over-abstraction is also a cause of salt intrusion in coastal areas. Infrastructures such as dams,
reservoirs and dykes have often resulted in improved control and monitoring of water resources.
Nevertheless, these infrastructures are also responsible for a range of hydromorphological
changes with potentially adverse ecological consequences.
At the technology level, major scientific and technological breakthroughs are still needed to
cope with emergent challenges such as the growing concern about multi-resistant microorgan-
isms, the need to recover and reutilise phosphorus and nitrogen fertilisers from wastewater,
the deployment of capital-intensive water infrastructures, and the need to reduce energy input
in all water processes.
The 2012 and 2013 European Innovation Scoreboards confirm that the innovation rate in Eu-
rope is lower than that in Japan, South Korea and the United States of America. The EU28 con-
tinues to have a better performance lead over Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Russia and
South Africa. This lead is, however, declining. Policies and programmes need to favour appro-
priate conditions for relevant RDI breakthroughs and innovation. RDI breakthroughs within the
water sector could report significant benefits to the EU (the worldwide turnover amounts to
US$246 billion
5
).
This brief overview of the main factors affecting water resources shows that there is a need
to tackle existing and emerging challenges in the water domain in order to quickly single out
solutions that guarantee water supply for various uses whilst ensuring the sustainable devel-
opment of ecosystems and the economic prosperity of Europe. This need opens up at the same
time new opportunities in RDI, such as construction and maintenance of water-related infra-
structure, technologies for the safe reuse of wastewater more efficient irrigation techniques,
to name a few.
1.2 Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs):
a new framework to address societal challenges
Launched in 2008, the Joint Programming process aims at tackling societal challenges in strate-
gic areas by fostering cross-border collaboration and coordination of member states and by in-
tegrating member states’ publicly funded RDI programmes.
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The JPI process results in the
development and implementation of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), which
defines a number of specific actions in a particular domain. Based upon a variable geometry
approach, the participation of member states is voluntary. The launching of each of the ten
currently ongoing JPIs has responded to the definition of a societal challenge which cannot be
solved by any European country in isolation.
JPIs contribute to developing common solutions, to optimising the efficiency and impact of
public research funding, to supporting the implementation of joint actions (such as cross-border
collaboration projects or infrastructure sharing), and to improving coordination with other na-
tional and European RDI programmes. JPIs are therefore meant to play a key role in the con-
struction of the European Research Area (ERA).
1.3 The Water JPI: Its mission
The Water JPI (‘Water Challenges for a Changing World’) aims at tackling the grand challenge
of ‘ach iev ing sustai nab le water systems for a sustainabl e economy in Europe
and abroad’. The physical domain of the Water JPI is coincident with that of the Water Frame-
work Directive (WFD): ‘inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and ground-
water’. This JPI was endorsed by the High Level Group (GPC) in May 2010, and currently
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