FROM RESEARCH TO APPLICATION

Research must shape innovation, point out new pathways, question the traditional, cross disciplines, think in contexts, pursue bold ideas, and accept detours and dead-ends along the way. True to the motto: "Everyone said it couldn't be done, until someone came along and did it".

In cooperation with manufacturers and plant operators, we work on the development of new products and optimisation of environmental technology. We develop products and test plants at various Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). As an application-oriented transfer institute, we are not active in fundamental research, but develop, plan, and operate semi-technical pilot plants and demonstrators (TRL 5 to TRL 7) as well as support companies in the scale-up of customised solutions and their optimisation in operation (TRL 8 and 9). We operate our pilot plants together with partners on-site. This applies both to plants in Germany and robust mobile container solutions in international cooperation worldwide.

We prepare individual studies and expert opinions on a wide range of issues. With the expertise of our interdisciplinary team, we analyse both technical mechanisms as well as economic and social framework conditions. We carry out system analyses and use forecasting models and scenario analyses to develop forward-looking concepts for action. To ensure that they achieve their aims we prepare practical guidelines and monitoring concepts.

Water management is often facing conflicting usages. FiW has many years of experience with dialogue-oriented approaches in which the focus is on finding consensus between different groups of actors. Through knowledge-based moderation, viable solutions are developed, e.g. for competing water uses in the advancing climate change, for urban planning in water-sensitive urban development, for land use competitions in flood protection, and for minimising contaminant emissions in river protection.

Together with research and development partners from the global South, we work on solutions to tackle climate change. The supply of water and sanitation, sustainable water management, water reuse, and scoping with heavy rainfall and drought are key areas of our work, along with food and energy security. We develop new solutions in research projects, advise municipalities, companies, development banks and development organisations, and train personnel in capacity development. Co-design is one of our trademarks: all projects are developed and implemented closely together with local partners.