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Wetskills-Japan 2025
September 28 - October 9
Wetskills back at the World Expo: follow our Event in Osaka!
“Let’s start solving global challenges together”
Osaka, Japan, faces growing water challenges due to urbanization, climate change, and the increasing risk of extreme weather events. As the host city for World Expo 2025, it is addressing these issues while showcasing innovative solutions. The Expo serves as a unique platform to highlight sustainable water management practices, with a focus on flood prevention, water conservation, and infrastructure resilience. New solutions, such as advanced technologies and green infrastructure, will be key to ensuring long-term water security. Equally important is engaging youth in these initiatives, fostering awareness and encouraging the next generation to contribute to sustainable water practices. By integrating these solutions and engaging young people, Osaka will set a global example for climate resilience and water stewardship.
Follow us in this Wetskills event, with an unforgettable two-week program with site visits, teambuilding, meetings with water experts, and more, that brings together vibrant, multidisciplinary teams of four to five participants. Our mission? To develop groundbreaking solutions for real-world challenges presented by our esteemed case owners from across the water sector – industry leaders, government agencies, NGOs, and knowledge institutes. And present it in The Netherlands Pavilion of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka (Picture credits: AND BV & Plomp)
In this Event we had 12 participants from 6 countries! Participants are coming from: Japan, South-Korea, The Netherlands, South-Africa, Italy, and Antigua and Barbuda. The Finals and Awarding Ceremony was part of the Future is Now #Water seminar organized by Wetskills and Wavemakers in the Netherlands Pavilion. It was a truly great experience for all participants!
Watch the event video!
Joining this Wetskills Event – What do you get?
A unique learning experience where you will tackle real-life water challenges with your own team!
♦ You will increase your skills in: international cooperation; problem solving, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary teamwork, networking and presenting (pitch & poster);
♦ You will get the opportunity to connect with other international water students/young professionals;
♦ You will visit the Wetskills finals and awarding at 2025 World Expo;
♦ You will visit Osaka and surroundings: water-related, natural and cultural sites, and meetings with water experts;
♦ You will learn, network and experience more about international and regional water challenges, the main stakeholders and organisations, contemporary issues and current business opportunities;
♦ You will receive a certificate of participation upon completion of the programme.
More information
For more information on this event, please contact Michiel de Koning, michiel.de.koning@wetskills.com and/or Johan Oost, johan.oost@wetskills.com.
Event Cases
Case 1: Sandbox design wastewater system
Case owner: Water Authority Hollands Noorderkwartier
The current system of wastewater treatment in the Netherlands Is approaching system boundaries. Upcoming national and European legislation requires extra removal of nutrients and medicine, as well as system designs that emit less greenhouse gas, recover materials from the wastewater and buildings built in a circular manner. Other challenges are the market, with limited room for adjustments to all wastewater treatment plants, a decrease in available employees with technical skills to operate In WWTP‘s and a shift in the skills necessary in this branch. These combined challenges offer a unique opportunity to rethink the current wastewater treatment system and implement fundamental changes. The goal of this case is to design a wastewater treatment system (collection, transport and treatment of wastewater) from scratch, without being hindered by current systems.
Case 2: Biodiversity and flood safety combined.
Case owner: Water Authority Delfland
Biodiversity is steadily losing grounds in Europe, and especially in the Netherlands the number of species is recklessly decreasing. Levees are potential sanctuaries for diverse plants and animals as they are where water meets land for much of the Netherlands, and they are long stretches of green and blue crossing the country. One obstacle however is high maintenance and the difficulty of inspecting the levees when they are overgrown with vegetation. For these reasons governing bodies are hesitant to implement biodiverse planting measures. Delfland is looking for methods or potential locations where biodiverse measures can be implemented without overly increasing costs and needed manpower for maintenance.
Case 3: Closing the funding gap for Non-Revenue Water Reduction in South Africa
Case owner: Department of Water and Sanitation of South Africa
South Africa loses nearly half of its treated drinking water before it generates any revenue due to non-revenue water, which includes leaks, faulty metering, illegal connections, and billing inefficiencies. This not only wastes water but costs municipalities billions of rand annually, threatening financial and service sustainability. The Department of Water and Sanitation is seeking innovative financing solutions to help municipalities systematically reduce NRW, turning water savings into tangible revenue. One example is the Water Footprint Compensation method, where private companies invest in water management projects to balance the water system. Wetskills participants are challenged to design scalable, accountable, and bankable funding models that combine public and private investment, verify results, and incentivize long-term action.
Poster & pitch
Poster & pitch – Winning team! congratulations Jen, Fleur, Bart and Precious
Poster & pitch
Event Partners
Impression of Wetskills at World Expo 2022 in Dubai
Previous Wetskills events in East Asia (South Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan)