New ways to value water PhD researchers secure NWO grant

The project “Values in Water Management: A Collective Story” led by three PhD researchers from the ET faculty’s Multidisciplinary Water Management team has been awarded the NWO Knowledge in Action grant as part of the call by the Dutch Climate Research Initiative (KIN). The project will explore how valuing the cultural and social aspects of water can inform water management decisions through collaborative and creative approaches. The researchers see this as a great opportunity to enhance collaboration with our water-stressed counterpart in Brabant. 

Currently, water management and use in the Netherlands is primarily driven by economic considerations, with insufficient consideration to other environmental, social and cultural aspects of water use. In a series of events, the project team will encourage stakeholders in East Brabant to reflect on the various functions of water and how they value them. Through creative, collaborative activities including workshops, a guided walk and serious games sessions, this project brings together water users and managers to collectively develop solutions so that the way in which water is valued, managed and used reflects the limitations of the water system, especially in times of increasing fluctuations of water availability.

Project Leads: Marie Barel, Meadow Poplawsky, Christoph Euringer