ISSI was created to connect the growing need for water security in Southern Europe with the advanced culture of prevention, research and technological planning developed in Scandinavia. Based in Siena, the Institute acts as a bridge through which scientific knowledge, digital innovation and international experience can be adapted to the specific environmental, institutional and socioeconomic characteristics of Italian territories.

This connection is rooted in the research and innovation ecosystem of Lund, Sweden. Through collaboration with Lund University, the Scandinavian Institute of Climate Resilience (SICR) and Aegir Resilience AB, ISSI brings together academic expertise, climate-resilience methodologies and predictive Water Intelligence technologies. These partnerships support the development of tools capable of integrating climatic, hydrological, infrastructural, environmental and socioeconomic information into a unified framework for territorial analysis.

At the centre of this collaboration is Hydro Nexus Analytics (HNA), the predictive platform developed by Aegir Resilience within Lund’s innovation ecosystem. HNA transforms fragmented data into vulnerability indexes, territorial maps, future scenarios and practical recommendations. Rather than considering droughts, floods or infrastructure failures as isolated phenomena, the platform examines how different vulnerabilities interact and how water-related events can generate broader social and economic consequences.

ISSI translates these scientific and technological capabilities into solutions that municipalities and local stakeholders can use in practice. Scandinavian expertise is therefore not simply transferred to Southern Europe but adapted, tested and refined through local pilot projects. Starting from Siena and its surrounding municipalities, ISSI aims to create a model of water planning that combines international innovation with detailed territorial knowledge.

The ultimate objective is to help public administrations move beyond emergency management and develop a more preventive, technologically advanced and strategic relationship with water. By strengthening cooperation between Northern and Southern Europe, ISSI seeks to make water crises increasingly predictable, manageable and less damaging to communities, public services and local economies.

A Bridge Between Scandinavia and Southern Europe

Why Siena?

The decision to establish ISSI in Siena also has a deeply personal dimension. One of the Institute’s founders was born and raised in Siena and has been living and working in Scandinavia for several years, where he has developed expertise in water geopolitics, climate resilience, international cooperation and predictive Water Intelligence.

His experience abroad has provided direct exposure to the Scandinavian culture of innovation, prevention, long-term planning, technological experimentation and cooperation between universities, public administrations and innovative companies. ISSI was created from the desire to bring part of this knowledge back home and place it at the service of the territory from which his personal and professional journey began.

The objective is not simply to import a Scandinavian model into Italy. It is to combine the expertise acquired abroad with an understanding of Siena’s institutions, communities, economy and environmental characteristics. This connection makes it possible to adapt international innovation to local needs, rather than applying solutions developed without knowledge of the territory.

ISSI therefore also represents a concrete example of how international mobility can generate value for the place of origin. The experience gained abroad becomes a resource for creating research, technological innovation, qualified professional opportunities and new forms of cooperation in Siena.

Bringing Experience Back Home

Siena is the natural starting point for ISSI. It combines a strong historical relationship with water, a distinctive territorial identity and a growing need for innovative tools capable of supporting climate adaptation and long-term water security.

For centuries, the city has addressed water scarcity through an extraordinary network of underground channels known as the Bottini. This heritage demonstrates that water planning has always been part of Siena’s institutional and civic identity. ISSI seeks to renew that tradition by bringing together historical awareness, predictive technology, data integration and modern hydro-strategic planning.

The wider Sienese territory also provides an ideal environment for experimentation. Historic urban centres, rural communities, agricultural land, vineyards, tourism activities and natural ecosystems coexist within a relatively contained area. All these elements depend on reliable water availability and may be affected differently by drought, intense rainfall, infrastructure pressure and seasonal fluctuations in demand.

Water crises in Siena would therefore produce consequences extending well beyond the environment. They could affect agricultural production, internationally recognised wine districts, tourism, cultural heritage, local businesses, public services and the economic stability of smaller municipalities. This makes the territory particularly suitable for the ISSI methodology, which examines climatic and environmental pressures alongside infrastructural and socioeconomic vulnerabilities.

Siena’s scale represents a further strategic advantage. It is sufficiently complex to test an advanced Water Intelligence platform under realistic conditions, yet sufficiently cohesive to enable direct cooperation between municipalities, utilities, universities, businesses, professional associations and local communities.