Facilitating the next generation of effective and intelligent water-related policies utilising artificial intelligence and reinforcement learning to assess the water-energy-food-ecosystem (WEFE) nexus
What is NEXOGENESIS?
Water, energy, food, and ecosystems (the WEFE nexus) are interconnected and are influenced by climatic and socio-economic drivers. Resource constraints and the general lack of consideration by policies of various interconnections could hamper economic development and resource security itself, as well as affect actor behaviour and policy formulation initiatives.
NEXOGENESIS is a 4-year European collaborative project financed by the European Commission under the H2020 programme. It gathers 20 partners from Europe and South Africa focusing on facilitating the next generation of effective and intelligent water-related policies using artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess policy impacts on the WEFE nexus to suggest new ways to design better, more harmonious policy.
NEXOGENESIS will develop and validate 3 solutions:
- A cross-sectoral policy-making framework developed for and validated by stakeholders;
- A Self-Learning Nexus Assessment Engine taking different aspects into account and exploring the consequences of possible policy options;
- A WEFE Nexus Footprint to track impacts of policy objectives and communicate results in a more digestible way.
Key achievements from the NEXOGENESIS Case Studies
The NEXOGENESIS project continues to support the implementation of its integrated nexus approach across five diverse case studies, [...]
Factsheet #12 – The WEFE Nexus: A Delicate Balance in Transboundary Basins
In transboundary basins, where rivers and water bodies stretch across multiple regions and countries, managing shared resources is [...]
Exploring 60 years of System Dynamics: New publication from NEXOGENESIS partners
We are pleased to highlight a new scientific contribution from our partners at IHE Delft Institute for Water [...]
The NEXOGENESIS project’s outcomes have been made possible thanks to the close collaboration of partners across Europe and beyond. Their expertise spans from scientific research and modelling to stakeholder engagement, governance, and digital innovation.
We are proud to acknowledge their contributions to our shared vision of sustainable and integrated management of water, energy, food, and ecosystems.
📍 Case Studies
- Case Study #1: National Technical University Athens (NTUA), Municipality of Nestos, Municipality of Gotse Delchev, University of Thessaly (UTH); University of Tours (UNT) and KWR Water;
- Case Study #2: Baltijas Vides Forums (BEF), IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, KWR Water, University of Tours (UNT) and Tamara Avellan (AVA);
- Case Study #3: Business Development Group (BDG), IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, University of Tours (UNT) and Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ);
- Case Study #4: EURAC and Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), KWR Water, University of Tours (UNT);
- Case Study #5: Jones & Wagener (JAWS), Tamara Avellan (AVA), Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ), IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and University of Tours (UNT).
🌱 WEFE Nexus Tools & Models
- WEFE Nexus Footprint: Jones & Wagener (JAWS);
- System Dynamics Models: University of Thessaly (UTH), IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, EURAC Research, and Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC);
- Data Components: Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia (CAF), and Wageningen Research (WR).
💻 Digital Solutions
- NExus Policy Assessment Tool (NEPAT): EURECAT
- NEPAT AI-based Decision Support System: EURECAT
- NEXOGENESIS Data Sharing Toolkit: EURECAT
📜 Governance & Stakeholder Engagement
- Stakeholder Co-Creation Approach for WEFE Nexus Governance: KWR Water, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ), University of Tours (UNT), IHE Delft Institute for Water Education;
- Policy coherence and governance assessments: University of Tours (UNT), KWR Water, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ), and Case Studies
- Stakeholder Agreements including:
- User-Validated Policy Packages (UVPP): KWR Water, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ), University of Tours (UNT) and Case Studies
- Governance Roadmaps: Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) and Case Studies;
- Letter of Intent for continued collaboration: Case Studies, KWR Water
- Stakeholder Engagement Approach: Tamara Avellan (AVA), Case Studies
We extend our thanks to all partners for their dedication, creativity, and shared commitment to the NEXOGENESIS project. Their collaborative efforts have been instrumental in building the knowledge, tools, and pathways that support the NEXOGENESIS mission: to facilitate the next generation of effective and intelligent water-related policies.
Contacts for all participating organisations can be found here.