The COMUNIDAD project is pleased to introduce RNDr. Zuzana Boukalová, the project's International Collaboration Manager from our partner institutions BOSC and CZU.

RNDr. Zuzana Boukalová has over 35 years of experience in applied research in water resources engineering, hydrogeology, flood risk management, groundwater vulnerability, and pollution control. She was the supervising expert of the Czech Ministry of Environment on old ecological loads and decontamination activities, as well as the expert of the Czech Ministry of Agriculture on the River Basin Management Plans and implementation of the FP6 FLOODsite Integrated Project results in the Czech Republic. Years 2005 – 2009: Member of the Sounding Board of Commissioner Janez Potocnik for FP7 simplification, with a focus on Latin America. From 2012 – to 2017, she worked as an independent consultant for the project ALCUE NET for the Argentine MINCyT; this project, co-financed by the EC under the International Cooperation Action in FP7, was focused on creating a bi-regional platform for the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean cooperation in water management and economy. Zuzana successfully coordinated other international projects, including 8 EUREKA projects (eGMS, GEMSTONE, STORAGE, ALICE, STAMFORD, FORMTES, BIORESET, AgriClima), three projects for EEA Grants (AQUARIUS, LaPlant, SMART WATER). She has also collaborated on many research projects under EU Framework Programme, for example FP5: TRANSCAT, IRON CURTAIN, IMPACT; FP6: BRAHMATWINN, ARMONIA, FloodSite; FP7: FLOODsite, ENSOCIO-LAC, GENESIS; H2020: FATIMA, FREEWAT, EULAC Focus and HE: DALIA, EcoAdvance. Within the COMUNIDAD project, she organises collaborations between Europe and Latin America with a main focus on the target countries Chile and Colombia.

Within the COMUNIDAD project, Zuzana plays a key role in managing international collaboration between Europe and Latin America, with a particular focus on Chile and Colombia. As the International Collaboration Manager, she facilitates dialogue with regional stakeholders, local authorities, and end users, ensuring that their insights and needs are directly reflected in the project's implementation. Her long-standing experience working on EU–LAC cooperation through projects such as EULAC Focus, ENSOCIO-LAC, AgriClima, and ALCUE NET positions her as a critical link between research innovation and practical solutions tailored to the Latin American context.

In addition to managing partnerships, she also contributed to the visibility and popularization of EU-funded programs in Latin America, particularly in Brazil and Argentina. Her unique combination of scientific expertise, policy insight, and field experience underpins her leadership in advancing COMUNIDAD's mission to co-create space-based tools and platforms that support environmental resilience and sustainable development in vulnerable territories.

On March 21–22, 2024, the COMUNIDAD consortium gathered in Madrid, Spain, for the project's official kick-off meeting. This milestone event brought together representatives from our eight project partners to set the course for the project's success, defining key action points and strategies for impactful collaboration. During the event, we captured valuable insights from each consortium member, offering their perspectives and roles in the COMUNIDAD project.

Stay tuned for insights from other consortium members, and follow us on social media, where we share regular updates on the COMUNIDAD project outcome!