STICHTING INTERNATIONAL GROUNDWATER RESOURCES ASSESMENT CENTRE

Their core work

IGRAC is the UNESCO/WMO Centre for global groundwater resources assessment, based in Delft, Netherlands. Their core work is collecting, synthesizing, and disseminating groundwater data from across the globe — through databases, knowledge products, and open-access information systems used by governments, researchers, and water managers worldwide. In H2020, they contributed their groundwater data expertise to two distinct problems: first, building open-source software for practical water resource management (FREEWAT), and then applying satellite gravimetry to derive a global, satellite-based groundwater storage product (G3P). Their unique value is bridging raw earth observation data and actionable groundwater intelligence.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 participation (2015-2017), IGRAC's visible contribution was tied to open-source software for water management — the FREEWAT project — where they likely provided groundwater datasets and domain expertise rather than software development. By 2020-2022, their focus had shifted markedly toward satellite-based monitoring: the G3P project introduced a rich vocabulary of gravity field, satellite gravimetry, water storage, and earth observation, reflecting a strategic move into space-based hydrology. This evolution mirrors a broader field trend — moving from in-situ data management toward remote sensing as the primary method for global groundwater monitoring at scale.

IGRAC is moving from data custodian and software contributor toward a lead scientific role in global satellite-based groundwater monitoring, making them a strong partner for any consortium combining space technology with hydrological applications.

How they like to work

IGRAC participates exclusively as a consortium partner — never as coordinator — which reflects their role as a specialist data and knowledge provider rather than a project driver. Despite this, they have built a relatively wide network: 29 unique partners across 15 countries from just two unique projects, suggesting they join well-connected, large international consortia. Their UNESCO/WMO status likely makes them a sought-after partner for legitimacy and global data access rather than for project management capacity.

IGRAC has connected with 29 unique consortium partners across 15 countries through only two H2020 projects, indicating participation in large, geographically diverse consortia. Their network likely spans European research institutes, remote sensing agencies, and water management authorities, consistent with their global intergovernmental mandate.

What sets them apart

IGRAC is the only intergovernmental centre — under a joint UNESCO/WMO mandate — dedicated specifically to global groundwater resources assessment, which gives them unmatched institutional authority and access to groundwater data from countries that would not share it with a private or academic partner. They sit at the intersection of space technology and subsurface hydrology, a niche that is increasingly valuable as satellite gravimetry (GRACE-FO) becomes the primary tool for monitoring freshwater reserves. For consortium builders, IGRAC brings both scientific credibility and a unique global dataset that no university or commercial organization can replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• G3P
  The largest project by funding (EUR 200,000) and the most technically ambitious — producing a global satellite gravity-based groundwater product using GRACE-type missions, placing IGRAC at the frontier of space-hydrology convergence.
• FREEWAT
  Demonstrates IGRAC's capacity to contribute groundwater expertise to software ecosystems, appearing both as a formal participant and as a third-party contributor — an unusual dual-role in a single project.