NEXUS-NESS aims at the co-production and co-demonstration (ie actions carried out with stakeholders) of WEFE Nexus asset plans for a fair and sustainable allocation of natural resources. NEXUS-NESS transfers data and numerical models of natural resource management on a hydrological basis (WATNEEDS and FREEWAT) to the operational field to test a new service, called NEXUS-NESS Service, in real case studies. The project will adopt a bottom-up approach in four regions identified in Italy, Spain, Egypt and Tunisia where practical experimentation sites will be created, called Nexus Ecosystem Labs, following the principles of Living Labs and Responsible Research Innovation, to foster ecosystem innovation. (Innovation Ecosystem Approach). A new digital platform (called Multi Stakeholder and User Platform) will facilitate the involvement of stakeholders and citizens for the broadest sharing of the project’s actions, creating the basis for a process of change, both technical and cultural, lasting over time, strongly supported by the virtuous and continuous synergy between universities, industries, public administration and citizens. The NEXUS-NESS project is coordinated by the Water Resources Research and Documentation Center (WARREDOC) of the University for Foreigners of Perugia. The WARREDOC since 1985, promotes and develops research programs, advanced training activities and scientific dissemination in the fields of water, environment and management of resources and natural disasters. WARREDOC employs an interdisciplinary team of engineering science researchers,

expected impacts

Identify and test solutions to overcome the technical and non-technical barriers that prevent the transition to WEFE Nexus approaches; Co-demonstrate with stakeholders and citizens the technologies, behaviors and cultural approaches for a fair management of resources; develop dedicated platforms, a WEFE Nexus forum and actions for sharing, reusing and marketing the NEXUS-NESS Service to promote the conditions, belief and multiple benefits of WEFE Nexus approaches

Accomplished results

Co-production and co-validation with stakeholders of WEFE Nexus asset plans for a fair and sustainable allocation of resources; Produce and validate a new NEXUS-NESS Service by operationally transferring the state of the art of hydrological and eco-environmental science of the WATNEEDS and FREEWAT models; Adopt bottom up approaches, supported by the RRI Roadmap and the Multi Stakeholder and User Platform, to involve stakeholders and foster WEFE Nexus Innovation Ecosystem in Living Labs

Challenges and opportunities

NEXUS-NESS wants to demonstrate in the four Labs in Italy, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia how information and actions transferred to the field according to a language and approaches understandable to stakeholders are the lever for an equitable allocation of resources between the various sectors and optimal balances both in social and environmental terms. The challenge is to develop with the stakeholders a solution that makes the WEFE Nexus general principles effective in different climatic, cultural and socio-economic contexts.

People involved in the project