Press Release, 07. May 2025

Helmholtz Initiative for Water Security – UFZ success in round 1

Two of the three Solution Labs are coordinated by the UFZ, and the UFZ is a partner in another

Drought and heat stress, flooding and heavy rainfall: climate change is already having a significant impact on the water cycle. Both sudden water surpluses and prolonged periods of drought, sometimes combined with heat waves, are becoming increasingly extreme and unpredictable. In countries in the Global South, it is already apparent that this uncertain supply can hinder social and economic development. In the future, however, industrialized nations such as Germany will also have to adapt to fluctuating water availability, which will lead to competition between the needs of people and nature, industry, and agriculture: Water is a key resource of the 21st century. The Helmholtz Association is addressing this challenge with the Helmholtz Water Security Campaign.

The breadth of Helmholtz's expertise on water is unique in the German scientific landscape, as the centers cover the entire water cycle with their research priorities – from the global terrestrial water cycle to the molecular level. As part of a research campaign, Helmholtz will provide up to €9 million in funding for water and health security for humans and the environment between 2026 and 2028.

The core of the campaign is the establishment of three Solution Labs on the topics of “Terrestrial Water Cycles,” “Urban Blue-Green-Red Water Systems,” and “Water Quality in a Pollutant-Free Water Cycle,” in which – in close cooperation with experts from practice, politics, and civil society – water cycles in various model regions will be researched and solutions tested across centers. from practice, politics, and civil society, will research water cycles in various model regions and test solutions. The selection of the locations for the three Solution Labs and the subsequent selection of cross-center thematic research projects will take place in a two-stage process with two separate calls for proposals.

In the first selection round, the UFZ and its partners were chosen as coordinators of two Solution Labs: “Securing terrestrial water cycles: Elbe-RiVEer basin (SOLVE)” and “Urban blue-green-red water systems for Leipzig (URBAN LE).” It is also a partner in the Solution Lab Rur-Erft (SLRE), which is coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich.

The Solution LabSOLVE (Terrestrial Water Cycles – Solution Lab for the Elbe River Basin) addresses the paradigm shift from drainage to water-storing landscapes as a key strategy for climate adaptation. The lab will use the consortium's extensive monitoring, laboratory, and modeling infrastructure, as well as its extensive data sets. The aim is to identify, evaluate, and optimize the effectiveness of water management measures for achieving large-scale water security. It will create a new knowledge base to understand and quantify how water management measures at the catchment level affect water quality and ecosystem health. Ultimately, SOLVE will establish a Water Action Hub. This will support the development, implementation, and evaluation of water management measures in a joint concept developed by researchers from seven Helmholtz centers and key regional stakeholders and practitioners with a long-term perspective.

Partners:
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Helmholtz Centre Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR), Helmholtz Centre Hereon, Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Alfred Wegener Institute – Helmholtz Centre for Polar ans Marine research (AWI);
Federal Environment Agency (UBA), German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water (DVGW), Elbe River Basin Community (FGG Elbe), Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG), State Agency for Flood Protection and Water Management of Saxony-Anhalt (LHW), Brandenburg State Office for the Environment (LfU), Berlin Water Works (BWB), Thünen Institute (Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries).

The Solution Lab URBAN LE (Urban Blue-Green-Red Water Systems for Leipzig) follows the idea of using real laboratories as catalysts for a secure urban water future. It is being set up to address water, climate, and energy challenges with the city of Leipzig on site. The lab combines a physical demonstrator, digital twins, and a co-design platform. Test fields in Leipzig showcase technologies in real operation, while digital models link water, energy, and climate data and enable scenario-based simulations. URBAN LE aims to decouple neighborhoods from central wastewater systems in terms of hydrology and energy and establish local water cycles. At its core is an integrated blue-green-red system: It intelligently manages rainwater, creates new storage and reuse options, and optimizes urban cooling and heating networks. Supported by digital twin models and co-design processes, practical solutions are being developed that can be transferred to other cities.

Partners:
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Helmholtz Centre Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Helmholtz Institut für One Health (HIOH);
City of Leipzig (Office for Environmental Protection, Office for Urban Greenery and Water, City Planning Office, Mobility and Civil Engineering Office, Department “Digital City”, Leipzig Municipal Waterworks, MDR – Central German Broadcasting, Network “Connected Urban Twins”, German Association of Cities, German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin Urban Nature Pact, Central German Competence Network for Water Management.

In the Solution Lab Rur-Erft (SLRE), which is coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich, the UFZ contributes its expertise in socio-economic modelling and participatory water research. The focus is on the development and application of a hydro-economic multi-agent model that simulates the behaviour of water users depending on various climate and policy scenarios. Storylines - i.e. plausible future development paths - are developed together with stakeholders and tested for their effectiveness and feasibility in interactive dialogue formats. The aim is to develop robust and transferable solutions for the conflicts of water scarcity and water surplus on the basis of digital twins.

Partners:
Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ);
Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG), Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Landesamt für Natur, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz NRW (LANUV), Ministerium für Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Chamber of Agriculture NRW, Erft Wasserverband, Wasserverband Eifel-Rur (WVER), Drought Analytics, Floodwave, Geoverbund ABC/J.

Further information

Prof Dr Ralf Merz
Head of UFZ Department Catchment Hydrology / Solution Lab SOLVE
ralf.merz@ufz.de

Prof Dr Roland A. Müller
Head of UFZ Department Systemic Environmental Biotechnology / Solution Lab URBAN LE
roland.mueller@ufz.de

Prof Dr Bernd Klauer
UFZ Department Economics / Solution Lab SLRE
bernd.klauer@ufz.de

UFZ press office

Susanne Hufe
Phone: +49 341 6025-1630
presse@ufz.de