Programme › CRP and TC

Advancing the Field through Research

The IAEA's Coordinated Research Projects (CRPs) support international research efforts to develop new scientific approaches on relevant themes. Specific CRPs in the water resources sector are developed and supported by the Water Resources Programme, with select teams assembled for each project. Scientists are brought together from developed and developing nations to exchange knowledge and to enhance research capabilities while working on themes of common interest. Some recent examples include the use isotope techniques to assess submarine groundwater discharge, the characterization of pollutant behaviour in the unsaturated zone and the use of isotopes to aid understanding of the effects of long-term exploitation of groundwater.

The IAEA also grants research contracts to universities, research centres and other Member State institutions when innovative research is proposed that will advance the field of isotope hydrology. The Water Resources Programme organizes technical meetings to bring together Member State institutions and other UN agencies to explore water issues of international concern that are beyond the scope of national research institutions.

The IAEA also provides financial support for conferences held in developing countries. These meetings help to educate participants in state-of-the-art practices in the field and provide a forum for scientific discussion.

Technical Cooperation Projects: Capacity Building for Problem Solving

The IAEA has spearheaded efforts for the use and application of isotope techniques by national institutions in the Member States to address priority water issues through its Technical Cooperation (TC) projects. By supporting training, technical expertise and infrastructure development, the IAEA has been working to meet the needs and requests of Member States for capacity building to address their practical problems. For example, The IAEA provides training for young 'water' professionals and helps Member States set up laboratories to undertake isotope measurement.

There are currently more than 80 water resource projects in the Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America regions which address a variety of issues related to groundwater and surface water resources. For example, assessing mitigation options for arsenic pollution of drinking water in Bangladesh, determining the relationship of groundwater to water levels in Lake Victoria, delineating the recharge zone of springs to protect water quality in rural Uganda, locating leakages and seepages in dams and reservoirs, augmenting recharge in the arid regions of the Middle East, determining the movement of fluids in geothermal fields to ensure sustainable use in Central America, demarcating sources and pathways of surface water pollution in Mongolia, characterizing and monitoring transboundary aquifer systems such as the Nubian, north-western Sahara and Iullemeden Aquifer systems in northern Africa and the Guarani Aquifer in South America.

Home ¦ Our Role ¦ Programme ¦ Isotope Hydrology ¦ Resources ¦ About Us