Integrating Science and Water Policy

The aim of the workshop is to

• address key issues related to water on the basis of the expertise and experience of outstanding European scholars

• explore the requirements for integration in current water research and demonstrate approaches for how these requirements can be fulfilled

• facilitate an open exchange between science and policy and to develop recommendations for future EU research policy related to water and integration

The workshop complements the policy review process initiated by the EWP in 2008, through which the "Water Vision for Europe for 2030" was developed and which was presented at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul. The outcomes of the "Water for Integration - Integration

for Water" workshop will feed directly into the vision mapping process which concludes the EWP's policy review process.

The actual practice of integrated water research still remains the exception rather than the rule. An important reason for this are the traditional divisions between research communities and, in particular, the cultural rift which exists between the natural, engineering and social sciences. This situation is mirrored in research policy and its implementation. Here, adequate funding schemes or joint calls for integrated research are rare, and transparent quality criteria and evaluation methods for such research are still lacking.