News about water is becoming increasingly alarming: water scarcity, overused resources, droughts and floods all show how serious the challenges have become. This makes international exchange all the more important when it comes to finding ways to use and protect water resources more responsibly in the future.

One of the key global meeting points for this exchange is World Water Week in Stockholm. This year, the Josef Wund Foundation attended for the first time. Under the theme Water for People and Progress, experts from science, politics, business and civil society came together to discuss current developments and explore possible solutions.

“Water bankruptcy”: when water crises are no longer temporary

One of the most memorable contributions came from Prof. Kaveh Madani, recipient of the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize. With his concept of “water bankruptcy”, he describes a situation that goes far beyond temporary water scarcity.

When water resources are overused for many years and natural systems are permanently damaged, a point can be reached where previous conditions can no longer be fully restored. Madani’s concept also draws attention to the responsibility of politics and society: water crises are not caused by climate change alone, but are also shaped by the way existing resources are managed and by the decisions that are made.

Young ideas for the future of water

Another focus of our visit was the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. The international competition brings together young researchers from different countries who are working on scientific projects and new ideas related to water.

For the Josef Wund Foundation, this competition will take on particular importance in the future: from 2027 onwards, the Foundation will support the German nomination for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize together with Jugend forscht.

This marks a further expansion of the Josef Wund Foundation’s commitment to water research and the promotion of young talent. The aim is to encourage young people to engage scientifically with the major water-related challenges of our time and to develop their own approaches and solutions.

Our first visit to World Water Week provided many new impressions and perspectives. At the same time, it made clear just how important international cooperation and exchange between generations are when it comes to the future of our water resources.

Climate action and sustainability have long become integral parts of sports. More and more sports clubs across Baden-Württemberg are investing in energy-efficient infrastructure, resource-saving solutions, and sustainable mobility, thereby taking responsibility far beyond their sporting activities. To highlight and encourage this commitment, the Josef Wund Foundation supports the "Climate Action and Sustainability" category of the WLSB Sports Foundation's Club Award. This year marked the second time that the WLSB Sports Foundation presented the award sponsored by the Josef Wund Foundation. On behalf of the Foundation, Dr. Heiko Schmid and Andreas Schaffer presented the awards.

Sustainable drinking water supply, innovative water treatment, and new approaches to energy generation – this year’s recipients of the special award “The Power of Water” demonstrate how passionately young people are addressing the challenges surrounding one of our most valuable resources: water.

The Josef Wund Foundation from Stuttgart is supporting water research in Baden-Württemberg with €40,000. The funding will support three scientific workshops hosted by the Universities of Freiburg, Karlsruhe (KIT), and Stuttgart, aimed at connecting early-career researchers and generating new research momentum.

With the fifth presentation of the Undine Award, the Josef Wund Foundation once again honored people and projects that open up new perspectives on water through creativity, commitment, and innovation. Around 150 guests gathered at Café am See NIL in Stuttgart to celebrate the award winners and exchange ideas on current challenges and opportunities surrounding the vital resource of water.

Our mobile swimming pool, Wundine II, is making a stop at Lake Tegernsee this spring. In Bad Wiessee, we had the opportunity to present our concept to the President of the Bavarian State Parliament, Ilse Aigner, Member of the Bavarian State Parliament (MdL), and the Bavarian Minister of Health, Judith Gerlach, Member of the Bavarian State Parliament (MdL).

Children are naturally curious and eager to explore the world around them. To nurture their spirit of discovery and introduce them to scientific thinking and learning, the Academy for Scientific Continuing Education (AWW) at Weingarten University of Education has been serving as a regional network partner of the Stiftung Kinder forschen (Children Research Foundation) since 2022. The Josef Wund Foundation, together with the Ravensburg District Community Foundation, supports the network with annual funding of €50,000.

Since mid-January, the Josef Wund Foundation’s mobile teaching pool “Wundine I” has been stationed in Ingersheim. Until the end of March, 136 children aged four to nine enjoy 90 minutes of water-based learning each week at the parking area of Fischerwörth Hall. This will be followed by an intensive program during the Easter holidays. During an on-site visit on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, members of the Ingersheim Municipal Council had the opportunity to experience the compact mobile swimming facility firsthand.