The Water Discovery Challenge is open for entries from 25 January until 5 April 2023, with approximately £4 million available for bold and ingenious innovations that can help solve the biggest challenges facing the water sector today and in the future.
These challenges are not necessarily unique to the water sector, and the Challenge invites innovators from any sector and organisation to bring their new ideas and expertise to bear on them.
This communications pack contains sample materials you can use to help spread the word across your relevant networks. Your support in the amplification effort would be greatly appreciated!
We value your feedback – if there are any tweaks to this Comms Toolkit you’d like to suggest, or have any questions, please contact the Ofwat Innovation Fund delivery team at [email protected].
The PDF document linked below contains high-level information on the Water Discovery Challenge that you are welcome to use to support your communications activities about the prize. Each slide is also available as a JPG in the Media Assets section below.
Note: This copy has been drafted for external use in a newsletter, or any use case requiring a shorter description of the opportunity. Note: Visual assets are available in the Media Assets section below.
Calling all innovators! Can you help solve the biggest challenges facing the water sector in England and Wales? The £4 million Water Discovery Challenge is open for entries until 5 April 2023 at 12 noon (GMT), and is looking for bold and ingenious ideas to bear on these challenges.
What’s the prize? Up to 20 promising innovators will be awarded £50,000 to develop their concepts, with expert support and mentoring from water companies. Up to 10 will go on to win £450,000 to turn ideas into pilots.
Don’t work in the water sector (yet)? The Water Discovery Challenge welcomes entries from all sectors and all types of organisation.
What support is available to entrants? Throughout the entry period, entrants will be able to access the Discovery webinars, a stimulating series of online events covering topics from how the water system works for its customers to the impact of the climate crisis and opportunities for innovation. The Challenge website also hosts everything you need to make your entry shine.
Find out more about the Challenge and the support available to entrants on the website.
(The Water Discovery Challenge is a new prize from the Ofwat Innovation Fund. Delivered in partnership by Challenge Works, Arup and Isle Utilities, the Fund was established by the water sector regulator to reward new ways of working that go beyond business-as-usual innovation practices in the water sector in England and Wales.)
Note: Visual assets are available in the Media Assets section below.
The water sector is worth over £10 billion a year in England and Wales and now is the perfect time for you to discover it. Be part of a wave of innovation to tackle some of the major challenges of our time in this critical sector!
The @Ofwat Innovation Fund’s Water Discovery Challenge is looking for bold #innovators from all sectors and organisations, including those working in the [delete as appropriate] energy, cities and transport, construction, agriculture and farming and digital, data and internet of things industry.
Up to £4 million is available for revolutionary ideas with the potential to transform the water system (which includes clean drinking water supply, wastewater and sewage networks) and help meet and overcome the challenges it faces.
A series of webinars led by #expert speakers will introduce entrants who don’t typically work in the sector to how it works, the innovation opportunities available, and how these are relevant to innovators from other sectors.
Up to 20 finalists will be offered £50,000 and #collaboration opportunities with water companies, which will be an exciting chance to understand a new sector. Up to 10 will go on to win £450,000 to turn ideas into pilots.
To find out more and enter the Water Discovery Challenge, visit https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/water-discovery-challenge/
@Challenge Works @Arup @Isle Utilities #WaterDiscoveryChallenge
[Please select preferred accompanying visuals between Focus sectors, Challenge key information, Aims and/or Strategic themes in the Media Assets section below]
Do you have a bold idea that could help the water sector face its biggest challenges? @Ofwat @Challenge_Works @ArupUK and @IsleUtilities are calling for entries to the #WaterDiscoveryChallenge – a chance to win up to £500,000! Find out more: https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/water-discovery-challenge/ #innovation
[Please select preferred accompanying visuals between Focus sectors, Challenge key information, Aims and/or Strategic themes in the Media Assets section below]
Please select the most applicable cards based on your audience. Please note, alt text for these visuals is available in the Alt text section below.
