Join the SusChem and WssTP Workshop in Porto!

SusChem and the European Water Technology Platform, WssTP, in collaboration with the EIP Water, are jointly organising a pre-conference workshop ‘Industry Water: From Single Use to Integrated Management' that will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday 26 September 2017 in Porto, Portugal just prior to the The EIP Water Conference.

The workshop builds on an earlier workshop organised in Brussels on 20 April 2017 and will prepare specific messages to deliver to the audiences attending the EIP Water Conference in Porto that takes place on 27 and 28 September 2017.

These messages relate to the reuse of industrial water reuse as highlighted, for example, at the WssTP Water Innovation Europe 2017 event and are built from the four pillars of the WssTP’s Value of Water model: Sensors, Big Data, Analysis and Modelling, and Governance.

Workshop outcomes

The Brussel’s workshop produces a range of recommendations and conclusions on these four aspects:

• Sensor Networks - Sensor development provides a unique opportunity for enhancing the Value of Water. Advanced sensor development is required to ensure continuous understanding and control of water quality. Handling of dynamic water systems requires advanced sensors. Full implementation, reliable operation costs and maintenance are important.
• Big Data - Identifying the value of the water system in generating and creating data is central to its economic value. The creation of a resilient basis for cyber security and privacy legislation is necessary, as no holistic overview currently exists. Links between data silos and pockets of data should be established and prioritised.  
• Modelling and Analysis - Many models for enhancing water management exist in academia or within RTOs. But these methodologies need to be brought into context before moving to the next pilot phase. It is necessary to identify models and tailor them to the requirements of users in order to develop more efficient  water systems, while observing the interactions and implications.   
• Smart Governance - Smart governance models vary from region to region. The selection process for an appropriate governance design requires extensive consideration. Education and communication is crucial for its successful understanding and implementation.

The Porto workshop will further examine outcomes via four parallel breakout sessions covering the above topics that will include introductory presentations, moderated discussions, collection of ideas, and building of key messages.

The outcomes of the four sessions will be collated and conclusions and key messages for EIP Water conference formulated.

Workshop details

The workshop will take place on Tuesday 26 September 2017 from 14:00 to 18:00 and participation is free of charge, however prior registration is compulsory. You can register for the workshop via this online form.

Please note this registration is valid for the pre-conference workshop only, it will not allow attendance at the EIP Conference itself.

You will have to register separately for the Fourth EIP Water conference Water Innovation: Bridging Gaps, Creating Opportunities’ part of ‘Porto Water Innovation Week 2017’.

For more information on the workshop, please contact either Andrea Rubini at WssTP or Henk Pool at SusChem.

'Industry Water: From Single Use to Integrated Management' Workshop

On 20 April, the WssTP and SusChem European Technology Platforms jointly hosted a successful and well-attended workshop on ‘Industry water: from single use to integrated management’ in Brussels.

The workshop succeeded in gathering challenges and perspectives on the management of smart industrial water reuse and featured contributions from the European Commission and the sector made by both “problem owners” and “solution providers”, and with a final insight on the holistic and systemic structure (Smart Governance and Digital Water) which addressed the challenges for discovering and exploiting the true Value of Water as highlighted in the WssTP Vision document.

For WssTP the Value of Water highlights the crucial role of water for our economy, industry, society, nature and citizens and foresees a future digitally connected water-smart society that works with waters of different qualities that are appropriate to their use.

SusChem sees fresh water as a scarce resource and a critical element for sustainable development of society. Water is a priority area for SusChem and it is pursuing specific topics with the overall aim of decoupling economic growth from actual water use.

Outputs for action 
The workshop produced tangible outputs through a final parallel breakout session that developed and proposed content, gaps, strengths and needs of the four pillars of the Value of Water vision:

• Modelling and Analysis
• Big Data
• Smart Governance, and 
• Sensor Networks.

This final session built the basis for an action plan to bring the outcomes of the workshop to the European Innovation Partnership for Water (EIP Water) Conference, which will be held in the city of Porto in the week of 25 September 2017. A group of participants from the workshop will support the further development of the outputs for final presentation at the EIP Water Conference. A list of action derived from the joint workshop will drive the content of a follow-up workshop that will take place during the EIP Water Conference.

The outputs and challenges identified for each pillar of the Value of Water are briefly described below:

Sensor Networks
Sensor development provides a unique opportunity for enhancing the Value of Water. Advanced sensor development is required to ensure continuous understanding and control of water quality. Handling of dynamic water systems requires advanced sensors. Full implementation, reliable operation costs and maintenance are important.

Big Data
Identifying the value of the water system in generating and creating data is central to its economic value. The creation of a resilient basis for cyber security and privacy legislation is necessary, as no holistic overview currently exists. Links between data silos and pockets of data should be established and prioritized.

Modelling and Analysis
Many models for enhancing water management exist in academia or within RTOs. But these methodologies need to be brought into context before moving to the next pilot phase. It is necessary to identify models and tailor them to the requirements of users in order to develop more efficient  water systems, while observing the interactions and implications.
 
Smart Governance
Smart governance models vary from region to region. The selection process for an appropriate governance design requires extensive consideration. Education and communication is crucial for its successful understanding and implementation.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the WssTP secretariat.

