The Baltic Sea Needs Smart Water Sector - Capacity Building and Cross-border Cooperation for Successful Technology Transfer

Time:        13th June, 17.00 – 18.30        
Venue:      Rathenau-Saal

Description:

There is a strong need for comprehensive lifelong learning programmes for water management staff to utilize the full potential of investments. Successful capacity building and cross-border cooperation will foster modernization of labour market leading to smart inclusive growth and reinforcing innovation-based water sector. The seminar addresses the EUSBSR sub-objective: ‘Clear water in the sea’.

Speakers, panelists, moderator:

• Jaakko Henttonen (Consultant EBRD): “Understanding the capacity development needs for making a change”
• Stefan Rettig (Researcher at Urban Water Management Department, Technical University of Berlin): “Technological perspective – need to have educationally updated personnel to choose and maintain smart technologies and investments”
• Paula Lindroos (Director of Finnish National Centre, Baltic University Programme (Åbo Akademi University)): “Importance of Lifelong learning – opportunity with a cross-border university network”
• Mirosław Lewandowski (Manager at SAUR Neptun Gdańsk): “Wastewater treatment operator’s view on improving staff’s  capacity and performance”
• Vahur Tarkmees (Managing director, Estonian Waterworks Association) (tbc)
• Boris Komovnikov and Ekaterina Latysheva (Director and Lead Specialist of Environmental Management and Audit Department, State Autonomous Institution of Kaliningrad region "Environmental Center "ECAT-Kaliningrad")
• Sandra Haase (Coordinator, DWA German Association for Water, Wastewater & Waste, Regional Group North-East)
• Björn Grönholm (Head of Secretariat, Union of the Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission, moderator)

Organiser(s) & contact details:

• Union of the Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission (Lead partner of EUSBSR flagship project IWAMA, together with PA Nutri)
  Olena Zinchuk, project coordinator, UBC SCC, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +358 40 729 8501
  Agnieszka Ilola, communication coordinator, UBC SCC, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  +358 44 5002 133

Elaboration:

It is planned that the seminar will consist of expert presentations and a discussion among the panelists. Presentations shall provide various perspectives on the importance of capacity development. The experts represent funders and investors, researchers and practitioners in the field of water management, as well as institutions offering continuous education possibilities. In turns the panelists, representing water companies’ associations and training centres from the Baltic Sea Region shall conceptualise the presented perspectives in respect to the situation with lifelong learning in their countries. The seminar will also discuss how the capacity building of smart water sector can contribute to achieving the EUSBSR goals. There will be time for questions from audience.

Key points of discussion will be elaborated at the end of the debate. Outcome of the seminar’s discussion shall be utilised within the IWAMA project activities related to the capacity development and facilitation of national knowledge based communities of water sector experts.  It will also contribute to the development of the Baltic Smart Water Hub – a platform connecting the communities around the Baltic Sea Region and enabling effective knowledge transfer beyond the limits of project consortium in all the Baltic Sea Region countries.