Celebrating a Decade of Collaboration at the 10th International Meuse Symposium

Collaboration within a river catchment becomes more and more important. The 10^th International Meuse Symposium that took place last september at the University of Liège gathered people connected to the Meuse basin for sharing and exchanging knowledge on water-related modelling and processes and water management (in the widest sense).

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his year marked a special milestone—the 10th edition of the International Meuse Symposium, held at the University of Liège. Since its launch in 2013, this symposium has been an invaluable platform for exchanging knowledge on water-related modelling, processes, and management within the Meuse catchment.

What began with 30-40 participants has now grown into a truly international, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary event, consistently attracting around 100 participants. Scientists, water managers, and stakeholders from academia, consultancy, and public organizations come together to foster collaboration on vital topics ranging from hydrodynamic modelling and environmental management to, most recently, water quality—a key addition in 2023 that expanded our discussions and created parallel sessions for deeper insights.

The symposium’s evolution over the past decade has fostered stronger cooperation and more joint projects between organizations working within the Meuse basin. This is a particularly valuable achievement, as water challenges don’t stop at borders, and neither does the need for collaboration.

We are proud to see how the International Meuse Symposium continues to connect professionals, enhance research initiatives, and promote a better future for water management in the region.

Looking forward to many more years of shared knowledge and progress!

About the Symposium

The objective of the International Meuse Symposium is to share and exchange knowledge on water-related modelling, processes and management of the Meuse catchment. Target audience are scientists, water managers and stakeholders connected to the Meuse basin.

The International Meuse Symposium was initiated in 2013 as a long-term follow-up of a European project aiming at assessing the hydrological impacts of climate evolution throughout the Meuse basin.

An important feature of this symposium is a unique blend of scientists and practitioners among the participants, as we have always had a good balance between participants coming from academia, from water management organizations, and from consultancy offices.

Since 2013, the symposium has been steadily growing. We started with about 30 to 40 attendees. The focus was mostly on hydrological models. Later, broader topics were included in the program, such as hydrodynamic modelling, water management, environmental aspects, and many more. After the 2021 flood, the number of attendees doubled, and since then the number of participants has remained stable around 100 attendees.

Since 2023, water quality issues have also been included in the program. This has enabled organizing parallel sessions, and has made the symposium truly international, intersectoral (academia, public and private), and interdisciplinary.

The symposium has facilitated a stronger cooperation between the organisations which take part in the event. Compared to a decade ago, there are more joint projects, more joint research initiatives, and more interconnections between organisations and people. This is a particularly valuable achievement of this symposium series, since water challenges do not stop at border. This series of symposia is clearly contributing to a better networking between water management organisations, consultancies, and research institutions across the Meuse basin.

Your Contact at ULiège

Benjamin Dewals