Industry Water: From Single Use to Integrated Management

The European Water Platform (WssTP) and SusChem are jointly organising a workshop on ‘Industry Water: From Single Use to Integrated Management’ that will take place on Thursday 20 April 2017 at the BluePoint Centre (formerly known as the Diamant Centre) in Brussels.

The workshop will gather perspectives and viewpoints on the water reuse domain and will feature contributions from the European Commission, the ‘problem owners’ and ‘solution providers’ involved in the water and related sectors, and a final insight on the holistic and systemic structure (Smart Governance and Digital Water) which can address the challenges for discovering and exploiting the true Value of Water: multiple waters, digitally connected and smartly managed.

Tangible outputs from the workshop will be produced through a final breakout parallel session that will develop and propose content, gaps, strengths and needs of the four pillars of the Value of Water concept:

• Modelling and Analysis
• Big Data
• Smart Governance
• Sensor Networks

The final session will build an action plan to deliver the outcomes of the workshop to the Fourth EIP Water Conference that takes place in the city of Porto during the week of 25 September.

You can download the agenda for the workshop here and registration can be found here.

SusChem Stakeholder 2016: Sustainable Water Solutions

This year’s SusChem stakeholder event takes place on 16 June in Brussels. One of the areas for discussion at the stakeholder event will be Water. In this blog Henk Pool, Cefic Innovation Manager responsible for this SusChem priority area, outlines the field, its many areas of innovation for sustainable chemistry and how you can participate in the discussion at #suschem16.

Water is was one of the five SusChem priority areas for innovation. The European Commission’s action plan for ‘Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy’ translates literally to the realm of the chemical industry and its customers. Development of technologies enabling closing of water loops are highlighted in the two SusChem inspired European PPPs - Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and energy Efficiency (SPIRE) and Bio-Based Industries (BBI) – and are working to enable industry to seize the opportunities offered by water innovation programmes.

In the spring of 2016 SusChem set up a working group of water experts from industry to identify and develop the SusChem ‘Water Innovation Agenda’ at a European level and to build the base for future funding calls, projects and collaborations.

Water and Sustainable Chemistry
Water is a scarce resource and a critical element for the development of our society and economy. The continuing increase in urbanisation and agricultural production combined with new demands from the development of biobased and eco-industries and the need to preserve biodiversity and the natural ecosystem put high demands on water management. The chemical industry is a user of water but it is also an important solution provider of innovative products, technologies and services which can enable more sustainable water management. On this front, SusChem and the chemical industry are very active in the European Innovation Partnership Water (Water EIP).

Water is used in the chemical industry for many purposes including processing, washing, diluting and heating, cooling, and transporting product. The chemical industry aims at near-zero discharge of water by using closed-loop systems. The control of impurities in closed water systems needs a combination of real time monitoring tools and sensors, highly selective separation processes and new water treatments to prevent fouling and corrosion.

Water efficiency measures are also aligned with targets to reduce energy consumption: energy consumption is a critical indicator when developing new technologies for water management and water treatment.

Water symbiosis and delivery of ‘fit-for-purpose’ water are considered as key elements to ensure and enable the optimal and integrated (re)use of water not only for the chemical industry but also in collaboration with other sectors including urban and agricultural use.

Focus on Water Innovation
The new SusChem working group is currently completing its efforts and formulating recommendations, but broad areas for water innovation programmes already identified include:

• Water sources & availability Sources of water which have not been widely used, are now increasingly considered as important sources including desalination, re-use of treated wastewater, rainwater harvesting and gas humidity condensation (such as cooling tower blowdown). Different technical options are in development to access these sources with their specific implementation strongly dependent on local conditions. Development of ‘tailor-made’ system solutions and scale up testing for robust industrial processes will be required.
• Water treatment, reuse & resource recovery, and cross industry symbioses. ‘Fit for Purpose’ will become the driving force in water treatment and management. Developments required for full scale implementation of this new paradigm include:
• Development of new chemical additives for water treatment to facilitate reuse. 
• Economically effective solutions to remove and recover salts from industry water.
• Development of advanced membrane technologies to increase selectivity, reduce energy use and reduce maintenance operations (fouling resistance).
• Resource recovery (“circular economy”), development of novel highly selective and energy-efficient separation technologies to recover specific resources (e.g. phosphorous) from industry wastewater.
• Water analysis including online analysis & process development. Making the next steps forward in closing loops in industry water systems will require development of water monitoring systems and tools that are able to analyse water quality and quantity constantly. These analytical tools combined with process control will allow the closing of the water loops. Specific attention to the development of analytical instruments capable of determining the level of water disinfection required (e.g. to tackle legionella bacteria) will be required. Full understanding of the process in combination with advance process control will allow optimised dosing of treatment chemicals. Today these chemicals are added at high levels as a preventative measure. Better monitoring can ensure appropriate, lower dosing.
• Water distribution, in particular loss of water in distribution networks. Fresh water distribution systems can lose up to 20% of their water capacity due to leaks in their pipes and poor maintenance. Replacement of aging distribution infrastructure is expensive and/or impossible. The chemical industry has solutions that it would like to develop with partners along the value chain allowing retrofit leak repair of water distribution systems.

