AquaticPollutantsTransNet will foster the knowledge transfer and exchange from local to European scale and beyond. It supports the AquaticPollutants projects to create synergies and to maximize impacts of their research results through collective strategic dissemination, exploitation and communication. Innovative science communication approaches elaborated i.a. in a hackathon will strengthen knowledge transfer and exchange with stakeholders. This will help to improve policy making and to reduce risks by aquatic pollutants. The first project phase aims (I) to identify key stakeholders and knowledge demands relevant to aquatic pollutants (CEC, AMR and pathogens) and (II) to develop innovative methods/strategies/tools to improve the transfer of scientific knowledge on aquatic pollutants to policy makers, the public, the health, agricultural and industrial sectors. The aim of the second phase is (I) to create added value by cooperation among the AquaticPollutants projects, (II) to strengthen collaboration with stakeholders and (III) implement innovative methods and channels for strategic transfer exploitation and uptake of results by communication to reach the relevant identified stakeholder groups. Thus, AquaticPollutantsTransNet will follow a tailored dissemination, exploitation and knowledge transfer strategy with multiple dissemination and exploitation routes integrating standardisation, thematic expert groups, political fora, scientific networks and the public.

As groundwater extraction increases worldwide, generating a range of economic and ecological impacts, many countries are implementing regulation systems to restrict groundwater use. Their implementation often remains problematic as a result of low compliance in set rules. Key to low compliance is the limited involvement of stakeholders in the setting-up of rules. At the same time, many factors make stakeholder engagement in groundwater management difficult. Furthermore, as groundwater debates focus mostly on limiting (current) groundwater abstraction, they provide limited scope for solutions bringing benefits to current water abstractors, making them de facto opponents to rule expected to negatively impact them. Our main objectives is to demonstrate that well-designed stakeholder processes can deliver socially-accepted management rules with higher chances of been complied with, thereby enhancing groundwater long-term sustainability. We focus on how effective stakeholder involvement impacts stakeholder groundwater literacy, develops capacity to think long-term and capture trade-offs, and contributes to developing innovative rules. We also investigate how a paradigm shift from narrowly defined groundwater management (limiting water abstraction) to conjunctive soil and groundwater management (managing "net water extraction" by bringing attention to (water) retention and recharge, including nature-based solutions) gives more chances to successful stakeholder process outcomes. Our research builds on: 1) a truly transdisciplinary approach combining biophysical and human sciences (sociology, economics, political sciences?); 2) strong stakeholder mobilisation from research design to the critical understanding of results; 3) the combination of context-specific approaches (7 case studies representing a diversity of contexts in France, US, Taiwan and Russia) and transversal (comparative) research ensuring collective learning and the identification of pre-conditions for successful stakeholder processes delivering socially accepted groundwater management rules.