German Water Partnership Adapted Water Solutions Worldwide - Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Girod

The GermanWater Partnership (GWP) is a joint initiative of presently 300 members ranging from a broad variety of companies to specialised associations and scientific research institutes of the German water sector. Functioning as a network, GWP bundles the expertise of the German water industry, science and politics and provides a central contact address for all international requests for such know-how. This unique network of globally oriented German water experts is actively supported by five federal ministries.

The association German Water Partnership was founded in April 2008 to assist German players of the water sector entering international markets with the umbrella brand of the German Water Partnership. Since its much applauded launch at the IFAT 2008 trade fair in Munich, GWP’s approach has been to develop integrated, sustainable solutions to water problems and challenges anywhere in the world, especially in emerging and developing countries. As decision makers in many regions try to tackle their local water issues, GermanWater Partnership has improved and facilitated the access to German technology and innovations, know-how and experience with the establishment of this one-stop-shop for expertise in water. Global challenges like climate change and population growth are fundamentally affecting water, aggravating the scarcity of water resources. Here, efficient water management is indispensable - a field of action in which Germany has more than 150 years of experience. In this sense, contributing to the achievement of the UNMillennium Goals in clean water and sanitation is also on the agenda of German Water Partnership.

Due to the multifaceted structure of the German water industry, the German competence in water consists of many small and medium-sized companies offering innovative, highly specialised products and services for specific requirements. This characteristic helps serving the globally growing demand for individually designed and perfectly adapted solutions in the water sector not only in a very effective and sustainable but also economic way. Such, the speciality of the members of GermanWater Partnership is their extremely high flexibility in developing individual concepts to solve specific water problems. German companies, engineers, developers and scientists are used to smoothly and closely cooperating in interdisciplinary teams, implementing product-integrated protection of the environment and integrated water resources management. The results are technologically most advanced, adapted solutions “Made in Germany”, developed in close cooperation of the water industry and water science under the roof of German Water Partnership.