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Málaga consolidates its position as the project’s strategic hub during the meeting held at Aarhus’ new central headquarters
EIT Water Project, the European Knowledge and Innovation Community promoted by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), continues to progress steadily following its launch. In January, representatives from the Iberian hub participated in the European Steering Committee of EIT Water, held at the project’s new central headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark.
Representing the Iberian hub, the meeting was attended by the Councillor for Environmental Sustainability of Málaga City Council, Penélope Gómez, and the Director of Projects and Innovation at the Ricardo Valle Institute of Innovation Foundation (Innova IRV), Mariano Morán. Their participation reinforces Málaga’s and the Spanish organisations’ commitment to the development of this strategic European initiative.
The meeting brought together key leaders from Europe’s water innovation ecosystem to define the project’s common ambitions, establish strategic priorities for the coming months, and strengthen collaboration between the different regional centres. Likewise, the first lines of action to promote high-impact innovative solutions addressing Europe’s major water challenges were discussed.
Penélope Gómez, Councillor for Environmental Sustainability of Málaga City Council, emphasized that “this meeting in Aarhus marks a new milestone following the official launch of the project and the start of a decisive phase aimed at activating eight regional centres (CLCs) and deploying innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge transfer programmes.” She also highlighted the significance of Málaga’s role as the project’s strategic hub in its commitment to technological innovation applied to water sustainability.
Mariano Morán, Director of Projects and Innovation at INNOVA IRV, added that “in its first months, the initiative has already sparked significant interest among companies and startups within the innovation ecosystem linked to the water cycle, strengthening EIT Water’s potential as a lever for accelerating disruptive solutions and generating tangible regional impact.”
EIT Water was established to promote innovative solutions in response to the main environmental, economic, and social challenges related to water management. Through its network of regional centres, including Málaga as the centre of the Iberian hub, the initiative fosters collaboration between academic, business, and public sectors to build a more sustainable and resilient future around water resources.
The Iberian hub’s participation in the European Steering Committee consolidates Málaga’s position as a leader in water innovation and sustainability, and reinforces its active role in the governance and development of one of Europe’s key water initiatives.
About EIT Water
The project has a total funding of €356 million, of which €5 million is allocated to the launch during the first year. It is also expected to attract an additional €192 million in private investment, resulting in a total budget of €548 million. The support for the Iberian hub, headquartered in Málaga, is estimated at €44.5 million, with an additional induced investment of €68.5 million.
EIT Water aims to support innovative solutions addressing major environmental, economic, and social challenges in water management. Through its eight regional centres – located in Aarhus (Denmark), Leeds (UK), Berlin (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), Vienna (Austria), Šibenik (Croatia), Málaga (Spain), and Varna (Bulgaria) – the initiative promotes collaboration between academic, business, and public sectors to foster a more sustainable and resilient water future.
The programme seeks to support more than 1,300 startups and scaleups in the water sector, prevent economic losses of up to €1,200 million due to ecosystem degradation, develop more than 200 innovations, and create at least 50 new companies by 2033.
About INNOVA IRV Foundation
Innova IRV is a public-private foundation that fosters technological and industrial innovation in Spain, in line with the European Union’s strategic objectives in key areas of transformation and growth.
The foundation is promoted by Málaga City Council, the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Department of Universities, Research and Innovation, Myramar Group, Sando Foundation, and Mayoral, with financial support from Unicaja.
Innova IRV is supported by collaborative organisations such as Accenture, Aertec, Andalusian Digital Agency, Ametic, Anovo, Atarfil, Bic Euronova, Celestia TST, CSG Ingeniería, CaixaBank’s DayOne, Dekra, Málaga Provincial Council, Endesa, Eurecat, Famadesa, GMV, Google, Hispasec, ITA, Iturri, Málaga Tech Park, Orange, Premo, Simón, Smart City Cluster, Smart Health TV Solutions, Tecnalia, Telefónica, Tinámica, Top Digital, Trops, Tupl, Andalusia Tourism Company, University of Granada, University of Málaga, University of Sevilla, Veiasa, and Vodafone.