Alternative Water Resources

for Climate Cluster

The AlternativeWaterResources4Climate (AWR4Climate) Cluster is an initiative originating from the coalition of three projects funded by Horizon Europe: MARCLAIMED, RECREATE, AWARD. These projects aim to:

Integrate Alternative Water Resources (AWR) into water management plans
Enhance resilience of water supplies against climate change impacts
Provide evidence-based solutions for AWR integration

Aligned with the European Union’s climate adaptation goals and water security ambitions, the cluster works to expand the use of AWR, improve water supply resilience, and protect natural water resources against the impacts of climate change and increasing demand.

By leveraging collaboration and synergies between the funded projects, the cluster seeks to develop innovative strategies, effective assessment tools, and reliable solutions for integrating AWR into existing water management systems

Objectives

Foster collaboration & synergy: internal and with existing initiatives (stakeholders and society) 
Shaping effective policies 
Data management and sharing (e.g., case study hub) 
Disseminate evidence-based practices and recommendations (e.g., joint conference, social platform) 
Market Uptake & Exploitation of Solutions

Context

Traditional water sources are increasingly strained due to climate change, population growth, and expanding economic activities. Alternative water resources, such as desalination, wastewater reclamation, and rainwater harvesting, offer promising solutions but face challenges related to quality requirements, regulatory barriers, and public acceptance.

The AWR4Climate Cluster addresses these challenges by fostering collaboration, shaping policies, managing data, disseminating best practices, and promoting market uptake of innovative AWR solutions.

Working Groups

To advance its mission, the AWR4Climate Cluster has established five working groups, set to begin operations in 2025:

Coordination and Communication (C&C): Manages the cluster’s internal and external action planning, strategy development, and communication efforts.

Innovation and Implementation (I&I): Identifies and promotes innovative AWR solutions, assessing their market potential and developing implementation roadmaps.

Data Management and Sharing (DM&S): Focuses on frameworks for climate-change and AWR-related data management, addressing data needs, sharing protocols, and interoperability standards.

Policy Impact (PI): Analyzes the EU’s policy landscape for water management alternatives and develops policy recommendations based on cluster research and case studies.

Stakeholder Engagement and Social Engagement (SE): Works to increase understanding of AWR solutions among stakeholders and develop collaborative platforms for strategic planning and implementation.