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Futures Studies

Projects

Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Methods for decision-making under deep uncertainty

Progressing climate change, technological developments and population growth put our society and also the water sector in a situation of deep uncertainty. Deep uncertainty is a technical term for the unpredictability of…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
GRROW: an intergenerational lab for the drinking water sector

What does the future water sector look like? What needs to change and what do we want to maintain? The GRROW lab project wants to answer that question…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
GRROW – Generational and Radical Rethinking of the Water Sector

The GRROW project will have a sequel: the GRROW lab! If you want to participate as a participant, register now via this link. or visit the GRROW-lab project…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Stand-alone local treatment for remote areas

It is difficult to supply drinking water from the central system in some parts of the Netherlands. Available alternatives for producing drinking water locally through stand-alone treatment plants have therefore been studied…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Electrochemical treatment processes

Electrochemical treatment processes present various advantages compared to conventional treatment processes. By gaining experience with a single, promising electrochemical method in a relevant water composition (with a focus on its effectiveness and…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Agent-based models for water demand – an exploration

The design of a future-proof drinking water distribution network requires a vision of the evolution of the demand for drinking water. There is a need for a method…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Networks Roadmap drinking water distribution 2050

In 2050, the Netherlands will have to be ‘climate adaptive’, ‘energy neutral’ and ‘off the gas’. This also applies to the drinking water sector. How can we ensure that the distribution system…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Joint Research Programme Incubator Function

Together with the water companies, KWR has defined various objectives for the Joint Research Programme, including the ‘Incubator’ function. The ‘Incubator’ function is directed at realising innovation in the Joint Research Programme. ‘Incubator’ projects are…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Joint Research Programme Impact Studies

The aim of an impact study is to develop strategic insights, together with specialists from water companies and experts from outside the sector, about the future impacts of trends on Dutch water…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Water Sector Intelligence

The Water Sector Intelligence model is that of a ‘strategic learning alliance’ which helps organizations to make intelligent strategic decisions based on informed and reviewed assumptions about the future. Strategists, policy advisors, and decision makers from partner…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Assets: looking ahead to 2030 and 2050

Assets have a long useful life, which is why we need to have an opinion on (long-term and other) future developments. In this research project, we will analyse descriptions of existing trends,…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Future perspectives on peat polders

Our project ‘Making the Polder Futureproof’ maps out sustainable supported solutions for making the peat polder futureproof. To this end, the first phase of the project explores definitions of the issues, visions…

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Society
Stakeholder involvement and governance
4D Source protection in a changing world

This project involves studying the application of a 4D approach to source protection. The approach is based on knowledge about subsurface (3D) and future (4D) developments, and also takes into account the…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Adjusting WML’s strategic course

The water company WML sees that it will be subject to some significant upcoming external developments and wants to know what this means for its strategic course. Determining the impact of external…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Water demand in a hydrogen economy

In the decades ahead sustainable energy sources will gradually account for an increasing share of our energy supply, with fossil fuels fading in importance According to Van Wijk (2015), the underlying principles…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Horizon scanning and impact studies

Horizon scanning – the tracking of pertinent developments that appear on the horizon – is important for the drinking water sector because it identifies those future technological, ecological, economic and societal developments…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Material properties required for shallowly buried pipes

Brabant Water has developed the concept the Tertiaire Net van de Toekomst (TNT) (Tertiary Network of the Future). According to this vision, the tertiary network will be installed…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Dutch Water Sector Intelligence (DWSI)

The Dutch water sector is confronted with a continuously changing context. Some of the changes demand flexibility if they are to be responded to adequately. Furthermore, contextual changes also bring with them…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Robustness of the drinking water infrastructure

Drinking water consumption and the functionality of the drinking water infrastructure are subject to the influence of external developments, such as new sanitation concepts or decreased population levels. These factors can influence…

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Experts

Nicolien van Aalderen MSc
Scientific researcher
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Nicolien van Aalderen MSc

Scientific researcher

Nicolien van Aalderen has been working as a Public Design researcher in the Resilience Management and Governance team since 2019. She focuses on issues related to the social context of…

030-6069664

nicolien.van.aalderen@kwrwater.nl

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Fabi van Berkel
Scientific researcher
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Fabi van Berkel

Scientific researcher

Fabi van Berkel is a Public Design, Value and Decision Making researcher in the Resilience, Management & Governance team. At KWR, she leads design-oriented research in the social environment and…

030-6069571

fabi.van.berkel@kwrwater.nl

06-52826058

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Ron Bol
Expert Green Hydrogen
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Ron Bol

Expert Green Hydrogen

Within Allied Waters Ron is working on the subject of green hydrogen, a model for bridging science to practice: from conceptual development of KWR to practical application and realisation by…

030-6069588

ron.bol@alliedwaters.com

06-54293573

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Sija Stofberg PhD
Scientific researcher
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Sija Stofberg PhD

Scientific researcher

Sija Stofberg is a researcher in the Geohydrology team. She works on projects in the field of groundwater, ecohydrology and water system analysis. Examples include research on sustainable freshwater supply…

030-6069569

sija.stofberg@kwrwater.nl

06-52826056

view profile

News

News

GRROW lab invites young and experienced water professionals to engage in dialogue

05 March 2024 — The GRROW lab project involves young water professionals in discussions about leading paradigms, connects them with other water…

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News

NWO WaterScape project gets started

29 February 2024 — The NWO WaterScape project has begun. It will focus on the development of WaterScapes: climate-robust and adaptive water…

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Blog

Rain, Risk and Resilience

26 September 2023 — As relief and recovery efforts take place, we need to reconsider the way we approach and prepare for…

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News

The exposome: a new paradigm for the water sector?

