Applications are now open for the fourth edition of the WAT-CHANGE Seasonal School, a one-week course on water-related ecosystem services and nature-based solutions. It takes place at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa (Italy) from 9 to 13 November 2026 and is organised within the EU PRIMA INVESTWATER project.

As climate change puts growing pressure on conventional water management, the course turns to low-energy, low-impact approaches that strengthen the resilience of ecosystems, communities, and economies. Participants explore nature-based solutions across the water cycle, including water supply, wastewater and polluted water treatment, flood risk mitigation, managed aquifer recharge, river restoration, constructed wetlands, and sustainable drainage systems.

The programme pairs 20 hours of interactive, cross-disciplinary lectures with hands-on laboratory work and field activities, delivered by academics, practitioners, and policymakers. Three field visits give participants first-hand experience of real-world blue and green infrastructure:

• the Massaciuccoli wetland and its phytotreatment area for nutrient-rich rural drainage;
• constructed wetlands treating agronomic process wastewater;
• the ecohydrological infrastructures of the Val di Cornia area, recently recognised by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme as a site of global importance for ecohydrology.

Alongside the technical content, participants gain practical skills in surface water and groundwater monitoring and sampling. By the end of the week, they will be able to understand the functions and impacts of the main nature-based solutions used to tackle common water challenges, and to undertake their preliminary design.

The school is open to Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students. Applications close on 28 September 2026.

Apply: santannapisa.it/wat-change
Contact: Rudy Rossetto, course coordinator — rudy.rossetto@santannapisa.it