Water is one of humankind’s most important resources – without water, there is no life. There is no substitute for water; supply is limited, and demand is growing. Drinking water supply and agricultural production of food are just two of the ways that water is used. There are many other fields where people use water resources, be it medicine, energy generation, industrial production, or freight transport.

Since time immemorial, water has been a prerequisite for the cultural and technical development of society: settlements and towns were built along rivers or on coasts. Water is an essential component of the ecological balance – it is needed to maintain a healthy environment and supports a diversity of habitats.

But around the world, water scarcity and water pollution are increasingly threatening ecosystems and affecting the economic and political stability of entire regions and countries. The United Nations (UN) estimates that almost half the world’s population, equivalent to around 3.6 billion people, live in regions that are at risk of water shortage at least one month a year. Projections indicate that by 2050, global demand for water is expected to increase by 55% with as many as 5.7 billion people facing water shortages – if we continue as we are. The global significance of water resources is underlined in the UN’s Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), with SDG 6 stating the need to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

People – Environment – Economy

Sustainable water management must strive for a balance between water supply and demand, while at the same time ensuring the protection of water resources. It reconciles the needs of a growing world population for clean water and proper sewage disposal, the utilization demands of a globalized world economy and the protection of water resources and ecosystems. This requires sustainable water research in which actors from science, industry, society and politics work together to develop the necessary technological, socio-political and conceptual innovations. The German government has therefore launched the research program "Wasser: N – Research and Innovation for Sustainability". For the coming years, it sets out common goals of the participating ministries for cross-sectoral water research with closely interlinked funding instruments.

Goals

The "Wasser: N – Research and Innovation for Sustainability" program is backed by several ministries, led by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), in close cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office (AA), the Ministries of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), Health (BMG), Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It builds on the BMBF funding priority "Sustainable Water Management" (NaWaM).

Within Wasser: N, which is part of the FONA strategy "Research for Sustainability", all research and development activities are systematically bundled and coordinated. National concerns such as the Federal Government's Trace Substance Strategy, European and international issues – e.g. achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals – are equally important. An interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral exchange between actors from science, industry, society and politics is to be initiated. Around 350 million euros are available for the five-year program. The main topics of Wasser: N include clean water, intact ecosystems, extreme water events and optimized water management.