In the era of digital transformation, it is imperative for the water sector to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies to survive in the constantly changing environment. With the availability of technology, it is also essential for the workforce to have the right skill set to cope with the evolving demands. To address this issue, the Horizon Europe-funded WATERLINE project has been launched, which aims to consolidate a Digital Water Alliance, build capacities for academics and researchers, co-create a portfolio of digital water components for curricula at the master level, foster a European network of academics/researchers, and sustain a long term the alliance of extended-reality water emulative centres.
The first aim of the WATERLINE project is to support the consolidation of a digital water alliance of higher education institutions (HEIs) and create an opportunity for driving this integration through the development of a common European governance framework. The European framework of action will support digital water education, which will help to raise the excellence profile of the HEIs working with water education. This will enable the HEIs to stay abreast of the latest digital technologies and contribute up-to-date in solving the major societal challenge of water management.
The second aim of the project is to build capacity for academics/researchers based on a shared R&I capacity-building plan. The focus is on HEIs located in widening countries, which will help to raise their excellence profile for the development of excellent scientific research, education and innovation in the digital water sector. Providing opportunities for academics and researchers to enhance their skills and knowledge will help them contribute towards developing innovative solutions for water management.
The third aim of the project is to co-create a portfolio of digital water components for curricula at the master level. It will be achieved by leveraging innovative extended reality emulative learning environments (LEs). These LEs help to transition to knowledge and digitally driven HEIs that can better inform, educate, and foster collaboration between academia and the surrounding ecosystem actors. It will provide students with a practical understanding of the latest digital technologies and equip them with the necessary skills to address the water sector’s challenges
The fourth aim of the WATERLINE project is to build and foster a European network of academics/researchers who will act as linchpins with actors from the surrounding quadruple helix ecosystem, including their communities. It allows partners to share and benefit from their expertise in water domains and respective extended reality technologies to contribute better to education related to the water domain. This will contribute to fostering collaboration between academia, industry, government, and civil society, which will be essential for developing effective solutions for water management.
The final aim is to sustain the alliance of extended-reality water emulative centres by establishing structured ambassador networks and identifying the future R&I funding landscape. It will be achieved by creating synergies with EU initiatives, institutions, other EU-funded projects, and National Contact Points higher education networks through a network of networks approach. This will help to ensure the sustainability of the project and enable it to continue to contribute towards the development of innovative solutions for water management.
The WATERLINE project is an essential initiative that addresses the major societal challenge of water management by equipping the workforce with the necessary skills and knowledge to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies in their profession. The project supports the consolidation of the digital water HEI alliance, builds capacity for academics and researchers, co-creates a portfolio of digital water components for curricula, fosters a European network of academics/researchers, and sustains this alliance. This project will develop innovative solutions for water management, which will be critical for ensuring the sustainable use of this vital resource.
Consult the first newsletter of the project here: https://www.waterline-project.eu/index.php/news-events/newsletter
