The European Commission proposed to boost innovation to deal with water related challenges by creating a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Water. The partnership will bring together all relevant actors, such as the water sector, small and medium sized enterprises, the research community, local governments, water-using industries, and the financial sector to accelerate the development and uptake of innovative solutions to water challenges. A Strategic Implementation Plan will be developed with key stakeholders to define the priority areas for action. The EIP on Water will seek to align the activities and outcomes of existing European, national and regional activities.

The partnership will centre on removing barriers to innovation and connecting the supply and demand sides of water related innovations. The activities of the EIP on Water will be structured around challenges in the areas of urban water management, rural water management and industrial water management, as well as addressing cross cutting themes.

Anticipated outputs of the EIP on water include:
• Innovation sites to identify barriers to innovation; develop, test and demonstrate concrete activities, actions, prototypes and solutions in relation to particular water challenges;
• Dissemination of breakthroughs and innovative solutions
• Removal of water innovation barriers, which hamper the successful delivery of innovations to the market; and
• A water innovation ‘market place' to promote interaction between those facing water problems and those who can provide potential solutions, regardless of their geographical location.

The EIP on water is expected be fully operational in early 2013 and to start delivering first results within one year.

More information:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/innovationpartnership/pdf/com_2012_216.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/innovationpartnership/index_en.htm