Result description
The Water Governance Assessment Tool is a methodological instrument developed within the InnWater project to support the systematic analysis of water governance frameworks. It provides a structured approach to assess institutional, regulatory and organisational aspects of water governance, including policy coherence, coordination among stakeholders, stakeholder participation, and implementation capacities.
The tool is designed to be used by policy-makers, public authorities, water managers, and practitioners to better understand the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in existing governance arrangements. By facilitating a comprehensive assessment process, it supports evidence-based decision-making and the identification of areas for improvement in water-related policies and governance practices.
The Water Governance Assessment Tool can be applied in different territorial and institutional contexts and serves as a decision-support resource to enhance transparency, accountability and effectiveness in water governance, contributing to more resilient and sustainable water management strategies.
Addressing target audiences and expressing needs
- To raise awareness and possibly influence policy
We are seeking collaboration with public policy institutions, international organisations, and research actors to support the dissemination, institutional uptake, and long-term use of the Water Governance Assessment Tool. This includes opportunities to integrate the tool into policy evaluation processes, governance reviews, capacity-building and training activities. We also seek feedback, methodological exchange and cooperation to adapt the tool to different institutional and territorial contexts, and to strengthen its alignment with European and international water governance frameworks.
- EU and Member State Policy-makers
R&D, Technology and Innovation aspects
The Water Governance Assessment Tool is a policy-support method developed in the InnWater project to analyse governance frameworks across contexts. It is ready for use by authorities and practitioners as a structured assessment tool. Next steps include dissemination, training and adaptation to new contexts, as well as integration into policy evaluation and capacity-building programmes.
Cloud-based and configuration-driven (questionnaire, scoring, narrative, languages). Deployable to new basins and authorities with minimal setup via templates and APIs.
The long-term sustainability of the Water Governance Assessment Tool relies on its role as a public-interest assessment and decision-support tool rather than a commercial model. Developed within the InnWater project, it is freely accessible to public authorities, policy-makers, researchers, NGOs and other actors, ensuring broad uptake. Its sustainability depends on grant-based funding, institutional adoption and integration into policy evaluation, governance reviews and capacity-building activities. Through methodological robustness, scientific credibility and alignment with recognised governance principles, the tool creates lasting public value and supports evidence-based, participatory water governance. Long-term sustainability is further strengthened by training, knowledge transfer, indirect valorisation and visibility within European governance and research networks, enabling continued use and adaptation beyond the project’s lifetime.
- Europe
