England and Wales’ water regulator Ofwat is inviting the energy sector and other innovators to take part in the Water Discovery Challenge, a £4 million open-access competition. The water regulator says it wants “innovators with bold and ingenious ideas that can solve the biggest challenges facing the water sector today and in the future”.
The Water Discovery Challenge is open now and closes on 5 April. Up to 20 teams of the most promising innovators will be awarded up to £50,000 to develop their ideas, with expert support and mentoring from water companies. Up to 10 will go on to win up to £450,000 to turn ideas into pilots.
Ofwat has identified five sectors where it believes there is particularly high potential for innovative crossovers: energy; cities and transport; construction; agriculture and farming; and digital, data and internet of things. But the Water Discovery Challenge is seeking solutions from any industries dealing with similar challenges to those faced by the water sector, or implementing solutions that could benefit water and wastewater services in England and Wales. There is no requirement for entrants to partner with a water company.
David Black, Chief Executive of Ofwat, said:“It’s no secret that the water sector has faced challenges in the last year. As a regulator we’re constantly pushing the sector to overcome these. Water affects everyone, and it’s time we see what the water sector can learn from astronauts, farmers, data specialists, architects and planners. This is about preparing the water sector for the future, and I look forward to the ideas that come out of it.”
John Russell, Senior Director at Ofwat, said: “Our £200 million Innovation Fund has already supported projects that detect and fix leaks, capture carbon emissions from water processing plants to convert them into fuel, and remove fertilisers from waterways to be re-used in our food system. Now, we’re broadening the opportunity to innovators in any industry that can make a difference to improving the water system for all of us.”
To deliver the competition, Ofwat is working with innovation prize experts Challenge Works, alongside global engineering, sustainability and water sector experts Arup, and Isle Utilities. In addition to financial incentives, successful teams will benefit from expert mentoring and capacity-building support, including access to insights and mentoring from water companies and support for scaling solutions for the extensive water network in England and Wales.
The competition is the latest from Ofwat’s £200 million Innovation Fund, which seeks to generate new ideas to tackle issues including managing leaks, preventing pollution, improving water efficiency, reducing emissions, boosting flood and drought resilience, prioritising sustainable practices, and supporting vulnerable customers.
To find out more about the competition and enter, visit waterinnovation.challenges.org