AUSTRALIA LIVING WITH FLOODS was the theme of the first edition of the Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge. The theme reflects an important dimension of the approach that Australia and the Netherlands are taking to address water-related challenges, such as floods and droughts, focused on “living with” rather than just “fighting against” water.

In the Netherlands, programs such as the Delta Programme, Room for the River and Building with Nature are driving an important transition that seeks to move beyond traditional flood defenses and find new ways for people to live in harmony with their water environment and create mutual opportunities. Also in Australia, major policy and infrastructure initiatives are underway to increase the country’s flood resilience. The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry and its extensive recommendations form an important platform on which a new flood management approach is being established.

It is against this background, that a group of Australian and Dutch companies and institutions with extensive water management expertise launched the 1st Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge in 2012, reaching out to almost 1,000 graduate students and young researchers across Australia to propose their innovate solutions.