With the publication of the new H2020 Work Programme 2016-2017, Vlakwa organized brokerage events on the 29th of October and the 17th of November, and WssTP – The European Technology Platform for Water – on the 23-24th November.

Information on possible new calls relevant for water within the H2020 Work Programme has been presented and follow up brainstorming sessions on new project ideas have been organized. Vlakwagora participants indicated 15 project ideas and/or relevant expertise to be used for European or regional projects. Three of them have been taken to the WssTP brokerage event on the 23th of November and have been presented to a European wide auditorium of potential partners. By these actions, Vlakwa wants to facilitate project proposals at an early stage by synthesizing Flemish expertise and by disseminating it in various events. Flemish researchers and innovators get support for their involvement in new projects and/or for forming appropriate new consortiums. The remaining project ideas being presented at the WssTP brokerage event, have been carefully screened by Vlakwa during the brokerage, and 18 Flemish organisations will be linked with the selected European partners currently developing new projects. The remaining project ideas from the Vlakwagora-event will be followed up by Vlakwa on later occasions.

The 24th of November, as a back-to-back event, was devoted to the 19 WssTP working groups meetings on various water-related topics.

Vlakwa, together with other Flemish partners such as VITO, UGent, Inagro, University of Antwerp, Aquafin, Solvay and De Watergroep, are the WssTP members and are taking part in the following WssTP working groups:

• water and industry
• water-food-agriculture
• water beyond Europe
• water and ICT
• emerging compounds
• resource recovery
• nano4water
• advanced membrane technologies.

Working groups amongst other tasks, identify demand-driven research and innovation needs, works as a nursery for new project ideas, feed European R&I work programmes, organize workshops, elaborates and publishes scientific reports. WssTP as a continuously growing European-wide technology platform for water with its more than 150 members, is also one of the most active European players in the advocacy for water for R&I policy with its European network of various actors covering the entire water value chain.

Need more information? Contact Violeta Kuzmickaite - vk@vlakwa.be.