From ‘lightning in a jar’ to AI; the Water Discovery Challenge has announced ten winning projects, which aim to contribute to a better water system for all
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The Water Discovery Challenge aims to accelerate the discovery, development and adoption of promising innovations by the water sector.
The Challenge has welcomed entries from any sector and all types of organisations, domestic or international.
To be eligible to enter, organisations entering must:
[1] “UK Incorporated Entity” includes any private limited company, limited liability partnership, incorporated charity and Community Interest Company which is incorporated in part of the United Kingdom. Sole traders and unincorporated partnerships are excluded. Potential entrants are encouraged to ask if in doubt. Subsidiaries of international organisations are welcome.
[2] In the context of the Water Discovery Challenge, reference to a ‘water company’ means a water and/or sewerage undertaker holding an appointment under Chapter 1, Part 2 of the Water Industry Act 1991. Small water and sewerage undertakers, sometimes referred to as New appointments and variations (NAVs) and water retailers will be eligible to enter.
In particular, we are looking for innovations that:
All eligible entries will be reviewed against each of the four assessment criteria, weighted as outlined below:
Under this assessment category, we are looking to understand the benefits an innovation seeks to deliver for customers, society, and the environment. We ask entrants to describe what kind of impact they envision their initiative could have and why that impact is important.
We will be looking to understand the following:
A strong entry should be able to explain how their proposition addresses a need or opportunity within the water sector and what kind of impact it could have. Entries should clearly outline how the outcomes and benefits directly or indirectly impact one (or more) of the four Ofwat strategic innovation themes.
Under this assessment category, we will be looking to understand what is novel about the proposed innovation and how this differs from the ‘business as usual’ approach currently adopted by the water sector. Entrants are asked to explain what is innovative about their initiative both in terms of the innovation itself, but also any new or different ways of working (‘innovation enablers’).
We will be looking to understand the following:
Entries should be able to explain how the initiative is new and innovative within the water sector. This could include experimentation with new solutions or approaches, adapting innovations and practices from other sectors or applying proven approaches that haven’t been tried at scale. Proposed solutions may draw inspiration and/or talent from other sectors.
To help you understand if your initiative fits into what we’re looking for, we specifically would like to welcome entries at the more mature part of level 2 and less mature part of level 3 on the Innovation Maturity Framework set out below. This is loosely equivalent to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3-6 if your solution is technological, but all types of innovation are welcomed.
A key objective of Discovery is to support innovators to progress through this maturity framework, as well as preparing Finalists and Winners to further scale their solutions beyond the Challenge, for example by providing a pathway to working directly with water companies or entering future rounds of the Fund’s Water Breakthrough Challenge through new partnerships.
Under this assessment category, we will be looking to understand if the entry team is likely to be able to deliver what they outline in the entry. We ask entrants to describe their commitment and outline the team’s roles and responsibilities and clearly set out why their experience and expertise will support the successful delivery of the entry.
We will be looking to understand:
Entries should describe the roles and responsibilities of their team members and clearly set out why they believe that their experience and expertise will support the successful delivery of the entry. Entries should be able to describe how the £50,000 will be used, and what activities the funding will support, proposing a high-level timeline along with the spend.
Under this assessment category, we will be looking to understand the innovation’s feasibility and viability within the water sector of England and Wales as well as it the risks and challenges to the entry that are foreseen by the team. We ask entrants to describe their vision of how their innovation could be applied at scale across the water sector in the future.
We will be looking to understand the following:
Entries should demonstrate that they have considered potential opportunities and challenges along with any anticipated risks, outlining mitigation measures, while also identifying areas of support required aligned with their scale-up ambitions and associated risks.
Entrants are required to meet the eligibility criteria as set out in the terms and conditions. When the entry period close, an eligibility screening will be conducted to ensure entries all meet the eligibility criteria. All eligible entries will be reviewed by assessors against each of the four assessment criteria outlines above.
Finalists and winners will be selected through a thorough selection process, which can be viewed in our Innovator Handbook. Ofwat will make final selection decisions. We have worked to ensure the entry process is as efficient and practical as possible, allowing for ease of access for all innovator organisations.
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We recognise that many entrants might not have in-depth knowledge of the water sector at the point of entry. A series of webinars is available during the Entry Period to support potential entrants to familiarise themselves with the sector, its innovation needs and challenges.
