Expert Panels
Session Details
| Moderator: | Lars Ribbe |
| Date/Time: | 10.10.2024, 10:00 – 11:00 |
| Location: | Aula |
Description
This session aims at exploring the crucial role of transdisciplinary approaches in addressing complex societal challenges, with a particular focus on how universities can collaborate with the private and public sectors, as well as civil society, to foster regional innovation systems. The discussion will emphasize the importance of integrating diverse forms of knowledge and expertise across disciplines and sectors to drive impactful research, education, and knowledge transfer referring to the overall conference theme.
Based on the experiences and case studies shared by the panelists, the following key themes will be discussed: universities as hubs for transdisciplinary collaboration, fostering partnerships between universities, private, and public sectors, engaging civil society in research and knowledge transfer, and promoting regional innovation systems. Additionally, the session will delve into policy implications and explore future directions for effective knowledge transfer and innovation.
Panelists
| Elena López-Gunn | Director ICATALIST, EU Climate Pact ambassador & Member of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change |
| Mukand Babel | Professor of the Water Engineering and Management Program & Director of the Centre for Water and Climate Adaptation at the Asian Institute of Technology |
| Mariele Evers | Professor for Geography at the Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University Bonn & UNESCO Chair on Human-Water-Systems |
| Victor Shinde | Team Leader National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in India |
| Rahat Sabyrbekov | Visiting Professor Center for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU) & Lecturer at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek |
Session Details
| Moderator: |
Andreas Haarstrick
Victor Shinde |
| Date/Time: | 11.10.2024, 14:15 – 15:15 |
| Location: | Aula |
Description
The interface between urban and rural is consistently becoming blurred. The omnipresent peri-urban context of expanding urban spaces makes it challenging to demarcate the necessary ‘boundary conditions’ for water management. Not only does this have implications on sustainable use of available water sources, the ambiguity of jurisdiction affects the ‘formal’ or legal provision of water supply to such areas.
A pitfall of rapid urbanization is that it results in a perpetual ‘catch-up’ game for officials to augment water supplies that are invariably falling short of a growing demand, leaving them with very little scope and bandwidth to attempt new and creative approaches.
Existing models of water management for urban and rural water security are primarily engineering driven. The lack of a broader perspective offers little to enable water managers and officials to challenge the ‘business as usual’ scenario. Very few cities and countries have undertaken expansion of the capacities of the ‘water departments’, for example, in terms of expertise required with new technology or for assessing/ monitoring the socio-economic and environmental impacts of adopting any solution.
There is, therefore, a need to re-imagine models of ensuring urban-rural water security in an increasingly dynamic context, which is accentuated even more as climate change is beginning to manifest its effects.
The purpose of this panel discussion is to discuss these futuristic research needs required for these models from different perspectives:
- Creating scientific evidence to aid decision making
- Developing enabling policy frameworks
- Establishing adaptive governance mechanisms
- Facilitating On-the-ground action
Additional information regarding the panelists and their topics will be shared soon.