NewsNews – News & UpdatesWater Breakthrough Challenge
May 20, 2025
A ‘drone- and lab-in-a-box’ that provides near-real-time, on-site results and lab-grade analysis of coastal bathing water quality is one of the winners receiving funding from the Ofwat Innovation Fund.
This project is one of 16 solutions being awarded a share of £42 million today in the water regulator’s latest innovation competition – the fifth Water Breakthrough Challenge . Each solution is committed to fostering innovative approaches to water and waste management.
The Smart Skies, Healthy Waters project is using automated drones, robotics and cutting-edge sampling techniques to significantly improve coastal water monitoring – increasing the frequency of sampling and cutting the time to get results from up to three days to a matter of minutes. Led by Northumbrian Water in partnership with Newcastle University, drone experts Skyports Drone Services, real-time sensor specialists Proteus Instrument and data experts Makutu Dot IO, the project has been awarded £6 million.
“This project provides a ground-breaking opportunity to harness new technologies to enable more frequent monitoring of our bathing waters. This project will be a world first and a step change for our sector, helping to ensure healthier waters for our customers communities and our environment.“
Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director, Northumbrian Water (Smart Skies, Healthy Waters lead partner)
Other winners included projects using micro-satellites to provide continual imaging of the entire UK water pipe network to quickly locate leaks, robots that make chemical-free ‘slow sand filtration’ scalable, and several projects deploying artificial intelligence to solve challenges – from enabling heat recovery from sewers and wastewater facilities to monitoring bacteria at inland bathing sites.
“Water underpins our society and economy, and the water sector faces a range of challenges requiring urgent solutions. The Ofwat Innovation Fund was established five years ago to incentivise the water sector to collaborate with partners across industry, charities, and academia to accelerate the pace of transformation and create lasting benefits for customers and the environment.
“The level of ambition of this year’s winners – including deploying robots, drones, satellites and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence – is remarkable. The 16 winning projects involve 15 water companies working with 70 partners – from world-class universities to engineering powerhouses, environmental charities and even NASA. We are supporting these projects to prove their impact so that they can be scaled, not only here in England and Wales, but exported around the world as a driver of economic growth”.
David Black, CEO of Ofwat
The Water Breakthrough Challenge is part of a series of competitions from Ofwat, run by Challenge Works in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities, designed to drive innovation and collaboration in the sector to benefit individuals, society and the environment.
It supports initiatives that help to tackle the biggest challenges facing the water sector, such as achieving net zero, protecting natural ecosystems and reducing leakage, as well as delivering value to society.
A list of the winners of the fifth Water Breakthrough Challenge is included below. More information about the initiatives can be found on each winner’s page.
Making Microbes Matter will take the first steps towards developing the water industry’s national biological infrastructure using metagenomics. This cutting-edge technique identifies specific microorganisms that are present in our wastewater, providing insights into the health of our wastewater treatment works to enable better management and control of our treatment processes.
Removing PFAS “forever chemicals” from drinking water will significantly increase the use of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) and exceed the reactivation capacity available in the UK. We will develop an industrial-scale microwave solution to increase capacity, providing a faster, cheaper and sustainable low carbon alternative to traditional gas-powered reactivation furnaces.
The Net Water PositHyve project will scale-up and deliver a new technology to increase water availability for long-term water resilience/security. Recycled water for industrial consumption will be sustainably produced using waste heat and wastewater. Implementation across the water sector will address increasing industrial freshwater demands, including for hydrogen production.
Algal blooms damage water quality and wildlife and are costly to treat. By predicting them in advance we protect nature, reduce water treatment costs and keep water safe and affordable for everyone.
Microbial Electrolysis Cells produce hydrogen while treating wastewater. The PRIME project will trial this game-changing, wastewater treatment technology while creating sustainable energy. To prevent power outages caused by more frequent extreme weather, we can use the hydrogen to generate electricity keeping treatment services operational, thus reducing environmental harm, and improving service to customers.
Cryptosporidium is an intestinal parasite which can contaminate water supplies. Current monitoring processes are complex and can take up to 48 hours. This project will develop an on-line automated system to deliver results within hours; allowing water companies to identify and address issues quickly and reduce any potential risk to customers.
This project will design and test a ground-breaking solution that safely and reliably removes heat from the water within large water pipes and delivers it to buildings as renewable energy. Leading experts and academics will research solutions that use existing infrastructure, with the aim of delivering public value beyond just supplying water.