E4Water shows the way
A recently completed SusChem inspired and EU funded project E4Water has shown what is possible in the chemical and related sectors in terms of water management. At the project’s final conference in April 2016, new integrated approaches for efficient and sustainable water management were presented. Each of the six industrial case studies that formed the core of the project illustrated the ability to de-couple the growing economic activity of the chemical industry from actual water use. By carefully selecting the right water treatment and management processes and systems the six examples were able to demonstrate on an industrial scale who the chemical sector can enable water to be reused several times – our goal of near zero discharge of water is getting within reach!

You can download the final results brochure from the E4Water project here.

Water innovation potential
The European industry, led by the chemical industry, clearly has the opportunity to develop knowledge and solutions to radically reduce consumption of water and, as a consequence, reduce energy consumption too.

By developing these sustainable solutions Europe is gaining competitive advantage that can create new high-skilled jobs, while reducing its consumption of resources and energy, increasing its production capacity and continuing to create the innovative products that a changing global society needs.an excellent Moreover it shows how

SusChem inspired initiatives such as SPIRE are helping to make sustainable water use in a wide cross-section of European industries a reality. Close cooperation and alignment in the definition phases of the funding calls available under Horizon 2020 across all PPPs and all levels of stakeholder involvement is necessary to ensure that all the needs of the process industries are fully considered.

Stakeholder discussions
A highly interactive debate is expected at the Stakeholder event on 16 June and your questions and expectations on the outcomes for the panel debates, in particular on water treatment, reuse and management, are welcome in advance.

Registration for the 2016 SusChem Stakeholder event is now open. This dedicated registration website includes links to discounted accommodation at the Hotel Bloom in Brussels - the venue for the event.

You are invited to submit your questions and comments and also your expectations for outcomes as part of the registration process. You can submit your questions and comments when you register and there will also be a link for question submission sent with the registration confirmation email.

Indo-European Water Partnership to highlight Opportunities 7 March

As part of the Indo-European Water Partnership, the Indian Ministry for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the European Union are organising a meeting with EU businesses in New Delhi on 7 March 2016. The meeting takes place at 14h00 local time (09h30 Central European Time) in New Dehli at the Lalit New Delhi hotel and will be relayed via a video conference to enable wider participation by EU businesses.

The meeting will be attended by Shri Shashi Shekhar, Indian Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the EU’s Ambassador to India Tomasz Kozlowski.

The meeting will examine a number of key water challenges for which the Government of India is seeking solutions. These include:

• Municipal Sewage 
• Industrial Effluents – in particular for Tanneries, Pulp and Paper, Distilleries and Textiles sectors 
• Water Quality Monitoring (WQM) for Industrial effluent monitoring (on discharge) and River Health (Over 113 WQM sites are to be established along the river Ganga)
• Geographical Information System (GIS) based Ganga river basin mapping 
• Micro-irrigation 

More information
More information on the event can be found here and you can register here.

Registration for the meeting and the video conference is free and will require provision of additional optional information for dissemination at the meeting and/or via the EIP Water website and the European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) portal. If you have any comments or questions they should be sent to the Support facility to the Indo-European Water Partnership by 4 March 2016 at the latest.

E4Water on Euronews

The SusChem inspired FP7 project E4Water is featured in the latest Euronews video on its science and technology channel ‘Futuris’. The new video (see below) features one of E4Water’s successful case study demonstration plants in the Netherlands. And keeping with news on water innovation the latest EIP Water newsletter has just been published – more details below.

Producing chemicals and plastics requires a lot of fresh water to cool down industrial processes, and this water is not always readily available. Euronews reporter Denis Loctier visited a Dow Benelux plastics plant on the southern coast of the Netherlands. This seaside plant cannot pump water from the ground: it must buy it from a supplier located dozens of kilometres away, uses it once and then pours it out into the sea.

Salty or dirty water can damage installations, and for now it is cheaper for companies to buy fresh water than to recycle it. But a European research project - "E4Water (Economically and Ecologically Efficient Water Management in the European Chemical Industry)" - wants to change all that.



About E4Water
With the chemical industry providing the highest potential to demonstrate increased eco-efficiency in industrial water management, the FP7 project ‘Economically and Ecologically Efficient Water Management in the European Chemical Industry’ (E4Water) addresses a range of crucial process needs to overcome bottlenecks and barriers to a fully integrated and energy efficient water management system.

The project’s main objective is to develop and test integrated approaches, methodologies and process technologies. There are six industrial case study sites at the core of E4Water that are expected to achieve a reduction of 20-40% in water use, 30-70% in waste water production, 15-40% in energy use and up to 60% in direct economic benefits. In addition to the chemical industry, the project is actively seeking opportunities for cross-fertilisation with other industrial sectors.

The project consortium brings together large chemical companies, leading European water sector companies and innovative research and technology development centres and universities. The partners are also involved in the Water supply and sanitation Platform (WssTP) and SusChem, the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry, and actively collaborate with water authorities in different European countries.

For more information about SusChem involvement with water issues, please contact Antonia Morales-Perez at Cefic, or visit the water priority page on the SusChem website.

Latest EIP Water newsletter out

The May 2015 edition of the EIP Water newsletter is out. The e-publication reports on the World Water Forum 7 in South Korea during which new analyses and perspectives on global water challenges and markets were published. In Europe, the Horizon 2020 water call closed on 21 April having received 915 applications showing increasing interest in innovation in the water sector.