Discovery intro animation: LINK
Social media info cards:
Water Discovery Challenge: Key information
Aims of the Challenge
Our Innovation Themes
What we’re looking for
Innovator Journey
Support for entrants
Focus sectors:
Energy
Cities and Transport
Construction
Digital data and internet of things
Agriculture
About the Ofwat Innovation Fund
#WaterDiscoveryChallenge
#WaterBrightIdea
Water Discovery Challenge logo
Ofwat Innovation Fund logo
waterinnovation.challenges.org
@Ofwat
@Challenge_Works
@ArupUK
@IsleUtilities
ofwat
challenge-works
arup
isle-utilities
About the Ofwat Innovation Fund – The Water Discovery Challenge logo and the words: “£200 million of funding has been unlocked by the Ofwat Innovation Fund to unleash a wave of innovation in the water sector and tackle some of the major challenges of our time – delivering transformative benefits for customers, society and the environment. Three different innovation competitions, currently on the third funding round. 41 initiatives have been funded in the first two rounds. £63.5 million has been awarded. Approximately 300 different organisations and partners have been involved in entries. Could you be next?”
Water Discovery Challenge: Key information – The Water Discovery Challenge logo and the words: “Entry period opens 25 January 2023; ~£4 million available; Up to £50k seed funding for Finalists; Up to £450k development funding for Winners; Entry period closes 5 April 2023.”
Aims of the Challenge – The Water Discovery Challenge logo and the words: “Accelerate the discovery, development and adoption of promising innovations by the water sector in England and Wales. Deliver benefits to customers, society and the environment. Directly support organisations with innovative propositions and facilitate their engagement with water companies in England and Wales.”
Our Innovation Themes – The Water Discovery Challenge logo and the words: “1. Responding and adapting to climate change, including achieving the sector ambitions of net zero carbon, zero waste and zero leakage. 2. Protecting and enhancing the environment and natural systems to protect current and future customers from the impacts of extreme weather and pollution. 3. Delivering long-term operational resilience and understanding infrastructure risks to customers and the environment, finding solutions to mitigate these in sustainable and efficient ways. 4. Testing new ways of conducting core activities to deliver the services customers and society need, expect and value both now and in the future.”
What we’re looking for – The Water Discovery Challenge logo and the words: “Innovations of any kind (process, people, technology or digital) that are ready for concept proofing, testing, early feasibility studies, development and verification in the water sector. Specifically, Innovation Maturity Level 2-3 equivalent to technology readiness level (TRL) 3-6. Innovation that will benefit customers, society and the environment across England and Wales in alignment with the four innovation themes. Initiatives from all sectors and all types of organisations, domestic or international (Must be a UK-incorporated entity and hold a UK business bank account. E&W Regional Water Companies are not eligible.)”
Innovator Journey – The Water Discovery Challenge logo and a timeline of the competition with the words: “Up to £4 million available. Seed grants of up to £50k and up to £450k in development grants plus non-financial support. Launch date: 25 January 2023; Entry Period: Jan – Apr 2023; Entry period closes: 5 April 2023. Finalist Selection: Apr – May 2023. Finalists Announced: Up to 20 finalists awarded seed grants of up to £50k and a 5-month package of support. Seed Stage: June – Oct 2023. Development Plan Submissions: 1 -22 November 2023. Winner Selection: Nov – Dec 2023. Winners Announced: Up to 10 winners awarded development grants of up to £450K and a 7-month package of support. Development Stage: Jan – July 2024. Total competition length: 18 Months.”
