NOFDP is an investment project which focuses on giving ecological systems of water bodies and catchments areas, a greater role to play in flood damage prevention, in line with the EU Water Framework Directive. The project partnership, led by the Hessian Ministry of Environment, Rural Development and Consumer Protection, brings together seven partners from Germany and the Netherlands including four waterboards, the German Federal Institute of Hydrology and a group of outside experts. The main output of the project is the development of an Information and Decision Support System" (IDSS) software which will couple databases and integrated modelling techniques. This combined toolbox of hydraulic, hydrologic and ecological models will provide a highly innovative decision-making tool to optimize decisions for riverine management, taking 24 into consideration ecological improvement for both river corridors and flood control and test various planning scenarios. Mutual learning at transnational level is also an important facet of the project. The developers IDSS software will build on the input from a range of investment projects scheduled by the four waterboards within the partnership. Vice versa, by testing the IDSS on these investment projects, new recommendations will be made to re-design certain areas so as to better integrate ecological aspects. From these concrete examples the partnership hopes to build a network of projects that illustrate a more ecologically friendly approach to flood damage prevention measures. The focal point for this network would be an Information Centre based in Darmstadt which will circulate information to the general public and provide decision-makers with guidelines and modelling tools.