Within the partnerships, EIP Water has been appointed to the Water JPI Stakeholder’s Advisory Group (SAG) and the Water JPI is currently holding a consultation on its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, which will provide valuable input for the SAG’s next meeting in early June. If you want to participate in the consultation the deadline for input is 24 May.

Finally the next EIP Water Conference will be held in February 2016 and five hosting proposals have been received from across Europe. A decision on the venue will be made by mid-June at the latest.

SusChem at Malta Water Week!

On 25 March Antonia Morales Perez, Cefic innovation manager responsible for leading SusChem's contribution to the European Innovation Partnerships on Water and on Raw Materials took part in the Malta Water Week Conference where she presented the latest solutions that the chemical industry has to offer towards industrial symbiosis and in particular sustainable water management. The event happened just after World Water Day (22 March). 

SusChem supports water conservation, recycling and re-use as an innovation priority and water is featured in the new SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA). Water is a scarce resource and a critical element for the development of our society and economy. The chemical industry is a significant user of water, but also an important solution provider of innovative products, technologies and services which can enable more sustainable water and wastewater management.

Fit-for-purpose
Water symbiosis and delivery of ‘fit-for-purpose’ water flows are considered as key elements to ensure and enable optimal and integrated (re)use of water, not only for the chemical industry but for other sectors as well. Antonia's presentation to the conference focused on results coming out of the FP7 project E4Water in which SusChem participates. This includes six industry case studies that are developing new approaches to solve different challenges in water reuse and recycling to achieve a final goal of integration of the industrial-urban and agricultural sectors.

The conference kicked-off with a video message from Karmenu Vella, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Malta Water Week takes the heart of the Mediterranean as its starting point, using a public-private focus to generate business, collaborations and partnerships looking at innovation in water management solutions, technology and practices. In particular, the conference will be addressing a variety of themes with a focus on best practices and innovative solutions to water challenges, highlighting examples and lessons among others, including:

• Smart Water Infrastructures
• Innovative Water Technologies
• Water Reuse
• Water Education
• Innovative Financial Solutions

What is Malta Water Week?
Malta Water Week is a leading Mediterranean water event featuring a number of activities centred around innovation in water-management solutions and technology, novel financing ideas in water, expert intervention, the bringing together of international businesses and investors, and the sharing of best practices amongst all participating entities while showcasing the opportunities brought forth by current and future challenges in water.

Malta Water Week is organised by Paragon Europe within the margins of the Water Efficiency in European Urban Areas project. The project is based on the ambition to create an open European platform for EU excellence in water efficiency in urban water management. This platform will enable participating clusters and regions to bring together knowledge and innovation potential through collaboration and mutually learning on a trans-national basis.

For more information about SusChem’s contribution to Malta Water Week, please contact Antonia Morales Perez.

Chemical industry: a solution provider for water efficiency

Updated 29 March with presentation links! 

On 12 March ACQUEAU hosted a workshop on Industrial Waste Water Treatment in Helsinki, Finland. The workshop aimed to foster collaboration amongst water stakeholders and stimulate new project ideas and was hosted by TEKES, the Finnish funding agency for innovation. More than 60 people attended the workshop sharing know-how, presenting project ideas and innovative technologies. And SusChem was there to showcase how sustainable chemistry can deliver new innovative materials and solutions to the water industry.

Water is a scarce resource and a critical element for the development of our society and economy. The chemical industry is a user of water, but also an important solution provider of innovative products, technologies and services which can enable more sustainable water and wastewater management.

To this end, SusChem and the chemical industry are very active in the European Innovation Partnership Water (Water EIP). Cefic Innovation Manager and Co-ordinator of the SusChem National Platforms (NTPs), Antonia Morales Perez, joined the ACQUEAU workshop to present new, efficient approaches that that  are under development with the E4Water FP7 funded project. The project is currently looking at six different case studies that use innovative technologies as a means to achieve a more efficient water management in the chemical industry and other sectors.

The workshop featured case studies on Industrial Wastewater Treatment from the metals and mining industry, pulp and paper, and the chemical industry. The national funding programmes of Sweden, Canada and Finland were presented by national representatives. In the afternoon a brokerage session for the current ACQUEAU Open Call also took place with project leaders having the chance to present their ideas to the audience and meet up potential project partners. In total five project leaders presented ideas and water solutions.

You can download the final programme for the event here and you can find details of the projects presented at the brokerage session here.

About ACQUEAU
ACQUEAU is a market and industry-driven initiative of the EUREKA Clusters, a group of public-private partnerships which aim to develop generic technologies of key importance to European competitiveness.

For more information about SusChem’s contribution towards water efficiency measures, contact Antonia Morales.

Latest E4Water Newsletter out!

The fifth E4Water newsletter has just been published. The newsletter covers news and events from this important FP7 project including news on a prestigious award, results from one of the project's case studies and other news and events.

The main feature in the newsletter is on the success of the E4Water Solvic Case Study in Antwerp, Belgium which won one of the European Responsible Care Awards during a special ceremony at the Cefic annual general assembly in Paris on 17 October. Solvay SA won in the Environment category for their work in this E4Water project together with Evides and Vito. The case study project was praised for “Saving water through symbiosis” and “Looking at the bigger picture”.

A related feature describes the third pilot facility now installed at the Solvic site in Antwerp. This “Mobile Kit” is a transportable mini-electrolysis unit and aims to demonstrate the possibility for recycling the salty effluents from a neighbouring industry partner into one of the manufacturing loops at Solvic.

