Centro di Ricerca e Documentazione sulle Risorse Idriche (WARREDOC)

WARREDOC was established in 1985 as an extraordinarily visionary project: studying water means not only analyzing a natural element, but also understanding society, cultures, cooperation policies, the meeting of peoples, and the challenges of sustainable development. Based in a humanities-oriented academic context, within the framework of language and intercultural education, the center adopted a bold and forward-looking approach that continues to define its identity today.

Forty years after its foundation, WARREDOC continues to foster scientific and cultural progress in the field of water through international programs, scientific exchange, and the dissemination of water sciences. The center’s activities integrate the University for Foreigners of Perugia’s historic mission with the pressing challenges of environmental and social sustainability, artificial intelligence, and internationalization.

An International Research Center

Over the years, WARREDOC has benefitted from the contributions of leading national and international scientists in the fields of water resources, hydrology, and hydraulic engineering, enriching the center’s activities through participation in seminars, courses, and world-renowned research projects. This ongoing dialogue with leading experts has enabled the center to develop cutting-edge scientific and educational programs, effectively combining science, technology, social reflection, and culture. Documentation of activities over time is collected in the LUCIO Library.

International cooperation remains a central component of WARREDOC’s mission, with the center promoting agreements, mobility programs, and research, training, and development initiatives at the inter-institutional level, as well as participating in international networks in the water sector and related fields.

Education and Creativity

Since its early years, WARREDOC has hosted international courses attended by students from developing countries and faculty from the world’s most prestigious universities. Intensive seminars that fostered dialogue between scientific and technical knowledge and social, cultural, and artistic perspectives have produced works that today bear witness to how shared knowledge can become expression, connection, and memory.

International Recognition and UNESCO Engagement

Today, thanks to its research, teaching, and social impact activities on water resources, the University for Foreigners of Perugia has received a UNESCO Chair in “Water Resources Management and Culture”, a prestigious international recognition that attests to the value of forty years of patient, tenacious, and visionary work.

WARREDOC actively collaborates with UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), which has operated in Umbria since 2009 with the support of the Italian government, the Umbria Region, and is hosted on the premises of the University for Foreigners. In addition, it supports the implementation of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP).

In 2025, the UNESCO Chair in “Water Resources Management and Culture” was renewed for the 2026-2029 term.