In 1998, the Capacity Development of Water and Environmental Services (CADWES) research team was formally established at Tampere University of Technology (TUT). It includes members from: Tampere University, other universities, water and wastewater utilities, consulting engineering companies and environmental and other authorities.
Research focus and goals
As its mission CADWES has defined "to produce usable knowledge and education, based on multi- and interdisciplinary research, on the evolution and development of sustainable use of water services and water resources in a wider institutional context: organisations, governance, management, economics, legislation, policy, rules and practices".
Our values include:
- Global responsibility
- Problem orientation
- Innovativeness
- Societal effectivenes
- Intercation
- Trans- and interdisciplinarity
- Openness and encouragement
- Importance of the pasts and futures
- Equity and equality
- Indispensable Water Services for Sustainable Development
While water is a sector in itself and water services are a part of it, it is also a connector in society. Hardly anything else in the society is linked to so many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as water.
CADWES has been part of over 70 research projects, recently covering themes such as:
- regionalisation of water services
- operational improvements
- small systems management
- on-site sanitation
- stormwater management
- pricing
- asset management
- rehabilitation of aging infrastructure
- aging workforce and tacit knowledge management
- public-private collaboration
- leadership and stewardship
- more transparent decision-making
- water in alleviating poverty
Since 1998, 14 (+ 3 in other universities) doctoral dissertations, 2 licentiates thesis and over 30 MSc theses related to water services development. Team members have published several hundred peer reviewed papers, articles and expert articles; some 40 scientific books, including international; over 100 international conference papers.