Projects of the Working Group
“Social-science Water Research”

Current Projects

CASCADE – Cascading impacts of climate extremes: new perspectives for interlinking Earth System Sciences in Leipzig (Volkswagen Stiftung, 2025 – 2031)  

EXTREME-ADAPT – Quantifying the effect of adaptation measures on spatiotemporal changes in flood and drought risk (Helmholtz Association, 2025 – 2027) 

A state-of-the-art impacts database of European climate extremes from the mining of online texts (Swedish Research Council, 2023 – 2026) 

Graduate School Thirsty Cities: Pathways for water-resilient urban transformation and agricultural adaptation – 4 Ph.D. positions (Helmholtz Association, 2021 – 2024) 

Completed Projects

ANYWHERE: EnhANcing emergencY management and response to extreme WeatHER and climate Events

CLIMALERT: Climate Alert Smart System for Sustainable Water and Agriculture

PEER Research on Sustainable Development Goals: Tackling and managing risks with SDGs

FUSE: Food – water – energy for Urban Sustainable Environments

Jordan Water Project
Jordan Water Project – Capacity Building: Development and Implementation of a Strategic Modeling Tool for Water Management in Jordan

Water diplomacy: making water cooperation work

PIVO: Private Mitigation Measures

RECONECT: Regenerating ECOsystems with Nature-based solutions for hydro-meteorological risk rEduCTion

⇒ Leipzig Green: Co-Design of water- and energy-efficient multifunctional system architecture in neighbourhoods

⇒ Politics of Water Pollution (POWP): Regulation of the emission of chemicals into water bodies

⇒ Urban Transformation Water: Feasibility study for modelling integrative urban transformation considering the fields of waste water, energy and waste

Integrated Urban Catchment Governance − Organizational, Legal and Fiscal Foundations for Sustainable Management of Waste- and Rainwater in the Wuxi Region/China

Water as a permanent status issue in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations

Benefit-Cost-Analysis in Water Management – Development of a Method for the Assessment of Disproportional Costs for the German Working Group on Water Issues (116.2 KB)

SMART II: Integrated Water Resources Management in the Lower Jordan Rift Valley – Sustainable Management of Available Water Resources with Innovative Technologies II

Evaluierung des Wasserentnahmeentgelts in Baden-Württemberg

Praktische Ausgestaltung einer fortzuentwickelnden Abwasserabgabe sowie mögliche Inhalte einer Regelung (UBA, since 2012)

Verantwortung für Nachhaltigkeit – Die Bewirtschaftung von Wasserressourcen in der EU (BMBF, since 2010)

CapHaz-Net – Social Capacity Building for Natural Hazards: Toward More Resilient Societies (EU, since 2009)

Sustainable Water and Wastewater Management in Urban Growth Centres Coping with Climate Change – Concepts for Lima Metropolitana (Perú) - (LiWa) (BMBF, since 2008)

International Water Research Alliance Saxony (IWAS): Management of Water Resources in Hydrologically Sensitive Regions (BMBF, since 07/2008)

InfraWass: Nachhaltigkeitsinstitutionen zur Governance langlebiger technischer Infrastruktursysteme am Beispiel der europäischen Wasserver- und Abwasserentsorgung unter den Bedingungen klimatischen und demographischen Wandels (BMBF, since 2010)

MoMo II: Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia: Model Region Mongolia (BMBF, since 2010)

RISK MAP – Improving Flood Risk Maps as a Means to Foster Public Participation and Raising Flood Risk Awareness: Toward Flood Resilient Communities (BMBF)

CONHAZ – Costs of Natural Hazards (EU)

Enhancement of Waste Water Charges and Water extraction Charges to a comprehensive charge for the use of aquatic ecosystems (UBA)

GLOWA-Elbe III – Impacts of Global Change on the Water Cycle in the Elbe Region - Risks and Options (BMBF)

GOVERNAT – Multi-level Governance of Natural Resources: Tools and Processes for Water and Biodiversity Governance in Europe (EU)

The Concept of Stocks as Decision-Support for Sustainability Politics (BMBF, in German)

Water 2050 Sustainable Water Management Solutions – Prospects for German Water Business (BMBF)

Risks of chemical substances, water quality and control of chemicals

SMART I: Integrated Water Resources Management in the Lower Jordan Rift Valley – Sustainable Management of Available Water Resources with Innovative Technologies (BMBF)

FLOODsite – Integrated Flood Risk Analysis and Management Methodologies (EU)

FLOOD-ERA – Flood risk management strategies in European Member States (BMBF/Defra – United Kingdom/Lebensministerium – Austria)

GLOWA-Elbe I – Impacts of Global Change on the Water Cycle in the Elbe Region – Risks and Options (BMBF)

GLOWA-Elbe II – Impacts of Global Change on the Water Cycle in the Elbe Region – Risks and Options (BMBF)

BASINFORM – Method for Establishing Programmes of Measures Following the EU Water Framework Directive (Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen, Flussgebietsgemeinschaft Elbe)

Improving BASINFORM (method for establishing programmes of measures following the EU Water Framework Directive) taking into account the concerns of nature protection (DBU)

Decision Support for Integrated River Basin Management – Conflict Assessment and Possible Solutions Using the Example of the River White Elster (BMBF)

HarmoniRiB – Harmonised Techniques and Representative River Basin Data for Assessment and Use of Uncertainty Information in Integrated Water Management (EU)

Conflict, Cooperation, and Institutions in International Water Management (UFZ/HGF)

Sustainable Water Management and Land Use – the example of the Torgau Region (UFZ/HGF)

Economic Incentives For Nature and Resource Conservation

→ The Proportionality of Costs of Measures according to the EU Water Framework Directive (LAWA)

→ Marie Curie Fellowship: Development of Transferable Multi-criteria Decision Tools in Environmental Management (EU)

→ Collective Water – From Conflict to Collective Action: Institutional Change and Management Options to Govern Transboundary Water Courses (BMBF)