NEXOGENESIS

The NEXOGENESIS project will support the development of policies that address the water-energy-food-ecosystem (WEFE) nexus interconnection to manage resources effectively and avoid conflicts between users. In particular, NEXOGENESIS will develop and validate: (a) a cross-sectoral policy-making framework at different scales addressing climate and socio-economic change, as well as stakeholder behaviour and transboundary (diplomacy) issues, developed for and validated by stakeholders, policy makers, and academics; (b) a Self-Learning Nexus Assessment Engine (SLNAE) exploiting reinforcement learning, and supporting streamlining water-related policies into the WEFE nexus; (c) a WEFE Nexus Footprint, accompanying the SLNAE. NEXOGENESIS will apply its approach to four European and one case study in southern Africa.

Within NEXOGENESIS, Eurac supports the development of the nexus model providing knowledge and expertise on complex systems modelling and participatory approaches. Contributing to interdisciplinary research activities, Eurac will co-develop stakeholder behaviour and policy assessments as well as the Nexus integration through a system dynamics model. Moreover, Eurac will be responsible for the Adige river basin case study (Italy) aiming to model the Nexus components, investigating future trends of water availability-demands with the close involvement of local stakeholders.

The project consortium is led by IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and it consists of 20 partners from 11 European countries and from South Africa. The project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.

Contact person: Silvia Cocuccioni Silvia.Cocuccioni@eurac.edu