The WFD CIS-SPI activity - 3rd 'Water Science Meets Policy' Event

Water Science-Policy Interface:
Results and recommendations
from the CIS-SPI activity (2010-2012)
Michel Schouppe (EC DG RTD)
Frédérique Martini (France, Onema)
Michel Schouppe & Frédérique Martini - CIS-SPI 3rd event 14 & 15 November 2012 - Brussels

Common Implementation Strategy (CIS)
• CIS is a forum of
cooperation to tackle
challenges raised by the
WFD implementation
• Aims of the CIS:
– coherent and harmonious
implementation
– common understanding and
approach
• Organised around activities
(working groups, expert
groups, ad hoc activities)
Hydromorphology
Ad hoc activities
Economics
Michel Schouppe & Frédérique Martini - CIS-SPI 3rd event 14 & 15 November 2012 - Brussels
Biodiversity
Science Policy Interface

Ad-hoc activity on water Science-Policy
Main objectives :
Interface (CIS-SPI)
• to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive
by ensuring a dynamic interface between researchers, policy makers,
water managers, and other stakeholders including NGOs
• to boost usability of scientific research outputs to stimulate evidence-
based decisions within the CIS framework
• to identify research needs and formulate research questions with
increased involvement of practitioners implementing the WFD
CIS-SPI mandate (2010-2012) by the Water Directors of the EU:
• Task 1 : Inventory of research & implementation needs from CIS groups
• Task 2 : Available research and research gaps assessments
• Task 3 : Improving transfer and usability of research
Co-leaders: France (ONEMA) and EC (DG RTD)
Michel Schouppe & Frédérique Martini - CIS-SPI 3rd event 14 & 15 November 2012 - Brussels

CIS-SPI - Working principles
• Implemented on best effort and voluntary bases
– Follows the overall CIS spirit of informal co-operation
based on the principles of openness and transparency,
encouraging creative participation of interested parties
• 'Ad hoc' thus subject to one-off activities in 2010-2012
• Mainly implemented through yearly SPI workshops « Water
science meets policy »: gathering researchers, stakeholders,
experts, policy-makers, water managers and EU officials
• Close links with CIS groups (SPI correspondents)
• Regular reports to Strategic Coordination Group (SCG)
and to the group of the Water Directors of the EU
• In connection with recent water initiatives in Europe
such as the JPI and EIP on water
Michel Schouppe & Frédérique Martini - CIS-SPI 3rd event 14 & 15 November 2012 - Brussels

CIS
Working
Groups
CIS-SPI – Methodology
Survey of
research needs
- Questionnaires
- Intreviews
- Papers
CIS - SPI
ad hoc
Activity
Input for
Round Tables
Annual events
« Water Science
meets Policy »
Survey of policy
relevant input
- Reports
- Newsletters
- Policy briefs
Participation Participation
Connecting scientists and WFD end-users
Research needs & gaps
Improved SPI & dissemination
Reporting to SCG and the Water Directors
Michel Schouppe & Frédérique Martini - CIS-SPI 3rd event 14 & 15 November 2012 - Brussels
FP6 – FP7
Project
Consortia

CIS-SPI – Some results
CIS-SPI community of practice
• CIS-SPI leading organisations and secretariat
– ONEMA (FR) assisted by OiEAU
– DG RTD (EC) supported by the FP7 SPI cluster
(Waterdiss, STREAM, STEP-WISE) and PSI-CONNECT
• CIS-SPI correspondents in each CIS group
– to mainstream SPI aspects in their group
– to prioritise needs and research gaps in the thematic field of their group
– to participate in the preparation of the science meets policy events
– to organise SPI sessions or presentations on the meetings of their group
– Focal points for the research community, link to relevant RTD projects
• Call for CIS-SPI focal points from the Member States
• Wider SPI community in Europe
– participants to the CIS-SPI annual events and other SPI events
organised by EC and ONEMA (e.g. Green Week 2012, WWF6)

CIS-SPI – Some results
« Water Science meets Policy » #1
• Brussels, 30 September 2010
• 150 participants from 16 countries
• 35% from the scientific community,
65% from WFD “end-users”
• Strong interactions: nine parallel
round tables, plus two plenary
sessions
• Identification of 59 research areas
including about 180 specific
research issues
• Research needs cover the all range
from fundamental research to studies
or synthesis-integration of knowledge

CIS-SPI – some results
« Water Science meets Policy » #2
• Brussels, 29-30 September 2011
• Clarification of ecosystem services
concepts in light of the WFD
implementation and first steps towards a
common language among scientists
and forefront stakeholders at EU,
national and river basin levels
• Recommendations on how ecosystem
services can be used and valued, for
integrated watershed management as
well as for WFD implementation based
on a collection of tangible examples in
Europe
• Identification of research gaps for
further understanding of ecosystem
services in the context of the WFD.
110 participants from 19 countries: policy makers (42 %), scientists (34 %),
water managers (11 %) and representatives of the private sector (13 %).

