Cofunded by the European Union

Water4All’s vision for the future of freshwater research and innovation in Europe

As Europe shapes its future research and innovation landscape for water, maintaining a strong and visible capacity dedicated to freshwater is more critical than ever.

Freshwater lies at the heart of Europe’s resilience, competitiveness, public health, food and energy security and ecosystem protection. Its challenges are increasingly interconnected with climate change, biodiversity, agriculture, cities, industry, health and marine environments. But greater integration must not result in freshwater research and innovation being diluted within broader thematic frameworks.

In its contribution to the European Commission’s Water Resilience R&I Call for Evidence, Water4All calls for a dedicated European freshwater R&I capacity, embedded within a more integrated source-to-sea and cross-sectoral research and innovation landscape. Europe does not need to choose between thematic excellence and integration: it needs to organise both.

Three Key Messages

►Maintain a dedicated European freshwater R&I capacity to preserve scientific excellence, critical mass and long-term coordination. 

►Focus investment on strategic water-resilience priorities, from integrated water management and water-health challenges to digitalisation, resilient infrastructures, biodiversity and the circular economy. 

►Connect freshwater expertise with other R&I communities through a source-to-sea and cross-sectoral approach, rather than absorbing freshwater into broader thematic instruments. 

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The Water4All Partnership - Water Security for the Planet - is a funding programme for scientific research in freshwater. It aims to tackle water challenges to face climate change, help to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and boost the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

It is co-funded by the European Union within the frame of the Horizon Europe programme (a key funding programme for research and innovation). The Partnership duration is for seven years from 2022.

The Water4All objective is to enable water security at a large scale and in the long term. Its goal is also to tackle water issues in a holistic frame. 

All forms of life on earth need water. All human activities operate with this resource. Water is part of our everyday life. It is also integrated within urban and countryside landscapes. It is one of the most valuable elements we share with plants and animals.

These simple facts must be kept in mind to understand the Water4All ambition.

This resource is weakened in many places due to climate changes, and human habits. We know that we can improve the way we use water. Everyone has a role to play and especially the scientific research community.

Scientific research is the heart of the Partnership as It is a powerful tool to improve knowledge on preserving, restoring, and managing this essential resource. 

International cooperation is also needed as water has no borders on Earth and runs from one country to another.

Water4All brings together a broad and cohesive group of 90 partners from 33 countries in the European Union and beyond. This consortium gathers partners from the whole water Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) chain.