Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration to Promote Innovation in the Water Sector

Abstract

Ongoing global climate change, growing population and the intensification of economic activities, increase pressure on water resources, a situation many see as a water governance crisis. Water-related issues are becoming a limiting factor for sustainable economic growth and require a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, to foster innovative solutions. This paper provides an evidence-based contribution to understanding Triple Helix Model (THM) relations and the path to innovation policy in the water sector. The analysis focuses on the interaction between university-industry-government, with specific reference to the Murcia region in Southeast Spain. This region combines a chronic shortage of water and a leading role for agriculture. Starting from the experience of a researcher, working for the General Water Council of the Murcia Region, this paper is based on both desk research and in-depth personal interviews with representatives of THM actors. In addition, a questionnaire was forwarded to all those companies in charge of providing water services in the Murcia region. The study has found that stakeholders are not fully cooperative in seeking innovation. The main challenges are the renewal of water-related facilities and the improvement of remote control systems, denitrification and desalination technologies and achieving better energy efficiency. To this aim, THM approach is suggested as a source of local innovation policies, identifying a series of tools to foster a collaborative approach.The phenomenon of water scarcity also has serious consequences in the economic context: water is vital for a wide range of activities, including agriculture, power generation, public water supply and manufacturing. In Europe, agriculture accounts for 36% of total annual water use, followed by public water supply (32%) [9]. Moreover, in the 28 Member States, approximately 81% of the freshwater involved for energy production, agriculture, public water supply and industry, originates in surface water bodies, with groundwater being the primary source for public water supply [8,10]). At the same time, water is, alarmingly, becoming a limiting factor for sustainable economic growth, employment and development [11].European sustainable growth should come from innovation in products, services and business models: eco-industries play a crucial role in developing innovative solutions. The water industry is a key component within the eco-industrial landscape and it is profitable. Indeed, the world water market is rapidly growing: it is expected to reach 1 trillion Euro by 2020 [12]. In particular, water reuse technologies represent a profitable sector for further innovation [13]. However, European water-related firms often fail to achieve their full innovative potential. Also, Europe usually does not turn knowledge into added value for society and markets [2,[13][14][15].In this context, the role of regions in dealing with innovation policies has recently increased [16,17]. As argued by Kohler-Koch [18], innovation processes take...

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