These conferences are held by the International Water Association (IWA) every four years in the world’s water hubs: Beijing, China (2022); Quebec, Canada (2017); Narbonne, France (2013); Cairns, Australia (2009), and help the water industry move towards more efficient and reliable operations, as well as improving water quality. With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT), the digital transformation of the industry, and the expansion of the use of devices and applications, there is an exponential increase in the generation and availability of data. The potential and challenges associated with ICA are greater than ever. Therefore, ICA2025OSLO has become an international forum for the exchange of knowledge, methodologies and experiences on all aspects of ICA for water/wastewater treatment and transportation.

The main sections of the conference were:

• Greener Utilities – The role of ICA in achieving energy neutrality, zero-waste operations and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from utilities.
• Water Quality Monitoring – Physical, virtual and hybrid sensors, including emerging contaminants, microbiological quality, DBP, etc.
• Performance Optimization – Process management, integration of big data with SCADA systems in water utilities, process management and performance prediction based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital twins.
• Asset Management – Internet of Things and big data analytics for proactive asset management, artificial intelligence and machine learning for predictive maintenance in water systems, including leakage management.
• Risk Management – ICA in the management of natural and man-made process disturbances: early warning, decision support, cybersecurity, etc.

Specific conference topics included, but were not limited to, sensors and instrumentation systems, online monitoring and control, modeling and simulation, early warning, information systems, decision support, risk assessment, big data, the Internet of Things, and smart water systems.

Plenary presentations were given by: Gustaf Olsson, Professor Emeritus, Lund University, Sweden; Dragan Savić, Global Advisor for Digital Sciences, KWR, Netherlands; Professor of Hydroinformatics, University of Exeter, UK; Peter Vanrolleghem, Professor and Head of the Department of Water Quality Modeling, Université Laval, Canada; Pernille Ingildsen, CEO, Odsherred Utility, Denmark.

The ICA2025OSLO conference was organized by a long-time partner of the Department of Inorganic Materials Technology and Ecology of the Ukrainian State Technical University – the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. The chairman of the organizing committee and the organizer-coordinator of the conference was Harsha Ratnavira, a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the founder of DOSCON AS (Norway), with whom the Department of Inorganic Materials Technology and Ecology has been fruitfully cooperating for about 15 years.

Oslo, located in the far north of Norway, offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate the latest ICA applications in full-scale facilities. In Norway, waterworks are unique in that they are completely underground, and most cities with fully modeled and remotely controlled water and wastewater transport networks provide ample opportunities for practical application of innovations.

On the last day of the conference, the organizers provided a unique opportunity to visit VEAS (VestfjordenAvløpsselskap), the largest wastewater treatment plant in Norway, serving Oslo and the surrounding municipalities. The treatment plant has a unique underground location in a mountain range, VEAS plays a crucial role in keeping the Oslo Fjord clean, treating wastewater for approximately 700,000 residents. The plant is owned by the municipalities of Oslo, Bærum and Asker, and treats around 100 million cubic meters of wastewater annually. VEAS is not just a wastewater treatment plant; it also focuses on resource recovery. They produce biofertilizers, biogas and nitrogen solution. VEAS is actively working on further sustainability initiatives, including carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the biogas upgrading process.

Participation in events that demonstrate the latest modern trends in the water industry allows ensuring the quality of training of specialists in drinking water technologies, water treatment, wastewater treatment and ecology at the Department of Inorganic Substances Technology and Ecology of the National Research Institute of the State Technical University of Ukraine USUST.

The participation of teachers of the Department of TNR and E in a conference of this level was made possible thanks to the participation of the Department in the international educational project “Strengthening Digital Skills in Higher Education in the Water Sector” “Strengthening Digital Skills in Higher Education in the Water Sector” – DIGISKILLS under the Erasmus+ program, coordinated by Prof. H. Ratnavira.

The TNR&E team thanks our colleagues from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences for organizing the conference and providing comfortable conditions for its holding, and all colleagues for their cooperation!