Dutch Projects Awarded €1.25 Million in European Water Security Programme ‘Water4All’

(IN BRIEF) Four Dutch subprojects have been awarded €1.25 million under the European Water4All programme to improve aquatic ecosystem resilience and integration into water governance. The projects include: enhancing lake management with stakeholder input (PLURALAKES), studying peatland hydrology and ecosystem services (ECO-WADE), using Digital Twins for lake ecosystem resilience (EcoTwin), and optimizing wetlands to treat wastewater micropollutants (WeTreat). Funded by Dutch ministries, NWO, and the EU, these initiatives align with Water4All’s mission to tackle water security challenges and promote sustainable solutions.

(PRESS RELEASE) THE HAGUE, 20-Nov-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Four Dutch subprojects have been awarded funding through the European water security initiative ‘Water4All.’ The projects, supported by €1.25 million in funding, aim to enhance understanding and integration of aquatic ecosystem services into water governance and management. Of the total funding, €1.14 million was jointly provided by the Dutch Ministries of Infrastructure, Water Management, Agriculture, and NWO, with an additional €115,000 contributed by the European Commission.

This call, part of the second round of the Water4All programme, focused on strengthening aquatic ecosystems to improve their resilience against local and global pressures, ensuring the continued provision of vital services such as flood protection, nutrient cycling, and food production.

Funded Projects and Objectives

PLURALAKES: Led by Dr. Aafke M. Schipper at Radboud University, this project explores ways to align ecological management of Northern Europe’s temperate lakes with the diverse values of stakeholders, aiming for better governance and ecological outcomes.
ECO-WADE: Dr. Ype van der Velde of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will investigate the relationship between hydrology and peatland ecosystem services, focusing on water purification, regulation, and climate adaptation through case studies in four countries.
EcoTwin: Directed by Prof. Dr. Lisette N. De Senerpont Domis from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, this project utilizes Digital Twins—virtual models updated in real-time—to enhance lake ecosystem resilience and integrate services like flood control and water supply into resource management.
WeTreat: Dr. Thomas V. Wagner at Wageningen University & Research Centre will optimize wetland-based solutions for treating wastewater micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals and PFAS, using specially cultivated plants in constructed wetlands.

About Water4All and European Partnerships

Water4All, part of the Horizon Europe programme, is a collaboration involving 30 countries to address water security challenges through thematic research and development. The initiative connects stakeholders across the EU and beyond, aiming to solve complex societal issues with impactful solutions.

These Dutch-led projects exemplify the programme’s goal of leveraging advanced research to strengthen aquatic ecosystems, addressing challenges posed by climate change, pollution, and water management pressures. For more details on Water4All and its funded projects, visit the programme’s website.

About Water4All

Water4All is a European partnership focusing on research and development related to water security. This is the second call from this partnership. For this call, 30 countries collaborated from inside and outside the EU. A total of 23 projects were submitted for funding. For the full overview of the projects and this call, visit the Water4aAl website.

About European Partnerships

The European co-funded partnerships are part of Horizon Europe, the European programme for research and innovation (2021-2027). The partnerships focus on complex societal challenges and aim at real impact. The calls resulting from the European partnerships lead to thematic research.

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Source: NWO

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