Article by Ciprian Nanu, Business Development Group Romania.
This year, the WaterWise Hub joined the 2026 Danube Water Forum “From Vision to Action: Building a Water-Resilient Danube Region” in Sofia, Bulgaria, and partook in the busy forum programme, packed with business network meetings, the annual UBP Danube Hub workshop and a Young Water Professionals pre-event.
More than 150 stakeholders from all across the Danube region and beyond gathered to reflect on the EU Water Resilience Strategy and explored what the emerging priorities of that document mean, in practice, for water and wastewater utilities, and other stakeholders across the region. The event offered the opportunity to dive into the key technical areas shaping resilience today, such as smart asset management, enhanced water efficiency, and effective, resource-conscious wastewater treatment. Issues of circular economy and digitalization were highlighted as some of the most important topics, demonstrating how innovation can strengthen daily water operations as well as long-term sustainability.
The Forum offered ample networking opportunities, creating the perfect setting to connect
with peers, exchange new information and smart ideas, and engage with a diverse range of
exhibitors ready to showcase their latest solutions. Among the various activities, the poster presentations’ session was considered one of the most interesting parts of the event. More than 20 presenters from all Danube River basin countries had the chance to present their current innovative project ideas.
The Water Wise Hub poster presentation inspired lively conversations during the Q&A session. The main questions it inspired related to the unique opportunities and challenges faced by the countries participating in the project (several of which are part of the Danube river basin), and their plan for the implementation of circular economy strategies in water sector. Another aspect of the project that attracted a lot of interest and created energetic debates was the establishment of the Quadruple Helix ThinkTank. Our ThinkTank, supporting the decision-making process and validating the results of our project, is comprised of stakeholders from all involved regions (South Eastern Europe, Balkans, Eastern Partnership countries), and spans four main categories: Academia, Business/Industry, Government and Civil Society. Local Bulgarian stakeholders were some of the most interested in the topic of circular water. The vice-Mayor of Sofia expressed his intention to learn more about our project results, while the Manager of Water Operator of Ruse (a city on the Danube river, on the border with Romania) express his availability for a common event exchanging ideas and innovative solutions.
From our perspective, the take-aways were exceptional. The forum allowed us to expand our network with neighboring partners and form collaborations for potential future projects. Most importantly, the event offered insights that will inform the creation of our Joint Research and Innovation strategy on Water in the Circular Economy, and will support its dissemination.
The event was organised by International Associations of Water Utilities on the Danube
river (IAWD) under the Danube Water Program, run by IAWD and the World Bank, and co-
funded by the Austrian Government. Local hosts this year were the Bulgarian Water Association
(BWA) and Sofia Water.
