The Water Joint Programming Initiative (Water JPI) held its final conference on 23–24 October 2025 in Málaga, Spain, marking over a decade of coordinated research and innovation on water challenges across Europe.
Under the theme “Water Challenges in a Changing World,” the event brought together researchers, policymakers, and water sector representatives to reflect on achievements, share lessons learned, and explore the future of European water research collaboration.
Watch the 7 min. Water JPI Legacy video
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What is the Joint Programming Initiative? Joint Programming is an instrument which was launched by the European Commission in 2008. It was designed for the implementation of the European Research Area (ERA), which aims to promote strategic cooperation between EU Member States and associated countries. The instrument was designed to focus on reducing fragmentation in research whilst simultaneously strengthening research and innovation projects by having European countries and actors voluntarily work together and align their national interests. The objective was to achieve outcomes on a much larger scale, leading to much more complex research results which can be compared and contrasted across nations. Researchers are able to learn a lot from this cooperation and comparison of different case studies. |
Water4All within the conference, continuing the work of the Water JPI
Water4All played a prominent role in the conference, with its coordinator, Benjamin Lopez, presenting the partnership to the attendees. The session highlighted Water4All’s vision for fostering coordinated research and innovation efforts at European and international levels.
A lively debate followed, focusing on key aspects of the programme, including
- demonstration activities,
- international cooperation, and
- the science-policy interface.
This discussion reinforced Water4All’s commitment to translating research into practical solutions and ensuring strong collaboration between science, policy, and practice.
Local initiatives and perspectives
The conference also featured local perspectives on water management, with speakers from the University of Málaga, the city council, and EMASA, the municipal water utility. Presentations addressed water scarcity challenges, strategies for sustainable supply, and lessons learned from urban water management, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary research and multi-sectoral collaboration. These contributions resonated with Water4All’s objectives, particularly the promotion of resilient and sustainable water systems across Europe.
Water JPI: a decade of contributions
Throughout the two-day event, participants reviewed the achievements of the Water JPI, including its impact on over 100 transnational projects, and discussed recommendations for future European water initiatives. The inclusion of Water4All perspectives and the focus on demonstration, cooperation, and policy engagement highlighted the partnership’s active role in shaping the next phase of European water research and its commitment to sustainable water management.
Water JPI: a new website version
As the initiative comes to an end, a new version of the website has been implemented. It serves as a showcase of the impactful projects and achievements of the Joint Programming Initiative. You can find all the necessary information on the different activities developed during the decade, the funded projects and a link to the Open Data & Open Access platform, complying with open science principles.
Open science is an approach to research based on open cooperative work that emphasizes the sharing of knowledge, results and tools as early and widely as possible. It operates on the principle of being ‘as open as possible, as closed as necessary’.
