Rimini in November. Ecomondo is the reference event in Europe for technological and industrial innovation in the green and circular economy sector within the framework of the Next Generation EU. The Water JPI hosted a workshop on the valorisation of Research and Innovation results to better support policy decisions and enhance the market uptake of the solutions proposed by funded projects.
Likewise, the Water JPI participated in October in the 5th EU-India Forum, aimed at the exchange of views on good practices, regulatory approaches, business solutions and research and innovation opportunities in the water field in India and the European Union. This was an excellent opportunity for the initiative to present its current activities and its international cooperation strategy.
Finally, the Water JPI has been involved in the 5th Asia- Europe Meeting (ASEM), held in November, on the topic of Urban Water Management organised in support of the United Nations Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and China’s National Plan on Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Projet SD WISHEES
Several members of the Water JPI and the JPI Climate are also involved in the SD-WISHEES project (Supporting and Developing WIdening Strategies to tackle Hydroclimatic Extreme Events: impacts and Sustainable solutions for cultural heritage). The project is a widening-oriented CSA funded by the Horizon Europe Programme. It will run activities from January 2023 to December 2026. Its overarching aim is to enhance collaboration with widening countries in the field of cultural heritage protection in the face of hydroclimatic extreme events. To this end, the Consortium counts partners from Albania, Belgium, France, Italy, Kenya, Portugal, Romania and The Netherlands
Global impact assessment
Last but not least, and also as part of the activities of the IC4WATER project, the global impact of the Water JPI was assessed by looking at the following dimensions: alignment, internationalisation, enhanced knowledge production, governance, and contribution to societal challenges. Amongst other recommendations, the expert Panel advocated Water JPI members to promote the valorisation of results through dedicated communication and knowledge transfer activities. The report is available for download here.