Sector focus
Water scarcity or surplus, or pollution are a big problem in the world and MSM has expertise in the field of Water and sanitation issues: adaptive water management, polluted water and the consequences of climate change. Sectorally we have looked at water for agriculture, urban water and the issues of too much or too little water. Water governance problems are prominent in many countries and require another approach to water issues, involving stakeholders and using their resources. An important field is also the economics of water, where the cost and benefits of different solutions are calculated and the tariffs are fixed in such a way that they allow a sustainable use of this resource. Finally, the issue of water has led to a big debate on the role of the government in this field and the possible contribution of the private and NGO sector.
MSM is involved in a number of Climate Smart Agriculture and Water projects, where water is often a crucial input, but a scarce resource. The choice needs to be made between growing more drought resistant crops or supplying irrigation water, using the modern technologies available, ranging from drip irrigation to using hydroponics.
Our impact in practice
Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration to Promote Innovation in the Palestinian Water Sector
This collaboration between the Water Sector Regulatory Council Palestine (WSRC) and MSM focused on building the capacity of the WSRC and other main stakeholders in the water sector (government, academia and private sector) on the concept of the Triple Helix model.
This Tailor-Made-Training (TMT) project focused on three work packages:
Work package 1: training workshops and focus groups locally on
- Stakeholder Mapping and Multistakeholder Solutions for Triple Helix Challenges
- Triple Helix for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Investment
- Business Model Development for Local Economic Development
- How to Implement Smart Specialisation Strategies – Before, During and After Matchmaking
Work package 2: Developing a digital platform
A cooperative and interdisciplinary approach among regional stakeholders has been strengthened through the promotion of new tools such as a digital platform for water innovation, aimed at identifying water-related issues and solutions. The digital platform stimulates public-private partnerships based on actions to innovate in the water sector. Companies, innovation centres and universities participate in the platform, which nurtures the collaboration between different stakeholders towards profitable solutions for both the Palestinian Territories and other countries with similar issues.
Work package 3: an Exposure visit to the Netherlands
Representatives from academia and the private sector were invited to learn about the Dutch experience of the triple helix model on the water sector.
