The European Union has awarded 7M€ to the VIVALDI project to transform the bio-based industry
into a new, more environmentally friendly and competitive sector

The adoption of data led decision making, smart analytics and innovative technologies are increasingly vital as UK water companies strive to achieve their ambition of zero pollution events by 2030.

Whether to sweat, repair or replace water mains is a dilemma facing most water businesses, who have to strike a balance between maintaining an ageing asset base, often with a limited maintenance budget, and increasing customer expectations.

Eleven winners of the Innovation in Water Challenge (IWC) will receive up to £250,000 each for initiatives such as converting waste into green energy and using artificial intelligence and CCTV to spot leaks.

Run by Ofwat and Nesta Challenges, and supported by Arup and Isle Utilities, the IWC’s goal is to fund transformational innovation to key challenges in the water sector.

This was the first in a series of competitions funded through Ofwat’s Innovation Fund that aims to create new collaborations in the water sector so it can meet the needs of customers, society and the environment now and in the future.

Karyn Georges, Head of Consulting at Isle, to chair session on Digitising Wastewater: The Rise of the Smart Sewer at World Water Tech

Next year will see Ofwat, the economic regulator for the water sector in England and Wales, launch their inaugural Innovation in Water Challenge (IWC), which is focussed on building partnerships and supporting collaboration to drive innovation in the sector.

The lack of diversity and inclusion in the water sector, along with the latest research on Covid-19, features in updates presented to the Water Action Platform community in October’s webinar. The learnings are taken from information shared in WhatsApp groups accessed by over 1,100 people in utilities in 88 countries, alongside insight and analysis from technology consultancy Isle’s expert team.

Blanca Antizar, the European Director of Consultancy at Isle Utilities Ltd (Isle) has been named a Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Visiting Professor at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE) at University College London.

We have launched the Crisis Response Register. It is for water professionals who feel they may have something they could contribute – be it for this Beirut disaster or any future disasters. Whether you work within a water utility directly, or are part of the supply chain (contractor, consultant, tech company) your input, and perhaps that of your organisation, could be the thing that makes a difference.

Assessing risk and determining responses to Covid-19 were major themes of the most recent Water Action Platform webinar which took place on 9 July. Here are six key learnings from the interactive event which was hosted by Isle chairman Piers Clark.

A new website dedicated to collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the water sector has been launched by technology consultancy Isle.

The Water Action Platform, which is sponsored by leading water industry partners, pools experience and expertise from utilities around the world. It started as a response to Covid19 but is now encompassing a much wider range of topics.

While conventional business practices encourage neutrality and keeping politics/personal beliefs at a minimum, the continued acts of injustice towards Black people require a clear position on this significant issue.