CIS-SPI – Some results
« Water Science meets Policy » #3
• Brussels, 14-15 November 2012
• Presentation of SPI success stories in the water sector at international, national
and river basin levels
• Elaboration on structures, mechanisms and actors to ensure an active,
continuous, dynamic and sustainable science-policy interface in the CIS context
• Investigation on methods and tools for knowledge brokering and
"customisation" of the information to address the users' needs at the various
levels (EU, national, river basin), including cross-scaling issues, and realistic ways
of addressing them within the current CIS structure
-> Provision of a range of SPI operational modalities for possible implementation in
the context of an evolving CIS

CIS-SPI – Some results
Joint FP7 water projects meeting
back to back with an SCG meeting
1) Brainstorming meeting among
scientists open to SCG members
on 7th November 2011
– Instead of providing information at project
level, representatives of key research
projects have been invited
to provide collectively
policy-relevant information
– Outputs: a snapshot of available results
and research perspectives on CIS WG
themes + projects synopsis
– Ecological Status, Floods, Water Scarcity
and Drought, Climate Change and
Adaptation
2) Thematic presentations to the SCG
covering relevant CIS groups
on 8 November 2011

CIS-SPI – Some results
Policy briefs
• Collection of 34 policy briefs from
23 EU-funded research projects of
direct relevance to the WFD
• Analysis and proposal for a
standard CIS-SPI policy brief
template (based on the model
proposed by DG RTD for use by the
XEROCHORE project)

CIS-SPI – Some results
New release of WISE-RTD
(http://www.wise-rtd.info/en)
• WISE-RTD (www.wise-rtd.info/en) is the ‘research & projects’ component of WISE
and an interface between science & policy for Water
• About 1000 projects (FP3-FP7, LIFE, INTERREG) by end of this year
• Upload facility for RTD projects. Set of intricate algorithms that define sciencepolicy
interactions. Automatic linking to the diverse sets of Directives related to EU
water policies
• Guided search for policy implementers or researchers and e-learning tool
• Expanded through the ongoing FP7 STEP-WISE project
(a member of the SPI-WATER cluster – see www.spi-water.eu)

CIS-SPI – Some results
Mapping of FP6 & FP7 ENV projects
per CIS topic and research areas
(Contributed by the FP7 WATERDISS project)

CIS-SPI – Some results
Mapping of 10 years of FP projects
per topic of the CIS groups
• Snapshot of a significant part of waterrelated
research projects funded under
FP6 and FP7 (2002-2011).
• 800+ projects; not only collaborative
projects, but also Marie Curie fellowships,
infrastructure, INCO projects, etc…
• Attempt to sort the projects
per main CIS policy-relevant topic:
– climate change,
– ecological status,
– floods,
– groundwater,
– hydro-morphology,
– Science policy interface,
– socio-economy,
– water and agriculture,
– water scarcity and droughts.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/pdf/green-week-2012.pdf

CIS-SPI – Some results
Top ten research needs for each CIS
group and mapping of knowledge
• To consolidate research issues pre-identified during the CIS-SPI events
• Use of a standard questionnaire sent to each CIS group
• Diverse validation approaches developed by each of the CIS groups
Research
issue
1.Developing
and validating
new
Bioassessment
tools
Research
need
1. To
overcome
knowledge
gaps for
transitional
and coastal
waters.
Research issue description Partially covered by
The intercalibration exercise has
highlighted the lack of relevant metrics
and compliant assessment tools for the
WFD implementation. More
fundamentally the participants consider
that the taxonomy – and especially the
taxonomist formation – should be
enhanced to sustain the development of
new relevant metrics and to strengthen
the expertise capacity of water managers.
CF2
QWATER-(FP7)
Bioassay integration under the European Water Framework Directive: A step
towards an ecological approach-[source CORDIS]
AQUAREHAB (FP7)
Development of rehabilitation technologies and approaches for multipressured
degraded waters and the integration of their impact on river basin management
https://aquarehab.vito.be/ [source CORDIS]
WETwin (FP7)
to enhance the role of wetlands in basin-scale integrated water resources
management (IWRM), with the aim of improving the community service
functions while conserving good ecological status - Tools related to wetlands
(transitional waters) are being used/developed;
WISER (FP7)
Water bodies in Europe: Integrative Systems to assess Ecological status and
Recovery - Deliverables 4.1-1 to 4.4-5, (www.wiser.eu )

Diapositive 15
CF2 as defined by each?
FRAGAKIS Christos (RTD); 08/11/2012

CIS-SPI – Some lessons learnt
• Time resource is amongst the main constrains in a voluntary best effort
approach
– Work overload of CIS members was a constrain to get timely, prioritised, complete input
by all CIS groups
• Knowledge exchange has to be seen as a continuum. This calls for:
– Permanent SPI support and structures
– A strong SPI identity across the whole CIS
(not just relying on the dynamism of a few motivated persons)
– Relays at national and regional levels
– A core group of well trained facilitators / translators
– A consolidated methodology combining different approaches to conduct surveys
(questionnaires, meetings, SPI correpsondents participating to other groups' meetings)
• Research questions and policy questions have to be developed together
– Co-creation and sharing of knowledge
• Providing templates (e.g. for policy briefs) is not sufficient. Promoting their use and
providing a mechanism for systematic delivery and feedback by policy makers are
required
• Expected results from projects should be made known at the start, with regular
feedback loops and final outcomes stored in few permanent locations

CIS-SPI – Some recommendations
• To move from an ad hoc experience of SPI towards a more systematic
activity relying on a sustained SPI-network closely connected with the CIS
structure involving SPI correspondents and appropriately resourced
• To adopt SPI as a pervasive CIS working principle and mainstream SPI
objectives and methodologies across all levels of the CIS in order to
improve efficiency and consolidate today’s SPI approaches by the WGs
• To enhance transfer and sharing of knowledge and experience focusing on
CIS themes through:
– Testing and validating various tools / methods in close connection with CIS
experts
– developing guidance to EU and national R&D projects
– agreeing on repositories and inventing alert systems to enable transfers down
to policy makers and implementers at the catchment scale
• To consolidate and implement a methodology for more regular mapping of
research and prioritisation of research gaps
– to regularly feed research call programming at EU and national / regional levels

CIS-SPI: Next milestones and follow-up
– Third annual event: completion and reporting
– Final CIS-SPI report (2010-2012)
– Presentation of these report to European
water directors of the EU (publication)
– Evaluation of first mandate
and preparation of follow-up activities

Thank you for attention