The Joint Programming Initiative Water Challenges for a Changing World, the Water JPI, is an intergovernmental initiative which strives to achieve sustainable water systems for a sustainable economy in Europe and abroad.IC4WATER’s objectives include supporting agencies in stepping up international cooperation: through the sharing of best practices, networking, closer coordination of existing activities, and the establishment of new relationships to facilitate multidisciplinary networking across the water challenges at a wider scale, both with respect to research and geographical areas. A mapping of the existing research cooperation models (mainly bilateral – between a Member State or the European Commission and some Beyond Europe countries) and a comparative analysis of existing cooperation models will be issued to identify barriers and challenges to transnational collaboration, and formulate successful mechanisms for working together efficiently beyond this bilateral approach.In order to become more than a ‘network of networks’ and a dialogue platform for research programmes and to bring genuine added value to the current cooperation models, IC4WATER will be focusing on key topics of the Water JPI Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda. As an initial focus, the Water JPI Governing Board, which endorsed the IC4Water concept in November 2015, has agreed a plan to pilot new principles of international transnational cooperation through concrete joint programming, focusing on the theme of UN Sustainable Development Goals related to Water challenges. A shortlist of key ‘UN SDG thematic’ RDI areas will be scoped in more detail and will serve as recommendations for joint activities (opportunities for cooperation with funding RDI governmental institutions or for RDI support for market development, first domains of development of the Water JPI knowledge hub, joint transnational call with partners willing to commit additional national / regional funds for RDI projects).