Energy in Water (EnW) has been a European Partnership of Clusters promoted by the European Commission within the framework of the COSME – Going international (ESCP-4i) program, with the aim of supporting and taking advantage of the growth and innovation potential of European SMEs that they operate through the water-energy nexus. EnW developed a common strategy to boost the international competitiveness of SMEs, developing solutions to global challenges and opportunities in emerging markets.
This project has allowed participating groups and regions to pool knowledge and innovation potential through cross-sectoral and trans-regional collaboration. EnW comprises seven research clusters across the EU specializing in water, energy and innovation technology:
Water is necessary in the energy sector for the development, refining and use of oil, gas and other energy resources, while energy is necessary in the water sector for the capture, transport, treatment and use of water that supports the functioning of our society. The strong interrelationship between these two vital resources is often referred to as the “water and energy nexus.” The challenges and opportunities are cross-cutting, involving multiple sectors and stakeholders.
The water-energy nexus goes far beyond the supply and demand of one resource for the other, but encompasses a range of shared opportunities and challenges. The water and energy sectors are complementary and intrinsically linked: any failure in the innovative development of one sector can lead to a cascade of errors or inefficiencies in another. This is the focus of EnW.
Energy in Water is coordinated by Anglia Ruskin University on behalf of The Water Cluster. The project includes the following five working packages::
The Strategic European Clusters Partnerships (ESCPs-4i) are alliances of international clusters that develop and implement a joint internationalization strategy and support the internationalization of their SMEs beyond European borders. Its objective is to develop common actions and an implementation roadmap as part of a long-term cooperation agenda. The ESCP-4i have been selected by the European Commission, DG GROWTH and EASME from the call COS-cluster-03/03/2014 COSME – Cluster Go International, and their activities began in early 2016.
