The UrbanWaterSECURITY is one of the most important and priority issues to be resolved for both current and next generations. The Waste Management Laboratory of the Department of Environment of the University of the Aegean (Greece) in cooperation with The Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED) of the University of Salerno (Italy) and the Advanced Institute of Water Industry at Kyungpook National University (Korea) is organizing the second Edition of UrbanWaterSECURITY Academy, that will be held in Athens (Greece) from August 30 to September 02 of this year.

UrbanWaterSECURITY will provide an international platform to share and discuss key topics on such water issues with the presentation of nature-based solutions, advanced technologies, and best practices with the support of the international academy staff from leading Institutions in the World active in this field. An additional aim of UrbanWaterSECURITY in 2023 is to contribute to the overall goal of enhancing cooperation, integration, and sustainable development in the Euro-Mediterranean region on critical topics of Water and Security.

Topics

Understanding the impacts of urbanisation on the urban water cycle and managing the associated health risks demand adequate strategies and measures. Health risks associated with urban water systems and services include the microbiological and chemical contamination of urban waters and the outbreak of water-borne diseases, mainly due to poor water and sanitation in urban areas, and the discharge as well as the disposal of inadequately treated, or untreated, industrial and domestic wastewater. Climate change only exacerbates these problems, as alternative scenarios need to be taken into consideration in urban water risk management. Topics of interest of the UrbanWaterSECURITY Academy include, but are not limited to the following aspects:

• Nexus framework and governance;
• Environmental technologies for the sustainable development of the water sector;
• Future clean energy technologies and systems under water constraints;
• Implementation and best practices.

About the Academy

The International Academy in UrbanWaterSECURITY is an intensive training opportunity open to Master's and PhD students, post-docs, and young researchers. Urban Water Security is characterized by complex, so-called wicked, problems where traditional assumptions of causality and predictability may not apply. The fundamental importance of better connections between science, policy and society provides new demands on candidates, who are increasingly expected to possess not only a deep knowledge of their own discipline but are additionally capable of placing that knowledge in a wider understanding of societal needs. To help meet these challenges, the International Academy in UrbanWaterSECURITY has been established. The aim of the Academy is to create a vibrant and intellectually exciting research and development environment at the heart of the institute. The Academy supports the candidates and the institute to contribute to the global challenges for sustainable water use. The Academy is informed by a program committee that includes academic staff from leading institutions, that define a program for each edition selecting valuable Academy Members as teachers.

Important notice: Attendance of the Academy is free of charge for CEST2023 registered participants and a certificate will be provided. Students who are not registered for CEST2023 and wish to participate should contact us at cest@gnest.org