Context of the programme

As part of Water4All, the Partnership fosters systemic transformation through targeted capacity building, focusing on developing sustainability competences. These competences include systems thinking, long-term engagement, and the ability to navigate complex challenges, extending beyond just technical skills.

Within the activities focused on 'Science–Policy–End-Users Interface ' (Pillar C), Water4All has developed four complementary capacity building programmes. These include

1. A PhD Scheme,
2. Vocational training,
3. Skill development programmes,
4. A mobility scheme to connect problem owners with solution providers.

These programmes are designed to support the entire water community, ranging from researchers and decision makers to operators, enterprises, and end-users. They are built upon existing strategies from Water4All partners and aim to develop essential capacities for addressing the key challenges of the Water4All initiative.

Water4All PhD scheme

The PhD Scheme is designed to both deliver essential knowledge for addressing major water challenges and to train graduates equipped to apply that knowledge in practice. It serves two core purposes:

1. to align research topics across partners, streamlining recruitment, ensuring thematic complementarity, and increasing European visibility,
2. to support Water4All’s objectives by fostering high-quality, collaborative, and international research.

PhD topics are proposed annually by participating institutions, based on Water4All’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. The scheme complements Joint Transnational Calls by Water4All funding agencies, with a stronger focus on triple helix collaboration, multidisciplinary research, and cross-sectoral innovation.

Students benefit from dedicated networking and clustering events, as well as supplementary training in transdisciplinary and intersectoral skills. These elements ensure the development of highly skilled researchers ready to address complex water challenges in the near future.

Best Practices in PhD Training: Insights from Water4All Partners

While various guidelines exist for best practices in PhD training, there is a need to identify gaps specific to the water domain. Water-related challenges require a multidisciplinary approach, as water systems are intricately linked with natural, technical, and social dimensions. Effective solutions must integrate knowledge from fields such as climate science, hydrology, ecology, engineering, policy, economics, and social sciences, each contributing unique tools and perspectives.

The Water4All PhD Pilot Scheme places strong emphasis on triple helix collaboration and cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary research to foster breakthrough innovations in the water sector.

Beyond programme design, recruitment practices are also key. The Water4All Partnership adapted the European Commission’s Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers into specific guidelines for selecting PhD candidates in the water domain, ensuring transparency, fairness, and alignment with European standards. This work was part of Subtask C.3.1

PhD programmes: building process

To further refine the PhD scheme, a dedicated online workshop was held on December 11, 2023, organized by Wetsus and BRGM. The workshop brought together research-performing organizations, commercial partners, and membership bodies to share expectations and identify missing elements in current water-related PhD programmes. One key gap identified was the lack of focus on valorisation, the process of translating research into societal or market value. To address this, the Water4All Partnership created the Water-MBA, a tailored programme equipping PhD students with business, innovation, and communication skills to turn scientific research into real-world impact.

Learn more about the workshop and outcomes:

Workshop Article: Link here

Water44ll PhD-MBA – Shaping Scientific Leaders for the Water Sector

The Water-MBA is a unique programme designed to equip PhD researchers with business, management, and innovation skills tailored to the water sector. Its goal is to foster responsible, results-driven leaders who can make strategic decisions and translate water research into real-world impact.

Developed by Wetsus in collaboration with Business School Netherlands (BSN), the Action Learning MBA with a Major in Water Technology combines academic excellence with practical experience. Through real-life cases, team projects, and industry challenges, students learn to apply their knowledge in a business context and speak the language of the water industry.

Offered on a voluntary basis to motivated PhD students within the Water4All Partnership, the programme enables participants to earn an MBA degree alongside their PhD. This dual qualification empowers graduates to become scientific leaders and entrepreneurs in the global water sector.

The curriculum includes seven core management areas: operations, human resources, marketing, finance, information systems, strategy, and international business. Students also participate in a dedicated Masterclass in Water Technology. A cornerstone of the programme is the Action Learning Project (ALP), where students collaborate on real challenges faced by water sector companies, delivering actionable solutions that often align with their PhD research. The course run for two and half years within four years of PhD programme duration.

This hands-on, impact-driven approach strengthens both the students' professional development and the innovation capacity of the wider water community.

Learn more about the development of Water-MBA and the Action Learning:

PhD Scheme, the new Water-MBA with Wetsus partner

Business School Netherlands (BSN): link here