Partners
IHE Delft has long-term international cooperation agreements with key partners for the Institute, comprising a wide range of fields and technical cooperation in human and institutional strengthening.
Education partners
Our partners in education are located in all regions of the world. They have an international orientation, offer accredited postgraduate education and have established research capacities in fields related to water and the environment. Our education partners have complementary expertise which allows for the joint development of unique, academic programmes. Meet our partners via our educational programmes.
Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE)
The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) provides the general quality framework for European and international cooperation activities a higher education institution may carry out within Erasmus+, the European Union's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe.
The ECHE is awarded to IHE Delft Institute for Water Education for the full duration of the Erasmus+ programme up to 2027. Download the document here.
Partners in focus
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5 partners in Worldwide
AXA Foundation
The AXA Foundation is responsible for directing AXA’s philanthropic activities. Through their philanthropic programmes they help boost scientific progress and discoveries towards better understanding and preparation against environmental, life and socio-economic risks.
IHE Delft and the AXA Foundation signed a grant agreement in 2013 for implementation of the Chair in climate change and coastal risks.
Contact person for this partnership:
Rosh Ranasinghe, Professor of Climate Change Impacts and Coastal Risk
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sees ‘equal value in all lives’. The private foundation launched in 2000 is dedicated to improve the quality of life for individuals around the globe by being catalysts of human promise in all its corners. Globally, the foundation works to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty.
The cooperation between IHE Delft and the BMGF aims at supporting one of the main goals of the foundation which is to enable universal access to sustainable sanitation by developing new technologies as well as new products and services. IHE Delft contributes substantially to this overall goal by stimulating local innovation on sanitation (especially for the benefit of the urban poor) and by strengthening the sanitation sector in developing countries through education and training.
The Partnership started when the first Grant with the BMGF was signed in 2011. Very recently a new Grant was signed, related to the implementation of the innovative 12 months MSc in Sanitation.
Contact person for this partnership:
Damir Brdanovic, Professor Of Sanitary Engineering
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Their goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
IHE Delft and FAO have been partners in implementing several different capacity development and research activities dating back to 2001. More recently, in 2015, both organizations signed an agreement for assessment of the consequences and sustainability of possible increases in water productivity by mean of water accounting. This project includes research activities such as using remote sensing to gather data for monitoring agricultural water and land productivity, carbon dioxide uptake by vegetation, among others, but also capacity development of key stakeholders to increase water productivity. FAO and IHE Delft are working together with IWMI and WWAP in the Partnership for Water Accounting, working to pro-actively create and operationalize the research field of global water accounting.
Contact person for this partnership:
Wim Bastiaanssen, Professor in Water Accounting
IWMI
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI): IWMI is a non-profit research organisation with headquarters in Sri Lanka and offices across Africa and Asia. The Institute undertakes research projects that focus on improving the management of water and land resources, with the aim of underpinning food security and poverty reduction while safeguarding vital environmental processes.
IHE Delft and IWMI partnership’s main goal is academic exchange and collaboration. Since the start of the cooperation, both institutions have been collaborating in joint research and outreach activities, students exchange, joint proposals and exchange of staff.
Contact person for this partnership:
Charlotte de Fraiture, Vice Rector Academic and Student Affairs
Rotary International
Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. The 1.2 million Rotarians who make up more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in nearly every country in the world share a dedication to the ideal of Service above Self.
The partnership between Rotary and IHE Delft was established in November 2011 through the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Its objective is to provide Rotary scholarships for students to complete the 18 month Master programme in Water Management and Sanitation, a partnership that benefited 10-12 IHE Delft students every year since 2012, coming from over 30 countries and relating to an investment of half a million US dollars every year.
Since 2012, IHE Delft has established a very strong link with the local (Netherlands) Rotary clubs who have provided additional financial assistance and guidance to students. Each Rotary sponsored student is assigned to a Dutch Rotarian host/counsellor, who provides individual support with a focus on familiarization with the Dutch culture and environment.
Contact person for this partnership: Gaetano Casale, Liaison Office Manager
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4 partners in East Asia and Pacific
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank headquartered in Manila, Philippines. The institution built in the 1960s fosters economic growth and cooperation in one of the poorest regions in the world and is an avid promoter of social and economic development.
