JERUSALEM INSTITUTE FOR ISRAELI STUDIES

Their core work

The Jerusalem Institute for Israeli Studies is an applied social-science and policy research centre based in Jerusalem, contributing expertise in socioeconomic analysis, urban governance, and sustainability transitions to EU-funded projects. In H2020, JIIS contributed specifically to circular economy policy frameworks and to the governance and business-model dimensions of water-smart urban systems. Their value lies in bridging policy analysis with real-world urban infrastructure challenges — translating technical innovations (water recycling, resource recovery) into viable service-based business models and regulatory contexts. They bring an Israeli perspective on water scarcity and urban resource management, a domain where Israel has globally recognised operational experience.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (R2PI, 2016–2019), JIIS focused on the policy and innovation dimensions of the linear-to-circular economy transition — no technical keywords were recorded, pointing to a governance and regulatory analysis role. By their second project (WATER-MINING, 2020–2024), their involvement had shifted toward a more applied intersection of circular economy and physical resource systems: urban wastewater, desalination, brine management, and bio-polymers. The trajectory is from broad policy framing toward sector-specific circular economy implementation in water and materials, with an increasing emphasis on the business-model layer needed to make resource recovery commercially viable.

JIIS is moving from general circular economy policy analysis toward the specific nexus of urban water systems, critical raw material recovery, and service-based business models — a direction that aligns with growing EU and Mediterranean demand for water-resilient city infrastructure.

How they like to work

JIIS has participated exclusively as a consortium partner and has never led an H2020 project, indicating a specialist contributor role rather than a coordinating one. Their two projects both involve large, multinational consortia — WATER-MINING in particular is a major Innovation Action — suggesting they are comfortable operating within complex multi-partner environments. With 60 unique partners across 15 countries from just two projects, they are clearly embedded in broad European and Mediterranean networks rather than a narrow recurring group.

JIIS has built a surprisingly wide network for a two-project organisation — 60 unique consortium partners spanning 15 countries, reflecting involvement in large-scale EU Innovation Actions. Their geographic reach extends well beyond Israel into mainstream European research and industrial networks.

What sets them apart

JIIS brings a rare combination of Israeli urban-policy expertise and hands-on familiarity with water-scarce city systems to European consortia — a perspective not easily replicated by Western European partners. For projects dealing with desalination, water reuse, or circular resource flows in urban settings, they offer both the policy-analytical lens and real-world Mediterranean context that strengthens consortium credibility with reviewers and municipalities. They are a compact, specialised institute, which makes them a focused contributor rather than a broad generalist.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WATER-MINING
  Their largest project (EUR 488,250, running to 2024) is a major Innovation Action tackling next-generation water management at scale, covering desalination, brine, phosphorus recovery, and bio-polymers — unusually broad scope for an environmental IA.
• R2PI
  An early-stage Research and Innovation Action on circular economy policy transition, demonstrating JIIS's capacity to contribute governance analysis to EU-wide industrial policy debates well before circular economy became mainstream EU legislation.