A Catalan delegation from the water sector, coordinated by Catalonia H2O, took part in a two-day mission to Wallonia (Belgium) with the aim of strengthening ties between the innovation ecosystems of the two regions and identifying new opportunities for collaboration in research and innovation. The meeting follows the institutional and business mission carried out by a Walloon delegation to Catalonia in November 2025.

The Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) was represented by researcher Michael Gonsior, who participated in networking sessions and exchanges of experience among research centres, companies and public administrations from Catalonia and Wallonia.

The mission began at the University of Namur, with a day dedicated to presenting the water-sector ecosystems of both regions. The programme included an overview of water management in Wallonia, short presentations by Catalan and Walloon organisations showcasing their capabilities and collaboration interests, as well as 38 pre-arranged bilateral meetings (B2B) between participants.

During the visit, participants also explored several leading research and innovation initiatives related to water treatment and management, including: proton-based PFAS treatment technologies developed by IBA; the activities of UCLouvain’s Louvain4Water initiative, including a visit to Patricia Luis Alconero’s membrane technologies laboratory; CRA-W’s research on water quality, pesticide management, emerging contaminants, water reuse and decision-support tools for the agricultural sector; and Materia Nova’s innovations in novel materials and active membranes for water treatment.

The mission highlighted the complementary strengths of the Catalan and Walloon ecosystems in areas such as emerging contaminants, water reuse, advanced treatment technologies and water-resource management in agriculture.

This initiative strengthens the ties established between the two regions and opens the door to new international collaborations and future European research and innovation projects.

Photo credits: J. Van Belle – Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI). Any reuse of the photographs should include this copyright notice.