Objectives and achievements of the European water supply and sanitation technology platform (WSSTP): a review

The European Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP) is an industry driven organisation aiming to strengthen the potential for technological innovation and the competitiveness of the European Water Industry. In response to global challenges and regional demands a strategy has been proposed to ensure safe, secure and sustainable water and sanitation services for the benefit of industry, the society and the environment. Integrated Water Resources Management is used as a guiding principle. Water supply, wastewater treatment (sanitation), river basin management and concerns of regulators, financing institutions and the civil society are the key elements of a system to be sustainably managed. Decision makers of the private and the public sector are to understand that investment in research, technology development and implementation of innovation is an important element in the process of securing economic prosperity, social stability and functioning of the ecological systems which we as human beings are a part of. A hierarchic, practice oriented structure is proposed to organize and govern research and technology development in Europe. Research will be organized within the framework of thematically designed pilot programmes containing a distinct number of implementation cases to execute close-to-reality research.