Ofwat’s Innovation Fund

21st April 2021

16 December 2020

Delivering in partnership: What we’ll cover today

1 Innovation in the water sector 2 Innovation in a time of Covid 3 The Innovation Fund Ofwat 5 Strategic Themes

2 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 1 Innovation in the water sector

Has the sector been doing enough to support innovation in the past?

• Historically there has been a fall in investment in research and development (R&D)- Fell significantly between 1990s and 2009)

• Compared to other countries such as US and Germany patent activity was limited between 1999 and 2008

• In 2015, the UK Water Research and Innovation Partnership (UKWRIP) published a report suggesting that the UK is a minor international player in global water innovation markets with a global share in water technology innovation at just 3%.

3 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 1 Water sector faces a series of challenges

Population Climate growth change

Environmental Affordability protection and repair

4 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 1 Water sector faces a series of challenges If the sector doesn’t address these challenges it could:

• hamper the long-term resilience of water and wastewater services; Climate change • increase costs; and

• impact on the quality of services that customers receive.

Innovation will be critical to meeting these challenges and is a central theme of PR19.

5 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 1 Building the sector’s capacity to innovate

6 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 1 Building the sector’s capacity to innovate Developing a more innovative culture within companies and across the water sector

Openness

Managing Adaptability innovation risk

Scalability & deployability

Collaboration Long-term view

7 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 2 Innovation in a time of covid turned on the tap with created £1m Covid-19 £1m fund for local communities emergency fund for customers and charities

South East Water and

8 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 3 The Ofwat Innovation Fund

As part of our strategy we’re delivering a £200m innovation fund for the sector to help stimulate and catalyse innovation

Successful drivers of innovation in the water industry:

Supportive Financial ability Regulatory regime innovation culture to undertake that promotes innovation innovation

9 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 3 The Ofwat Innovation Fund

Responding and adapting Restoring and improving to climate change, the ecological status of including how to meet the our water environments, sector’s ambition of net- protecting current and zero emissions. future customers from the impacts of extreme weather and pollution.

Understanding long- Exploring the term operational 01110111 01100001 opportunities associated resilience and with open data, infrastructure risks 01110100 01100101 stimulating innovation to customers and the 01110010 00100000 and collaboration, for environment, finding 01101001 01100100 example, encouraging solutions to mitigate 01100101 01100001 new business models these in sustainable 00001010 and service offerings and efficient ways. that benefit customers, including those in vulnerable Testing new ways of circumstances. conducting core activities to 10 Submitdeliveryour questions widervia publicsli.do using valueevent.code #IWC 10 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 3 Innovation competitions

Water Innovation in Breakthrough Water Challenge Challenge

Launching May 6th 2021

• We will aim to run one of each innovation competition once a year.

• Fund runs through to March 2024

• 11 Submit your questionsContinualvia sli.do evaluationusing event code throughout#IWC the pilot period to inform future competitions. 3 Innovation in Water Challenge

We received 61 entries - all in partnership projects. The entries cover an extensive range of topics across our five strategic themes, technological and non-technological innovations and at different levels of maturity

All 17 water companies and a handful of NAVs put forward entries with a wide range of partners, with a total worth of over £10m.

• Response has shown there is plenty of untapped innovation potential in the sector

• Successful entries have the potential to deliver significant benefits for customers, environment and society across our five innovation themes

• Step change in collaboration between water companies

• Future opportunities for more diverse partnerships with innovators in and outside the sector 3 Considerations for future competitions

Who can apply Thematic focus

Collaboration, Funding partnerships allocation and competition

13 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC 4 Stay up to date

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https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/newsletter/

14 Submit your questions via sli.do using event code #IWC