IHE Delft and ADB cooperation started in November 2011 when a partnership agreement was signed. The aim of this cooperation is to support water operations in ADB's Developing Member Countries (DMCs) and ADB staff by providing expert guidance during project preparation and implementation. The partnership also focus on developing and implementing education, training and capacity development to support knowledge networking programmes and to strengthen regional knowledge networking among DMCs clients, partners and knowledge hubs.
Recently both intuitions have worked on supporting the National Water Legislation of various DMCs, on the Coastal Risk Assessment in Sri Lanka and on the Integrated Water Resources Management Programme in Karnataka, India. Currently, the focus has been on the Water Accounting and Productivity project in various DMCs and on the Beijing Groundwater Recharge project in China.
Contact person for this partnership:
Gaetano Casale, Liaison Office Manager
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)
The Asian Institute of Technology promotes technological change and sustainable development in the Asian-Pacific region through higher education, research and outreach. Established in Bangkok in 1959, AIT has become a leading regional postgraduate institution and is actively working with public and private sector partners throughout the region and with some of the top universities in the world.
IHE Delft and AIT are partners since 2009 running the joint MSc specialization in Urban Water Engineering and Management (UWEM). Together they work developing educational materials and modules to continuously improve the UWEN specialization, facilitating the mobility of students as well as staff and faculty exchange.
Contact person for this partnership:
Zoran Vojinovic, Associate Professor of Urban Water Systems at IHE Delft
Hohai University
Hohai University, founded in 1915, wins its worldwide reputation for research and study of water conservancy. Hohai University’s mission is to make a significant contribution towards a sustainable society of the twenty-first century by conducting groundbreaking scientific and technological research concerning water conservancy which is acknowledged as world-class academic achievement, by providing various stages of courses and by helping to convert knowledge into technological innovations and activities with both economic and social values.
IHE Delft and Hohai University have arrangements for joint international master with specialisation in hydroinformatics, coastal engineering and port development and hydrology and water resources.
Read more about Hohai University.
Thuy Loi University
Thuy Loi University is a public university founded in 1959 that has since been recognized as one the leading technical universities in the field of water resources. Their mission is to develop highly competent human resource and research that will continue to contribute to the modernization and sustainable development of Vietnam.
IHE Delft and Thuy Loi University have been partners since 2010. The main goal of this partnership is capacity development. Recently both institutes have worked on the NICHE/VNM106 project focused on the capacity development of higher education on climate change and integrated water resources management.
Contact person for this partnership:
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1 partner in Latin America and the Caribbean
Universidad del Valle (UniValle)
Universidad del Valle is one of Colombia’s top three public universities. Located in the City of Cali, Universidad del Valle stands out for its academic excellence in the fields of Health, Humanities, Sciences, Arts, Economics and Social Studies, Business and Engineering, along with developments in the areas of scientific and applied technological research.
IHE Delft and Universidad del Valle became partners in early 1990s and since then have cooperated to further strengthen both institutions. The main goal of this partnership is development of capacity not only in Colombia but also in the near regions. This is done by co-delivering education such as the double degree MSc programme in Sanitary Engineering, jointly developed and delivered between IHE Delft and UNIVALLE. In this double degree programme, students begin their studies in Cali with the Foundation phase (August to December); continue with the Specialization phase in Delft (January - September); and finish with the Research phase in Cali or a regional country (October - April).
Contact person for this partnership:
Hector Garcia Hernandez, Senior Lecturer in Wastewater Treatment Technology.
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2 partners in Middle East and North Africa
Birzeit University (BZU)
Birzeit University is a Palestinian Arab institution supervised and guided by an autonomous Board of Trustees. The university endeavours to excel in higher education, scientific research, and service to the community. Since its establishment, the university has remained committed to providing equal learning opportunities to qualified individuals and to prepare students to become good citizens active in their society and committed to its advancement and well-being.
IHE Delft and BZU have been cooperating for over 20 years to advance scientific and human resource development, by direct co-operation in the technical and scientific fields related to water and environment. Together we develop and disseminate new knowledge and skills, share experiences and work on projects for the benefit of both institutions and the Palestinian regional communities. Some of the projects include WE-Birzeit, a DUPC project on curriculum development and PADUCO, a programme to contribute to resolving challenges phased by the water sector by looking at policies and practices. The latter supported by the following principles: applied and relevant research and education; national cooperation with the water sector in a broad sense and national and international academic cooperation with Palestinian and Dutch universities.
