DESSIN Policy Briefs available – Interview
The European water research project DESSIN, which stands for Demonstrating Ecosystem Services enabling Innovation in the Water Sector, demonstrates and promotes innovative solutions for water scarcity and water quality related challenges. It also demonstrates a methodology for the valuation of ecosystem services (ESS). The project is centred around five demonstration sites with special focus on urban areas across Europe, where solutions are being tested and validated.
DESSIN now released two policy briefs. Policy Brief No 1 ‘Designing governance and financing regimes to encourage innovation uptake – A guide for water managers and policy makers’ presents five recommendations for public authorities, accompanied with concrete illustrations. The recommendations focus in particular on the types of incentives and stakeholder management strategies that can be employed to encourage innovation uptake.
DESSIN policy brief No 2 ‘Increasing chances of innovation uptake through governance – A guide for technology companies and water utilities’ presents five recommendations for innovators and water utilities and focus in particular on the types of political and partnership strategies that can be employed to encourage innovation uptake.
Dr. Josselin Rouillard, Fellow at the Ecologic Institute in Berlin, Germany is one of the scientists that developed the policy briefs within DESSIN.
Why was there a need to write those policy briefs?
The uptake of technologies, such as water efficient devices, area active network leakage control or real-time monitoring and control of water quality and run-off, is a key element in tackling challenges faced in urban water management like increased water scarcity, poor water quality or flooding. New technologies are more likely to be adopted if there are supporting institutional arrangements and policy instruments. Also, local and national actors involved in urban water management can use a range of strategies to promote innovation uptake. These two policy briefs aim to raise awareness of successful experiences in using governance to foster such technological transformations.
What are they about?
The two policy briefs present innovative governance strategies to test, promote and integrate new technologies into urban water management systems. It is based on an analysis of successful European examples. The briefs present supporting policy frameworks and financial incentives, approaches to building partnerships and seeking compromise, or strategies to gain political support and leverage funding. Several illustrations are provided together with web-links to relevant additional resources. The recommendations of the policy briefs present how to overcome social, institutional, economic and behavioural barriers to the uptake of innovations in urban water management systems.
Are the policy briefs suitable for anyone/any setting worldwide?
Yes! We researched innovation uptake in different social and political contexts and for different challenges, such as improving water quality and the hydro-morphological status of rivers, and reducing water scarcity and flooding. Recommendations are based on a comparative assessment of several case studies and aim to be applicable in a wide variety of situations.
My water sector/utility is running well, why should I read the policy briefs anyway?
These briefs were also designed to meet the demands of well-functioning systems who may want to improve public image and build additional political support in the long term. In turn, increased legitimacy and support can help tackle future challenges such as those associated with climate change impacts or, potentially, stricter environmental standards.
You can download the policy briefs for free under Results & Downloads / Water Quality.