Innovation Meets Application – Research and Industry in Collaboration
At the German Water Partnership (GWP) Annual Conference 2025, held on 25 June in Berlin, the WASA programme contributed to one of the day’s most dynamic sessions: “Innovation Meets Application – Research and Industry in Collaboration.” The traditional GWP Annual Conference was once again a meeting point for the internationally active German water industry and its partners. Under the title Global Water Responsibility – Made in Germany?, around 180 participants from business, politics, science and civil society discussed opportunities for the German water sector in a global context. The conference also focused on challenges such as export promotion, securing skilled workers and innovation partnerships in a high-calibre programme – and positioned itself with demands for the future of the sector.
© GWP, photo: Frank Nürnberger.
The breakout session brought together over 40 experts from government, research institutions and private-sector companies to discuss how international partnerships can drive the practical implementation of water innovations. The session explored how technologies developed through publicly funded research can be translated into real-world impact, especially through international cooperation and strategic engagement from the private sector. The session was co-organised by Marie-Louise Chagnaud (GWP) from the WASANet project team.
NEU-Water Project Represents Applied Research from Africa
One of the featured contributions came from the NEU-Water project, part of the WASA programme’s research portfolio in Southern Africa. NEU-Water was introduced as a successful example of applied innovation in international collaboration. The project develops approaches to reuse rainwater and greywater in urban environments, supporting climate-resilient urban planning in the South African town of Franschhoek. The project was presented by Dr. Claudia Wendland (Hamburg Wasser).
As one of seven collaborative research projects in the WASA framework, NEU-Water illustrates how joint action between African and German partners leads to scalable, practical solutions for water management in the context of climate change. The session highlighted how WASA promotes knowledge co-creation, technical excellence and long-term relevance by aligning with local priorities and institutional frameworks. Wendland highlighted the value of an integrated Water Operator Partnership (WOP) in the NEU-Water project in order to ensure the development of demand-orientated solutions and international collaboration from the scientific, industrial and practinioners level.
Research, Finance, Policy and Practice: A Dialogue Across Sectors
The session was co-moderated by Dr.-Ing. Manuel Krauss (FiW – Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen, WASA and GWP) and Sanchita Khandelwal (aqua & waste International GmbH). Following the project pitches, a panel discussion featured: Nilgün Parker (Federal Ministry for the Environment, BMUV) leading the programme for the promotion of German green tech, Dr. Rainer Müssner (German Federal Ministry of Research) as member of the WASA Governing Board, Dr. Bernd Wiebusch (KfW Development Bank, senior technical expert for Water and Prof. Dr-Ing. Sven-Uwe Geißen (TU Berlin, GWP Board Member).
Panel discussion on Innovation Meets Application – Research and Industry in Collaboration (from the left): Sanchita Khandelwal, Dr. Bernd Wiebusch, Dr. Rainer Müssner, Nilgün Parker, Prof. Dr-Ing. Sven-Uwe Geißen and Dr.-Ing. Manuel Krauss © GWP, photo: Frank Nürnberger.
Key topics of the discussion were the need for better alignment between research funding and market readiness; the role of KfW and other development banks in scaling technical innovations and the importance of cross-ministerial coordination to integrate water more firmly into Germany’s foreign trade and development cooperation strategies.
Public–Private Partnerships for Global Water Solutions
The session placed a strong emphasis on cross-sectoral collaboration. It demonstrated that public–private partnerships (PPPs), combined with research and innovation funding, are essential to deliver solutions that are technologically sound, economically viable and culturally and institutionally adapted to the regions they serve.
Speakers emphasised that Germany’s international science and industry partnerships – such as those enabled by WASA – are key instruments towards reaching the goals of global water security, economic development and national innovations strategy.
This session made it clear: applied science requires practical frameworks. Programmes like WASA provide an effective model for linking technical innovation with sustainable, long-term impact. Joint development, co-financing, and collaborative project implementation are already proving essential to successful and lasting development. WASA is on track to becoming an international benchmark for the successful introduction of innovative solutions and technologies that enhance water security in Africa.