WATER PAGES
Pipebots for Rising Mains. Credit - University of Sheffield
Ofwat announces details of £400m funds to spur water sector transformation
Tuesday 28 January 2025: The Ofwat Innovation Fund will double to £400 million to support projects that could transform the water sector to meet and solve the many challenges it faces.
Established in 2020, the original £200 million Ofwat Innovation Fund has been awarded to collaborative projects which see water companies working with promising innovators from across different sectors and around the world to develop and deploy solutions to the water sector’s biggest
challenges.Today’s announcement will extend the fund for a further five years to 2030.
The fund was highlighted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer following a meeting of UK regulators on 16 January as one of a number of promising ways in which regulators are supporting the Government's plan for economic growth. Investment expenditure
is set to quadruple over the next five years as part of a wider £104 billion plan for the sector.
Helen Campbell, Senior Director for Sector Performance, Ofwat, said:
“There’s no question that the water sector faces many urgent challenges – reaching net zero emissions, ending the overuse of storm overflows, preventing leaks, and adapting to the impact of climate change – all while ensuring customers are properly served and enabling economic growth.Our £400m commitment to continued investment in innovation will support highly collaborative projects to develop and deploy solutions to these enormous challenges. While the first five years championed nascent technologies and new approaches to demonstrate their future potential, the next five years must see them scale and deliver a lasting and beneficial impact for customers, society and the environment”.
Through multiple competitions (four Water Breakthrough Challenges, the first Water Discovery Challenge - plus the pilot Innovation in Water Competition in 2020), the fund has so far supported 93 projects involving more than 240 partners, including water companies, universities, environmental charities, local governments, civil society organisations and other utilities. The fifth Water Breakthrough Challenge is underway and the winners will be announced in Spring 2025.
Pipebots for Rising Mains. Credit - University of Sheffield
28 | March 2025 |
draintraderltd.com
Previous winners have included robots that spot cracks from inside pipes, seagrass restoration projects, citizen science initiatives,
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