HYDRO-INFORMATICS INSTITUTE

Their core work

The Hydro-Informatics Institute (HII) is a Bangkok-based Thai public research body that applies data science, computational modeling, and digital infrastructure to water resource management and flood risk reduction. Their work sits at the intersection of hydrology and informatics — translating raw water and weather data into decision-support tools for governments, river basin authorities, and disaster response agencies. In EU projects, they have contributed both as a demonstration-site partner for nature-based flood mitigation and as a third-party node in European open science data infrastructure. As Southeast Asia's dedicated hydro-informatics institute, they bring tropical monsoon hydrology expertise and Asian river basin data that few European partners can replicate.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

HII's H2020 entry point was digital infrastructure: in EOSC-hub they joined as a third party contributing to European cloud and e-infrastructure services, suggesting an early role as a data provider or non-European network node rather than a scientific partner. Their substantive, funded engagement — RECONECT — shifted entirely toward applied environmental management: ecosystem-based flood mitigation, demonstration, and upscaling. The trajectory is from infrastructure participation to hands-on implementation of climate resilience solutions, which is a meaningful deepening of their EU research role.

HII is moving toward applied climate resilience — specifically nature-based solutions for hydro-meteorological hazards — making them a relevant partner for future water risk, ecosystem restoration, and climate adaptation projects that need non-European demonstration sites.

How they like to work

HII has never coordinated an H2020 project, always entering as a participant or third party within large, multi-country consortia. Their two projects collectively exposed them to 137 unique partners across 34 countries, which is unusually broad network coverage for an institution with such a small project portfolio — a sign they join flagship, high-visibility initiatives rather than small bilateral efforts. For a project coordinator, this means HII is experienced with complex consortium dynamics but will need clear task leadership from others.

Despite just two projects, HII has touched 137 unique consortium partners across 34 countries — almost entirely through large EU infrastructure and environmental research consortia. Their network is strongly European-facing for an Asian institution, with RECONECT providing deep connections into the EU water and environmental research community.

What sets them apart

HII occupies a rare position as a Southeast Asian public institute embedded in European research consortia, offering access to tropical monsoon hydrology, Asian river basin systems, and real-world flood demonstration sites that no European partner can provide. For projects under climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, or nature-based solutions that need credible non-EU test cases, HII adds geographic and climatic diversity that strengthens both the science and the project's global relevance. Their informatics angle — combining water science with data systems — also makes them a bridge between field hydrology and the digital tools that operational agencies actually use.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RECONECT
  HII's only directly funded H2020 project (EUR 110,551), running to 2024, placing them at the center of Europe's flagship nature-based solutions programme for flood and drought risk reduction.
• EOSC-hub
  Rare example of a Thai institution as a third-party node in a pan-European open science cloud infrastructure project, indicating HII's role as a global data partner beyond its geographic region.