26 September 2023 — It is hoped that exploratory research looking at the role of water in the exposome will provide an…

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News

BTO Festival Day 2023: collective, circular and forty years of BTO

12 June 2023 — The BTO Festival Day 2023 on June 8 was a great success. KWR celebrated the fortieth anniversary of…

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Blog

Connecting generations and looking at the future of drinking water together

22 March 2023 — During the GRROW symposium, a panel from the field and drinking water professionals discussed the realization of the…

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Blog

Digital transformations as part of the solution for wicked problems

28 June 2022 — We face great challenges like increasing temperatures, housing, flooding, and biodiversity loss. These are societal ‘wicked problems’, meaning…

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News

10 November: World Science Day

10 November 2020 — Today is World Science Day: a day to reflect on the role of science in society. There are…

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News

Water and energy in the circular city

12 February 2020 — How can the water sector assist a city achieve its circular ambitions? A city like Nieuwegein, where the…

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News

Cranfield University new Watershare member

28 June 2019 — Cranfield University has joined Watershare. With this, Watershare expands its collaboration with a strong knowledge partner in the…

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News

Water reuse presents opportunities

05 June 2019 — The reuse of water is becoming an increasingly central focus of attention. This reuse presents companies with important…

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News

Forecasting models and scenario development for the drinking water infrastructure

07 May 2019 — Forecasting models and scenario development can help water utilities better manage their current water infrastructure and also better…

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Blog

Preparing For an Uncertain Future

06 May 2019 — This blog is written by Visakan Vairavamoorthy (23y) from the United Kingdom. Visakan studied Civil and Environmental Engineering…

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News

The keys to the post-fossil energy age

14 March 2019 — A sustainable energy system can only thrive if it includes a satisfactory energy-storage system. Besides heat, green hydrogen…

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News

Exploration: future visions of the circular economy

10 April 2018 — Exploratory research of eight key players in the circular economy (City of Amsterdam, Interface, Unilever, Natuurmonumenten, Alliander, Ministry…

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News

Diederik van Duuren wins Maastricht thesis award

21 February 2018 — Diederik van Duuren has won a thesis award from Maastricht University for his Master’s thesis, ‘Potential transformative changes…

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News

Water sector can do something about fake news

23 November 2017 — Fake news is not new, but its impact in our post-fact society is growing steadily. How can the…

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Blog

Assessing resilience at the city level

22 May 2017 — Resilient solutions to urban water challenges are becoming increasingly important due long-term and uncertain trends of climate change,…

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Water Sector

First Knowledge Workplace of the Water Knowledge Action Programme

14 April 2017 — On 12 April 2017, the Observant in Amersfoort was filled with practice innovators, researchers and decision-makers committed to…

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Water Sector

New IWA/KWR book describes stress-test for future-robustness of distribution networks

13 October 2016 — KWR collaborates with IWA Publishing to make relevant knowledge about drinking water available worldwide. Claudia Agudelo-Vera and Mirjam…

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Water Sector

1 November DWSI meeting ‘Quo Vadis, Europe?’ with top economist Bas Jacobs

13 October 2016 — The Dutch water sector is confronted with a continuously changing context. Some of the changes demand flexibility if…

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Subjects

Looking ahead

Futures studies and response strategies

Futures research improves the resilience of the water sector by supporting anticipatory governance and by…

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Our expertises

Resilience Management & Governance

Tools

Governance Capacity Analysis

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Collaboration

Water Europe

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Universities

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Futures Studies

Methods for decision-making under deep uncertainty

GRROW: an intergenerational lab for the drinking water sector

GRROW – Generational and Radical Rethinking of the Water Sector

Stand-alone local treatment for remote areas

Electrochemical treatment processes

Agent-based models for water demand – an exploration

Networks Roadmap drinking water distribution 2050

Joint Research Programme Incubator Function

Joint Research Programme Impact Studies

Water Sector Intelligence

Assets: looking ahead to 2030 and 2050

Future perspectives on peat polders

4D Source protection in a changing world

Adjusting WML’s strategic course

Water demand in a hydrogen economy

Horizon scanning and impact studies

Material properties required for shallowly buried pipes

Dutch Water Sector Intelligence (DWSI)

Robustness of the drinking water infrastructure

GRROW lab invites young and experienced water professionals to engage in dialogue

NWO WaterScape project gets started

Rain, Risk and Resilience

The exposome: a new paradigm for the water sector?

BTO Festival Day 2023: collective, circular and forty years of BTO

Connecting generations and looking at the future of drinking water together

Digital transformations as part of the solution for wicked problems

10 November: World Science Day

Water and energy in the circular city

Cranfield University new Watershare member

Water reuse presents opportunities

Forecasting models and scenario development for the drinking water infrastructure

Preparing For an Uncertain Future

The keys to the post-fossil energy age

Exploration: future visions of the circular economy

Diederik van Duuren wins Maastricht thesis award

Water sector can do something about fake news

Assessing resilience at the city level

First Knowledge Workplace of the Water Knowledge Action Programme

New IWA/KWR book describes stress-test for future-robustness of distribution networks

1 November DWSI meeting ‘Quo Vadis, Europe?’ with top economist Bas Jacobs

Futures studies and response strategies

Governance Capacity Analysis

Water Europe

Universities