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During May 1st  to July 31, 2025 Drd. Olivier NJIKEU, PhD student at University of Ngaoundéré Cameroon and Dr. Jean Olivier KOUADIO, researcher at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Abidjan, are carrying out a research internship at Groundwater Engineering Research Center – Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest after being selected for research scholarships granted by the University Agency of Francophonie (AUF) within the ”Eugen Ionescu” Scholarship Program funded by the Government of Romania.

On March 20, 2025, at the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, took place the Doctor Honoris Causa award ceremony for Prof. Dr. Stephen Foster, a visionary in groundwater management, urban hydrogeology, and environmental sustainability. Throughout his illustrious career Prof. Foster has made extraordinary contributions to groundwater research, policy, and conservation across more than 40 countries. His leadership in British Geological Survey, the World Bank, WHO, and the IAH – International Association of Hydrogeologists has set new global standards for the assessment, protection, and sustainable use of water resources. His work has shaped international policies, such as the EU Water Framework Directive, and has been instrumental in training future generations of hydrogeologists, ensuring a legacy of excellence. Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest has rightfully recognized his ground-breaking impact by awarding him the prestigious Doctor Honoris Causa title. The Laudation was delivered by Professor Constantin Radu Gogu, who offered an inspiring and well-structured overview of Professor Stephen Foster’s outstanding career and contributions.

During the 18 – 21 February 2025 CCIAS-UTCB organized at Bucharest the AWARD_HEU project General Assembly followed by the Stakeholders Meeting on February 21. These sessions provided an invaluable platform for discussions, knowledge exchange, and strategic planning for the next phases of the project. The General Assembly began with a warm welcome from UTCB’s Rector, Radu Vacareanu, and Dean of the Faculty of Hydrotechnics, Alexandru Dimache, setting the tone for an engaging conference. The first day focused on key Work Packages, covering project management, socio-political support, the patrimonial framework, and the development of a digital ecosystem for Alternative Water Resources. In the afternoon, we explored real-world applications through Transversal Interest Group discussions, including case studies from Milan, Cyprus, Santiago de Compostela, and Bucharest’s Circus Lake.

The second day took a hands-on approach with a discussion on the first demo site, offering participants a closer look at AWR solutions in action. Discussions continued with a working session on social awareness, highlighting insights from a survey on social acceptance in Romania and Moldova. In the afternoon, partners engaged in a team exercise on policy briefs, followed by a session on Key Exploitation Results, ensuring that AWARD’s innovations have a lasting impact.

The final day of the GA focused on the future of policy support and AWARD_HEU’s collaboration with parallel projects such as MARCLAIMED EU and RECREATE. A highlight of the day was a visit to UTCB’s research labs. A special thank you to Alexandru Dimache, Andrei-Mugur Georgescu, Costin Ioan Coșoiu, Iulian Iancu for making this experience possible – we truly appreciate your hospitality and support. The day concluded with a strategic planning session, outlining next steps for Year 2 of the project.

The final day brought together key stakeholders, policymakers, and industry representatives to discuss the practical implementation of AWR solutions. These conversations reinforced the importance of multi-sector collaboration in addressing water sustainability challenges.

The General Assembly and Stakeholders Meeting were filled with valuable insights, inspiring discussions, and impactful collaborations. As we move forward, we remain committed to driving innovative water management solutions and ensuring that the AWARD_HEU project creates meaningful change.

The WaterWise Hub Kick-Off Meeting was held on February 13–14, 2025, at the Eugenides Foundation in Athens, bringing together partners from across Europe. Partners from across Europe (Greece, Romania, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine) with support from key knowledge sharing partners from Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, came together to create a hub to accelerate research and innovation on water reuse, and collaboration. Over two days, the consortium engaged in presentations, discussions, and interactive sessions to align on the project’s goals, work packages, and collaborative vision. Keynote addresses from thought leaders in water regulation, circular economy, and innovation provided high-level perspectives, while each work package leader outlined their strategic role in developing a research and innovation roadmap for water in Central and Eastern Europe.

CCIAS presented its extensive expertise in groundwater engineering, green infrastructure, and urban hydrogeology and outlined its role in multiple work packages—ranging from policy innovation and research strategy development, to shaping residency programs and mentoring for early-career researchers. The agenda also featured contributions from the European Research Executive Agency and the Green Fund Greece. A highlight was the “Water Innovation Café,” a collaborative design activity that fostered creative dialogue among partners. With a shared commitment to inclusive, sustainable water solutions, the meeting concluded with optimism, a group photo, and a networking dinner, marking a strong start to the WaterWise Hub project.

More details here.

On 28-29 February 2024 the Kick-off meeting for the AWARD project was held. During the two days the participants reflected on the common vision of the project partners, discussing the dimensions of alternative water resources in the context of AWARD. The AWARD vision was developed from the AWARD pillars, based on comments and ideas and previous exchanges with project partners.

Mapping and communicating with stakeholders; stakeholder engagement and understanding needs; the type and purpose of data needed and the organisation of demonstration sites were discussed during the World Café session.

The event included a poster session to present the demonstration cases in terms of key information (location, challenges & needs, stakeholders, values for AWARD, expectations from AWARD solutions) and exchanges with partners to start optimizing the creation of links between WP activities and DC stakeholders. An overview of the Circus Lake demonstration case, with UTCB as the lead, can be found here.

Next, to support networking activities, a session was held to present the different projects of interest in which AWARD partners are involved. Alternative water resources were analysed from European to local perspectives to highlight key challenges, interest and drivers for AWARD activities. The MARCLAIMED and RECREATE projects, funded by the European Union under the same call for proposals, completed the final picture.

More details here.

On 10 January 2024, the virtual AWARD project kick-off meeting was held with the 14 members of the consortium. The meeting was an opportunity to present all consortium members, their experience and expertise and the demonstration case studies. During the meeting, Prof. dr. eng. Radu Gogu, Director of CCIAS presented information about the Circus Lake demonstration case, Bucharest, Romania.