INVESTWATER project launched to tackle water scarcity across the Mediterranean

INVESTWATER project launched to tackle water scarcity across the Mediterranean

Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is among the partners developing innovative nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and sustainable water management.

This is the objective of INVESTWATER (Advancing Sustainable Water Management Through the Upscaling of Innovative Nature-Based Solutions to Promote Climatic Adaptation), a project funded by the European Union under the PRIMA programme of Horizon Europe and launched in June 2026.

The project was officially presented during the kick-off meeting held on 9 and 10 June in Paphos, Cyprus. Coordinated by the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence, it involves an international consortium with partners from Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Tunisia. Among these is the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa, with the contribution of the Institute of Crop Science, under the scientific responsibility of Professor Rudy Rossetto.

Nature-based solutions and decision-making tools

INVESTWATER aims to strengthen the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) - solutions inspired by natural processes - through the development of advanced decision-support tools. The technologies will integrate satellite data, environmental monitoring, physical models and future climate scenarios, to assess the performance of the solutions adopted and their capacity to mitigate extreme phenomena such as drought and water stress. The objective is to contribute to achieving the standards required by the Water Framework Directive and to support more effective and shared management policies. Among the project's main outcomes is the creation of a digital data hub that will integrate environmental, socio-economic and regulatory information.

The scientific contribution of Sant'Anna School

Through its participation in INVESTWATER, Sant'Anna School consolidates its commitment to research on water, agriculture and sustainability, contributing to the development of innovative approaches to address water challenges in the Mediterranean area. During the kick-off meeting, Professor Rudy Rossetto presented the activities of Work Package 4, defining the objectives, expected results and key operational milestones. The goal of the Sant'Anna School research group is to develop and implement nature-based solutions for enhancing groundwater recharge.

Territorial engagement

INVESTWATER adopts a participatory approach, involving institutions, businesses, local communities and the research community. At each pilot site, Communities of Practice will be established - spaces for dialogue, learning and co-design that will foster knowledge sharing and increase trust in and acceptance of Nature-Based Solutions.

Four case studies in the Mediterranean

The solutions will be tested in four pilot contexts - Cyprus, Portugal, Italy and Tunisia - characterised by different environmental, social and governance conditions. For Italy, the pilot site is the Cornia river basin, a UNESCO-IHP Ecohydrology Observatory, where

the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions in improving water resource management and enhancing the territory's climate resilience will be analysed.

Towards scalable and sustainable solutions

INVESTWATER aims to promote the dissemination of the most effective solutions beyond the pilot contexts. Scalable approaches and sustainable business models will be developed, taking into account environmental, economic, social and governance aspects. The project will also identify funding opportunities and strategies to overcome the main barriers to the adoption of Nature-Based Solutions, facilitating their large-scale application. INVESTWATER will contribute to the objectives of biodiversity restoration, climate adaptation and sustainable water resource management, strengthening the role of Nature-Based Solutions as a concrete response to the Mediterranean's environmental challenges