The solutions the world needs to tackle water scarcity could be being tested today in the Canary Islands. There, Aqualia is working alongside universities and technology centres to develop and validate new solutions in sustainable desalination, brine recovery and the digitalisation of the water cycle. At the WAVE innovation centre, our teams research and test technologies under real-world conditions, generating knowledge with the potential to address global water challenges. In this article, Estefanía Bautista, Head of R&D&I Projects for the Canary Islands,  shows how this collaboration between science, innovation and operations is helping to build a more efficient and sustainable water management system.

Training future water sector professionals also involves gaining first-hand knowledge of how the infrastructure that guarantees water supply works. With this aim in mind, Aquaculture Engineering students from the National Technological Institute of Mexico visited the Guaymas-Empalme Desalination Plant in the state of Sonora to learn about the water desalination and treatment process.& nbsp;During the visit, Erick Mauricio Contreras, the plant’s Head of Maintenance, explained the complete water management cycle to them, from abstraction and desalination through to treatment, supply and distribution, giving them an insight into the operational reality of a key piece of infrastructure for the region’s water supply.

The gamification campaign 'Ahora, no caigas' has been launched in Spain. This initiative from the Health and Wellbeing department is dynamic, participatory and takes a friendly, fun approach aimed at promoting the prevention of trips, falls and slips amongst production teams. Through three themed challenges and a national leaderboard, participants will put their knowledge of safety to the test, earning points for themselves, their teams and their branches. Because safe habits can also be learnt through play. Which team will top the leaderboard? Who will reach the final?

Aqualia has renewed its commitment to the Diversity Charter for another year, an initiative that promotes equal opportunities, inclusion and respect for diversity in the workplace. With this renewal, which builds on the commitment the company has held since 2018, we reaffirm our commitment to creating workplaces where everyone can develop their talents and feel valued and respected. This commitment is also reflected in initiatives such as AqualiaWomen, the equality campaigns and campaigns against gender-based violence, AqualiaContigo and the training programmes and awareness-raising initiatives on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

With the start of the new school year comes a new opportunity to learn how to look after water and the environment. To this end, Aqualia provides families and young children with tools such as the Children’s Sustainability Meter, which offers a fun way to discover how small everyday actions contribute to a more sustainable future, as well as the Aqualia Educa portal, featuring games, videos, quizzes and resources to help them better understand the full water cycle. This awareness-raising work is complemented by initiatives from other companies in the group, such as the Caltaqua campaign in schools, which teaches younger generations about the value of water and the importance of protecting this essential resource. Because learning today is the first step towards looking after tomorrow.

The i4U Innovation Awards form part of Roota, the FCC Group’s intrapreneurship programme. This decision is backed by the excellent results achieved by Aqualia’s initiatives in previous editions, with projects such as ‘Digital Twins’, spearheaded by Ernesto de la Plata and Carlos Varela, winner of the first edition, or the three award-winning projects at i4U 2025, which reached the final stage of the programme: ‘AqualiaRe’, by José Luis Marín; the accredited mobile laboratory for water analysis, by Cristina Fernández; and ‘Aqualiber‑N’, by Patricio Hermosilla. From now on, our teams’ innovative ideas will be able to drive their development and reach through this corporate innovation initiative, strengthening the opportunities to turn Aqualia’s talent and knowledge into high-impact projects for the Group.

Aqualia’s female talent is once again taking part in Explora, the FCC Group’s professional development programme, which is now in its third year. Our colleagues Pilar Morillas (Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs), Nuria Romero (Talent and Diversity) and Inés Fernández (Customers) have been selected to take part in this initiative, which aims to promote leadership, visibility and professional growth. This initiative reinforces Aqualia’s commitment to promoting female talent and to the measures set out in its 4th Equality Plan.

SmVaK has held its Health Day, an initiative organised in partnership with the Czech health insurer RBP to promote healthy habits amongst its staff. During the event, participants were able to have eye tests, learn breast self-examination techniques and attend a workshop on back care, thereby reinforcing the company’s commitment to people’s health and wellbeing.