Stockholm, Sweden – 23-27 August 2026
RETOUCH NEXUS is proud to announce its participation in World Water Week 2026, the leading global conference on water issues, organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and taking place in Stockholm, Sweden. This year’s edition, themed “Water for People and Progress,” brings together more than 13,000 participants from over 180 countries to address one of the defining challenges of our time.
A joint session with our sister projects
On Wednesday 26, RETOUCH NEXUS coordinator Prof. Maria Vrachioli (Technical University of Munich) will take part in the session “Innovative Governance for Sustainable and Equitable Water Use”, running from 14:00 to 15:30 in Room C1, Level 2.
The session is organized jointly with GOVAQUA and InnWater, RETOUCH NEXUS’s sister projects in the WaterGovernance2027 Synergy Group: three Horizon Europe-funded projects that have been working together since 2023 to identify, develop, and validate innovative approaches to water governance across Europe.
Why it matters
As global demand for water grows while resources become increasingly constrained, the path forward depends not only on technical innovation but on the willingness of institutions, businesses, and communities to govern water together, fairly, transparently, and sustainably. Through its participation in World Water Week 2026, and its continued collaboration with GOVAQUA and InnWater in the WaterGovernance2027 Synergy Group, RETOUCH NEXUS reaffirms its commitment to advancing governance models that make water management more resilient, inclusive, and effective.
Meet us at our booth
Throughout the week, visitors can also connect with the RETOUCH NEXUS team at the booth 2:01, where our Belgian and Dutch case study partners will be on hand to present their work first-hand:
- Belgium. Led by VITO, this case study is testing how two business parks and a residential area (Agnetenpark, Peer) can reuse and upgrade water for cooling, industrial, irrigation, and domestic use through multi-stakeholder partnerships, and is tackling one of the toughest questions in water reuse: how to price secondary water fairly enough to sustain long-term investment.
- Netherlands. Led by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) with water authority Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (HHNK), this case study supports HHNK’s new Freshwater Availability Programme, building an inclusive, multi-actor stakeholder engagement process to manage freshwater supply for 1.2 million people as droughts become more frequent.
These two case studies show how governance innovations translate into practice on the ground, from rainwater reuse in Flemish business parks to participatory drought planning in North Holland.
Where to find us:
- Session: Innovative Governance for Sustainable and Equitable Water Use (with GOVAQUA and InnWater) – Wednesday, 14:00–15:30, Room C1, Level 2
- Booth: 2:01 – Belgian and Dutch case study teams, all week
This collaboration demonstrates the power of coordinated research efforts. The WaterGovernance2027 Synergy Group shows what’s possible when projects share insights and prioritize collective impact over individual visibility.