Contact person for this partnership:
Peter van der Steen, Associate Professor of Environmental Technology at IHE Delft
NBCBN
NBCBN is a regional network for capacity building of water professionals in the Nile basin. The network was launched in 2002 and has since proved to be a valuable tool for capacity building. Over the years NBCBN has not only linked professionals but brought them closer around common research objectives that serves their countries.
The collaboration between IHE Delft and NBCBN started in 1996 as a continuation of the cooperation between the Research Institute of Egypt and IHE Delft. Recently we have collaborated in the ‘Nile-Eco-VWU’, the Nile Ecosystems Wetlands Valuation and wise-Use. This regional project aimed to develop and test integrated tools for ecosystem services, valuation and assessment that can be applied at local and regional scales within the Nile Basin.
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2 partners in Sub-Saharan Africa
National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC)
As a company that seeks to be part of the communities in which it operates, NWSC has a mission to provide efficient and cost effective water and sewerage services. They seek innovative solutions to deliver safe, clean and affordable water to all urban areas of Uganda. Their vision is “To be one of the leading water utilities in the world”.
IHE Delft and the NWSC developed their first MoU in 2007 with the aim of strengthening the position of both institutions. This has been done by exploiting the unique expertise and experience of both in the delivery of capacity building programmes, by exploring financial support in setting up the NWSC International Resource Centre (IREC), by addressing critical operational and technological challenges and through research and development. Both institutions have been since cooperating in several projects such as CAPIWUA and CWSISP.
In January 2017, IHE Delft signed a tri-partite Cooperation Agreement with NWSC and Vitens Evides International with the aim to further strengthen collaboration and to improve the capacity of water utilities to provide water supply and sanitation services to all. For more information on these joint projects read about ATWATSAN, SMALL and STUUR, a project to strengthen the training centre of the main water utility of Uganda to address the water supply and sanitation challenges that the region faces. This training centre is an important source for vocational trainings for staff of water utilities in Uganda and the wider region.
Contact person for this partnership:
Klaas Schwartz, Associate Professor of Urban Water Governance at IHE Delft
WaterNet Trust Southern Africa
WaterNet envisions a future in which the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has the institutional and human capacity to educate and train its own water managers, capable to contribute to the equitable sharing and sustainable utilisation of water resources for poverty alleviation, economic development and environmental security. Their mission is to build the regional institutional and human capacity in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) through training, education, research and outreach by harnessing the complementary strengths of member institutions in the region and elsewhere.
IHE Delft and WaterNet Trust became partners in 2006 and since then have been regularly joining forces in research, capacity building activities and projects such as AfriAlliance and CapNet. AfriAlliance aims to better prepare Africa for future climate change challenges by having African and European stakeholders work together and CapNet is a network of committed partners to capacity development in the water sector.
The objective of this partnership is to strengthen the capacity of the WaterNet Trust and its members by developing curriculum, quality assurance, guest lecturing, short course delivery, upgrading facilities, as well as joint education and research, including exchange of credits and lecture notes, joint publications and interaction of students in MSc and PhD programmes.
Contact person for this partnership:
Pieter van der Zaag, Professor of Integrated Water Resources Management
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11 partners in Western Europe
Deltares
Deltares is an independent institute for applied research in the field of water, subsurface and infrastructure. Throughout the world, they work on smart solutions, innovations and applications for people, environment and society. Their main focus is on deltas, coastal regions and river basins.
IHE Delft and Deltares signed the present Memorandum of Understanding in 2014 with the goal to jointly strengthen theirs missions internationally, to advance their areas of interest and to implement integrated approaches to the sustainable management of water, the subsurface and environmental resources. Together, they aim to make knowledge, experience and skills available to those working in water-related sectors.
Both institutes cooperate in research, guest lecturing, shared part time staff, preferred partners in consortia and supervision, sponsoring of MSc and PhD research and several project partnerships in Ivory Coast, Sao Tome, Vietnam, Senegal, Bangladesh, USA, Indonesia, China and Fiji, to name a few, as well as the co-development of software’s such as Delft3D-FM, XBeach.
Contact person for this partnership:
Dano Roelvink, Professor of Coastal Engineering and Port Development
Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS)
The Directorate-General for International Cooperation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for development cooperation policy and for its coordination, implementation and funding. One of their main focus is coherence between Dutch and EU policy on developing countries.
The approach of 'Working in partnership' has considerably increased IHE Delft’s impact related to water and development at the global and local levels. This approach has been strongly supported by the programmatic cooperation between the DGIS and IHE Delft, also called the DGIS UNESCO-IHE Programmatic Cooperation (DUPC) that started in 2008 with the first phase of the programme. DUPC entered its second phase at the beginning of 2016.
