Communications Pack
Breakthrough 3 Launch

• The next round of the Water Breakthrough Challenge (‘Breakthrough 3’) will launch on 3 October 2022, and will retain the two funding streams from Breakthrough 2:
• The £8 million Catalyst Stream will allow entries seeking between £150,000 and £2 million. Entries will open at 12 noon BST on Monday 3 October 2022, and close at 12 noon GMT on Thursday 8 December 2022.
• The £30 million Transform Stream will allow entries seeking between £2-10 million. Stage 1 entries will open at 12 noon BST on Monday 3 October 2022, and close at 12 noon GMT on Wednesday 9 November 2022.
• The judges will be looking for ground-breaking, collaborative innovations to help tackle the biggest challenges facing the water sector. The scope is broad and could include anything from ideas that help to achieve net zero, to projects that protect natural ecosystems, prevent leaks and pollution and slash rising costs for water customers. Initiatives may feature advanced new technology, revolutionary commercial models, or game-changing business practices.
• The competition will support initiatives that can deliver significant value aligned with one or more of the following strategic innovation themes:
• Responding and adapting to climate change, including achieving the sector ambitions of net zero carbon, zero waste and zero leakage
• Protecting and enhancing the environment and natural systems, to protect current and future customers from the impacts of extreme weather and pollution
• Delivering long-term operational resilience and understanding infrastructure risks to customers and the environment, finding solutions to mitigate these in sustainable and efficient ways
• Testing new ways of conducting core activities to deliver the services customers and society need, expect and value both now and in the future
• As in previous rounds, entries to the Water Breakthrough Challenge must be led by a licensed water company in England or Wales as a lead. However, for entries to the Catalyst stream, lead water companies may devolve some project management responsibilities (including drafting entries) to their partners.
• In this round, Ofwat is allowing owners of background intellectual property rights to charge a licence fee at a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory rate – however, any foreground intellectual property developed through the competition must still be shared with water companies in England and Wales.
• Further funding will be available in early 2023 through the Water Discovery Challenge, a new competition which will aim to bring in more diverse, game-changing ideas from outside the sector. Unlike the Water Breakthrough Challenge, there will be no requirement for organisations to partner or receive sponsorship from a water company to enter the competition.

• More information about the competition, including the entry form, assessment criteria and terms and conditions can be found on the Fund’s website (LINK).
• Anyone who wants to learn more about the Water Breakthrough 3 Challenge can sign up for the Launch Webinar and Live Q&A at 11am Wednesday 5 October 2022 (LINK).
• Entrants and their partners can also schedule a 1-to-1 surgery session with a member of the delivery team, starting Thursday 6 October 2022. Book a 15-minute appointment via Calendly (LINK).
• Design and research agency Science Practice will also be returning to support entrants to communicate clear and compelling entries in line with the challenge criteria. More information can be found on the Breakthrough 3 webpage (LINK).

Please publish these posts after 12 noon on Monday 3 October

Note: social assets (including a video) are available below.

LinkedIn
The @Ofwat Innovation Fund’s Water Breakthrough Challenge is back for its third round, calling for ground-breaking, collaborative innovations to help tackle the biggest challenges facing the water sector.

Up to £38 million is available to kick start, grow or scale projects that will deliver benefits to water customers, society and the environment.

Head over to the Fund’s website to find out more and enter Breakthrough 3!

https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/water-breakthrough-challenge/2022/everything-breakthrough3/

#WaterBreakthroughChallenge3

@Challenge Works @Arup @Isle Utilities

Twitter

Can you help tackle the biggest challenges facing the water sector? @Ofwat @ChallengeWorks @ArupUK and @IsleUtilities are calling for entries to the #WaterBreakthroughChallenge3! Find out how to enter and win up to £10m for your innovative project: https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/water-breakthrough-challenge/2022/everything-breakthrough3/

This has been drafted for external use in a newsletter, or any use case requiring a shorter description of the opportunity.

Please publish this information after 12 noon on Monday 3 October

Note: social assets (including a video) are available below.

We are excited to let you know that entries to the Water Breakthrough Challenge (‘Breakthrough 3’) are now open! Breakthrough 3 is part of a series of competitions run by the Ofwat Innovation Fund.

The £200 million Fund was established by the water sector regulator to grow the water sector’s capacity to innovate, enabling it to better meet the evolving needs of water customers, society and the environment in England and Wales.

Entries to Breakthrough 3 have a chance to request up to £10 million to fund transformational initiatives aligned to the Fund’s strategic innovation themes (LINK).

Head over to the Fund’s website to learn everything you need to know to enter Breakthrough 3, including links to the relevant entry materials and support available to entrants (LINK).

You are also invited to join the Breakthrough 3 delivery team on Wednesday 5 October at 11 am BST for the Launch Webinar and Live Q&A (LINK) – a chance to run through the entry process, differences from the previous rounds, and ask anything you’d like to know about the competition.

Visual Assets
Launch card
Launch Video
Webinar card

Hashtags
#WaterBreakthroughChallenge3
#WaterBrightIdea

Logo
Water Breakthrough Challenge logo
Ofwat Innovation Fund logo

Website
waterinnovation.challenges.org

Twitter handles
@Ofwat
@ChallengeWorks
@ArupUK
@IsleUtilities

LinkedIn handles
ofwat
challenge-works
arup
isle-utilities