Natalie Lamb and the Ofwat Innovation Fund

I have heard a lot about the Ofwat Innovation Fund recently. Lots of people have mentioned it in passing and I vaguely knew what it was. But when the opportunity arose on 18/02/21 to attend the “Understanding the Ofwat Innovation Fund” Webinar ran by the Institute of Water, I jumped at the chance to learn more. To learn more about who Ofwat is, what they do and who the other regulators are, check out my post here. But right now, here’s a summary of what I learned, an Ofwat Innovation Fund for Dummies, if you will! 

Institue of Water LinkedIn 2021

The Ofwat Innovation Fund is a pot of money (£200 million), funded by customers, to incentivise a culture of collaborative research. How collaboration is encouraged is because submissions are led by a water company (one of the 17 water and wastewater companies in England and Wales) in cooperation with an external partner e.g. Thames Water could work with a technology company.

“Understanding the Ofwat Innovation Fund” Webinar 18/02/21

The prize money is split into several different grants or “competitions” that can be applied for.

“Understanding the Ofwat Innovation Fund” Webinar 18/02/21

The innovation being funded is being prioritised by those which build on a few key words (those in the below image).

“Understanding the Ofwat Innovation Fund” Webinar 18/02/21

And they're prioritised around a series of specific topics or themes (shown below). The main aim is for the innovations to meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment.

“Understanding the Ofwat Innovation Fund” Webinar 18/02/21

Innovation in Water Challenge

For example, in the first challenge, the Innovation in Water Challenge (18.01.21-26.02.21) there is £2 million total available to fund innovative projects. Entrants can apply (bid) for between £50,000 to £250,000 per entry using an online form on the website. However, there is the caveat that all entries must include a minimum of 10% of the financial contribution asked for as part of their application (it can be more than this, something which is looked favourably on). This, almost like a deposit, is generally expected to be paid by the lead (the water company) but can be paid by the partner.

After entry submission, a series of judges will assess the applications and some of the applicants will receive the requested funds (they will hear back around April 2021). This challenge is being assessed by:

• Positive impact for consumers, society and the environment
• Innovation enablers and innovative solutions
• Capacity and capability to deliver

Entrants can submit as many entries into the Challenge as they like, providing each entry is for a different initiative. But it is unlikely that the judging panel will award funding to more than three entries with the same lead applicant. So that’s a bit of a warning against backing all the horses!

So there we have it. The Ofwat Innovation Fund in a nutshell. A pot of money people can submit applications for to try and get a share of to fund their innovations, technologies and research. For more info check out their website.