Register for the Water Academies

What is it about?

Water is the “life-blood” of our economy, industries, societal functions, nature as well as health and wellbeing of our citizens. Learning about water scarcity and emerging innovations for water saving is key for our society and is the objective of the Water Academies.

Our sessions will be delivered by the Water Experts with the recent technology insights, and hands-on experience in Water Management. We aim at creating a dialog with the industries addressing cost-effective, disruptive technologies, and educate innovation startups together with the University students, about emerging innovation opportunities in the water management segment emphasizing the 3R concept: Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.

The Water Academies are part of the Cross-KIC project Finding innovative solutions for water scarcity in Southern Europe lead by four innovation communities (EIT Climate, EIT Digital, EIT Food, EIT Manufacturing) in cooperation with two project partners (Athena and BioAzul). We bring together Water Experts and stakeholders from different areas of activity, to interact and mitigate emerging Water Scarcity challenge in Southern Europe.

EIT Manufacturing will deliver 3 all-day long on-line Water Academies workshops with the sessions for the Agri-food sector, Water Utilities, Municipalities, Tourism sector, Manufacturing industries, SMEs, RTOs, University Students, Journalists and Political Stakeholders, among others. We hope you enjoy our programme below.

The workshops will be held online in English, with simultaneous interpretation from English to Greek, Italian and Spanish. Participation in these technical seminars will be free. On top of that, the participants will be granted certificates with no additional charge when taking a short online test from at least two sessions after the workshop/s

Antoni Pijoan, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CLC WESTAntoni Pijoan, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CLC WEST
October 27th, 2021

Water Academy Workshop for Agri-food Sector

9:30 − 9:45 CEST
Water Academy Agri-food Workshop Kick-off (A0)
EIT Manufacturing: a new Innovation Community.
Antoni Pijoan
Managing Director EIT Manufacturing West

9:45 − 10:30 CEST
Water Scarcity and Agri-food Sector: Economic and Business Implications (A1)
How social responsibility can increase revenue and sales – quantifying and showcasing environmental impact. The interconnection between water scarcity, food waste, and UN Sustainable Development Goals. And also, how to teach consumers on reducing food waste – implement marketing grounded in science.
Prof. Dubravka Skunca
LCA Leader at EU Project GreenProtein, university professor, SMEs consultant and representative at European Commission Environmental Footprint Board

Learning outcomes

• To recognize the interconnection between water scarcity and food waste
• To explain how social responsibility can increase sales and revenue
• To describe marketing grounded in science
• To show impact related to UN Sustainable Development Goal – SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

10:30 − 11:30 CET
Digital Twin and IoT for Water Management in Agri- food sector (A2)
The utilization of digital technologies enabled by sensors, IoT and artificial intelligence is becoming a key aspect in all circular economy and sustainability aspects of manufacturing and service sectors. The new paradigm of the digital twin of a product, service or process is demonstrating its flexibility and powerness to help water managers in collecting detailed and useful data on water usage, recycling, waste and reuse and verify compliances against regulations and sustainability goals. The session will cover the major aspects of the application of digital twins and IoT to the water management processes in different sectors.
Mr. Maurizio Griva
Senior Innovation Manager leading sustainable digital solution developments enabled by IoT

Learning outcomes

• To describe at high level the new digital technologies at the service of water management in industrial settings
• To evaluate the best fit between technology readiness and the process needs
• To design a step-by-step technology introduction program with water KPIs and adoption roadmaps

13:00 − 13:45 CEST
Emerging technologies for managing water use in agriculture (A3)
Session delivered by EIT Body of Knowledge Expert on how emerging technologies may revolutionize the way water is managed in agriculture.
Mrs. Gaëtane Suzenet
Expert in investment and innovation in the water sector

Learning outcomes

• To discover emerging and disruptive tools and models to foster water use efficiency and water savings in agriculture (unfamiliar technologies and also technologies ready to be marketed)
• To describe the relevance of the emerging tools and technologies to optimize crop/food production
• To identify business opportunities for diversification of commercial activities
• To explain the role/relevance of emerging tools and models to foster a water saving culture
• To select tools and models to effectively engage in water scarcity mitigation and adaptation.

