Territories face growing pressure to provide safe, affordable water while reducing energy use and pollution. This micromodule offers a practical, systems view of the water scarcity (causes, impact and solutions) and water cycle (from drinking-water production and wastewater treatment to resource and energy recovery)—Join us and   propose solutions to face water challenges for Society. 
Across online foundation courses, you will build a shared vocabulary: quality targets, treatment trains, circularity principles, risk and regulation, and stakeholder mapping. You will then travel to Toulouse (France) for a focused mobility week (23–27 February 2026) to visit operational sites, meet practitioners, and analyse local constraints and opportunities. 
The experience concludes with your team’s participation in the Water4Future Student Hackathon (26–27 February 2026), a 48-hour international challenge hosted by the UNESCO ICIREWARD Water Centre. In cross-disciplinary teams and with coaches, you will frame a challenge, scan evidence, and co-design a concise, context-aware concept that balances treatment performance, energy use, recovery potential, and social acceptance. You will pitch your concept to a jury at the end of the event. 
What will you gain? A clear understanding of how circular approaches can strengthen water security; hands-on practice in problem framing, systems mapping, and rapid concept prototyping; and communication skills for non-specialist audiences. You will leave with an evidence-based concept, expert feedback, and teamwork experience valued by utilities, engineering firms, and public agencies. 

Intended audience: late-Bachelor and Master students from any discipline; prior water coursework is not required (recommended English level: B2).