Entrants to the second round of the Water Breakthrough Challenge (‘Breakthrough 2’) will have access to a range of support to help them prepare their entries.
We also encourage you to carefully read the key materials for the stream(s) you are entering:
Read more about the entrant support below:
On Wednesday 13 October 2021, Ofwat and the delivery partners hosted a webinar for potential entrants and partners to clarify their understanding of Breakthrough 2. Watch the recording below, or download the transcript (DOCX, 47KB).
We held 1-to-1 surgery sessions every Thursday from 14 October – 2 December 2021, with more slots available in early 2022 for Transform Stage 2 entrants. These sessions provide entrants with an opportunity to ask questions about Breakthrough 2, particularly relating to the entry process.
Please note, the aim of surgery sessions is to help clarify publicly available information and support understanding of the current guidance. The team is not able to provide any guidance on entries themselves.
You can now sign up for a surgery session via Calendly below. Please only sign up for one slot per organisation/team.
For Breakthrough 2, we have partnered with Science Practice who will be offering entrants support to communicate clear and compelling entries in line with the challenge criteria. In brief, Science Practice is providing guidance about the content of your entry, including how to align your entry with the challenge assessment criteria. This guidance has been prepared in collaboration with the delivery partners, and includes synthesis of key feedback from the judges and assessors about previous rounds.
The support is offered to all eligible lead entrants (licensed water companies and NAVs in England and Wales) who intend to submit entries to the Breakthrough 2 Transform and/or Catalyst streams, and partner(s) they wish to invite.
Coaching and guidance will be provided through workshops, one-to-one coaching calls and/or emails, and review of draft entries.
This group workshop was held on Friday 22 October. The workshop covered various aspects that underlie the assessment criteria – such as demonstrating innovativeness and making the case for your solution. Watch a recording of the workshop below. The transcript is available here (DOCX, 47KB), and slides used during the session are available here (PDF, 6MB).
A second online workshop to guide Transform Stage 2 entrants was held in December, and the recording has been shared with entry leads.
Science Practice are offering individualised coaching support to each entry team by email and through coaching calls.
To ensure every water company has the opportunity to have a coaching call, Science Practice are offering one 30-minute coaching call slot per entry. You can share a draft entry for Science Practice to review in advance of the call. To do so, please send the draft entry by email at least two days before the call, so you can discuss the feedback. Science Practice will share written feedback after the call (or can share only written feedback if you prefer not to have a call).
Lead entrants may invite any entry partner(s) to join the call or have the call on their behalf. Lead entrants may request additional calls and Science Practice will try to accommodate as availability allows.
Book a 30-minute coaching call to discuss your entry. These calls are offered first-come first-served and with the above restrictions and priorities. Calls will be held on Zoom. Please email Science Practice if you are not able to find a slot that works for you or to discuss any accessibility requirements.
Share your draft entry for review or send any questions to Naomi and Andrea – they aim to respond within 3 working days.
Please note: Science Practice is independent from the Fund assessors and will not be involved in the assessment of Breakthrough 2 entries – you are welcome and encouraged to share early-stage versions of your entries with them. Entries will be treated in confidence.
The entrant support does not include bid-writing, ideation to generate innovative solutions, or support to find and form partnerships. Any questions about the entry process or terms and conditions should be directed to the Breakthrough 2 delivery partners.
About the Challenge entrant support partner: Science Practice are a design and research agency who have supported the design and implementation of over 50 innovation programmes, including building and supporting communities of innovators to develop strong proposals.
We are committed to enabling a diverse range of entrants to enter the Challenge. If there are any reasonable adjustments that would support you to enter, catering for any additional needs you may have, please contact [email protected].
