D5.3: Quadruple helix brief on market opportunities

The ongoing trends of rapid population growth, urbanization and climate change are bringing about a series of pressures upon Europe’s waters. As the one responsible for managing this vital resource, the water sector faces increasing challenges to deal with this task. Against this background, digital technologies open up a variety of opportunities for the different stakeholders involved in the water sector to take action. This document is inspired on the Quadruple Helix Model adopted by the European Union in its Open Innovation 2.0 policy approach. It follows the notion that the most adequate and operable solutions to the key challenges the water sector faces will emerge from the active involvement and collaboration between public administration, academia, business and civil society. Ultimately, this quadruple helix brief aims to expose fields of opportunity in which these four stakeholder types (helices) can get involved in ensuring a smooth and reasonable digital transition.