Water for Change: Connecting Scotland's Water Community for Science-Policy Dialogue
Welcome to the HNIC World Water Day 2025 Online Hub
The Hydro Nation International Centre (HNIC), with support from the Scottish Government, has played a pivotal role in shaping Scotland’s water policy through seven successful World Water Day (WWD) conferences. These events provide critical guidance on water management, bringing together academia, policy, and industry to drive evidence-based decisions, improve efficiency, and address climate challenges.
The HNIC alongside the Strategic Research Programme (SRP) including CREW and wider initiatives like HNSP, and with funding from SEFARI Gateway is acknowledging World Water Day 2025 by coordinating this dedicated webpage to connect to water-related events and activities being led and organised by the water community across Scotland and showcase key resources and updates.
This webpage serves as a hub for events, audiovisual content, and key resources.
Join us in celebrating #WorldWaterDay 2025!
Theme:
Water for Change signifies the role of water as a driver for positive transformation in Scotland’s environmental, social, and policy landscapes. Water is not just a resource but a key factor in driving meaningful change whether in addressing climate challenges, ensuring water security, or bridging the gap between science and policy for better decision-making. This WWD showcases examples of how water management, innovation, and collaboration can lead to sustainable development, climate resilience, and improved policies.
For links to past events and Virtual Pavilions visit: WORLD WATER DAY SCOTLAND | Hydronation International Centre
Since 2013, the Hydro Nation Scholars Programme (HNSP) has been at the forefront of water research, fostering innovation and policy impact in Scotland and beyond. Over the past 12 years, we've supported more than 50 scholars, producing cutting-edge research that has shaped government policies, industry practices, and environmental strategies. Our latest Impact Report (2013–2025) highlights how HNSP scholars are addressing key water challenges, from emerging pollutants to climate resilience, the programme’s influence on policy, research, and industry collaboration, and real-world case studies demonstrating how research is making a tangible difference.
The Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) supports the Scottish Government and delivery partners to inform and steer water policy, by delivering objective and robust research and expert opinion. Aligned to our vision to get the right information, to the right people, in the right way at the right time, CREW provides high quality policy relevant research, recommendations, and guidance to its stakeholders.
FORTH2O is a pioneering innovation partnership in the region of Scotland covering the River Forth Basin: Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Falkirk, Edinburgh and the Lothians. It is one of four £5m ‘local policy innovation partnerships’ in the UK - and the only one in Scotland - funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Innovate UK.
Welcome to the Hydro Nation Poster Pavilion! This vibrant space celebrates the groundbreaking research of PhD students funded by the Hydro Nation Scholars Programme and the Hydro Nation Chair Research & Innovation Programme. Explore their innovative work and discover how they are shaping the future of water research!
Note: It may take a few minutes for posters to load.
The partnership between Malawi and Scotland is a powerful example of international collaboration aimed at addressing critical challenges such as access to clean water and climate resilience.
FORTH2O is delighted to announce the launch of our Commissioning Fund, an exciting new funding opportunity designed to support innovative projects in our region that ad
Merlin (Mainstreaming Ecological Restoration of freshwater-related ecosystems in a Landscape context: INnovation, upscaling and transformation) has been working with economic sectors to find out more about how to these sectors can benefit fr
In the blog post "Nature restoration is not the same as nature-based solutions, and the difference matters," Dr Kerry Waylen emphasises the crucial distinction between two approaches to environmental management.
The One Health Breakthrough Partnership (OHBP) is a unique group of researchers, academics, water providers and regulators, environment agency representatives, and public health specialists from five organisations across Scotland working together to reduce pharmaceutical pollutio
RIVERTOOL (Riparian Vegetation Ecosystem Services-based Ranking Tool) is an interactive advanced spatial analysis tool&
Scotland’s water security is affected by the changing climate and the adopted mitigation and adaptation strategies, requiring the transformation of the provision of water.
In her blog post, Dr. Kerry Waylen discusses a research project focused on integrated water management, particularly concerning water quality and flood risk management. Over six years, the study explored how various European countries approached these interconnected challenges.