The goal of DUPC2 (2016-2020) is to provide tangible contributions in solving water and development challenges in southern and transition countries, by equipping people and organisations through sustained and strengthened partnerships with key partners in these countries.
Contact person for this partnership:
Wim Douven, Associate Professor of Integrated River Basin Management
Dutch Organization for internationalisation in education (Nuffic)
Nuffic is the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education. As an independent, non-profit organisation based in The Hague, their ambition is that every student gain international experience. From The Hague and their 11 strategically placed offices worldwide, they bring together people, languages and cultures.
The cooperation between IHE Delft and Nuffic started shortly after the establishment of IHE Delft in 1957. IHE Delft runs a number of capacity building projects, tailor made trainings, refresher courses and alumni events which are funded by the Dutch Government via Nuffic. Additionally over 100 MSc and PhD students of IHE Delft are funded by the Netherlands Fellowship Programme through Nuffic.
IHE Delft supports Nuffic in their maintenance of alumni networks as well as providing real-time, on-the-ground feedback on emerging issues in various countries, allowing for Nuffic to anticipate potential issues.
Contact person for this partnership:
Mishka Stuip, Liaison Officer
Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is committed to improving quality of life, access and mobility in a clean, safe and sustainable environment. The Ministry strives to create an efficient network of roads, railways, waterways and airways, effective water management to protect against flooding, and improved air and water quality.
IHE Delft and the Ministry of Infrastructure andWater Management partnership started in 2003. The cooperation has the overall objective to support the International Water Ambition of the Dutch Government, and has more specifically the following overarching goals: 1) Support Policy and Governance for the Delta Programme and for other international initiatives (e.g. SDGs); 2) Contribute to the Innovation Programme of the Ministry regarding Delta technology and Water Technology; 3) Support the Sustainable Economic Cooperation agenda of the Dutch Government (Top Sector Water).
A number of activities are currently running in the framework of implementation of the MoU, including activities to support the High Level Panel on Water (HLPW), the broader SDG agenda on the Ministry specifically on SDG 6 Monitoring and the support of the recently established Global Centre of Excellence on Climate Change Adaptation (GCECA).
Contact person: Gaetano Casale, Liaison Office Manager
Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) was founded in 1991 with the purpose to strengthen water governance. To help bring about lasting change within and around water-related issues, the institute generates knowledge that supports wiser decision-making towards water. With a vision of a ‘Water Wise World’, SIWI initiates research, builds institutional capacity, manages projects and investigations on water-related issues and serves as an advisor in core water-related areas nationally and internationally.
IHE Delft and SIWI’s partnership has been in place since October 2014 with the main goal of combining both networks and expertise in the areas of transboundary water cooperation and water diplomacy. We work together on activities relating to knowledge management and sharing, advice, contributing to informed decision-making, establishing platforms, facilitating networks, and capacity development relevant to support transboundary water management such as our joint contribution on women leadership training, the Open Water Diplomacy Lab projects and development of water diplomacy curricula for capacity building. More information: http://www.siwi.org
Contact person for this partnership:
Zaki Shubber, Lecturer in Law and Water Diplomacy
TU Delft
TU Delft’s mission is to make a significant contribution towards a sustainable society for the twenty-first century by conducting ground-breaking scientific and technological research which is acknowledged as world-class, by training scientists and engineers with a genuine commitment to society and by helping to translate knowledge into technological innovations and activity with both economic and social value.
IHE Delft and TU Delft, each on their own way and fashion, are dedicated to contribute to the improvement of the water science and engineering sector. We have an ongoing partnership since 2005 collaborating in a number of different projects such as joint education, joint research, joint promotions, zero-nominations, guest-lecturing and student exchange. Currently some of the PhD defences are taking place in TU Delft, and the TU Delft PhD degree is awarded to IHE Delft PhD fellows. Our difference in orientation is exactly the added value of our partnership.
Contact person for this partnership:
Dimitri Solomatine, Professor of Hydroinformatics
University of Amsterdam (UvA)
A modern university with a rich history, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) traces its roots back to 1632, when the Golden Age school Athenaeum Illustre was established to train students in trade and philosophy. Today teaching and research at the UvA are conducted at seven faculties: the Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry, with programmes offered in almost every field. Over time, the UvA has risen to international prominence as a research university, gaining an excellent reputation in both fundamental and socially relevant research. The UvA's thriving doctoral programmes provide an excellent foundation for engaging in high-quality teaching and research.
