Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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20 | AUGUST 2019 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk ards (at point of use) by 2050?' shown below (which captures a snapshot in time), there are fewer projects currently in fundamental research, which brings the risk that fewer projects may pass on into applied research, development and commercialisation. Of course, a project needs to follow through the whole of this cycle to make a real impact on the ground. Hence our analysis suggests some areas where greater focus in fundamental research may be needed to ensure future innova- tion at more applied stages. Again, this can be seen in the 'how do we achieve 100 per cent compliance with drinking water standards by 2050?' question and 'how will we achieve zero leakage in a sustainable way by 2050?' Innovation drivers The research also showed areas for future focus and collaboration beyond the (initial) 11 Big Questions, based on the participants' other drivers of innovation. Out of the projects submitted, 13 per cent focused on driving innovation in ‡ ood resilience, 10 per cent in diˆ use pollution monitoring and mitigation and 5 per cent on managing assets. Other drivers for innovation were also inferred from the project descrip- tions given by participants. The graphic in the centre of the the page shows the key words used by participants to describe their innovation projects. The LITSoN analysis demonstrated that the industry is working on tackling the challenges identiŽ ed by the Big Questions, with good project coverage on all 11 topics. To guide and support the industry's eˆ orts, UKWIR is using the LITSoN data to develop route maps for addressing each of the Big Questions. Through LITSoN, the key players and themes in each Big Question can be identiŽ ed and pulled together to develop targeted route maps. LITSoN can also support existing initiatives such as the Water Ac- celerator, which aims to target exploit- able innovation quickly and eˆ ectively to develop a strategic advantage in the water sector, supporting UK prosperity. The data can also be used by in- novators to identify others who are investigating the same concepts, or have trialled a related innovation or technol- ogy, allowing them to collaborate to strengthen the UK Water Industry. LITSoN can serve the water utilities to prepare for future challenges by iden- tifying what new innovations are emerg- ing, analysing the gaps in their own innovation pipelines and tailoring their innovation programmes accordingly. Ultimately, the data could support a coordinated approach to solving cross-industry challenges such as water challenges faced by the agriculture and food industry. The intention is for LITSoN to be a step into a more collaborative environ- ment for innovation in the UK. The next steps could be to understand how the UK research and innovation aligns with global needs and what the UK could oˆ er the rest of the world. To find out more information on the Big Questions, visit https://ukwir.org/eng/ big-questions-facing-uk-water-industry or email mail@ukwir.org.uk Key fi ndings from the LITSoN project Participants' description of innovation research "LITSoN can serve the water utilities to prepare for future challenges by identifying what new innovations are emerg- ing, analysing the gaps in their own innovation pipelines and tailoring their innovation pro- grammes accordingly" The Knowledge Innovation Overall pipeline for 100 per cent drinking water compliance