S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION
Transformative synergies for improved water management
Project in Brief
The S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION project is set to transform water management in Europe by merging artistic experimentation with cutting-edge technological innovations. Over 24 months, artists will collaborate with researchers, policymakers, businesses, and local communities to develop sustainable, creative solutions for pressing water challenges. The project focuses on four major European water basins—Atlantic-Arctic, Baltic-North Sea, Mediterranean, and Danube-Black Sea—ensuring regionally relevant interventions that align with local needs and broader European objectives.
Rooted in the EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters, S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION connects with the Mission Lighthouses, which serve as regional hubs for testing and implementing sustainable water solutions. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across science, technology, arts, and policy, the project aims to bridge innovation gaps, explore nature-based solutions, and engage diverse communities in rethinking how Europe manages and values its water resources. Through artistic and technological exploration, it will challenge conventional approaches and inspire new strategies for a more sustainable and resilient water future.
Key activities include:
+ Establishment of the Water Innovation Labs (WILs): Water Innovation Labs (WILs) will be established in Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, and Italy as dynamic hubs for interdisciplinary collaboration. These labs will bring together diverse stakeholders from the quintuple helix—business, academia, government, environment, and civil society—to co-develop innovative, art-driven solutions to regional water challenges.
+ S+T+ARTS Residencies: A total of 25 residencies will support artists in developing experimental, technology-driven artistic solutions to water-related challenges. Hosted in four countries, the residencies will facilitate deep engagement with local communities, scientists, and environmental stakeholders to explore creative interventions that promote water sustainability.
+ S+T+ARTS Residencies Scale-Up and Immersion Programme: A 4-month scale-up phase will help artists refine their prototypes and integrate them into real-world scenarios. This phase includes immersion activities in local communities, participation in international events, and tailored acceleration support to enhance the societal and market adoption of the developed solutions.
+ Impact and Behavioural Change Assessment: S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION will assess the impact of artistic interventions on communities and stakeholders, focusing on behavioural change related to water sustainability. Using surveys, interviews, and data-driven methods, the project will measure shifts in public perception and policy engagement, ensuring long-term influence beyond the project’s duration.
+ Events and Community Activities & International Events: The project features a diverse programme of local events and educational workshops to engage communities, alongside pop-up events in Brussels will offer a platform for artists and stakeholders to engage with policymakers and other stakeholders at the heart of European decision-making. High-profile showcases at the UNESCO Venice Office (Venice Biennale) and Ars Electronica Festival will provide international visibility. The project will conclude with a final conference in Brussels.
+ S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION – Sylloge: The Sylloge will be an open-access digital platform documenting the artistic, scientific, and technological insights developed throughout the project. Featuring narratives, installations, data visualizations, and educational content, the platform will serve as a knowledge hub for water-related innovation and inspire new approaches to sustainable water management.
Duration: January 2025 – December 2026
Consortium: INOVA+ (Portugal) (Coordinator), AIR CENTRE (Portugal), +ATLANTIC CoLAB (Portugal), Rio Neiva (Portugal), WAAG (Netherlands), Hortimare VM (Netherlands), Ars Electronica (Austria), TU Wien (Austria), WAMU-NET (Italy), MUSE (Italy), Pro Progressione (Hungary), KIKK (Belgium)
Contact Person: Patrícia Carvalho & Rita Sousa
Find out more

© Korallysis / Gilberto Esparza (MX)
Water Innovation Labs
(Coming April 2025)

© “Die Welle” / Ars Electronica Solutions at Gasometer Oberhausen / SIGMA
S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION Residencies | Call for Artists
(Coming May 2025)

© Oceans in Transformation / Territorial Agency (INT) / Ars Electronica – Martin Hieslmair
S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION | Calendar of Activities & Events
(Coming May 2025)

© Oceans in Transformation / Territorial Agency – John Palmesino and Ann-Sofi Rönnskog (INT) / Giorgio Fiorese
S+T+ARS AQUA MOTION Sylloge
(Coming April 2025)
Partners



