3.2 Collaborative Project

Challenge

The water and wastewater (VA) sector is facing major challenges, as investments in infrastructure need to increase while securing the necessary competence supply.
Optimized maintenance and efficient asset management are often easier said than done. From an industry perspective, increased knowledge and the exchange of experience are essential to build stronger VA organizations.
How should priorities be set? How do you engage the entire organization? What roles are needed? How should self-assessment be conducted and followed up? What should an asset management plan look like? These and many other questions formed the basis for the collaborative sessions.

Solution

A collaborative project was designed involving five VA utilities, each with three to five participants. The project focuses on joint learning through digital lectures, an online course portal, learning sessions, and in-person meetings. Over several sessions spanning seven months, participants were offered lectures and learning activities on various themes related to planned maintenance and asset management.
These sessions provided participants with opportunities to deepen their knowledge on key topics, ask questions, and engage in discussions with lecturers from the research programme and the private sector. Participants also exchanged knowledge, questions, solutions, and challenges, while expanding their networks for continued collaboration beyond the project’s end.