{"id":4406135,"date":"2025-10-02T07:34:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T07:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/?p=4406135"},"modified":"2025-10-23T13:05:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T13:05:22","slug":"retouch-nexus-6th-general-assembly-moving-toward-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/de\/2025\/10\/02\/retouch-nexus-6th-general-assembly-moving-toward-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"RETOUCH NEXUS 5th General Assembly – Moving Toward Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As we progress through the third year of the RETOUCH NEXUS project, our consortium gathered in Amsterdam on September 23-24 for our 5th General Assembly, hosted by our partners at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam!
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On the agenda:<\/span> reviewing project progress, intensive sessions on policy briefs and modeling coordination, stakeholder engagement strategies, a field visit to Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (HHNK), and defining priorities for the final project phase!<\/p>\n

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The Amsterdam General Assembly provided an opportunity for all partners to align efforts around three key priorities identified in Malta: policy recommendations and governance frameworks, modeling coordination, and stakeholder engagement. This meeting marked our evolution from parallel case study development toward integrated, cross-cutting approaches.<\/p>\n

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“Forming \u2013 Storming \u2013 Norming \u2013 <\/strong><\/span>Performing<\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

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– Bruce Tuckman, 1965<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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This reference to Bruce Tuckman’s team development model captured the meeting’s spirit – we’re moving from establishing foundations toward delivering real impact.<\/p>\n

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Day 1: Strategic Alignment<\/h3>\n

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Policy Briefs Taking Shape<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Each case study presented progress on their policy briefs, revealing the diversity of challenges across Europe.<\/p>\n

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Modeling Clinic: Technical Coordination<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

The modeling session showcased substantial technical progress across diverse approaches. Water pricing emerged as a dual-purpose tool for both cost recovery and promoting efficient water use.<\/p>\n

Case studies presented their methodologies:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Spain<\/strong><\/span>: Calculating Marginal Resource Opportunity Costs for optimal water allocation<\/li>\n
  • Malta<\/strong><\/span>: Dynamic sustainability model linking economy-water-energy in support of agriculture<\/li>\n
  • Slovakia<\/strong><\/span>: Input-Output model integrating household demand data<\/li>\n
  • Germany<\/strong><\/span>: Linking SWAT outputs with System Dynamics modeling<\/li>\n
  • Netherlands<\/strong><\/span>: Cost-Benefit Analysis combining choice experiments with engineering data<\/li>\n
  • Belgium<\/strong><\/span>: Rainwater harvesting scenarios comparing greenfield versus greyfield implementations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    Business Models and Governance<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

    The Greening the Islands (GTI) team presented progress on the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) framework for managing water facilities. Discussion highlighted the need for greater specificity on how business models align with local governance arrangements and what incentives will attract private investment.<\/p>\n

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    Critical Questions Emerging<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

    Partners identified key challenges that need addressing:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • How do we genuinely address the NEXUS approach (not just water in isolation)?<\/li>\n
    • How do we ensure research translates into real-world implementation?<\/li>\n
    • How do we keep stakeholders engaged throughout the project?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      Day 2: Field Application with HHNK<\/h3>\n

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      The second day brought theory to practice through a comprehensive field visit with Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (HHNK), one of the world’s oldest democratic water institutions.<\/p>\n

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      We visited the historic Lely Pumping Station at Wieringer Lake<\/strong><\/span>, where HHNK presented the evolution of Dutch water management – showing how centuries of expertise adapt to modern climate challenges.<\/p>\n

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      Joint Indicator Workshop<\/h5>\n

      At HHNK’s Heerhugowaard office, we engaged directly with their Freshwater Availability Programme<\/strong><\/span> through a hands-on indicator workshop led by adelphi and TUM. This demonstrated how RETOUCH NEXUS methodologies can directly support water authority decision-making processes.<\/p>\n

      [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjQ0MDU4NTQifX0=@” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Indicator Overview” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjQ0MDYxMDYifX0=@” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Build your own indicator” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||57px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CM-Amsterdam-_-09.2025-5.png” title_text=”CM Amsterdam _ 09.2025 #5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CM-Amsterdam-_-09.2025-11.png” title_text=”CM Amsterdam _ 09.2025 #11″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CM-Amsterdam-_-09.2025-10.png” title_text=”CM Amsterdam _ 09.2025 #10″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-13px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

      Stepping Forward: Building Momentum for 2026<\/h3>\n

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      The Amsterdam meeting reinforced our project’s evolution toward integrated approaches. Key takeaways include the importance of addressing all WEFE Nexus pillars comprehensively, keeping approaches simple and implementable, and ensuring genuine stakeholder engagement.<\/p>\n

      [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjQ0MDI3NDAifX0=@” button_text=”Check our Results” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”5rem||0rem||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

      Reliving the moment: highlights from the Meeting!<\/h3>\n

      [\/et_pb_text][dsm_image_carousel gallery_ids=”4406194,4406193,4406192,4406191,4406190,4406189,4406188,4406187,4406179,4406180,4406181,4406182,4406184,4406185,4406186,4406183,4406178,4406176,4406173,4406154,4406153,4406152,4406151,4406150,4406149,4406146,4406145,4406144,4406142,4406143,4406141,4406140,4406139,4406138″ slide_to_show=”3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/dsm_image_carousel][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjQ0MDI4NDYifX0=@” button_text=”Our Previous Meetings” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.23.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.23.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_nav in_same_term=”on” prev_text=”Previous event” next_text=”Next event” _builder_version=”4.23.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_nav][dsm_blog_carousel include_categories=”21,23,22,51″ excerpt_length=”20″ use_author=”off” use_readmore=”on” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dsm_blog_carousel][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      As we progress through the third year of the RETOUCH NEXUS project, our consortium gathered in Amsterdam on September 23-24 for our 5th General Assembly, hosted by our partners at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam!On the agenda: reviewing project progress, intensive sessions on policy briefs and modeling coordination, stakeholder engagement strategies, a field visit to Hoogheemraadschap Hollands […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4406176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4406135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-project-meeting"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t