The UA Science Park and Water Positive Provide Key Insights for the Water Sustainability Revolution

The Alicante Science Park successfully hosted the "Water Positive. Water Sustainability from Alicante" conference today, a strategic event that gathered over 200 attendees, including experts, companies, institutional representatives, and citizens committed to water regeneration and sustainable innovation.

Organised by the international think tank Water Positive (W+) in collaboration with the Science Park itself, the meeting positioned Alicante as the epicentre of discussions on the circular water economy, resilience to climate change, and technological opportunities to restore water balance from the region.

The event was inaugurated by Amparo Navarro Faure, Rector of the University of Alicante; José Rafael Pascual Llopis, Mayor of San Vicente del Raspeig; Vicente Seguí Picó, Director General of Employment, Business Development and New Economy; David Aracil Aracil, Deputy for Innovation at the Alicante Provincial Council; Mª Carmen García Panadero, Vice President of AEDyR; and Daniele Strongone, President of the W+ think tank.

Plenary sessions and round tables featured leaders from companies such as Aqualia, Aqua Positive, Sacyr Agua, Acciona, Amaya Solutions Europe (AWC), H2O Innovation, GEA, Captoplastics, Schneider Electric, Grupo Alacant, AIMPLAS, AINIA, Bernal Alimentación, and GCON Water, among others, sharing experiences and strategies on water regeneration, STEM leadership, circular economy, and innovation applied to extreme phenomena like "danas".

The Innotransfer session, promoted by the Valencian Science Parks Network, was particularly noteworthy, where various startups and research centres such as UPV-CSIC, AIMPLAS, and the University of Alicante presented advanced solutions in water reuse, contaminant treatment, and water planning in the face of climate change.

Additionally, a participatory workshop on structuring projects with a net positive impact on water resources was held, led by Paula Pérez (Acciona), along with a session on European funding opportunities organised by the SEIMED node of the Enterprise Europe Network, featuring Pablo Navarro (OTRI UA), José Vilar, and Estrella Alcón (Ivace+i).

The event concluded with an industrial experiences panel and a final session moderated by Domingo Zarzo (Sacyr Agua, Think Tank W+, and President of AEDyR), featuring Miguel Fernández (Alicante Provincial Council), Daniel Prats (UA), Antonio Pérez Collar (VAHIA), and other key agents from the water and innovation ecosystem.

In his closing remarks, Esteban Pelayo Villarejo, Director of the Alicante Science Park, stated: "We are very proud to have hosted this event that positions Alicante as a national reference in water innovation. Scientific talent, business commitment, and institutional drive have aligned today to build real solutions to the great water challenge. We deeply thank the Water Positive think tank and all participants for their involvement, and we hope this conference becomes an essential annual event held here at the Alicante Science Park."

The conference confirmed that water can and should be managed from a regenerative perspective, combining science, technology, territory, and collaboration. An inspiring example of the role Alicante can play in the global water transition.