Slow sand filtration is a nature based chemical free drinking water technology which is in need of modernisation. The SandSCAPE project will test robotic underwater skimming machines to clean filters, and remove algae, whilst they remain full of water. This will improve efficiency and resilience, benefiting customers and the environment.
The project will develop an AI model for river water quality by monitoring and sampling 20 locations. The model will provide near real-time information for water-users and stakeholders. This project will expedite wider roll-out by reducing the need for localised models, offering a cost-effective solution for continuous water quality monitoring.
The Space Eye project aims to transform the use of satellite technology and space science for the water industry. This includes the design and launch of micro satellites to provide frequent satellite imagery covering the entire UK water network. Enabling water companies through machine-learning algorithms gain rich insights to make quicker decisions.
Stream’s goal is unlocking the potential of water data to benefit customers, society, and the environment. We’re removing the barriers to opening and sharing water company data. This phase enables us to increase our scale and reach and set up Stream as a sustainable enduring data institution.
The Rainwater Management Platform will be a free, user-friendly online platform that will transform rainwater management. It will offer updated good practices, technical guidance, and tools to help manage rainwater where it falls, prevent pollution, use rainfall as a resource, and boost climate resilience for the benefit of people and the environment.
TORCH provides an AI-assisted decision tool to optimise heat energy recovery from sewers and Water recycling centres by identifying and prioritizing heat source location, heat energy recovery technology and transmission route to enable lower cost heat energy, a reduction in carbon, and to maintain performance of sewer assets.
Anaerobic digestion is a proven technology to stabilise solids produced during wastewater treatment. Next-Gen Digestion will enable water companies to generate additional biogas from these digestion processes. Biogas is converted into energy which can be used to power treatment processes, so this widely applicable innovation could significantly reduce operational costs.
The PyroPlas project will convert wastewater sludge into high-value sustainable fuel, biochar (that improves soils) and carbon (used in water purification and energy storage). The process will also remove harmful forever chemicals and microplastics. This advanced system will help deliver net-zero and provide a novel approach to generate value from waste.
The Smart Skies, Healthy Waters project will transform how coastal bathing waters will be monitored in the future, by creating a cost effective and versatile ‘drone and lab in a box’ solution which harnesses cutting edge automation, robotics and water sampling technologies to deliver frequent near real- time lab-grade analysis and results.
The Ofwat Innovation Fund aims to grow the water sector’s capacity to innovate, enabling it to better meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment. It is encouraging new ways of working that go beyond business-as-usual innovation practices in the water industry, in particular increasing and improving collaboration and building partnerships from within and outside the water sector. It is delivered by challenge prize experts Challenge Works in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities.
The Innovation Fund forms part of Ofwat’s approach to innovation in the water sector. Ofwat with the Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate also runs StreamLine, a joint service for innovators and businesses to get informal regulatory advice.
Challenge Works is a global leader in the design and delivery of high-impact challenge prizes that incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good. In the last 10 years, we have designed and delivered 101 prizes, distributed more than £310 million in funding and engaged with 16,000 innovators. Challenge prizes champion open innovation through competition. We specify a problem that needs solving, but not what the solution should be. We offer large cash incentives to encourage diverse innovators to apply their ingenuity to solving the problem. The most promising solutions are rewarded with seed funding and expert capacity building support, so that they can prove their impact and effectiveness. The first or best innovation to solve the problem wins. This approach levels the playing field for unknown and previously untested innovators so that the best ideas, no matter their origin, are brought to bear on the most difficult of global challenges.
Find out more: https://challengeworks.org/
Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of designers, consultants and experts working globally. Founded to be humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners using imagination, technology, and rigour to shape a better world. Together we help our clients solve their most complex challenges – turning exciting ideas into tangible reality as we strive to find a better way and shape a better world. With a community of over 1700 water professionals, Arup is leading global thinking across key areas like innovation, resilience, net zero carbon and sustainable water management.
Find out more: www.arup.com
Isle is a global team of independent scientists, engineers, business and regulatory experts with a common drive to make a positive environmental, social and economic impact through the advancement of innovative technologies, solutions and practices. Our passion and expertise in technology and innovation enables us to connect expertise, investment and inspired ideas across the globe. At the core of all our activities is our ambition to make the world a better place.
Find out more: www.isleutilities.com