INOVA+ is an expert provider of consultancy services in the fields of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Created in 1997, INOVA+ operates from Portugal (Porto and Lisbon) and has offices in Belgium (Brussels), Germany (Heidelberg) and Poland (Warsaw). With a highly qualified team of more than 90 consultants, with a multidisciplinary background and different nationalities, INOVA+ is also linked to a wide network of partners, which include public administration entities at the local, county, and regional levels, research centres, industry, education & training providers, NGOs, brokerage Institutions and European bodies. INOVA+’s consultants and project managers deliver effective and sustainable solutions in various areas of innovation, including Management & Innovation; Education & Training; Communities and Networks; Activation and Management; Entrepreneurship and Business Development; Internationalization; Science & Technology; Regional Development and Transnational Cooperation. Over the years, INOVA has contributed to the promotion of European and national policies and to the achievement of its priorities, by supporting the design of strategies and projects financed by the European Union. The company has taken part in more than 100 European projects, having coordinated over 50 of them, in a large range of programs.
O Atlantic International Research Centre (AIR Centre) is a distributed international collaborative network aiming to respond to local priorities in the Atlantic Ocean and global challenges under the Sustainable Development Goals. The AIR Centre promotes an integrative approach to space, climate, ocean and energy in the Atlantic, supported by emerging technological innovations and advances in data science, and through South-North and North-South cooperation in the Atlantic Ocean. The AIR Centre’s activity focuses on the individual capacities existing in the organizations that are part of its network to promote scientific and technological domains for solving common problems, promoting change and significant social impact through concrete actions.
The AIR Centre is thus focused on understanding how the Atlantic Ocean and its ecosystems are changing, developing cross-cutting tools and strategic solutions to be applied locally and globally. The AIR Centre implements its activities based on a mission-oriented approach according to the guidelines formulated in the “Atlantic Interactions” initiative, a science diplomacy initiative promoted by Portugal since June 2016. The AIR Centre’s core thematic missions provide a clear direction to promote knowledge-based economic development in the Atlantic region.
The +ATLANTIC CoLAB is a Portuguese not-for-profit R&D+I Collaborative Laboratory with the mission to generate knowledge and value to discover, preserve and sustainably harness the Atlantic Ocean. Its activity focuses on the development of knowledge-based added-value services related to various fields of the blue economy, marine sciences, ocean sustainability, coastal hazards, marine ecosystem’s health, climate change, blue carbon, ocean literacy and science communication. In AQUAMOTION, +ATLANTIC will contribute to several water literacy activities, such virtual reality activities in four European Water Museums with young students.



Rio Neiva – Environmental NGO is a local community-based non-profit association founded in 1989, in Esposende, Portugal.
Our mission is to defend and enhance the local environment and promote sustainable development, through: Environmental Education and Sustainability and Nature Sports.
Our target-location is the local community of the semi-rural Neiva river mouth area and broarder surroundings, between the cities of Esposende and Viana do Castelo, in northern coastal Portugal. Within a Natura 2000 site and the Northern Litoral Natural Park and the Litoral GeoPark.
In 2024 we conducted over 300 activities with over 9000 participations.
For 30 years, Waag Futurelab has worked at the intersection of art, technology and science to design an open, sustainable and just society. By collectively researching emerging technology and questioning underlying cultural assumptions, by experimenting with and designing alternatives on the basis of public values, and by working with society on societal issues.
‘Technology is not neutral.’
Waag works in a team of designers, artists and scientists, utilising public research methods in the realms of technology and society. This is how Waag enables as many people as possible to design an open, fair and inclusive future.
Hortimare provides seeds, technology and expertise to seaweed farmers in countries where this sector is emerging. They establish essential protocols built on science and data for the cultivation of an expanding portfolio of species. Their expertise lies solving the biological challenges related to seaweed cultivation, which they take on with a diverse, ambitious team from 6 continents.