13:45 − 14:15 CEST
The risks to sustainable agriculture & the solutions for water recycling (A4)
Overuse of pesticides requires excessive water treatment due to high recalcitrance which leads to higher TOTEX.
Msc. Dimitra Aravani
Product manager in Tertiary treatment and water specialist

Learning outcomes

• To describe the current EU policies and to recognize its impact on the business model based on the implemented case study.
• To explain the concept of water recycling and to reduce local water intake costs.
• To comprehend the need of reduced pesticides in connection to cost-effective water treatment.

14:15 − 14:45 CEST
HORIZON EUROPE: a new challenge to become more competitive at world level (A5)
A deep overview on the next research and innovation program funded by the EU to increase the competitiveness of the SMEs at world level and define innovative approach to the circular economy.
Dr. Marco de la Feld
EU project manager – Innovation Manager

Learning outcomes

• To discuss the HORIZON EU Program
• To explain how to build a competitive project proposal and a strong consortium
• To recognize all the specific impacts and replay to specific market needs.

15:15 − 15:45 CEST
Managing water footprints of agri-food production under water scarcity (A6)
How to achieve water sustainability under a changing climate. Water footprints of agri-food production tells us our dependency to water and related risks to drought and water scarcity. This session will explain how to develop strategies for mitigating water risk and give real-case examples from large agri-food producers in the world.
Dr. Ertug Ercin
Senior Expert on water, climate risk and sustainability

Learning outcomes

• To describe water footprints and water risks related to climate change
• To explain how to assess the footprint of the production (dairy, beverage, olive oil)
• To discover the water journey of big producers
• To describe strategies to reduce water footprints

15:45 − 16:15 CEST
Biotechnological treatment & valorization of food & beverage industry wastewater (A7)
Innovative (bio)technological solutions stimulate circular water use and cross sectoral water exchange in the water intensive food & beverage industry. Water security is production security! Find out how the food and beverage industry leads the way towards sustainable industrial water management.
Dr. ir. Tom Vandekerckhove
Managing Director at Water Experts

Learning outcomes

• To recognize and assess the opportunities for improvement of the wastewater management
• To select effective wastewater management based on the best practices
• To discover technological solutions for wastewater valorization
• To outline shared water management strategy with the surrounded stakeholders

16:15 − 17:15 CEST
Debrief and Q&A (A8)
A session to deepen knowledge and discussions with speakers (in English)*
*No simultaneous interpretation in Greek, Italian and Spanish.

Antoni Pijoan, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CLC WESTAntoni Pijoan, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CLC WEST
November 3rd, 2021

Water Academy Workshop for Water Utilities, Municipalities & Tourism sector

9:30 − 9:45 CET
Water Academy Workshop for Water Utilities, Municipalities & Tourism sector Kick-off (B0)
EIT Manufacturing: a new Innovation Community.
Antoni Pijoan
Managing Director EIT Manufacturing West

9:45 − 10:30 CET
How to understand your future water risk and potential business implications (B1)
Join to gain insights on how to do a quick high level – but holistic – assessment of your water risk exposure and potential financial impact.
Jennifer Moeller-Gulland
Water Risk and Economics Expert, leading water risk assessments for World Bank, MNcs etc.

Learning outcomes

• To explain multidimensionality of water risk impacts for municipalities and tourism sector
• To break down the interplay of 3 main risk categories (physical, infrastructure and governance risks)
• To calculate the extend of water stress in the municipality (present and in the future)
• To roughly estimate financial implications of water stress

10:30 − 11:30 CET
Digital Twins and IoT for Water Management in Water Utilities (B2)
A digital twin in the water sector provides utilities with the best physical models, real-time updates of sensor devices, historical data, artificial intelligence, etc., while replicating the behavior of its real-world twin. There are many applications of implementing digital twinning within the water industry. Incorporating a digital twin in the water industry enables utilities to perform events like equipment downtime, pipe failure, contamination, pipeline temperature, etc., to assess the risks that might occur in the future.
Mr. Maurizio Griva
Senior Innovation Manager leading sustainable digital solution developments enabled by IoT

Learning outcomes

• To describe at high level the new digital technologies at the service of water management in industrial settings
• To evaluate the best fit between technology readiness and your process needs
• To design a step-by-step technology introduction program with water KPIs and adoption roadmaps

