Groundwater and Global Change - Impacts and Adaptation

ongoing

The EMJM programme in Groundwater and Global Change – Impacts and Adaptation, acronym GroundwatCh, aims to provide postgraduate education in the assessment, management and protection of the largest liquid freshwater reservoir on earth in support of sustainable and equitable development. GroundwatCh aims to attract the brightest and most motivated graduates and professionals to Europe to acquire and subsequently spread the skills and competences in this core field of groundwater and its interactions with climate, ecosystems and human activities. It does so by integrating the complementary expertise of IST Lisbon, IHE Delft and TU Dresden, building on its implementation in previous phases, seeking to create a programme that is unique in its content, applied character and link to professional practice, with over 40 associated partners promoting internships, thesis research, steering and visibility of the programme worldwide. New joint elements include: i) six jointly coordinated and reorganised thematic fields around the core theme, promoting innovation and interdisciplinarity; ii) close collaboration in interdisciplinary fieldwork and preparatory training; and iii) possibility for ECTS-credited internships in any of the HEI countries. Other existing joint elements are consolidated, including the shared management and administration of the programme, teaching at each other’s university and joint organisation of MSc thesis research. In terms of impact, through four new intakes, GroundwatCh aims to: i) increase its financial sustainability and enhance the (currently 30%) top-up of EU funding; ii) enroll 100 new participants (currently 145 of 46 different nationalities, 48% female); iii) consolidate the employment rate of alumni, aka “certified GroundwatChers”, currently above 90% and iv) through its global network build proactive responsiveness towards the ecological value and need for preservation of groundwater and its critical role in adaptation to global change.