AWR4Climate Cluster comes together in Brussels to drive Europe's circular water solutions

On 3 December 2025, RECREATE joined MARCLAIMED and AWARD at Water Knowledge Europe (WKE) Winter Edition in Brussels for the first in-person meeting of the AlternativeWaterResources4Climate (AWR4Climate) Cluster. The session, titled From Alternative Water to Circular Solutions, brought together five Horizon Europe initiatives (RECREATE, MARCLAIMED, AWARD, CIRSEAU and BOOST-IN) to explore how innovation, governance and policy can converge to support Europe's transition towards a water-smart society and economy.

A first in-person milestone for the AWR4Climate Cluster

The AWR4Climate Cluster aims to advance the integration of alternative water resources into water-management strategies and climate-adaptation plans across Europe. While the three projects had been collaborating virtually since early 2025, WKE offered the first opportunity to connect face-to-face, exchange progress and reinforce their shared mission.

Together, the projects address the growing need to diversify water sources in the face of climate change, population pressures and rising demand. Their demonstrations span a wide range of solutions, including aquifer recharge, improved reservoir management, rainwater harvesting and water reuse. Each project brings a different angle which makes collaboration across the cluster particularly valuable.

Linking alternative water solutions with governance and policy

During the session, the AWR4Climate Cluster presented how alternative water resources can support circular and climate-resilient pathways:

• RECREATE highlighted how alternative water resources, such as rainwater harvesting, water reuse and managed aquifer recharge, can be integrated into regional water planning through system-level approaches and digital decision-support tools.
• MARCLAIMED demonstrated how managed aquifer recharge can act as a natural buffer against variability in climate-induced water availability.
• AWARD showcased tools for improving reservoir operation and forecasting under climate uncertainty.

These complementary perspectives underscored how alternative water resources can be combined and scaled to address water scarcity in a holistic way.

The event also brought together CIRSEAU and BOOST-IN, two projects that work on integrating these innovations into broader circular-water strategies and policy frameworks. Their presence added a governance and systems dimension to the technical demonstrations of the AWR4Climate Cluster, highlighting the importance of linking innovative solutions with the enabling conditions needed for effective deployment. By bridging these perspectives, the session illustrated how project-level innovation can inform wider circularity and climate-resilience efforts across Europe.

A shared vision for Europe's water-resilient future

This exchange reinforced a clear message: collaboration is essential for accelerating the safe, reliable and widespread adoption of alternative water resources in Europe. The AWR4Climate Cluster partners emphasised the importance of combining technical demonstrations, policy insights and stakeholder engagement to create practical, evidence-based solutions.

The event served both as a networking milestone and a strategic alignment moment, helping all projects map out common challenges, identify synergies and strengthen their contribution to Europe's evolving water-policy landscape.

As the new Horizon Europe Work Programme (2026-2027) takes shape, the cluster's joint work positions alternative water resources as a central component of Europe's climate-resilience and water-security strategies.

For more information on the AWR4Climate Cluster, access here.

Publishing date: 30 October 2025

See all related localities

See all related events

See all related pages