Ars Electronica is a leading cultural institution, educational facility, and R&D lab based in Linz, Austria. Its comprehensive approach to techno-cultural phenomena has brought Ars Electronica a worldwide reputation for excellence. Its four divisions mutually inspire one another in a circuit of creativity. The Ars Electronica FESTIVAL and PRIX set up a stage for the best and brightest international, artistic, cutting-edge experimentations each year. The Ars Electronica CENTER is a year-round presentation & interaction platform intended to educate and entertain local audiences. The FUTURELAB is an innovative, creative R&D facility, endowed with strong technical competence and implementation skills, and linked up to a global network of universities & research facilities.
Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien) is Austria’s largest research and higher education institution in technology and natural sciences. With over 26,000 students and more than 4,000 researchers, TU Wien has been a hub for scientific and technological advancement for more than 200 years, guided by its motto: Technology for People.
Within TU Wien, the Research Unit of Artifact-based Computing & User Research explores cutting-edge developments in sensing, processing, and machine learning. Our research focuses on proactive machine behavior—enabling systems to take initiative and approach users autonomously. We investigate emerging interaction modalities, including voice interfaces, virtual and augmented reality, and novel sensing techniques that provide deeper insights into user behavior. By harnessing these innovations, we aim to enhance predictive capabilities, enabling systems to anticipate user needs and intentions more effectively.
The Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET) is a ‘flagship initiative’ of UNESCO-IHP (the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme of UNESCO).
WAMU-NET operates as an autonomous non-profit NGO and is based between Trento and Venice, Italy. Today the WAMU-NET network counts +120 members in +40 countries.
By Charter, WAMU-NET’s institutional goal is to “reconnect people to water – including its physical, social, cultural, artistic, and spiritual dimensions” and build a “new culture of water” through education.
Two Resolutions of UNESCO-IHP (2018 and 2021) recognized WAMU-NET for its mission to support water sustainability education worldwide.



MUSE is an innovative science museum in Trento, Italy, dedicated to exploring the intersections of nature, science, technology, and society. Through immersive exhibitions, interdisciplinary research, and public engagement, MUSE fosters curiosity and critical thinking on global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, and sustainability. The museum actively collaborates with international networks, blending science with art and digital culture to create transformative experiences. Rooted in the Alpine environment, MUSE serves as a hub for scientific dissemination and participatory innovation, inspiring a deeper understanding of the relationship between humans and the planet.
Pro Progressione is a Budapest-based artistic hub that connects people, professions and ambitions by designing international collaborations in the field of culture. From this combination, creative ideas emerge – artists, cultural activists, scientists and experts of various fields meet and give cutting-edge answers for the questions of our age.
We focus our capacities on the fields where we aim to have a positive long-term impact, thus Pro Progressione is built up on six main pillars, PP Social, PP Cult, PP Arts, PP Sound, PP Green and PP Plus. We are active in the field of socially engaged arts (PP Social), cultural & natural heritage interpretation (PP Cult), music as tradition (PP Sound), productions of unique performances (PP Arts), environmental & social sustainability (PP Green), and projects that develop and improve methods and methodologies combining theoretical knowledge and practical experience (PP Plus).
Pro Progressione has been implementing numerous international projects supported by the European Commission. We believe in interdisciplinary creation, in a mutual exchange between disciplines, art forms and actors of social and artistic fields. Our overall objective is to create an international network of artists, institutions and audiences by helping the communities to find their path towards arts.
Founded in Namur in 2011, the non-profit organization KIKK is committed to building bridges between the arts, sciences, culture and technology. KIKK transforms and densifies space. Free-spirited and daring, KIKK stands between technological innovation and creativity, refreshing the foundations of a reinvented economy.
On a daily basis, KIKK organizes events, stages exhibitions, supports the production of artistic works and participates in the emergence of new projects, which it then supports and promotes.
Every year, KIKK organizes the eponymous international festival in Namur, which showcases digital practices in the broadest sense. For its 11th edition in 2022, the event attracted over 25,000 visitors (professionals and the curious alike) from nearly 40 nationalities.



STARTSAQUAMOTION is co-funded by the European Union under the STARTS – Science, Technology and Arts initiative of DG CNECT (GA no. LC-03568055). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or DG CNECT. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.