13:00 − 13:45 CET
Design and operation of the water distribution network (B3)
The integration of technology and management methods allows to better design and operate water networks. Join the session to learn which data can be integrated for better management of water distribution network.
Dr. Jedrzej Bylka
Assistant Professor of Poznan University of Technology & Freelance Consultant

Learning outcomes

• To define criteria for well-designed water network
• To select the data for effective water distribution network design and operation
• To remember which data can be integrated from different computer systems for better management of water distribution networks
• To demonstrate advantages of integrated design and operation of water system
• To give the examples of using mathematical models to improve operation and management of water distribution system

13:45 − 14:15 CET
Improving water efficiency (B4)
How assessing water waste in buildings can lead to a 20% reduction in water consumption.
I.r Alexandre McCormack
Managing Director at Shayp, Architectural Engineer specialized in Water Consumption Analytics in Buildings

Learning outcomes

• To understand how water waste can be effectively assessed in buildings
• To identify the most cost-effective actions towards improving water efficiency in buildings
• To recognize the greatest contributors to water waste and the steps to be taken to make a significant and measurable impact

14:15 − 14:45 CET
Nature-based solutions (NBS) for sustainable wastewater management (B5)
Existing nature-based solutions for sustainable wastewater management.
Alexandros I. Stefanakis, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor at Technical University of Crete

Learning outcomes

• To understand the range of applications and treatment capacity of NBS
• To describe treatment concept for different wastewater sources
• To explain the benefits of NBS for municipalities and major urban settlement through case studies

15:15 − 15:45 CET
EU framework for water resources management (B6)
A bird’s eye view of the EU Water Framework Directive, complementarities, and missing links with the UN Agenda to 2030: Your chance to grasp the implications for businesses, innovation, and sustainable development.
Dr. Stella Tsani
Academic with multi-sectoral networks across the knowledge triangle

Learning outcomes

• To identify and explain the business and innovation opportunities and challenges linked to the implementation of the EU WFD
• To discuss the alignment of the EU WFD and of the national water policies with the UN Agenda 2030 and the 17 SDGs
• To compare policy alternatives at regional level for the addressing of water scarcity issues
• To identify the business and innovation opportunities and challenges of regional cooperation to address water scarcity

15:45 − 16:15 CET
Life Cycle Assessment, Circular Economy & Water: How to Work with Small Players? (B7)
How to implement LCA principles to improve cost-efficiency. Creating environmental profile (water use), which can be integrated in business plan and attract investors. How to recognize environmental hotspots and calculate return related to going circular through the entire production process and value chain.
Prof. Dubravka Skunca
LCA Leader at EU Project GreenProtein, university professor, SMEs consultant and representative at European Commission Environmental Footprint Board

Learning outcomes

• To recognize environmental hotspots related to production
• To discuss ECO related cost efficiency by using less resources
• To describe different ways for optimized ECO production
• To create environmental profile as a proof of dedication to the sustainable growth and circular economy principals

16:15 − 17:15 CET
Debrief and Q&A (B8)
A session to deepen knowledge and discussions with speakers (in English)*
*No simultaneous interpretation in Greek, Italian and Spanish.

Antoni Pijoan, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CLC WESTAntoni Pijoan, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CLC WEST
November 4th, 2021

Water Academy Workshop for Manufacturing Industries

9:30 − 9:45 CET
Water Academy Workshop for Manufacturing Industries Kick-off (C0)
EIT Manufacturing: a new Innovation Community.
Antoni Pijoan
Managing Director EIT Manufacturing West

9:45 − 10:30 CET
Water scarcity economic and business implications for Industry 4.0 (C1)
Come and learn what is the role of water in the era of the 4th industrial revolution and what are the costs and opportunities for industry and innovators.
Dr. Stella Tsani
Academic with multi-sectoral networks across the knowledge triangle

Learning outcomes

• To understand and explain the cost implications of water scarcity for the industrial production
• To understand and critically describe the impact of competitive used of water on industrial production and outlook of the industry
• To understand the impact of the full cost recovery on the cost of the industrial production
• To define the “polluter pays” principle and its implications for the production costs of the industry
• Understand the alternative technological solutions of Industry 4.0 that can serve water scarcity addressing needs

