What does the future hold for international water innovation? Last week, over 20,000 water professionals gained insights into the promising answers to this question at Aquatech 2023 in Amsterdam.
Many visited the NL Lounge, which was hosted by Partners for Water (PfW) and was part of the NL Pavilion. One thing is clear: the future of water innovation looks very exciting.
Kick-off
Enthusiasm was in the air when Marieke Leenhouts from Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) inaugurated the NL Pavilion at Aquatech 2023 on Monday 6 November. Together with NWP and Water Alliance, Partners for Water co-hosted the NL Pavilion and facilitated the NL Lounge. Over 23 exhibitors were ready to showcase their innovative water technologies and solutions in the inviting Dutch area amidst the vast international expo. “Today is the start of a promising week,” Leenhouts said, “The programme is packed with inspiring talks, engaging network lunches and valuable delegation visits, without forgetting the free drinks during Wednesday’s networking event in the NL Lounge.” The stage has been set; let the unveiling of water innovation begin.
Marieke Leenhouts NWP, photo by Ruben May
Aquatech Innovation Award
Earlier that morning, three Dutch companies were recognised with the Aquatech 2023 Innovation Award for their contributions to water innovation. Software developer Factorylab received an award in the category ‘Water Supply’ for their ClipR temperature sensor and product developer Acquaint was awarded in the ‘Transport, Process & Control’ category for their inline inspection dashboard.
Various Dutch exhibitors showcasing their innovations in the NL Pavilion, photo by Ruben May
The overall Innovation Award was received by REDStack BV, who were recognised in the categories ‘Wastewater Treatment’ and ‘Innovation Not To Market’ for their Blue Energy Technology. With membrane stacks they generate renewable energy out of contacting flows of fresh and salt water. Pieter Hack, founder of REDStack, honoured the NL Lounge with a presentation about their innovative technology. Hack remarked: “At the end of the day, we rely on the Earth’s five available energy sources: solar, geothermal, wind, biomass and hydropower. So the question isn’t if our Blue Energy technology will become mainstream, but rather when it will happen.”
Incoming missions
Delegations from Guinea, France, Peru, Brazil, India, Oman, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain and Chile visited the NL Lounge. Additionally, Partners for Water hosted two platform meetings —one for India and one for Vietnam. These incoming missions served to strengthen the relationship between the Dutch water sector and its international counterparts, leading to fresh perspectives on water-related business opportunities overseas. Willem Timmerman, First Secretary at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vietnam, remarked: “Vietnam aspires to become a high-income country by 2025 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Currently, the nation is facing significant water and climate challenges. However, there is a strong willingness to invest in high-quality solutions, resulting in valuable business opportunities for the Netherlands”
Various delegations networking at the NL Lounge, photo by Ruben May
Enlightening presentations
“Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed leak identification from a reactive to a proactive process,” declared Robert Lodewijk. The founder of AI company Hulo gave an engaging presentation about the potential of AI in water systems. Lodewijk continued: “By utilising AI in conjunction with pressure and flow sensors, we can detect, localise and quantify leaks with the highest possible accuracy.”
“We integrate data from diverse atmospheric and soil sensors into a single forecasting system. Through a user-friendly dashboard, farmers receive severe weather warnings and irrigation advise,” shared Lisa Verschuren, from FutureWater. She presented MAGDA, an elaborative weather forecasting system and explained how this data empowers farmers to anticipate and prepare for extreme weather conditions.
Participants listening to the presentations, photo by Ruben May
These presentations offer just a snapshot of the numerous insightful discussions that took place over the course of the week. Topics ranged from AI and robotic solutions to water energy consumption and socio-technical integration, all woven together by a shared goal: to advance global water security through innovative solutions.
Funding opportunities
“For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), covering working capital needs when exporting can be challenging. That’s where we come in,” explained Marc Cabret from impact investment organisation Invest International. Alongside his colleague Joris Kreulen, he presented the organisation’s financial solutions. Kreulen added, “We offer Dutch and Dutch-linked SMEs aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals tailor-made and blended funding solutions for export, investment and value chain needs .” Invest International is not the only supporter of the water sector. Earlier in the week, Hugo de Vries of Partners for Water highlighted in a discussion on RVO support instruments: “Numerous innovations addressing global water challenges are being developed within the Dutch water sector. The PfW subsidy scheme can play a supportive role in accelerating these innovations.”
Interested in the Partners for Water subsidy scheme?Young water experts
Undoubtedly, the youth hold the key to our future. That is why Wavemakers United (WU) and the Young Expert Programmes (YEP) are dedicated to constructing a global impact community and fostering connections among young professionals in the water sector. Partners for Water was pleased to contribute by hosting a facilitated networking lunch in the NL Lounge for young water experts. Young professionals from various sectors within the water sector came together to discuss the future of water and to listen to an inspiring presentation on the work of YEP and WU.
