In 2016 serious concerns on the achievement of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020 targets, due to the continuing loss of biodiversity and degradation of aquatic habitats, led to the urgent adoption of a new Resolution for implementing ecosystem restoration measures. Moreover, on December 2018 the EU raised to 32% the binding renewable energy target for 2030, bringing further input to hydropower development. Meeting these targets sets challenging issues for mitigating the impacts of man-made structures in rivers that fragment habitats and prevent movement and migration of aquatic organisms. The proposed ETN will train 15 ESRs in the interdisciplinary field of Ecohydraulics to find innovative solutions for freshwater fish protection and river continuity restoration in anthropogenically altered rivers. The 15 ESRs will carry out an innovative and integrated research programme within a multidisciplinary and intersectoral Network, including 8 leading European Universities, consultancy companies, public agencies and hydropower industry, encompassing experts in fish biology, river ecology, environmental fluid mechanics and hydraulic engineering. The 15 ESRs will have access to a number of laboratory and field facilities, modelling techniques, experimental practices and instrumental technologies, to expand current understanding of key fundamental fish bio-mechanical, behavioural and physiological processes, and to promote development of novel tools and management solutions in the area of freshwater fish protection. ESRs will be enrolled in specific PhD training programmes according to the rules of 6 host countries and will undertake a Network-wide training programme inclusive of research activities in at least 2 EU countries, short courses at 5 Network Schools, and a series of dissemination and public outreach actions, with the fundamental goal of forming a group of young scientists and practitioners who will play a key role in the water sector at the European scale.

Despite considerable potential to satisfy unmet electricity demand and chart a new way forward in cooperative cross-sectoral management of shared waters, small scale hydropower (SHP) is not extensively exploited in Central Asia (CA). Likewise, vast potential to roll out European SHP approaches in other regions, European technologies have not been widely used due mostly to the lack of adaptation to such contexts; successful test cases are scant as their price point is typically far higher than Asian-manufactured competitors. The Hydro4U project will adapt European technologies to CA, demonstrating viability in a forward-looking cross-border Water/Food/Energy/Climate nexus (WP2) and price-competitiveness through design alterations (WP3) based on a prior analysis of unexploited SHP potential in CA (WP1). Hydro4U will install and assess (WP4) 2 demo plants: 500kW low-head eco-friendly run-of-river plant in KA, 2MW medium-head plant in UZ, both with radically reduced planning and construction costs that do not compromise efficiency. These solutions will be fit-for-purpose based on innovation, modularization, standardisation and radically simplified structural concepts, with longevity, eco-compatibility and socio-political acceptance (WP3). A replication model will be developed to address all SHP potential (WP5). This will demonstrate EU quality standards and create entry points in developing markets for the entire European SHP industry (WP6). Hydro4U brings together a multidisciplinary team (13 partners, 8 countries (DE, AT, CH, LK, ES, BE, CA: UZ, KG, [subsidiary in KZ]) world-renown experts in design of European SHP from industry (GHE, MUHR, HSOL, ILF) to science (TUM, BOKU, KSTU, EV-INBO, SJE, CARTIF), replication (SEZ, CARTIF), exploitation and D&C experts (SEZ), ‘boots-on-the-ground’ R4D institutes (IWMI, TIIAME) with a legacy of achieving practical impact in the water sector in CA, contributing experience from similar projects in CA and worldwide.

FIThydro addresses the decision support in commissioning and operating hydropower plants (HPP) by use of existing and innovative technologies. It concentrates on mitigation measures and strategies to develop cost-efficient environmental solutions and on strategies to avoid individual fish damage and enhancing population developments. Therefore HPPS all over Europe are involved as test sites. The facilities for upstream and downstream migration are evaluated, different bypass systems including their use as habitats and the influence of sediment on habitat. In addition existing tools and devices will be enhanced during the project and will be used in the experimental set-ups in the laboratories and at the test sites for e.g. detection of fish or prediction of behavior. This includes sensor fish, different solutions for migration as e.g. trash rack variations, different fish tracking systems, but also numerical models as habitat and population model or virtual fish swimming path model. Therefore a three-level-based workplan was created with preparatory desk work at the beginning to analyze shortcomings and potential in environment-friendly hydropower. Following the experimental tests will be conducted at the different test sites to demonstrate and evaluate the effects of the different options not covered by the desk-work. Thirdly, these results are fed into a risk based Decision Support System (DSS) which is developed for planning, commissioning and operating of HPPs. It is meant to enable operators to fulfill the requirements of cost-effective production and at the same time meet the environmental obligations and targets under European legislation and achieve a self-sustained fish population.