Expected results of cooperation during the project

What is the donor project partner’s technical/professional contribution to the project:

OAK S.A. is the major administrator of water resources in Crete through an extensive hydro-irrigation network, and will provide the necessary technical, scientific assistance and allow access to necessary information and data in order to design, implement and test the proposed methodology for the management of water networks. Due to its role OAK S.A. has significant experience in construction and pricing of water infrastructure.

IGME has specialized experience in specific hydrogeological investigations and will contribute to the quantitative assessment of the balance of inputs – outputs in the water network, but also in the process of monitoring the quality of water resources.

MAICh has extensive research activities in the fields of sustainable rural development and production of agricultural products, and will deal with the detailed specification of processes for monitoring the quality of water resources in direct connection with the detailed quantitative and qualitative determination of agricultural crops in the region covered by the studied hydro-irrigation network.

The Regional Development Fund of Crete in collaboration with the Energy Center of Crete, apart from the intervention in energy management issues, has extensive experience in dissemination of information through the successful organization of various events, seminars, conferences and workshops. Thus it will complete the necessary actions for consultation and dissemination project-related information and actions for the effective cooperation of all relevant actors at regional level.

What will the partnership achieve towards the project outcome and outputs: the team of cooperating institutions gathers together all the relevant expertise for the successful completion of the project. OAK is the main water operator in Crete, IGMEM is the official public institution responsible for water and land quality as well as water resources, MAICH focuses on the agricultural activity in the region under study and the Energy Centre of Crete has expertise and data on Energy, especially renewables. Therefore, the risks associated with the implementation of the project, are minimized.

Are wider effects of the partnership expected? The project is expected to be of interest to every water operator in Greece and abroad. Crete has the advantage that all relevant partners are situated on the island, thus making cooperation easier and pertinent data acquisition possible.