Water Wise Societies, one of five strategic innovation programs within Impact Innovation, works to ensure sustainable access to water for all by 2050 through collaboration, research and innovation. The programme is based on a theory of change that is based on five system dimensions – technology, policy, behaviour, money and value, and transition infrastructure – which are concretized through three sub-goals and ten missions that together mobilize actors and unleash transition power.
On behalf of the Program Office, Ramboll has conducted a portfolio analysis of the first 20 approved projects as well as the unsuccessful applications within the call Collaboration for Sustainable Water for All. The aim has been to analyze how the projects relate to the programme’s objectives, mission and system approach, and to identify lessons learned and development needs. The data consists of a review of the applications, supplemented by interviews with project managers and key persons.
The analysis shows that the granted projects represent a broad stakeholder landscape, with a total of 77 unique partners. Projects involve an average of seven partners each and are characterized by cross-sectoral cooperation, with the public sector – especially municipalities – being most prevalent. Industry is also involved, mainly through consultancies and technology providers, but to a lesser extent as coordinating partners. Water and sewerage companies, colleges and universities frequently appear as project partners, while research institutes – although the least represented in terms of numbers – dominate in the role of coordinators.
The distribution of projects across the ten missions of the program shows variation in both thematic focus and grant rate. The missions Adapting society to floods and droughts and Recycle and reuse water and its resources have generated the highest number of applications, but with a low success rate. Other missions, such as Safe water supply and management and Reducing eutrophication in lakes and rivers, show a more balanced distribution, while some themes – such as Ensure good drinking water quality and Sustainable water withdrawals – are weakly represented. This can indicate where there is currently both established system maturity and strong mobilization around particularly urgent water challenges, but also which thematic areas may require stronger conditions to be able to contribute to the program’s goal achievement in the long term.
A key observation is that the granted projects are characterized by a higher degree of system analytical maturity and address several of the Water Wise Society’s five system dimensions. They work methodically with mapping, stakeholder analysis and foresight, and often use interactive methods such as workshops to create consensus and build conditions for long-term transition. The non-approved projects, on the other hand, show a weaker link between activities and the desired systemic change, shortcomings in methodological choices and a lower degree of collaboration.
The analysis also shows that several applications – despite thematically relevant ideas – did not fully meet the program’s requirements for a systems approach and forms of collaboration. This points to a need for early support and adjustments in the application process.
Against this background, four recommendations are proposed to strengthen the Program’s transition capacity:
- Strengthen the capacity of applicants through training and methodological support at an early stage.
- Create a common coordination structure for overview, synergies and reduced burden on authorities.
- Ensure political buy-in at multiple levels of society to increase legitimacy and long-term impact.
- Develop the funding model so that key functions such as process management, collaborative architecture and implementation support are eligible – regardless of the type of actor.
Together, these measures create the conditions for a more inclusive, effective and system-oriented innovation program with the ability to drive lasting change in water management.
