Periodic Reporting for period 1 - B-WaterSmart (Accelerating Water Smartness in Coastal Europe)
Período documentado: 2020-09-01 hasta 2022-02-28
Coastal areas are at the forefront of climate change adaptation efforts, undergoing rapid development with growing and conflicting demands on the natural resources, in particular water. But rapid development may also offer windows of opportunities for significant systemic changes. This is where B-WaterSmart aims to make an important contribution to the urgent societal need to become more water-smart.
B-WaterSmart accelerates the transformation to water-smart economies and societies in coastal Europe and beyond by applying a large-scale systemic innovation approach to select, connect and demonstrate a tailored suite of technology, management and smart data solutions for multiple users and sectors, and create new business models based on circular economy and water-smartness. We bring together six cities and regions as living labs with high ambitions to address water-related challenges and opportunities – Alicante (ES), Bodø (NO), Flanders (BE), Lisbon (PT), East Frisia (DE), Venice (IT) – selected for complementarity of scale, users, sectors and challenges, and for opportunities of mutual learning, replication & upscaling through a network of followers already mobilised.
We built each case around the actual problem-owner (water utility, municipality), a research partner, innovative solution providers and market-uptake partners, complemented by partners with specific crosscutting expertise (social sciences & humanities, IT, business development, water sector outreach).
We apply a participatory approach for co-creation & implementation of solutions through local Communities of Practice and a joint innovation alliance of problem owners, and develop recommendations for suitable governance models, regulation & policy instruments.
We deliver a novel framework to assess gains in water-smartness and sustainability at different scales. Our cases demonstrate in real systems, at multiple scales, a range of promising technologies for water reuse/nutrient recovery, and smart data applications for more efficient, safe allocation & use of resources (water, energy, nutrients).
For the apps, we build on FIWARE technology to enable interoperability and exchange across sectors, which is key for systemic change.
B-WaterSmart accelerates the transformation to water-smart economies and societies in coastal Europe and beyond by applying a large-scale systemic innovation approach to select, connect and demonstrate a tailored suite of technology, management and smart data solutions for multiple users and sectors, and create new business models based on circular economy and water-smartness. We bring together six cities and regions as living labs with high ambitions to address water-related challenges and opportunities – Alicante (ES), Bodø (NO), Flanders (BE), Lisbon (PT), East Frisia (DE), Venice (IT) – selected for complementarity of scale, users, sectors and challenges, and for opportunities of mutual learning, replication & upscaling through a network of followers already mobilised.
We built each case around the actual problem-owner (water utility, municipality), a research partner, innovative solution providers and market-uptake partners, complemented by partners with specific crosscutting expertise (social sciences & humanities, IT, business development, water sector outreach).
We apply a participatory approach for co-creation & implementation of solutions through local Communities of Practice and a joint innovation alliance of problem owners, and develop recommendations for suitable governance models, regulation & policy instruments.
We deliver a novel framework to assess gains in water-smartness and sustainability at different scales. Our cases demonstrate in real systems, at multiple scales, a range of promising technologies for water reuse/nutrient recovery, and smart data applications for more efficient, safe allocation & use of resources (water, energy, nutrients).
For the apps, we build on FIWARE technology to enable interoperability and exchange across sectors, which is key for systemic change.
Within the first 18 month of the project B-WaterSmart has made major achievements towards creating suitable social, economic and governmental framework conditions as well as technical and digital solutions to increasing the water-smartness in coastal regions during the further project duration.
To ensure co-creation, the B-WaterSmart partners have established Communities of Practice in all six Living Labs. Guiding documents for stakeholder mapping and operation of the Communities of Practice were developed and applied in all Living Labs.
In order to ensure a smooth running of the project activities, an individual project planning and a first version of the strategic agenda based on a common definition of water-smartness was created for each Living Lab.
Different technologies to enable systemic innovation by increasing the reuse of water and the recovery of energy and materials from water and wastewater, managing water demands and enable efficient allocation of available water resources, exploiting alternative water sources, or ensuring a smart management of water systems and infrastructure were designed, planned, and constructed. Some of the technologies were already put into operation for practical testing of innovative approaches in the respective Living Lab environments.
Mock-ups and alpha versions of all smart digital tools and solutions are available, and results input formats supporting information collection and the deployment to the case studies are defined. Major progress in assuring FIWARE compatibility of most of the tools was made and to disseminate the technologies and tools of the project, the B-WaterSmart Knowledge portal was released.
For the identification and assessment of circular opportunities around the water-energy-resources nexus, a manual of data specifications required from mapping of actors at Living Labs and a literature review on circular economy indicators were produced.
With regards to the assessment of social acceptance and behaviours towards water-smart solutions a framework was designed and an analysis of the drivers and barriers for water-smart solutions focusing on policy and governance has been performed. Based on a comprehensive literature review, B-WaterSmart provided a definition of “water-smart society” and the methodology for design and conception of a corresponding assessment framework has been defined within the first period of the project as well.
To ensure co-creation, the B-WaterSmart partners have established Communities of Practice in all six Living Labs. Guiding documents for stakeholder mapping and operation of the Communities of Practice were developed and applied in all Living Labs.
