Innovators platform

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.

Join the group

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

  1. 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
  2. To develop an online platform that can provide curated information on innovation in the water sector
  3. 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.

Mapping the innovation landscape

Supply side of innovation
Demand side of innovation
Both supply and demand sides

Manufacturers

Universities

Water utilities

Regulators

Individual Customers

Consultants

Non-profit researchers

Upcoming events in 2019

29 Jan - 29 Jan 2020 India/New Delhi
29/01/2020 12:00:00 29 Jan 2020 18:00:00 Europe/London World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2020 IWA Event New Delhi - India International Water Association contact@iwa.net
30 Sep - 03 Oct 2019 Ecuador/Guayaquil
30/09/2019 12:00:00 3 Oct 2019 18:00:00 Europe/London IWA-IDB Innovation Conference on Sustainable Use of Water: Cities, Industry and Agriculture IWA Event Guayaquil - Ecuador International Water Association contact@iwa.net
25 Nov - 28 Nov 2019 China/Shanghai
25/11/2019 12:00:00 28 Nov 2019 18:00:00 Europe/London 2019 Innovation Conference on Sustainable Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery IWA Event Shanghai - China International Water Association contact@iwa.net
01 Dec - 05 Dec 2019 Sri Lanka/Colombo
01/12/2019 12:00:00 5 Dec 2019 18:00:00 Europe/London IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition IWA Event Colombo - Sri Lanka International Water Association contact@iwa.net

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