Bridging the chasm to get disruptive innovations in the water sector
The water sector is often considered, rightly, to be conservative, cautious and even resistant to innovation. The lack of rapid response in innovation is very much rooted in the existing disconnect between leading science and technology research with the reality of water utilities, cities and river basins where new innovations might be applied to solve the challenges facing water resources management. There is a general understanding that we exploit only a fraction of the envelope of innovation, despite a proliferation of ideas, technologies, and operational capabilities.
To support and accelerate the diffusion of innovation in the water sector, we need to empower scientists and engineers moving from the development of technology or process to delivering an effective and sustainable solution. This innovators platform aims to bridge the chasm, and help utilities recognise emerging disruption, learn from it, and adapt and embrace change.
Vision
The community of water professionals have an active innovation landscape which is addressing challenges, while also creating new opportunities for managing water wisely, sustainably and equitably.
Mission
Promote and catalyse knowledge sharing and collaboration across the supply and demand spectrum
- Providing a channel for the IWA network to showcase innovative solutions to water challenges;
- Providing a platform which curates and intermeshes innovators from supply to demand (across water systems) to share and catalyse new ideas and approaches for improved water management;
- Being a source of information and reference on innovation for sustainable water solutions in the face of global change pressures.
Objectives
- To facilitate a series of events that bring together innovators from supply to demand across the water sector that will push forward the spread and uptake of new and alternative solutions to challenges across the waters sector
- To develop an online platform that can provide curated information on innovation in the water sector
- To provide added value to current and future IWA members by highlighting and promoting innovation from IWA Specialist Groups through events and an online platform.
What is innovation?
Innovation refers to changes that can have a significant impact in transforming a sector. Changes can be technical improvements, best practices, organisational structures and processes, management aspects, regulation and policies, project finance as well as business and service models. Ideally innovation is integrated and implemented in standard practices and processes.
In essence, innovation is more than the process of creating something new – innovation is really the impact of that newness. This means not just innovating the product (e.g. water utility assets, customer service) within a water system, but also the people, processes and technologies behind them.