In other articles project partner Evides Industriewater in the Netherlands is profiled and their work within E4Water described and E4Water's activities at the annual conference of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Water that took place in Barcelona, Spain on 5 and 6 November 2014 is outlined.

What is E4Water?
With the chemical industry providing the highest potential to demonstrate increased eco-efficiency in industrial water management, the FP7 project ‘Economically and Ecologically Efficient Water Management in the European Chemical Industry’ (E4Water) addresses a range of crucial process needs to overcome bottlenecks and barriers to a fully integrated and energy efficient water management system.

The project’s main objective is to develop and test integrated approaches, methodologies and process technologies. There are six industrial case study sites at the core of E4Water that are expected to achieve a reduction of 20-40% in water use, 30-70% in waste water production, 15-40% in energy use and up to 60% in direct economic benefits. In addition to the chemical industry, the project is actively seeking opportunities for cross-fertilisation with other industrial sectors.

The project consortium brings together large chemical companies, leading European water sector companies and innovative research and technology development centres and universities. The partners are also involved in the Water supply and sanitation Platform (WssTP) and SusChem, the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry, and actively collaborate with water authorities in different European countries.

For more information about SusChem involvement with water issues, please contact Antonia Morales-Perez at Cefic, or visit the water priority page on the SusChem website.

SusChem presents at ERRIN and WssTP Brokerage Event

WssTP, The European Water Platform, together with ERRIN, the European Regional Research and Innovation Network, organised the annual brokerage event on water-related topics last 26-27 November in Brussels. The main aim was to present the Horizon 2020 calls on water-related topics for 2015 and, of course, SusChem was there.

The event brought together different speakers from National Contact Points, the Enterprise Network and the European Commission, who shared their experiences with regards to the project calls in 2014, either as participants or as evaluators, respectively.  A special emphasis was given to the cooperation among the different European Technology Platforms as a better way to address the challenges in the water sector. No single sector can solve the problem alone. SusChem, the European Technology Platform of Sustainable Chemistry, was invited to present its views in the event, explaining the chemical sector perspective as a water using sector as well as a solutions provider.

At the event, Antonia Morales, Head of SusChem National Technology Platforms (NTPs) and Innovation Manager at Cefic, presented the barriers and bottlenecks to innovation in water in Europe and addressed the role of European Technology Platforms and the chemical sector in mitigating non-technological barriers and bottlenecks to innovation. Morales stressed the importance of industrial symbiosis and the need to push for the integration of industrial-urban and rural water management in order to achieve a more efficient use of water.

Water priority
Water is a priority area for SusChem and as part of the event, SusChem offered insights into new technologies, presented chemical sector solutions to tackle water quality and water quantity issues, and provided examples of innovations that are leading to the development of less energy demanding technologies.

The collaboration between WssTP and SusChem has been long-standing. Back in May 2012, during the closing session of the Water Innovation EU conference, the two organisations renewed their formal agreement, which set the support of the European Innovation Partnership on Water amongst its priorities.

WssTP Brokerage in Brussels

The European Technology Platform for Water (WssTP) is organising a project brokerage event in collaboration with European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) on 26 and 27 November  at delegation of the Lombardy Region in central Brussels. The main objective of the joint Brokerage event is to facilitate networking between members for collaborative projects, as well as to foster the creation of consortia for upcoming Horizon 2020 calls and other EU funding opportunities.

The programme will underline the strategic importance that WssTP and ERRIN give to the role of regional actors and SMEs in European research and innovation related to water. Speakers from the European Commission, the Enterprise Europe Network and National Contact points will be brought together to explain to the lessons and experiences learnt from the 2014 calls. In addition to this, evaluators will share their experiences, by presenting their own point of view.

Partner European Technology Platforms, including SusChem, will be also there, representing industrial sectors for which water is a key concern. Interested participants will have the chance to give short presentations on new project ideas. On the second day of the event, WssTP will host a special session dedicated to the WssTP Working Groups. The groups will present their current activities as touchstones for project ideas.

The WssTP-ERRIN brokerage event is an opportunity to find the partners and expertise you are looking for your projects! Find more details and how to register here.

Meanwhile in Barcelona!
The EIP Water Conference 2014 kick off on Wednesday 5 November in Barcelona. Over 500 delegates will be there and registration is now closed. However you can follow the Conference or some of its sessions online, via our all day web-streaming which starts on 5 November. To view you will need to register here.

You can view the latest conference programme here that includes a great line up of high-level speakers and thought-provoking sessions.

The conference will also mark the launch of the 3rd call for expressions of commitment to establish an EIP Water Action Group. This new call will have a particular focus on actors from eastern European countries and on those EIP Water priority areas which are currently underrepresented. The call will go online on the EIP Water website from 5 November.

EIP Water now has a twitter account - @eip_water - and will live-tweet from the Conference using the hashtag: #EIPWater2014.

The Conference also includes the global launch of the CDP Water Report 2014 on the perception of water risk by the world’s largest listed corporations during the session “How corporate stewardship is driving innovation in water.”

Register for the EIP Water Conference

Registration for the EIP Water Conference 2014 is now open. The event takes place on Wednesday 5 November in Europe’s "iCapital" Barcelona. The programme includes numerous high-level speakers and thought-provoking sessions at this major water innovation conference. The EIP on Water’s annual conference has grown into Europe’s flagship event on water innovation within just a year!

