The partners of SudWaMa, an innovative project co-funded by the Interreg Sudoe Programme, gathered in France this June for the initiative’s Annual Consortium Meeting.
During a two-day encounter, SudWaMa members reviewed and discussed the progress made in the first year of activity and shared the challenges involved in developing the project’s sustainable water management solutions.
The project targets institutional buildings, which serve as demonstrators and living laboratories for testing innovative water solutions under real-world conditions. By focusing on these facilities, SudWaMa aims to generate evidence that is both technically robust and directly applicable to public and private decision-making.
The meeting was held at the facilities of École Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées (ESTIA) at Bidart, one of the pilot sites where SudWaMa technologies are being tested. The others are located in Coimbra (Portugal), Madrid (Spain) and the Basque Country (Spain).
Specifically, at the ESTIA Campus, a “Water Smart Grid” has been implemented to collect, store and manage rainwater for toilet flushing, irrigation and cleaning, using sensors equipped with IoT and AI technologies. The pilot will also explore the use of dry urinals to transform urine into fertiliser, as well as the creation of wetlands to store water and mitigate the impact of heavy rainfall.
The partners visited the site to see the progress of the demonstrator firsthand. During the rest of the encounter, each partner showcased the status of their work packages and the next steps.
In addition, Vincent Castillon, from Basque Country Agglomeration, was invited to present several flood prevention and action programmes; and the partners introduced the key stakeholders currently involved in the project.
SudWaMa is led by Zubigune Fundazioa, and its consortium includes the Universidade de Coimbra, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, CEIGRAM-UPM, BREEN AQUAPONIC SYSTEMS SL, ESSEC Business School, Canal de Isabel II, Águas de Coimbra, E.M., Communauté Pays Basque, ESTIA and BUILD:INN, Basque Construction Cluster.