Young Professional Experts discussing the future of water collaboration, photo by Abe Jonker
“We all have varied expertise and come from different backgrounds. Progress towards a sustainable and water-secure world happens when we find each other and aim for mutual learning and understanding,” remarked one of the young professionals. It was not only an outreach to the participating water sector but also beautifully encapsulated the essence of the networking event.
NL Lounge
From early morning until late afternoon, the NL Lounge was abuzz with the lively chatter of busy water professionals. Over cups of coffee crafted by skilled baristas, new business ideas were introduced, international connections formed, discussions held and thoughts exchanged on the future of water and innovation. The journey towards a sustainable water world is progressing incrementally – and the visitors of the NL Lounge certainly took a collective step forward.
Networking at the NL Lounge, photo by Abe Jonker
We reflect on a fruitful week and extend our heartfelt thanks to all our collaborative partners and visitors for their enthusiasm and commitment to advancing a sustainable and secure water future.
What does it take to implement and scale up Nature-based Solutions (NBS) in the global water sector?
This was the central question at the ‘Scaling & Improving Together – The next steps in Nature Based Solutions’ conference. The much-anticipated NBS professionals event was held on 22 June at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) in The Hague.
One of the frequently cited success factors was making sure implementation and scaling-up processes are inclusive and collaborative.
Enthusiastic panel discussions
“Every country has its own challenges, yet we all face similar problems. For example, too much water in one place and not enough in another. Together, we can develop solutions that benefit us all.” Said Sergio Lopez, the executive coordinator at the Argentinian Ministry of Public Works, getting to the heart of the matter. He and his fellow officials from Chili and Indonesia talked enthusiastically about their recent field trips to several Dutch NBS projects as part of a delegation from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and national governments visiting the Netherlands ahead of the event.
It was so interesting to hear the perspectives from overseas delegates. It is wonderful to see their enthusiasm, openness to learn and commitment towards implementing NBS.
Inspiring plenary presentations
The lively buzz in the room fell silent as keynote speakers Bregje van Wesenbeeck (Deltares) and Eva Pfannez (OOZE) took turns inspiring the 150 attendees with their vision on integrating NBS into spatial design. “We are in energy, infrastructure and agriculture transitions”, Bregje says, “but we’re taking on each transition individually. We need solutions that support all of these transitions together. NBS meets this ‘multifunctionality’ criterion.”
Eva emphasised the versatility of NBS by demonstrating how the Indian city of Chennai plans to face both flooding and water shortage by storing excess water in aquifers. A pilot project on a school site in the centre of Chennai provides valuable lessons learnt: “For instance, we now know that to mitigate risk, we need to incorporate the cost of client management, capacity building and awareness raising.”
Bregje supported this observation and pointed out the added significance of collaboration. “It helps to have diverse people at the table. Different people offer different perspectives and solutions. This encourages us to let go of tunnel visions.”
Valuable breakout sessions
Fortunately, the event featured plenty of diverse perspectives. The NBS professionals were given the opportunity to break out into small groups to delve deeper into the relevant themes and discuss them together. These were the key outcomes of those breakout sessions:
- NBS are likely to be an outcome of integrated and inclusive processes during project initiation.
- The IUCN NBS Standard can help to effectively design, implement and scale up NBS.
- An inclusive, bottom-up approach inspires more ownership, creativity and fun.
- Some stakeholders might seem more important than others, but in the decision-making process, you’ll need all of them.
- When implementing NBS, nature should be able to do its work. It should be managed as little as possible.
- Enhancing biodiversity is as important as improving the water safety for inhabitants.
Make sure all people from the designated area benefit from your solution. They’ll want to know what’s in it for them. And you should be able to answer that.
Informal networking
As the final speaker concluded his remarks, the power of collaboration and the value of diverse voices were enthusiastically embraced. The attendees then continued to share their insights and look for collaborative opportunities. They did this at either the informal social gatherings or at the so-called ‘country tables’, which were set up for participants interested in water sectors in specific countries.
When the time came for the participants to head home, there was a collective sense of confidence. The NBS community came together, connected and listened to each other. Now it’s up to everyone to continue doing so. With the evident determination, innovative ideas and enough people at the table, this goal certainly is attainable.
I love the fact that such a diverse group of people came together today. And I think everyone here is aware that we all need to work together.
Questions about the event or about Nature-based Solutions?
Please sent an e-mail to administratiepvw@pvw.nl, or reach out to Matthijs Zijlmans.
Partners for Water is a Dutch government programme enhancing water security internationally in long-term cooperation with local partners and the Dutch water sector. By facilitating strategic planning and support in the early stages of innovation, the programme aims to contribute to systemic change for sustainable water management and infrastructure. This is how we initiate impactful changes for a better living environment.
