WAVE

Water constitutes the foundation of all life and is a prerequisite for well-functioning societies. Lakes, rivers, and wetlands are teeming with biodiversity and provide us with ecosystem services of all kinds. Water is our most essential foodstuff and is crucial for agriculture and food production.

Lakes and rivers serve as hubs for outdoor activities and recreation year-round, with swimming and fishing in summers and ice skating in winters. Rivers contribute to electricity supply and serve as transportation routes for both people and goods. Furthermore, businesses rely entirely on access to water of sufficient quality for their operations and production.

The value of water simply cannot be overstated. However, our indispensable water is under threat. Water resources have long been taken for granted and, in many cases, are not managed sustainably. We waste water, pollute it, and do not adequately care for the infrastructure needed to manage water in our society.

Significant challenges already exist today with too much, too little, and too polluted water.

These challenges risk exacerbating due to climate change, leading to increased cloudburst, floods, droughts, and competition for resources. To address these challenges and prepare for the future, we need to take a comprehensive approach to water management.

The innovation program WAVE aims to address all aspects of water, from source to seacoast, with the goal of a future where water is readily accessible in the right quantity and quality for all.

This involves creating conditions for citizens, ecosystems, industries, and society at large to flourish, even amid a changing climate. Through WAVE, Sweden aims to become a pioneer in the field of water management. To achieve this, everyone needs to contribute, and WAVE therefore engages a large number of actors.

Those driving the transition include both large and small companies from a wide range of sectors that want to transition to more circular and sustainable water management practices.

It involves universities and researchers who want to contribute with their expertise and work at the forefront of new and better solutions.

It involves water and wastewater organizations that want to ensure that resources from wastewater are handled properly and that systems are ready for the future.

It involves agencies and industry organizations that want to enable a paradigm shift where laws and policies drive the transition instead of hindering it.

Museums and artists will also be an important part of the program to visualize and increase awareness of the value of water so that we can all work together to preserve this vital resource for the future.

A broad range of activities will be needed, where research, innovation, capacity-building, and development of policies and governance will all be important components of the program.

WAVE will be an open and actor-driven program to ensure that the right activities are prioritized and implemented to best reach the goal of sustainable water for all.

WAVE is led by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden in collaboration with IVL Swedish Environmental Institute, Linköping Science Park, Lund University, Stockholm Environment Institute, and Svenskt Vatten.