Support for entrants – The Water Discovery Challenge logo and the words: “Discovery webinar series – From an introduction to the water sector and opportunities for innovation, to water and sewage treatment and distribution, reusing resources, delivering for customers and climate change challenge. Entry clinic – Support on your entry, the entry process and innovator journey. Online and downloadable materials – Entrant Handbook, Entry templates, FAQs… Questions? [email protected]“
Focus sector: Energy – The Water Discovery Challenge logo and a timeline of the competition with the words: “The energy sector services millions of homes and businesses across the UK via a network of over 4,300 miles of wires (Source: National Grid), while UK water pipes amount to 216,686 miles (Source: conversion of Discover Water data). Both sectors are vulnerable to changes in weather and demand, and answer to regulators as well as their customers. With climate change increasing the risk of infrastructure damage from extreme weather, innovation is needed to… Enable a sustainable, resource efficient water system: Innovations that use data or technology to make use of wastewater, or excess water due to flooding, have potential to be captured to generate energy, and make the water system more efficient. Create a modern and reliable distribution network: Innovations seeking to introduce state-of-the-art, adaptable materials to ensure reliability of this infrastructure regardless of climate change, or that use high tech sensors to improve maintenance of these structures, could ensure a more environmentally and cost-effective water system. Maintain contact with both regulators and customers: Innovations that enable more efficient and accurate information and data sharing, using new technologies, could improve services for customers and help regulators to track progress.”
Focus sector: Cities and Transport - The Water Discovery Challenge logo and a timeline of the competition with the words: “Over eight million people live in cities in the UK, with some transport networks moving up to five million people a day (Source: TfL). The structures that help keep cities moving rely on high-tech and streamlined infrastructure, which is subject to external factors including climate and demand. Cities now also need to respond to challenges that could never have been predicted by their architects. To ensure the long-term supply of water to people living in big cities, we should work with them to find solutions that work in city environments. This might involve: Reducing surface water runoff to keep cities moving and improve sustainability: Innovations that use green space in cities to reduce impact of flooding and also deliver environmental and community benefits could reduce disruption for cities and transport and mitigate the consequences of extreme weather in future. Improving and maintaining linear infrastructure: Innovations such as remote surveillance, including sensors and other smart digital technologies, could revolutionise the system and help both industries to save time and money.”
Focus sector: Construction - The Water Discovery Challenge logo and a timeline of the competition with the words: “The vital task of delivering water is entirely reliant on building safe, adaptable, climate-resilient, low-carbon, and innovative water systems. This includes: Developing and testing new building materials and methods: The water system could benefit from innovations that use new construction materials for the first time in the water infrastructure to reduce environmental impacts, meet sustainability targets, and are more resilient so require less frequent replacement and repair. Introducing and improving less invasive building methods: Innovations with less disruptive installation techniques could help water companies improve relationships with local communities.”
Focus sector: Digital data and internet of things - The Water Discovery Challenge logo and a timeline of the competition with the words: “Digital technology, data and the internet of things have vast potential for the water sector – from improved treatment technology to sustainability and efficiency management. This includes: Managing remote sources and improving water quality: Innovations that use smart technology such as sensors could play an essential role in collecting and transmitting data, coupled with connective networks (through AI and machine learning) this could improve performance and efficiency and enable better decision making – especially in reaching and monitoring remote water infrastructure, and the quality of water within it. Preventing leaks: Innovations that develop connected technologies to spot, flag and monitor leaks on site can aim to flag leaks as soon as they occur and ensure the monitoring and repair process is more efficient – as teams won’t have to travel long distances for manual monitoring. Promoting customer satisfaction: Innovations that use technologies and AI to improve digital communication and ease of customer/ company engagement will improve relationships and customer satisfaction.”
Focus sector: Agriculture - The Water Discovery Challenge logo and a timeline of the competition with the words: “The farming and agriculture industries require water for crops, livestock and food production, and also generate significant wastewater– working together, the sectors could help to: Make farming and food production more sustainable: Innovations that can use technology or data to optimise water use on farms – such as by leveraging wastewater for irrigation – can reduce treated water use and therefore reduce carbon emissions. Revolutionise the role of biotechnology: Innovations that reconsider or develop the role of biotechnology could improve water quality by assisting nutrient and pollution control in local water supplies and water systems.”