The conference organisers are looking forward to the active involvement of delegates at the conference including participating in Q&A sessions, voting on innovative water solutions, and making the most of some excellent networking opportunities.

The programme also includes the launch of the CDP water programme's Global Water Report 2014, which analyses business understanding of water risk in the world’s largest listed corporations on behalf of 573 institutional investors representing in excess of US$60 trillion.

Places are limited at the EIP Water Conference 2014, so please register soon to avoid disappointment!

Full programme and visits
The EIP Water Conference 2014 is organised by the European Commission, with the support of the Municipality of Barcelona, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness, and CETaqua / Agbar. As well as a full conference programme on 5 November there are also free-of-charge site visits in and around Barcelona on Thursday 6 November to innovative and state-of-the-art water facilities.

In addition, delegates will be able to interact with the 25 EIP Water Action Groups, WssTP, Water JPI and others significant water sector players in the conference exhibition area. And several organisations, including ZINNAE, the European Water Partnership (EWP) and the Portuguese Water Partnership, have scheduled back-to-back meetings which are open to Conference participants before or after the Conference.

Please do not hesitate to contact the EIP Water Secretariat for more information about the Conference or other activities of the platform.

Water Diary Dates

Some dates for your diary for water issue related events.

Water Stewardship: Local Actions driving Global Impact

The European Water Partnership (EWP) and the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) are dedicated to advancing water stewardship and responding to the needs of water users to demonstrate credible water risk mitigation.

The two organizations are inviting stakeholders to learn more about how water stewardship is being implemented at site level and the links between the global and European initiatives at an event that takes place on the afternoon of 3 July from 14:00 to 17:00 at Finland’s Permanent Representation to the European Union, Avenue de Cortenbergh 80, Brussels.

Delegates will hear about real-world stories from companies that will illustrate best water stewardship practices and demonstrate how you can also become engaged. A panel session will bring together perspectives from civil society, investors, policy-makers and business to share their experiences with water stewardship in different regions and sectors.

Details of the event’s full programme will be available soon, however the venue has a finite capacity so to be sure of a seat register now! The conference will be followed by a networking drink!

Wetsus Congress in October

The Wetsus Annual Congress 2014 will take place on 6 – 7 October in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. The theme of the 2014 Congress is ‘From Knowledge to Business’ and the organizers are hoping to welcome over 700 delegates to this major European Water Technology conference.

The two-day event will feature inspiring speakers throughout and in the science programme on Day 2 includes two world-wide renown keynote speakers: Derek Lovley on microbiology and Alexander Friedrich on anti-biotic resistance.

For further details on registration and more information about the programme visit the congress website.

SusChem and Water 
SusChem is working to boost innovation in water related topics to contribute to improved use and treatment of water and further develop a sustainable water policy.

To achieve these solutions SusChem works with a range of partners, including the European Water Platform (WssTP) and the European Innovation Partnership on Water (EIP Water).

EIP Water has ambitious objectives, some examples are: to reduce private water consumption, increase water efficiency in irrigation, decrease the water footprint of all industries, minimise water loss in distribution systems and reduce the energy used in the water sector.

And don’t forget the Second Annual EIP Water Conference will take place on 5-6 November 2014 in Barcelona!

World Water Day 2014 on 21 - 22 March!

Water and Energy for a more efficient and sustainable management of our water resources is the theme for the 2014 World Water Day. On March 21 and 22 the United Nations Organisation – working closely with its Member States and other relevant stakeholders – will highlight the issues around the water-energy nexus: a topic of major interest to SusChem, the chemical and other process industries. Water and energy are closely interlinked and interdependent.

Energy generation and transmission requires utilisation of water resources, particularly for hydroelectric, nuclear, and thermal energy sources. And innovation in water usage is essential for us to achieve a more efficient use of water and energy: saving energy is saving water and saving water is saving energy. Choices concerning the supply, distribution, price, and use of water and energy impact one another. The water- energy nexus is one of the major societal challenges facing Europe and the World.

The chemical industry as one of the biggest water consumers can lead the development of integrated water strategies through technologies that reduce water consumption, reduce use of fresh water resources (through cascade use of urban, industrial and rural areas), and optimise waste water management.

The industry is also one of the biggest providers of water treatment materials and technologies. Our experience will allow us to develop new approaches to improve other sectors’ water management and public sector water requirements.

WWD 2014
World Water Day 2014 aims to facilitate the development of policies and cross-cutting frameworks that bridge ministries and sectors, leading the way to energy security and sustainable water use in a green economy.

The main celebrations of World Water Day will be organised by United Nations University (UNU) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on behalf of UN-Water on 20 and 21 March and will take place at the UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

Boosting innovation in water management will contribute to overcoming these challenges by achieving sustainable use and treatment of water and developing future water policy. The chemical industry participates in projects for the development of integrated water strategies through technologies that reduce water consumption and the related energy, reduce use of fresh water resources and optimise waste water management. For example, the FP7 project E4Water that is building on state-of-the-art and new fundamental R&D concepts with the aim of achieving an expected reduction of 20-40% in water use, 30-70% in wastewater production, 15-40% in energy use and up to 60% direct economic benefits at its case study sites throughout the European chemical industry.

