EIT Water brings European forces together for water innovation

Europe faces major and increasingly complex water challenges. Water scarcity and drought go hand in hand with flooding, pollution and ecosystems under growing pressure. At the same time, Europe is home to leading research institutions, innovative companies and promising technologies. EIT Water aims to better connect this expertise and accelerate the transformation of innovation into concrete solutions.

EIT Water is one of the nine Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). It is the first KIC to address water, marine and maritime challenges together. Its activities focus on three areas: innovation, entrepreneurship and education.

The community already has more than 150 members. Eight regional hubs connect organisations across 29 European countries, helping to turn European collaboration into new projects, partnerships and applications at regional level.

For Blue Cluster, the launch is the culmination of a journey that began several years ago. As a co-founder of the Allwaters consortium, led by Aarhus University, Blue Cluster contributed to the proposal that ultimately led to the creation of EIT Water.

Today, Blue Cluster leads Regional Hub West, covering Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France. In this role, we connect companies, research institutions and other stakeholders across the region with European opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, education and cross-border collaboration.

The first concrete step will follow on 2 December in Paris. During Water Streams West, organised by Blue Cluster and INRAE, we will bring together EIT Water members and key stakeholders from France and the Benelux. The event will focus on project matchmaking, new collaborations and preparations for upcoming EIT Water calls.