Sundanse

The European Horizon project SUNDANSE focuses on sustainable development and climate resilience in the Danube River Basin. Partners from research, policy and practice collaborate on concrete solutions for water management, ecosystems and communities along the Danube River. Using data, innovative tools and pilot projects, SUNDANSE supports improved decision-making and cooperation. The project contributes to a more resilient Danube region, benefiting nature, the economy and citizens.

SUNDANSE focusses on innovative sediment management in and around the Danube basin to improve navigability.

Flanders Hydraulics (FH), as the Flemish partner of the Departement Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken (MOW), is involved in a cross border Horizon project called SUNDANSE (link to Sundanseproject.eu) (SUstaiNable sediment solutions for the DANube black SEa system). In this project, nineteen partners from ten European countries work together.
At the heart of the SUNDANSE project are three real-world case studies. For each of them, FH is developing an advanced 3D numerical model. These computer models simulate how water flows, how sediment is transported, and how measures such as side channels or riverbank modifications may affect the river and sediment system. By testing different scenarios digitally, researchers can explore solutions safely and efficiently before any actual work is carried out on site.
One of the case studies focuses on the Danube in Romania, where the river splits around an island. For this location, FH is not only building a detailed numerical model, but also constructing a physical scale model. In this laboratory model, about six kilometers of the Danube will be recreated at scale. By running real water and sediment through the setup, researchers can test, improve, and validate the computer simulations.
FH plays a central role in the project, contributing decades of expertise in hydraulics and sediment modelling. By combining digital simulations with hands-on experiments, FH helps deliver reliable and practical solutions.
SUNDANSE runs for four years (June 2024 – May 2028) and is fully funded by the European Union. FH’s project budget is approximately €0.8 million, including €160,000 for building the scale model.