What you can win

The Water Discovery Challenge: What can you win?

In the Water Discovery Challenge, you can win up to £500,000, split between the Finalist Award (up to £50,000) and the Winner’s Award (up to £450,000).

🏆 10 winners announced!

From ‘lightning in a jar’ to AI; learn about the projects which aim to contribute to a better water system for all

Meet the winners

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Finalists

Up to 20 Finalists with the most promising entries will be awarded up to £50,000 to develop their innovation, with a range of expert support and access to mentoring from water companies.

Successful finalists will receive support to strengthen and accelerate the development of their idea. This support will bring in experts from the water sector, as well as business development experts, and also includes access to our sector led mentoring programme and the allocation of a personal mentor from a regional water or wastewater company in England and Wales.

Mentors will work directly with the Finalist team, providing custom support and guidance, insights into the water sector as well as feedback on the innovation/initiative/solution and its need within the wider sector while also signposting to other stakeholders or useful resources.

For more information on the finalists, and what you can win, please see the Discovery Innovator Handbook.

Winners

Up to 10 Winners will be awarded up to £450,000 to further grow their innovation, receiving further support to further accelerate their progress

Winners will continue to receive custom support to accelerate the development of their innovation and preparing it for wide adoption across the water sector. The continued support will include working closely with their dedicated mentor on, for instance, determining and producing trial requirements, or potentially socialising trials as well as supporting the winners’ teams to map out next steps to succeed in the water sector.

Mentors will continue to provide insights into the water sector and feedback on the innovation and its possibility for scale and wide adoption, while also signposting to other stakeholders or useful resources.

For more information on the winners, and what you can win, please see the Discovery Innovator Handbook.

Financial awards

Funding will be awarded in pounds sterling (GBP) and the recipients are responsible for payment of any applicable taxes and other charges. At the Finalist stage this will be up to £50,000 in seed funding, while Winners will be awarded up to £450,000 in development funding.

The purpose of the Finalist award is to develop the innovation in the entry, and any funds requested must be committed by the start of the Winners Stage (June to January 2024) and will be paid in advance as a single lump sum payment in Pounds Sterling (GBP).

The Winners award will be required to be spent on defined activities as set out in a Development Plan, but there are no specific time restrictions relating to when the funding needs to be spent. Payment will be in advance over two or more payments in Pounds Sterling (GBP), depending on the Development Plan of each Winner. Further detail will be provided to Finalists during the Finalist Stage.

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If you are selected to receive funding either at the Finalist stage or at the Winner’s stage of Discovery you will be required to enter into a competition award agreement before funds will be awarded. This agreement confirms compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the Challenge and sets out that funds awarded by the competition must only be used to fund the initiative described in your entry.

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