The WATERLINE Project sets out on a mission to establish a European Digital Water Higher Education Institution (HEI) Alliance, following the quadruple helix model of innovation. The primary goal is to enhance the research, educational, and entrepreneurial capabilities of the Alliance, thus creating a transformative, sustainable learning, and innovation environment. To achieve this vision, WATERLINE aims to harness the collective strengths of individuals, institutions, and regions by fostering a common governance framework and a comprehensive Research & Innovation (R&I) capacity building plan. This endeavour involves establishing a European network of academics/researchers to ensure the sustainability of the alliance.
ACEEU, an integral part of this project, plays a crucial role in conducting research, data analysis, and co-developing work packages. Their contributions extend to the collaborative creation of the WATERLINE governance framework.
One of the outcomes of the project is the "Digital Water Innovation Ecosystems Mapping" report, which presents the findings of an in-depth study conducted across the eight countries encompassed by the WATERLINE Higher Education Institutions' partnership. These countries include the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Serbia, the UK, and Türkiye.
The capacity building approach adopted by WATERLINE has facilitated the identification of gaps and potentials concerning the knowledge and adoption of digital water ecosystems in each country. Through a comprehensive SWOT analysis, the overall findings of the study have been mapped, leading to recommendations for the subsequent stages of Waterline's execution and the development of digital water ecosystems in the partner countries. These recommendations focus on capacity building and skills development, collaboration and knowledge sharing, awareness and outreach, funding and investment, and policy and regulatory frameworks.
Ultimately, WATERLINE aims to co-create a roadmap for capacity building, integrating the aforementioned recommendations and ensuring the transfer of responsibility for implementation to local stakeholders after the project concludes. Emphasizing the significance of local engagement, the project's sustainability planning holds the key to its success.
