National Water Technolgy Platform

The establishment of the National Water Technology Platform has been initiated by the National Office for Research and Technology in December 2008. The main objective of the platform is to develop a national R&D strategy in the field of urban water management focusing on sustainability. The magnitude of implemented large scale infrastructural projects in Hungary in the past and during the forthcoming years heavily underlines the focus point of sustainability. The related social burden requires the establishment of a technically and scientifically sound research strategy.

Apart from the optimal operation of the newly implemented infrastructural elements another challenge is the aged distribution and sewerage network and related lagging behind with reconstruction. In the near future this imposes a risk on the urban environment. The National Water Technology Platform formed recommendations for every segments of the water industry, namely: safe and secure drinking water supply, sustainable networks, wastewater treatment and sludge management, preparation for climatic changes and extreme weather events, innovative alternatives for the water management of rural settlements with particular emphasis on water recycle and reuse, and finally for industrial water treatment technologies and emission reduction.

The expert panels of the Technology Platform prepared two single summary papers where the main achievements were published (in 2009: Strategic Research Agenda, 2010: Implementation Plan). In these studies detailed analysis is given according to several scenarios aiming to pin-point the research tasks of the water industry to solve present and future problems whilst to produce technologies and know-how for the international markets.

Please, find more information on the website of the platform or in on of the publications below.

Hungary’s sustainable urban water management challenge

Energy-efficiency and adaptation to climate change in the R&D strategy of urban water management in Hungary

Role of the YWPs in the implementation of the R&D strategy of urban water management

Sponsors

Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this year's IWA Young Water Professionals Conference!

Local organisers

The conference is organised by Edit Nagy and Dóra Schalbert on behalf of the Hungarian Water Utility Association and Dr. Anita Szabó, Dr. Ernő Fleit, Éva Fetter and Dániel Sándor on behalf of the Budapest University of Technology, Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering.