Acronym: WATERSHED

Title: WATERSHED; Water Advancements and Technology in Resource Sustainability for Higher Education and Development

WATERSHED is motivated by the pressing global challenges that confront us. These challenges, such as the increasing water scarcity affecting over two billion people worldwide (UNESCO, World Water Development Report, 2020), and the impact of climate change on water resources (IPCC, Sixth Assessment Report, 2022), are reflected in the gaps within
higher education curricula. The FAO’s Strategic Framework for 2022-31 prioritizes the 2030 Agenda, leveraging essential SDGs and their metrics to enhance focus and measure advancements. Simultaneously, it stresses the critical importance of optimizing water usage in agriculture to bolster food production and rural earnings, highlighting the necessity for enhanced water management strategies to maximize water efficiency and elevate rural livelihood (FAO 2021).

As water utilities and managers grapple with complex water issues like fragmentation, technological lock-ins, and institutional inertia (Franco-Torres et al 2021), WATERSHED emerges as a beacon of hope. This project recognizes that the solution lies beyond mere technological advances, adding the development of digital skills of HE students and staff. It underlines the need for participatory approaches, supported by strong policies and innovative water-saving technologies. Such strategies are in line with the green growth agenda, aiming to decouple socio-economic growth from environmental degradation (Fletcher & Rammelt 2017; Dieter et al 2018; Sauri 2020; Hernandez 2022). Studies have shown that integrating water management and sustainability into higher education can notably contribute to solving real-world issues related to water stewardship (Tompkins 2023). Concurrently, several studies have shown that relevant HE curricula often do not reflect the localized challenges, laws and environmental conditions of individual partner countries. For instance, research by Müller et al. (2020) indicates that partner countries such as Italy and Cyprus, which face significant water scarcity and management challenges, have not adequately integrated sustainable water management strategies into their agronomy or environmental science programs. Similarly, in Eastern European nations, there is a lack of modules that address climate-induced irregular rainfall patterns, a concern echoed in the 2021 EEA report. Our project aims to address these gaps, equipping the next generation of leaders with tailored knowledge and skills to tackle these critical challenges. WATERSHED is a transformative initiative, poised to revolutionize HE by bringing expertise in digital teaching methods. Its consortium places the emphasis on country/region-specific curriculum development, enhanced institutional cooperation and interdisciplinary and digital education, as outlined by the 2021 European Environment Agency Report.

Objectives: The “WATERSHED” project is motivated by the critical global challenges of increasing water scarcity and the impact of climate change on water resources, which are reflected in gaps within higher education curricula. The project recognizes the urgent need to develop curricula and approaches that integrate digital readiness, resilience, and sustainable water
management. The project aims to equip the next generation of leaders with the knowledge and skills to address these critical challenges.

Implementation: 1) Create a Pedagogical Guide focused on current sustainable water management technologies, bridging theory with industry skills, integrating innovative teaching practices through digital tools.
2) Create a curriculum to enhance environmental sustainability studies in managing water scarcity.
3) Development of a Digital Handbook, using it in OLLs, VLMs and Hackathons focused on the project’s goals.
4) Creation of a Digital Repository.

Results:  What project results and other outcomes do you expect your project to have?
WP2: Pedagogical Guide on Sustainable Water Stewardship Technologies for HE Educators
WP3: Training Materials and Pilot-Testing of WATERSHED Methodology
WP4: The WATERSHED event, workshops and exhibition of final products and services

Project Duration: 31/12/2025 till 30/12/2027  24 Months

Project number: 2025-1-RS01-KA220-HED-000351288