Water Science Alliance — Joining forces
The scientific expertise of German water research is excellent in individual areas, but in particular, the national networking and international visibility of the entire field of research are inadequate. The Water Science Alliance establishes structures that help to better utilise the existing potential of German water research in the development and processing of complex and interdisciplinary research topics within thematic alliances. The complementarity of the research institutions (major research institutions and universities) results in synergies from the joint use of infrastructures, observatories, and large-scale equipment, as well as the promotion of young scientists, in addition to the sharing of expertise.
16th Water Research Horizon Conference 2026
Poster Submission Opened - Register Now!
14 & 15 September 2026 | Berlin
Water Research Horizon Conference 2026, which will proceed jointly with DGL-Tagung in Berlin at Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) from September 14th, 2026 to September 15th, 2026, will host four thematic sessions. This year's conference will be entitled “Theoria cum praxi: shaping | water | futures, based on the famous principle by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
We invite you to submit an abstract for a poster presentation within the 16th Water Research Horizon Conference (#WRHC2026).
Abstract Submission | Register now!
Water Science Alliance on LinkedIn
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News
WSA-Member Highlights Highlights from our Network
July 2026
IGB: New research building in Berlin-Dahlem
UBA: Report on the development of water demand
BFG: Low Water Information System (NIWIS)
WSA: Published program for the 16th Water Research Horizon Conference
ZWU: European premiere of the film “Seeds of Science”
More detailsUndine Award 2026 Award for project „Decentralized water retention in forests“
WSA congratulates Dr. Heike Puhlmann and her team on winning the Undine Award
Dr. Heike Puhlmann and her team received the award for the project “Decentralized Water Retention in Forests” at the Forest Research Institute Baden-Württemberg (FVA). The project implements water retention measures in pilot trials, such as the construction of swales, evaporation basins, or infiltration ditches. In addition to implementing these measures, the project also includes informational and educational components. On the FVA website, profiles of individual measures as well as an information sheet with practical tips can be viewed and downloaded. In addition, training sessions, workshops, and field trips are held regularly, during which the measures are presented and discussed with foresters. The prize money will be used in particular to expand this knowledge transfer through display items or explanatory videos.
Read moreAward Dr. Stephanie Spahr awarded by the German Society of Water Chemistry
WSA congratulates Dr. Stephanie Spahr on receiving the Water Chemistry Society Award
IGB research group leader Dr. Stephanie Spahr received the German Society of Water Chemistry's Division Award. She was awarded during the annual conference “Wasser 2026” in Kiel. She was honored for her extensive work on chemical pollution in urban water bodies and on the treatment of stormwater for use as a water resource whithin her research group "Organic Contaminants".
Read more in the article by the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB).