The overall objectives of WP5 “Liaison Strategy” in the project is to increase the impact of IWRM.Net on the European water community by proactively liaising with relevant trans-national or European Union based policy and research initiatives (e.g. other ERA-Nets) and potential new partners. The key objectives within the first 18 months were focussed on the following tasks:
Task 5.1: Overview of other initiatives. Within this task an overview and an analysis of current existing networks and organisations that might be relevant for the work of the partners should be developed.
Task 5.2: Development of liaison strategy. The above mentioned overview of other initiatives should serve as input to the development of a liaison strategy. Through this strategy, the participants in the IWRM network know the prioritisation of relevant other networks, how to get and keep in touch with them, and how to keep the partners within IWRM.Net informed on the liaising activities they start.
Work was not quite as well as expected for D53 “Liaison strategy”, firstly staffing problems emerged at RIZA (Due to national reorganisations DELTARES has become a third party contractor to partner 6: centre for water management.) and secondly it was felt that an effective strategy can only be defined after more clarity is achieved on the direction of IWRM.Net. This boundary condition is now met and a liaison strategy will soon be available.
Once the liason strategy was in full swing IWRM-net attracted 3 new partners: Onema (Fr), BMFLU (Au) and the Community of Madrid (Es).
During the 2009-2010 period much effort was put in bringing multiple groups together : Research Funding Organisations, (Applied) Research Organisations, Water management organisations and several networks were approached to join in a follow-up EC (ERA-net) initiative. While the development of the initiative was not supported by the IWRM-net proposal, the linkages and the concept of this new initiative was the direct result of the liaison activities of WP5 and the IWRM-net project in particular. Note that some meetings bringing the various water-related ERA-nets together were the result of IWRM-Net and its liaison strategy.
The philosophy of the new initiative was that in order to improve the transparency and validity of research needs development, the entire stakeholder community should be mobilized. In particular more opportunity should be given to share already ongoing initiatives on a national level with international partners. A crowd-sourcing, web-based approach was foreseen.
Two new deliverable have been developed to determine if such an approach could work:
• D56 ERA-net Information Exchange Effectiveness: A quick assessment of the effectiveness of the human ERA-network and selected information repositories.
• D57 Catalyzing The Human Network: Report of the Experiment During IWRM-Net Final Conference and Aftermath
The conclusion of the two documents taken together is that a network, and possibly web-based approach may have some benefit for demand driven exchange of information, but that it may be difficult to achieve due to unbalanced sharing of burden and benefit: Some people are asked to share who may have the least benefit of sharing.
Regrettably the afroementioned new initiative did not get support from the EC. However, several partners of IWRM-net are now engaged in the Joint Programing Initiative on Water, which is even lead by MICINN, the Spanish Ministry of Innovation which has also been a partner in IWRM-net. One may hence conclude that, though the liaison activity did not follow it’s own strategy, it did result in many links being established between stakeholders in research programming.
At the end of the IWRM-net project, the following organisations have formalized their engagement with IWRM-net :
• ONEMA - THE FRENCH NATIONAL AGENCY FOR WATER AND AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS
• COMMUNIDAD DE MADRID
• ISPRA - THE INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND RESEARCH (Italy)
• LEBENSMINISTERIUM - AUSTRIAN FEDERAL MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, ENVIRONMENT AND WATER MANAGEMENT 5
Within the liaison strategy the links with INBO and its derivatives, was not targeted initially. It was decided that OIEau would support the delivery of the liaison strategy by profiting from its links to the International Network of Basin Organisations. IWRM-net project staff attended the EURO-INBO, MENBO and ‘Eau en Montagnes’ meetings during period 3 and staff from all levels within OIEau were involved in ensuring the IWRM-net project communicated to as many groups as possible. The preparation of each event involved IWRM-net being highlighted by presentations as well as subjects developed as priority in IWRM-Net were transferred into sessions within the meetings.
At the end of the project there were 2 NEW deliverables:
• D56 ERA-net Information Exchange Effectiveness: A quick assessment of the effectiveness of the human ERA-network and selected information repositories.
• D57 Catalyzing The Human Network: Report of the Experiment During IWRM-Net Final Conference and Aftermath
And one omitted :
• D 54 Follow up reports of liaising activities conducted
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