In order to ensure a smooth running of the project activities, an individual project planning and a first version of the strategic agenda based on a common definition of water-smartness was created for each Living Lab.
Different technologies to enable systemic innovation by increasing the reuse of water and the recovery of energy and materials from water and wastewater, managing water demands and enable efficient allocation of available water resources, exploiting alternative water sources, or ensuring a smart management of water systems and infrastructure were designed, planned, and constructed. Some of the technologies were already put into operation for practical testing of innovative approaches in the respective Living Lab environments.
Mock-ups and alpha versions of all smart digital tools and solutions are available, and results input formats supporting information collection and the deployment to the case studies are defined. Major progress in assuring FIWARE compatibility of most of the tools was made and to disseminate the technologies and tools of the project, the B-WaterSmart Knowledge portal was released.
For the identification and assessment of circular opportunities around the water-energy-resources nexus, a manual of data specifications required from mapping of actors at Living Labs and a literature review on circular economy indicators were produced.
With regards to the assessment of social acceptance and behaviours towards water-smart solutions a framework was designed and an analysis of the drivers and barriers for water-smart solutions focusing on policy and governance has been performed. Based on a comprehensive literature review, B-WaterSmart provided a definition of “water-smart society” and the methodology for design and conception of a corresponding assessment framework has been defined within the first period of the project as well.
Understanding and assessing the value of water and incorporating it into decision-making are fundamental to achieving sustainable and equitable water resources management and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In this direction, during the first reporting period, B-WaterSmart has contributed to the development and implementation of a strategic methodological framework to organize, drive, and support key activities to achieve systemic innovation in full-scale water-smart systems, including stakeholder networking and dialogue, joint definition of concerns, issues, and ambitions, identification and overcoming of technical, social, and governance barriers, consensual cross-sectoral solutions, and development and long-term implementation of water-smartness strategies.
The design, implementation, and operation of local Communities of Practice, training actions, and the planning process for the implementation of the Innovation Alliance and Living Lab’s strategic agendas are all helping to achieve these goals.
B-WaterSmart contributed to progress beyond the state-of-the art with the design, planning, construction, and customisation of 15 innovative technologies and the development of 18 smart solutions that complement each other and support systemic innovation. The developed tools and applications will try to cover the entire water cycle and will support the monitoring and decision making, the water demand analysis, the risk assessment and the water cycle modelling.
B-WaterSmart already supported the implementation and improvement of EU policies with the development of a representative and homogenised list of circular economy indicators, adapted to a water-smart society embracing the water-energy-resources-waste nexus. Moreover, preliminary synergies relating a water-smart society with the EU taxonomy under development have been identified.
B-WaterSmart outputs aim at supporting the design and implementation of EU policy relevant for water-smartness, including the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change (2013) and the new Circular Economy Action Plan (2020) and specific regulations such as Regulation EC 2020/741 - Minimum requirements for water reuse.
Within the first project period, the project has initiated the process towards policy recommendations, by analysing the current context of each Living Lab in terms of policy framework and governance models. The new conceptual model to analyse the perceptions and behaviours of stakeholders and citizens in relation to water-smart solutions, developed by the project, adopts an interdisciplinary approach by combining the perspectives of sociology, human geography and social psychology.
In this direction, during the first reporting period, B-WaterSmart has contributed to the development and implementation of a strategic methodological framework to organize, drive, and support key activities to achieve systemic innovation in full-scale water-smart systems, including stakeholder networking and dialogue, joint definition of concerns, issues, and ambitions, identification and overcoming of technical, social, and governance barriers, consensual cross-sectoral solutions, and development and long-term implementation of water-smartness strategies.
The design, implementation, and operation of local Communities of Practice, training actions, and the planning process for the implementation of the Innovation Alliance and Living Lab’s strategic agendas are all helping to achieve these goals.
B-WaterSmart contributed to progress beyond the state-of-the art with the design, planning, construction, and customisation of 15 innovative technologies and the development of 18 smart solutions that complement each other and support systemic innovation. The developed tools and applications will try to cover the entire water cycle and will support the monitoring and decision making, the water demand analysis, the risk assessment and the water cycle modelling.
B-WaterSmart already supported the implementation and improvement of EU policies with the development of a representative and homogenised list of circular economy indicators, adapted to a water-smart society embracing the water-energy-resources-waste nexus. Moreover, preliminary synergies relating a water-smart society with the EU taxonomy under development have been identified.
B-WaterSmart outputs aim at supporting the design and implementation of EU policy relevant for water-smartness, including the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change (2013) and the new Circular Economy Action Plan (2020) and specific regulations such as Regulation EC 2020/741 - Minimum requirements for water reuse.
Within the first project period, the project has initiated the process towards policy recommendations, by analysing the current context of each Living Lab in terms of policy framework and governance models. The new conceptual model to analyse the perceptions and behaviours of stakeholders and citizens in relation to water-smart solutions, developed by the project, adopts an interdisciplinary approach by combining the perspectives of sociology, human geography and social psychology.