The Aqua-Valley cluster federates a network of 245 members (companies, research and training organisations, associations) mainly located in the Occitanie and Sud Regions, which represent one of the highest concentrations of researchers and companies in the water sector.
The Aqua-Valley cluster: a specialised ecosystem for the hydric transition of economies and territories
The objective of the Aqua-Valley cluster is to contribute to the development of innovation and the growth of the sector’s members, particularly at the level of VSEs and SME-SMIs, by coordinating networks of stakeholders, pooling resources and implementing collective actions covering the water cycle.
Aqua-Valley promotes all the professions in the water sector, with a regional economic development perspective. The cluster supports its members in market development, innovation, skills consolidation, partnerships and internationalisation.
Since 2011, it has been structured around 4 strategic areas, reflecting the vision of its founders with regard to the impacts of global changes on water resources and their uses, adapted to its area of action: the basins of the 2 Water Agencies of southern France.
Considering the strength of this specialised ecosystem, which is unique in France, and its transversal approach to all the professions and subjects in the field of water, the Occitanie region has selected the “Waters: Economy and controlled management, uses and risks” field of innovation as part of the territory’s smart specialisation strategy (S3). It is the only one, among all the European regions, which presents an innovation specialisation covering the entire water cycle.
6 sets of integrated solutions for a 360° hydric transition
In this context, 6 sets of integrated solutions have been defined, in order to position the sector members and their solutions towards the tomorrow water issues and challenges. These solutions are moreover constructed as integrated or turnkey solutions, by combining the individual know-how of the VSEs and SMEs of the cluster’s ecosystem. Examples and models of individual or group organisation for export have also been designed, in order to prepare companies for the marketing of their products and services.
AQUARHESE: A project to improve the quality of networks and the efficiency of water and sanitation services
The AQUARHESE project is an animation dedicated to local authorities and companies in the water sector. It contributes to the improvement of network quality, the efficiency of water and sanitation services, the optimisation of investments by local authorities and public financiers, and the preservation of the environment.
Public and private stakeholders are thus informed about the Quality Charter for drinking water supply and sanitation networks, and can, if they wish, participate in the working groups on the management of network assets or the integrated management of urban rainwater. A guide for preliminary studies for Integrated Stormwater Management projects was published in November 2022, available for download at https://aqua-valley.com/notre-offre-de-services/aquarhese/
The Aqua Business Days by Aqua-Valley
The Aqua Business Days: a business convention organised over 2 days, bringing together local authorities, economic actors and academics around conferences, workshops and site visits. This event aims to promote the development of concrete solutions based on the professional skills of the players through shared discussions. The 2023 edition will take place on 13 and 14 December, with the theme “From sobriety to hydric transition: Which solutions for a sustainable efficiency?”
Pôle Aqua-Valley
Immeuble MIBI
672, rue du Mas de Verchant – CS 37777
F-34967 Montpellier Cedex 02
Tel. : +33 (0)4 34 88 34 45
https://aqua-valley.com/
Originally published in ©Parlementaires de France Magazine, now ©Research Innov France.
