Candidate European Innovation Partnership on Water

The Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative for an Innovation Union proposed the concept of European Innovation Partnerhips (EIPs). DG Environment, in close cooperation with DG Research and Innovation and other DG's, is developing a proposal for a candidate European Innovation Partnership on Water.

The objective of EIPs is to join up all actors and resources around common targets to speed up breakthrough innovations to solve specific societal challenges where there is also a large market potential for EU business.

The strategic objective of EIP on Water is to position Europe as a world leader in water technology and services by boosting innovation, promoting the creation of new market opportunities and by contributing to achieving the sustainable and efficient use of water, while at the same time use innovation to develop adequate and state of the art European water policy.

The aim of this strategic objective is threefold:

Through innovation develop solutions for the many water quality and quantity challenges Europe (and the world) is facing. These water related challenges serve as the driver of interaction between policy and innovation.
Through boosting innovation, create a global leadership position for European water technology and services, in line with the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy.
Through mobilisation of all relevant actors at EU, national and regional levels,remove any regulatory and market barriers, promote the integration of various policy and finance instruments and increase the demand for innovation, across all sectors and users of water.

The operational heart of the EIP will be the Innovation Sites. The Innovation Sites will be organized in three work packages to provide a structured approach.

Urban water management
Rural water management
Industrial water management

Also horizontal themes such as the link between water an energy will be addressed. Initially, up to 30 Innovation Sites are foreseen.

The innovation sites are (large scale) projects, focussed on finding solutions for indentified challenges by putting into practice the multidisciplinary approach of bringing together actors from technological, financial, organizational and management perspectives (partnering and symbiosis), and testing the solutions. Outcomes and lessons learned in the innovation sites will help designing demand-driven measures capable of boosting innovation in water management and to identify and address technological, economic and regulatory barriers.

In order to make sure there is optimal exchange of experiences between the innovation sites, and cross-fertilization between them is facilitated, networks will be established. There will be a network for each of the work packages which will consist of all the actors that are involved in the various innovation sites. Each network will have a coordination and exchange of experience function for the innovation sites under each work package and develop a work plan. The coordination between the networks will also ensure that the river basin management approach, which is the rationale for European water policy, is still taken into account when developing solutions.

Read more about the proposed EIP on Water in the draft consultation document.

A number of dedicated stakeholder consultations for all related and interested stakeholders are being organized during the preparation of the proposal for the EIP on Water. The aim is to ensure a bottom-up approach for a solid feedback and understanding of the needs and interests of all involved actors. The consultation procedure will deliver a communication for the EIP in the first half of 2012. If the EIP Water communication is endorsed by the Council and the European Parliament, the EIP on Water aims to be operational in early 2013.

Organized meetings:

Stakeholder contributions

In the preparation of the proposal EIP on Water the stakeholders have the possibility to share their views in writing for the public. Please find the written views received so farhere.

Learn more about EU2020, Flagship Iniatiative and Pilot European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing.

Stakeholder contributions

In the preparation of the proposal EIP on Water the stakeholders have had the possibility to share their views in writing for the public. These are the written views received so far.

Waternet
ENEA
EURELECTRIC
ZABALA
Spanish Water Technology Platform
DEFRA
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Poledream
Waterpool
IMIDA
CEEP
Helmholtz Association
Province of Noord-Holland
CC Water
Orion Innovation LPP
WssTP
SusChem
Aqua Europa / British Water

European Technology Platform presentations
Here are the presentations by ETPs presented at the workshop on 15_12_2011ember.

SusChem – Sustainable Chemicals
ENIAC – Nanoelectronics
Forestry
WssTP – Water Supply and Sanitation
ESTEP – Steel
WssTP Member State Mirror Group
EURATEX - Textile
EuropaBio - Biosciences
Biofuels
Summary of presentations on 15_12_2011ember

Contact information	n/a
News type	Inbrief
File link	http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/innovationpartnership/
Source of information	EC DG Environment
Subject(s)	AGRICULTURE , ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , ENERGY , FINANCE-ECONOMY , HEALTH - HYGIENE - PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISM , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INDUSTRY , INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , INFRASTRUCTURES , MEASUREMENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , NATURAL MEDIUM , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , RIGHT , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , SANITATION -STRICT PURIFICATION PROCESSES , SLUDGES , TOOL TERMS , TOURISM - SPORT - HOBBIES , WATER DEMAND , WATER QUALITY
Relation	http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/innovationpartnership/contributions_en.htm
Geographical coverage	n/a
News date	10/02/2012
Working language(s)	ENGLISH

PDF