Water EIP Newsletter
SusChem and Cefic are heavily involved in the European Innovation Partnership on Water (EIP Water) and the UN World Water Day is one of many articles in the latest EIP Water Newsletter.

Water and Energy is one of EIP Water’s priority areas and in the newsletter you can get updates on the activities the  EIP Water Action Groups that are working in this field: Water4Energy Framework , Renewable Energy Desalination and Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor. You can subscribe to the newsletter via the EIP water website.

Barriers and bottlenecks to water innovation

What is hindering the development and uptake of innovations in the water sector? Do legal, technical and political barriers and bottlenecks exist? And how can they be addressed? These issues are tackled in a report just published (13 February) on the EIP Water website that was produced by an ad-hoc group of the EIP Water Task Force led by SusChem, the European Water Platform (WssTP) and an Industry Expert Group.

The findings of the report were presented to a meeting of the High Level Steering Group (HLSG) of the EIP Water on December 6 in Brussels, including European Commissioners Potocnik and Geoghegan-Quinn, by SusChem board member Gernot Klotz.. As well as identifying the main barriers and bottlenecks to innovation in the water sector, the report proposes and prioritizes a range of interventions to remove or mitigate them.

The ad-hoc group has analysed and prioritised the barriers and bottlenecks to non-technological innovation in the water sector in Europe and abroad. Priority action topics have been identified, and roadmaps for each will be drafted and agreed upon by April 2014. The actions identified include:

• development of fit-for-purpose financial instruments (e.g. revolving funds)
• the establishment of an EU-wide coherent regulatory landscape
• a structured EU coherent approach for Public-Public and Public-Private Partnerships which should also target international export markets
• improvement in  public and investor confidence by showcases and demonstration sites.

The report is now available from the EIP Water Marketplace. To download the report you will need to be registered with the site.

Breaking barriers
“Technological barriers and bottlenecks for water-related topics are tackled through the Research and Innovation programmes, such as Horizon 2020, and this is why the current report focuses on the identification of non-technological barriers,” said Antonia Morales Perez, Innovation Manager at Cefic and SusChem lead on water issues. “To remove or mitigate these barriers needs the cooperation of different stakeholders such as Member States, the European Commission, the European Parliament and Council, as well as the Water sector, Industry, Agriculture sectors and Academia.”

Among the intervention measures proposed in the report, there is a clear priority to establish an EU-wide coherent regulatory landscape that can facilitate the introduction of new technologies to the market, thereby creating the required critical mass to launch them in a competitive way.

The creation of a portfolio of “Showcases” for innovation will help to improve the confidence of public authorities, citizens and investors by demonstrating the added value of innovations in water (both technological and non-technological) and can also be utilized to replicate solutions in other locations both within and outside Europe. In addition new financing mechanisms, which facilitate innovation implementation, including dedicated models for SMEs will be pioneered.

SusChem has been highly engaged in the preparation of the report, together with the EIP Secretariat, and the platform will keep working on the preparation of the roadmaps that are to be developed for each intervention measure and will discussed in the next EIP Water Task Force meeting on April 3.

More information
For more information about SusChem and water issues, please contact Antonia Morales Perez at Cefic.

Innovative Financing for Innovative Water SMEs

On 24 January 2014, the European Water Platform (WssTP) and the European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) are organising an information day on public funding opportunities for SMEs in the water sector. The session is also organised through the FINNOWATER Action Group of the European Innovation Partnership on Water (EIP Water).

This afternoon workshop entitled 'All you wanted to know about financing innovative SMEs but…' will start with a networking lunch at 12:30 and give a comprehensive overview of funding schemes available for SMEs in 2014. The event will be of interest to all stakeholders wishing to gain an understanding of the current funding opportunities. and takes place at the Netherlands Embassy in Brussels, Kortenberglaan 4-10, 1040 Brussels.

Funding opportunities addressed will include, amongst others EIB, Eco-ovation, Horizon 2020, the SME instrument COSME, Eurostars, Acqueau, crowdfunding, and business angels.

The event will be followed by a networking cocktail. The event may also be web-streamed for interested people that are not able to attend in person: this will be confirmed in the near future.

The EIP Water is strongly supporting this event and will include the outcomes in a practical guide for European water innovation funding opportunities which will be developed in the next few months.

For more information on the final programme for the workshop here and pre-registration can be found on the WssTP website.

Founded in 2001, ERRIN is a Brussels-based platform of regions dedicated to strengthening regional research and innovation capacities in Europe by exchanging information, sharing best practice, supporting project development, policy shaping and profile raising.

Water News Round-up

SusChem was involved in significant activity in the water sector towards the end of 2013. The first Annual Conference of the European Innovation Partnership on Water (EIP Water) took place in the European Parliament in Brussels at the end of November and a meeting of the High Level Steering Group (HLSG) convened in early December. SusChem has been deeply involved in discussions in this area: in particular in the task force to identify and remove barriers to innovation in the water sector.

The first annual conference of EIP Water was held on 21 November with over 500 registered participants. The event was opened by Marianne Wenning, Director Quality of Life, Water and Air at the European Commission DG Environment, who highlighted the importance of water, the current situation in the EU and the worldwide water market size estimated at around one trillion US$.

