Five Years of EXCEED – Excellence Center for Development Cooperation Sustainable Water Management in Developing Countries

Water is among the 21st century’s key development issues. Almost one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water, whilst around one third of mankind does not have suitable sanitary facilities or wastewater treatment. The Exceed SWM Project of Braunschweig University addresses the Millennium Development Goal MDG 7/C “Ensure Environmental Sustainability – Halve by 2015 the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”. Exceed SWM aims to develop and to transfer competencies and knowledge on sustainable water management to future experts and decision-makers in the partner countries, enabling them to shape technological and economic-political change processes through population growth and climate change. Based on the world-wide network of 35 partner universities in 18 countries on four continents, this Excellence Centre focuses on capacity building in developing and emerging countries through training of and networking between experts. A university each in Mexico, Turkey, Burkina Faso, and Vietnam coordinate the activities within their Regional Networks, whilst Braunschweig University initiates and organizes the trans-regional measures. To achieve these goals, the existing study programs at partner universities related to sustainable water management at MSc and PhD levels are analyzed and upgraded; new courses initiated for further education of scientific and technical staff at universities, enterprises, and public authorities at the respective regions. Summer schools, regional and international workshops, and expert seminars are organized for capacity building and further education. An intense exchange of students, young scientists, and academic teachers in all directions south-north, north-south, and south-south accomplishes education for capacity building. The same topics are also subject of joint teaching and research activities at Exceed member universities and the International Exceed Guest Chair and International Guest Team established at the Braunschweig University. Climate Change is a global challenge that we have to cope with, through coordinated international efforts in education for capacity building, joint R&D, and responsible trans-national and transformation politics. With its Exceed Project, Braunschweig University aims to contribute to international activities and measures in terms of higher education and research for capacity building in developing countries: http://www.exceed.tu-braunschweig.de