VLAAMSE MAATSCHAPPIJ VOOR WATERVOORZIENING

Their core work

De Watergroep is Belgium's largest public drinking water company, serving millions of customers in Flanders. In H2020 projects, they contribute real-world operational expertise as a water utility — testing smart water management technologies, piloting water reuse and resource recovery solutions, and validating cyber-physical security measures for critical water infrastructure. Their participation brings the perspective of a large-scale water operator dealing with actual supply challenges, from protecting drinking water sources in agricultural regions to accelerating digital transformation across water networks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

De Watergroep's early H2020 involvement (2017) centered on traditional water utility concerns — protecting drinking water sources and securing water infrastructure against threats. By 2020-2021, their focus shifted decisively toward digital transformation: smart water technologies, data-driven governance, AI-based monitoring, and circular economy approaches to water management. This evolution mirrors the broader European water sector's push toward digitalization and resource efficiency.

De Watergroep is moving toward data-driven, AI-enhanced water utility operations with a growing interest in circular economy models — expect future work at the intersection of digital twins, water reuse, and environmental intelligence.

How they like to work

De Watergroep participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as an end-user utility that validates and pilots technologies developed by others. They work in large consortia (103 unique partners across 4 projects), which means they are well-connected but play a supporting rather than leading role. For consortium builders, they are valuable as a large-scale demonstration site and real-world validation partner with operational water infrastructure.

With 103 unique consortium partners across 17 countries, De Watergroep has built a broad European network despite only 4 projects. Their collaborations span Western and Southern Europe, reflecting the geographic spread of water management challenges and the EU water innovation community.

What sets them apart

De Watergroep stands out as one of Belgium's largest operational water utilities actively engaged in EU research — not a research lab theorizing about water, but a company that supplies drinking water to millions and can pilot innovations at real scale. Their dual involvement in both physical water infrastructure (protection, reuse) and digital transformation (AI, smart data, IoT) makes them a rare bridge between traditional water operations and emerging tech. For any consortium needing a large utility as a living lab or demonstration site in Belgium, they are a natural first choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• B-WaterSmart
  Their largest project by funding (EUR 341K), covering the full spectrum of smart water management from governance to circular economy — represents their strategic direction.
• CALLISTO
  An unusual diversification into Copernicus satellite data, AI, and UAVs — signals an expanding interest in earth observation for water resource management.
• STOP-IT
  Addresses the critical and often overlooked topic of cyber-physical security for water infrastructure, showing awareness of emerging threats to utility operations.