IWRM-NET first joint call is a trans-national initiative funding by IWRM-NET partners. After one year and a half, IWRM-NET partners have agreed on a common 
research programme dealing with Integrated water Resource Management within the context of the Water Framework Directive implementation.  
  
The focus of this call is applied research to support development of the 2015 river basin plans. IWRM-NET wishes to develop a series of case studies, which 
include field testing and applications that can be used by river basin managers across Europe. Trans-national collaborative research projects will be directed 
to the following two topics:  
* Hydrological and morphological pressures and impacts on ecological status  
* Water Governance 
         

With reference to the opening statements IWRM-Net would like to invite research that brings together scientific and management disciplines to deliver new 
approaches to managing water sustainably. The research period will be for approximately 24 months between 2008 and 2010. The focus for this first call is on 
applied research that will support the development of the second river basin plans. IWRM-Net would like to develop a series of case studies with in the field 
testing and application that can be used by relevant river basin managers across Europe and the research would need to consider this in their outputs. Within 
this requirement there is also a need to consider longer term issues such as climate change to start building links to long-term research and knowledge management 
processes (e.g. foresight and horizon scanning).  
  
General Principles for research:  
•	A comparison across IWRM-Net countries, looking at sites, methods and processes to develop science based guidelines and identify good practice in achieving 
integrated water resources management outcomes, the long-term aim being to develop a common framework for integrated water resources management with multiple 
tools that can be applied at the local level.  
•	Involvement of the practitioners of water resources management in the research projects and transfer of knowledge to the relevant groups so that the information 
quickly becomes knowledge.  
  
IWRM-Net has developed the following two topic areas for its first joint call;  
  
•	Hydrological and morphological pressures and impacts on ecological status  
•	Water Governance 
         

for full guidance view: http://www.iwrm-net.org/spip.php?article ...