Water is one interconnected system — linking rivers, groundwater, seas and maritime activities — yet it continues to be addressed through fragmented approaches.
The One Water Alliance addresses this fragmentation by supporting more coordinated interaction and cooperation across the water ecosystem.
A shared platform for collaboration across Europe’s water ecosystem
The One Water Alliance is a global community bringing together organisations active in the water, marine and maritime sectors across Europe and beyond.
It builds on the collaboration established through the One Water Consortium, a partnership formed in response to the EIT call for a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) on Water. The Alliance ensures continuity of this collaboration and provides a structured framework for ongoing cooperation.
It relies on a strong and complementary network of research institutions, industry actors and innovation ecosystems, enabling partners to develop joint activities, explore funding opportunities and initiate collaborative projects.
The One Water approach starts from a simple idea: water does not follow sectors.
Rivers, coasts and maritime activities are part of the same system, yet they are still managed separately across research, policy and innovation. This fragmentation makes it harder to address complex and interconnected challenges.
The Alliance responds by bringing these domains together in practice. It creates the conditions for organisations to work across boundaries, combining expertise from inland waters to oceans and maritime industries.
By doing so, it enables new forms of collaboration and supports the development of joint initiatives that reflect the full complexity of the water system.
The strength of the One Water Alliance lies in its community.
By connecting organisations with complementary expertise and shared interests, the Alliance creates opportunities for collaboration that would not emerge otherwise. It provides a space where ideas can be exchanged, partnerships can form and joint initiatives can take shape.
Through this community-driven approach, the Alliance contributes to more coordinated responses to water challenges and supports the development of new collaborative opportunities across and beyond Europe’s water ecosystem.