Part of the Ofwat Innovation Fund, a £200 million fund to grow the water sector’s capacity to innovate, enabling it to better meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment in England and Wales.
The Innovation in Water Challenge is the first being run this year within Ofwat’s £200 million Innovation Fund, as part of the regulator’s goal to create an innovative and collaborative water sector that is well-placed to meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment in the years to come.
Run by Ofwat in partnership with Nesta Challenges, Arup and Isle Utilities, the Innovation in Water Challenge is the first in a series of competitions funded through Ofwat’s Innovation Fund that aims to create new collaborations in the water sector so it can meet the needs of society and the environment in England and Wales.
Ideas from outside the water sector are actively encouraged. Collaborative bids must be submitted by the lead water company or an NAV and partner organisations can be either within or outside the water sector, for example academia, start-ups, or small businesses across sectors such as energy, manufacturing, health or financial services all over the world.
Each winning partnership will receive between £50,000 and £250,000 to support, kick-start, grow or scale their initiatives.
Entries are open for six weeks from 18 January and close at 12 noon (GMT) on 26 February 2021.
Timeline (click and drag items to the right to view more)
How to apply
When you’re ready to enter, please submit your entry via the online entry form.
Questions in the form are laid out in the Entrant Handbook.
If you need to find a partner to enter, please head over to the Find a Partner page for latest updates on Partnership Brokerage events, and how to get in touch with potential partners.