The first Advisory Boards meeting held a few days ago in Belgium gathered representatives of the Scientific and Technological Board and the Stakeholders Advisory Group.

Around twenty-five people could meet in person,  thanks to the Department of Science and Innovation who kindly hosted the meeting in its facilities at the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Brussels. It was an important moment to begin the boards that will run during the whole Water4All Partnership and be able to exchange views.

The role and rules of the Advisory Boards were presented. The meeting focused on specific themes which were open to discussion. For instance, the update of the Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and further development of a topic on Transboundary Cooperation, the involvement of the Advisory Boards in the Joint Transnational Call process, from the call text drafting to the support for funded projects’ monitoring and the implementation of young research Calls.

Other important points were developed to collect their opinion on thematic focus and list of policy subjects to be considered by the water4All policy support working group or on the implementation of future knowledge hubs. A time slot to exchange on stakeholders’ engagement for the implementation of Water Oriented Living Labs (WoLLs), and water-related Living Labs areas of intervention was also on the agenda. The international cooperation strategy and the monitoring of the partnership were also addressed and will be further discussed in another meeting.