IWA members contribute to the FAMAE Foundation world’s largest challenge dedicated to water: PRECIOUS WATER!

PRECIOUS WATER! is an international innovation challenge with €2,000,000 as prize amount aimed at entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses, students, researchers, NGOs, and community groups. The goal of the competition is to support brilliant initiatives with a major impact on access to drinking water, water treatment, water preservation, improving water quality and reducing the waste of water.

The competition is organised every year with each time a different theme to stimulate technological innovations addressing some of the most pressing environmental concerns.

A challenge open to the whole planet

The PRECIOUS WATER competition is the world’s largest innovation competition dedicated to water and open to the business world, academic teams, and the non-profit sector. Candidates can submit their projects in French or in English, finding all the necessary information via the Foundation’s secure web platform: https://famae.earth.fr

The application process will end on February 15, 2019. The selection of successful candidates and the evaluation of detailed projects will then take place until May 2019 with the prize award ceremony scheduled on May 18, 2019 at the Vivatech trade show. The number of laureates will depend on the selection of the jury. Apart from the funding, the candidates will also benefit from guidance of the FAMAE Foundation members and its network (entrepreneurs, investment funds, partners etc) to assist them in the development of the financial, commercial, legal and marketing aspects of the project.

A prestigious jury and committed ambassadors

To select the projects and the laureates in spring 2019, FAMAE has already constituted a high-quality jury comprising:

– Diane d’Arras, President of the International Water Association (IWA)

– Bertrand Piccard, President of Solar Impulse Foundation

– Geneviève Férrone, Vice-president of the Foundation “Nature et l’Homme”

– Marie-Stéphane Maradeix, Managing Director of the Carasso Foundation

– Aymeric Marmorat, Executive director of Enactus France

– Éric Philippon, Founding President of FAMAE

– Jean Michel Dalle, Managing Director of Agoranov (Deep Tech incubator)

– Lionel le Maux, Entrepreneur active in the renewable energies sector

– Michel Fortin, Co-founder of Natureo (an organic food retail group)

A scientific committee composed of specialists from the International Water Association and major universities will assist the jury on technical issues.

Apply now!