Dams and the need for more innovation

Innovation, in all areas of economic activity, has always been a source of potential opportunities for new products, or new markets. Today, innovation has taken a more central role: it has become the only way to withstand the pressure of competition and to perpetuate an activity. This is evident in digital technology, industry, agriculture and services. Dams and their reservoirs also benefit from innovative products and projects. The most striking innovations in recent decades in the dam engineering profession include: RCC, CFRD, ACRD, geomembranes, PK weir labyrinths, and so on. But it is the authors’ belief that these innovations remain quite rare as compared with what is experienced by other sectors of activity, and that the dissemination of innovation is often too slow.