The project consortium consists of 13 partners from 6 different countries (Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Netherlands & Sweden) and brings together scientific expertise, public authorities and economic actors.

Projectpartner:

• Logistik-Initiative Hamburg, DE
• Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg, DE
• Hamburg Port Authority, DE
• Antwerp Management School, BE
• Flanders Environment Agency, BE
• Vordingborg Municipality, DK
• International Association Cities And Ports (AIVP), FR
• Port of Lille, FR
• Rijkswaterstaat (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management), NL
• PortPay, NL
• City of Nijmegen, NL
• InnoValor Advice, NL
• Ecoloop, SE

The Logistics Initiative Hamburg is acting as work package leader for the implementation and acceleration of developed digital / smart solutions. In addition, Logistics Initiative Hamburg is responsible for the project communication and dissemination.

Furthermore, various associated partners support the project:

• Bremenports , DE
• Brunsbüttel Ports, DE
• By&Havn Copenhagen, DK
• Municipality of Dordrecht, NL
• Hafen Helgoland, DE
• POM Oost Vlaanderen, BE
• Waternet, NL
• Port of Ystad, SE
• Trafikverket, SE

Waterways and waterfronts are vital for the North Sea Region’s (NSR) economy, ecology and quality of life. This multiple interest leads to issues like conflicting use, accidents and pollution. Such issues increasingly occur in shared waterways and waterfronts of the NSR. This is caused by growing pressures exerted by urban development, commercial, recreational and other activities.

Traditionally, responsible authorities apply a static approach to respond to such issues and pressures. This worked and still works well for their typical tasks, like water management. However, they experience that it is unfit to rapidly respond in a fast-changing environment.

To address this common challenge, some authorities are exploring new, innovative methods of working and introducing digital/smart solutions. Yet, they do so separately and only in larger cities, less so in rural areas. There is a huge opportunity to share knowledge and experiences between countries and between urban and rural areas.

Connected River (CR) will tap this opportunity. It aims to boost capacities of multi-stakeholder ecosystems to deliver services that guarantee safety, accessibility and liveability of shared waterways and waterfronts in the NSR. It will do so by bringing diverse partners and stakeholders together in 3 pilots that take place in 6 pilot areas. Components of the so-called Flow Forward approach are jointly developed and implemented in 3 pilots on:

1. mobilizing multi-stakeholder ecosystems for user-centric, agile innovation;
2. conducting user-centric, agile innovation on challenges that shared waterways and waterfronts face; and
3. accelerating uptake of digital/smart solutions to improve services to stakeholders.

Based on the pilots’ lessons learnt, CR delivers a playbook (strategy) to maximise uptake and transferability of the Flow Forward approach. This sets out the values, processes and procedures for a fit-for-future response to challenges that shared waterways and waterfronts face. CR partners also make roadmaps on how to integrate the playbook into their innovation strategies.