IHE Delft and the University of Amsterdam begun their partnership in 2013. The aim of this cooperation is the implementation of integrated approaches in the development of human and institutional capacities, and to ensure the strengthening of both institutions. This is done by cooperating on PhD promotions arrangements, PhD and Post-Doc supervision, appointment of Joint Professorship, joint publications, research, education activities and exchange of staff.
Contact person for this partnership:
Klaas Schwartz, Associate Professor of Urban Water Governance
University of Peace
The University for Peace (UPEACE) was created in 1980 as a Treaty Organization within the framework of the United Nations to support the central peace and security objectives of the UN. Its mission is to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace.
The University was established under its own Charter approved by the UN General Assembly, which authorized UPEACE to grant degrees at the MA and Doctoral levels. UPEACE has strong links with various parts of the UN system, including the UN Secretary-General's office. UPEACE has its main body in Costa Rica where it has a campus and facilities near the capital San Jose. It has centres and offices in a dozen places in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the USA and Europe and is increasingly becoming a network organization. It has numerous partnerships with other universities worldwide and with institutions for peace in many countries. The new centre in The Hague will be an important element of the network as it aims to become the representation of UPEACE in the European Union.IHE Delft and the University for Peace establish a joint initiative on water and peace by developing a research agenda, exchange of lecturers and other activities like curriculum development, publication of articles...etc
Read more about the University for Peace
University of Twente
The University of Twente (UT) is a future-focused enterprising university with over 3.300 researchers and professionals working on pioneering research and innovation. UT is highly specialized in engineering and entrepreneurship which are two of their main core values. The university also has approximately 100 companies on campus led by students and more than 800 successful spin-off business. Their mission is to “constantly anticipate future developments and respond rapidly and effectively to the changing world around us”.
IHE Delft and the University of Twente have an ongoing partnership since July 2014, with the aim of implementing integrated approaches in the sustainable management of water and environmental resources and to ensure the strengthening of both institutions. Together we have collaborated on several journal publications and we are currently in preparation for more joint journal/conference papers. Several IHE/UT PhD students and UT MSc students are currently doing their researches at IHE Delft.
Contact person for this partnership:
Rosh Ranasinghe, Professor of Climate Change Impacts & Coastal Risk
Vitens Evides International
Vitens Evides International is an organization responsible for the international corporate social responsibility agenda of six Dutch water operators. In a not-for-profit basis they support water operators in Africa and Asia with the goal of realizing SDG 6. VEI offers local water companies technical, operational and management support, both in short and longer terms. The aim is to help water companies to become financially healthier and to operate more efficiently with a minimum of water loss and non-revenues. This way, they will be able to contribute to the improvement of drinking water supplies and sanitation in developing countries.
IHE Delft and VEI joined forces officially in 2012 with the goal to increase the effectiveness and impact of capacity building in the international water sector and to able to successfully obtain financial support for (inter) national project activities for capacity development on Water Utility Management. Both institutions have been since cooperating in several projects such as BEWOP, SALINPROVE, AltWater and PEWAK.
On January, 2017, IHE Delft signed a tri-partite Cooperation Agreement with VEI and the National Water and Sewerage Corporation with the aim to further strengthen collaboration and to improve the capacity of water utilities to provide water supply and sanitation services to all. For more information on these joint projects read more about ATWATSAN and SMALL.
Contact person for this partnership:
Klaas Schwartz, Associate Professor of Urban Water Governance
Wageningen University (WUR)
Wageningen UR is a collaboration between Wageningen University and the DLO foundation. Wageningen UR focuses on the domain ‘healthy food and living conditions’. They do fundamental research all over the world and train professionals who, in the near and distant future, will discover breakthroughs in science and technology. Their mission is ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’.
The main goal of the partnership between IHE Delft and Wageningen University is to collaborate in staff exchange. This is done through joint appointment of professors and several guest lecturers and student assistants, through supervision and support of PhD fellows as well as joint research and capacity development projects such as NICHE, the Netherlands Initiative for Capacity development in Higher Education, and water accounting in Urmia Lake in Iran.
Read more about Wageningen University.
Contact person for this partnership:
Charlotte de Fraiture, Vice Rector Academic and Student Affairs