News – News & UpdatesWater Breakthrough Challenge
September 30, 2021
Today we’re excited to announce the nine winning initiatives of the first Water Breakthrough Challenge.
The competition aims to deliver scalable innovations in the water sector with lasting impact. The winners include a project to slash greenhouse gas emission and energy demand of used water processing and create a new source of hydrogen energy, and a project in partnership with the Rivers Trust and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to clean up the country’s rivers. Other winning projects focus on reducing customer bills through using artificial intelligence to prevent leaks and reduce wastage and a project to deliver significant water-saving solutions in response to new housing developments.
£9 million has been awarded to projects that will tackle the health of rivers and waterways with solutions aimed at making them cleaner and ensuring water sources are resilient in a changing climate. A further £12.8 million has been awarded to projects that will target the need to drastically reduce the emission of CO2 and other pollutants from the water treatment process as the country strives to lower energy demand and achieve its net zero ambitions. Finally, £14.2 million has been awarded to projects that aim to resolve challenges facing communities and vulnerable water users, as well as reduce leakages to benefit customers and slash bills.
John Russell, Senior Director at Ofwat said: “From Airbus and Microsoft to ZSL and the River Trust, the Water Breakthrough Challenge has led to the formation of exciting partnerships with water companies to improve services for customers and improve the environmental footprint of the sector. Each of the winners will contribute to the resilience, sustainability and effectiveness of the water sector in the years to come for the benefit of customers across the country. Thank you to the independent judging panel for its challenge and insight in recommending these impressive winners.”
Holly Jamieson, New Frontiers Director, Nesta Challenges said: “The cross-sectoral collaborations established by water companies, academia, engineering and technology sectors in response to the Water Breakthrough Challenge are hugely impressive. From turning sewage into a valuable natural resource to the smart use of open data to reduce negative environmental impacts and reduce costs for water customers, today’s funding is an exciting step for the water industry in the UK. I congratulate all of the winners and look forward to seeing them deliver their projects in the months and years to come.”
In selecting the nine winners, Ofwat were supported by an independent judging panel including Anusha Shah (Director of Resilient Cities at Arcadis), Sharon Darcy (Director of Sustainability First) and Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy (Executive Director of the International Water Association).
The Water Breakthrough Challenge contributes to the Water Innovation Fund’s goal of creating an innovative and collaborative water sector that can meet the needs of customers, society, and the environment into the future. The Challenge funds initiatives that water companies would otherwise be unable to invest in or explore.
A second Water Breakthrough Challenge will open for entries on 11 October 2021 to provide funding for further innovative water sector initiatives. Up to £35 million will be available to be shared between entries that deliver benefits for water customers, society and the environment.
Arlene Good, Innovation and Infrastructure Adviser, Arup said: “The winning entries represent an exciting spectrum of innovative initiatives and we look forward to seeing the outcomes and benefits of those initiatives come to fruition. A further £35 million will be available for the next wave of innovative water sector initiatives through the second Breakthrough Water Challenge, opening on 11 October. We’re looking forward to seeing how the water sector continues to step up to the challenge, with more partnerships established to deliver breakthrough solutions that benefit both consumers and the environment.”
New innovation challenges will be announced through to 2025, however Ofwat’s goal is that the Innovation Fund’s impact will be felt well beyond this
To read descriptions of the nine winning initiatives from the first Water Breakthrough Challenge, visit the dedicated page on the website.
Join us for the Winners Showcase Event on Thursday 7 October 2021, from 9:30am (BST) to 12 noon (BST). Your chance to hear directly from the winning teams how their projects will deliver lasting impact in the water sector.