The role of the EIP Water is to overcome the water-related challenges that the EU faces, including technological aspects, water scarcity and droughts, and also (paradoxically) more frequent flooding – an issue that having a major impact on many European citizens.

In concluding remarks Commissioner Potocnik stated that: “The challenges [for the EIP Water] are numerous, maybe even daunting, but at the same time the opportunities are great and we cannot afford to miss them. Working together we will all be better prepared to face the challenges as well as to take advantage of the opportunities. The EIP Water is an excellent instrument to support this, bringing together all relevant professionals, initiatives and organizations around shared interests.”

Action groups
Earlier, Tomas Michel from the European Technology Platform on Water (WssTP) stated that EIPs accelerate research, development and market deployment of innovations that can tackle societal challenges and also boost the competitiveness of EU industries. He highlighted the importance of the water sector in Europe and its objective of becoming the global water technology leader by 2030.

The conference was an opportunity for the first nine Action Groups selected by the EIP to present their progress so far.

A second call for proposals for Action Groups is now underway. The EIP is looking for innovative concepts with commercial possibilities that offer solutions to the issues prioritized in the partnership’s Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP). The deadline for submission of proposals is 31 January 2014.

Innovation barriers
Following the annual conference, the HLSG of the EIP Water met on December 6 in Brussels with European Commissioners Potocnik and Geoghegan-Quinn opening the meeting.

Commissioner Potocnik reiterated the EU’s commitment to continuity for the EIP Water and supported the work of the Task Force producing the report on the barriers to innovation in the sector. He encouraged the EIP to move forward with the analysis of priority barriers and bottlenecks and the suggested intervention measures.

SusChem board member Gernot Klotz (above) presented this report to the HLSG. As well as identifying the main barriers and bottlenecks to innovation in the water sector, the report proposes and prioritizes a range of interventions to remove or mitigate them.

Some of the identified barriers are technological and others have non-technological aspects. For the technological barriers linking the EIP activities to the various available funding mechanisms will support progress to achieving commercialization of new solutions.

For the non-technological barriers a different approach is required, therefore the engagement of the European institutions, Member States and Regional authorities, together with users (including industry, agriculture and citizens) is crucial to achieve results.

Members of the report task force will participate in working groups to develop the action plan for each intervention measure that is identified. The draft work plan for this should be completed in February 2014.

Right links
Commissioner Geoghegan Quinn commented on the crucial role of Horizon 2020 and thanked the EIP council and stakeholders for their support for the programme. She thought that the activities under the EIP Water were a good model. In the last calls for FP7 around € 50 million had been provided to support demonstration activities and market uptake in the water sector.

“This support will continue in Horizon 2020,” she stated. The EIP Water will provide priorities to consider under Horizon 2020 where water is one of the focus areas in Societal Challenge 5: Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials. The EIP’s SIP will be a key driver in identifying priorities here. The Commissioner also highlighted strategic international cooperation opportunities (especially in China and India) that could be expanded to global markets.

The need for continuity of the EIP Water after 2014 was a main conclusion of the HLSG meeting. This continuation should be framed by Horizon 2020 and clear links to Horizon 2020 and other funding mechanisms, such as Life+ and Structural and Cohesion funds, would be welcomed.

For more information about SusChem and water issues please contact Antonia Morales Perez at Cefic.

EIP Water Conference – Innovating Water

The first conference of the European Innovation Partnership on Water (EIP Water) entitled “Networking and Interacting – Innovating Water” will be held in the European Parliament building in Brussels on 21 November 2013. The meeting will bring together EIP Water stakeholders, take stock of the current status of the EIP and help shape its future progress and further increase the opportunities for collaborating on water innovation in Europe and globally.

The one-day conference will showcase innovations from both within and outside the water sector through keynote addresses, panel discussions and moderated plenary sessions. The nine initial EIP Water Action Groups established in May 2013 will showcase their emerging work; interactive sessions will assist new ideas to be taken forward, and the next steps of the EIP Water will be presented and discussed. The conference also aims to help establish new links and partnerships as well as facilitate networking between participants from water innovation supply and demand.

The conference will be opened by a plenary address from European Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik.

Innovation and growth
The EIP Water conference is part of the EIP Water’s efforts to engage with stakeholders from water innovation supply and demand in Europe and globally. The overall aim of the EIP is to stimulate creative and innovative solutions that contribute significantly to tackling water challenges at the European and global level.

The EIP Water aims to create market opportunities for these innovations, and by doing so stimulate sustainable economic growth and job creation.

The objectives of the conference itself are:

• To build awareness, particularly in Europe, of the necessity and potential of innovation within the water sector and EIP Water.
• To facilitate the creation of market opportunities by establishing new links, networks and partnerships between water innovation supply and demand.
• To take stock of progress made so far in EIP Water.
• To receive detailed feedback and input on a draft EIP Water activity agenda for 2014.

Registration
EIP Water expects up to 400 participants at its first annual conference and aims to attract participation from all stakeholders from EU and non-EU countries. Participation in the conference is free of charge.

For environmental reasons, no conference documents will be printed, but all relevant papers will be made available for download prior to the conference.

Due to the security regulations of the European Parliament, participants need to register before 12 November. Registration is open now and you can register here.

Further information
For questions relating to the content of the conference , please contact Robert Schroeder. For any organisational issues, please contact Michaela Matauschek. And for media enquiries contact Sören Bauer.