10:30 − 11:30 CET
Digital Twins and IoT for Water Management in Industrial manufacturing (C2)
The utilization of digital technologies enabled by sensors, IoT and artificial intelligence is becoming a key aspect in all circular economy and sustainability aspects of manufacturing and service sectors. The new paradigm of the digital twin of a product, service or process is demonstrating its flexibility and powerness to help water managers in collecting detailed and useful data on water usage, recycling, waste and reuse and verify compliances against regulations and sustainability goals. The session will cover the major aspects of the application of digital twins and IoT to the water management processes in different sectors.
Mr. Maurizio Griva
Senior Innovation Manager leading sustainable digital solution developments enabled by IoT

Learning outcomes

• To describe at high level the new digital technologies at the service of water management in industrial settings
• To evaluate the best fit between technology readiness and your process needs
• To design a step-by-step technology introduction program with water KPIs and adoption roadmaps

13:00 − 13:25 CET
A circular approach for sustainable management of industrial water pollution (C3)
The need, benefits, and motivations for the adoption of sustainable water management solutions in the industrial sector towards a circular water economy
Alexandros I. Stefanakis, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor at Technical University of Crete

Learning outcomes

• To identify the current and future needs and obligations for the industries generating chemical water pollution
• To assess the means and needs for sustainability and circularity in the general industrial water sector
• To evaluate the options and motivations for business owners to invest in green water management practices
• To identify optimal ways and strategies to valorize treated industrial effluents
• To distinguish among the various treatment technologies, the most appropriate for each industrial effluent

13:25 − 13:45 CET
Produced water management in the oil and gas industry using circular approaches and techniques (C3+)
Case study of circular produced water management in the Oil & Gas industry using nature-based solution.
Alexandros I. Stefanakis, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor at Technical University of Crete

Learning outcomes

• To discuss about the feasibility of sustainable solutions in the Oil & Gas industry
• To discover a new circular approach for produced water management
• To recognize management and technological practices to close the loop of water and materials

13:45 − 14:15 CET
Current treatment technologies for textile wastewater treatment (C4)
Membrane bioreactors, Biological processes, and Advanced oxidation processes for textile effluent treatment.
Alexandros I. Stefanakis, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor at Technical University of Crete

Learning outcomes

• To explain the concept of membrane bioreactors for textile effluent treatment
• To determine available advanced oxidation processes for textile effluent treatment
• To outline different biological processes for textile effluent treatment

14:15 − 14:45 CET
Water reuse- reduce and recycling for Health & Pharma (C5)
Sustainable practices to remove harmful compounds such as medicines from the wastewater: Turning the Health & Pharma wastewater into reusable water.
Msc. Dimitra Aravani
Product manager in Tertiary treatment and Water specialist

Learning outcomes

• To describe the current and future EU policy plan to remove medicine residues from the wastewater.
• To identify the possibility to design modular wastewater treatment to remove API’s (Active pharmaceutical ingredients) with advanced treatment technologies.
• To recognize solutions for discharge of the harmful substances ending up in the drinking water in respect with the companies economic and sustainable goals

15:15 − 15:45 CET
New energy sources for the future (C6)
New wastewater to energy approaches in the manufacturing sector – how to transform a waste into a valuable resource (hydrogen and energy storage cells)
Mrs. Gaëtane Suzenet
Expert in investment and innovation in the water sector

Learning outcomes

• To identify connection between water scarcity and sludge management
• To describe the innovation landscape that will support the manufacturing sector move towards a net zero carbon and save costs
• To explain how the water – energy nexus interrelates with the manufacturing sector

15:45 − 16:15 CET
Water scarcity effects on energy sector and solutions available for the water shortages (C7)
An opportunity to dive into the water-energy interactions for sustainable energy sector development.
Dr. Stella Tsani
Academic with multi-sectoral networks across the knowledge triangle

Learning outcomes

• To understand how water enters the energy production system
• To propose solutions addressing water scarcity in the energy sector
• To estimate and rank in a cost-benefit approach different business initiatives to address water scarcity
• To explain the water-energy-food-environment nexus and its implications for sustainable business and economic development

16:15 − 17:15 CET
Debrief and Q&A (C8)
A session to deepen knowledge and discussions with speakers (in English)*
*No simultaneous interpretation in Greek, Italian and Spanish.