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Policy actions  4 of 8

Hydro Nation strategy

We are committed to making Scotland a 'Hydro Nation' where water resources are developed so as to bring the maximum benefit to the Scottish economy.

Hydro Nation Forum

We established the Hydro Nation Forum to help develop the Hydro Nation vision and strategy, and to contribute to its success.

The first Hydro Nation strategy was created in February 2012 to fulfil the statutory duty outlined in the Water Resources (Scotland) Act 2013 for Scottish Ministers to "take such reasonable steps as they consider appropriate for the purpose of ensuring the development of the value of Scotland's water resources".

Reports on progress made so far:

Hydro Nation Scholars programme

The Hydro Nation Scholars programme is an open competition for PhD scholars to undertake approved projects hosted within Scottish Universities and Research Institutes. These projects support the Hydro Nation strategy by:

  • developing understanding of how and where best to develop the value of Scotland's water resources
  • enhancing Scottish capacity in areas in which Scotland has research excellence
  • providing new research and insights into water resources in Scotland

We offer full funding to institutions hosting Hydro Nation Scholars via the Scottish Funding Council.

The programme is managed on our behalf by Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), drawing upon its Scotland-wide network of experts from water policy, industry and academia.

More information on the programme and how to apply can be found on the Hydro Nation Scholars website.

Hydro Nation International programme

We are maximising the value of our water resources by sharing knowledge and collaborating with other countries to grow the international water economy.

This includes:

  • helping our water sector to identify and respond to international opportunities
  • raising international awareness of our capacity and reputation for academic and research excellence
  • exporting Scotland's expertise in water governance and management
  • delivering projects with partners in key international territories to support our aims

We have selected Malawi and India as key international territories where we will address water challenges, contribute to policy development and identify opportunities.

In Malawi, our work has already informed new legislation introduced by both Malawi and Scotland to update aspects of water law, and has highlighted many common areas of interest including water-resource management, community management of assets and increasing public engagement.

Safeguarding the beneficiaries of our international development work

In March 2018, we published our safeguarding policy, which sets out our expectations on the standards from those we fund to provide services to those people and communities who look to our support at their time of greatest need:

"Where we are involved in funding, regulating, scrutinising or providing expert advice to charities involved in delivering international development, we are committed to supporting them, providing a proper framework, and holding them to account in order to achieve these objectives."