Editorial - Looking Ahead to 2026
As we enter 2026, I would like to extend my very best wishes to the entire Water4All community and beyond. May this new year bring health, inspiration, and collective success in our shared efforts to protect and secure water for people and ecosystems.
The year ahead will be an important one for Water4All. Several key milestones will shape the future of our partnership, including the finalisation of our phasing-out strategy in March, the update of our Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda in April, and our collective preparation for the United Nations Water Conference in December 2026. These moments will help define how Water4All continues to deliver impact, align with European and global priorities, and contribute to long-term water resilience.
Alongside these strategic steps, Water4All will continue its core mission. We remain strongly committed to supporting excellent basic research in freshwater systems, while at the same time strengthening the transfer of research and innovation results to end users, policymakers, and practitioners. Through our additional activities, international engagement, and collaborative approach, we aim to contribute concretely to water resilience and to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: clean water and sanitation for all.
I would like to sincerely thank all partners, experts, and contributors for their continued involvement and dedication. Your engagement is the foundation of Water4All’s strength and ambition.
I wish you a pleasant reading of this first Water4All newsletter of 2026.
Benjamin Lopez, CEO
Water4All Activities
Water4All Network
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 twelve 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 can improve the way we use water. Everyone has a role to play, 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.