Funding competition SBRI: point-of-use treatment for organic-rich surface water

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £450,000 to develop ideas for treating high organic surface water at point of use.

• Competition opens: Monday 12 February 2018
• Registration closes: Wednesday 18 April 2018 12:00pm

This competition is now closed.

Competition sections

Description

The aim of this competition is to fund up to 5 feasibility studies to explore the development of a point-of-use (POU) water treatment system. It must consistently deliver water from high organic surface waters with no risk to human health. It must also be cost effective and low maintenance.

Scotland has more than 10,000 water supplies that serve only one household. It has another 20,000 supplies that serve a population of fewer than 50 people. The performance and capabilities of household drinking water treatment technology vary depending on the quality of the incoming raw water.

Most of these supplies are served by surface waters high in organic matter. There is no reliable household solution on the market for treating this sort of water. Current technology is either too expensive or requires a lot of maintenance.

Funding type

Procurement

Project size

We expect projects to range in size up to total costs of £30,000 for each organisation. Projects can last up to 6 months.

Find out if you are eligible to apply

To lead a project, you must:

• be an organisation of any size
• work alone or with others as subcontractors (businesses, research base and third sector)
• be able to test your solution in Inverness, Scotland

Projects we won't fund

In this competition, we are not funding projects covering:

• the installation of water systems
• treatment systems that are expensive and unpractically high in maintenance

Funding and project details

The competition will be split into 2 phases.

Phase 1: Research and development (R&D) feasibility study contract

Feasibility study for a point-of-use treatment system resulting in:

• a technical and commercial specification
• a detailed design package

In the first phase R&D contracts will be awarded to demonstrate the technical feasibility of proposed solutions.

A total of up to £150,000, including VAT, is allocated to phase 1. We anticipate that the feasibility study R&D contracts will be in the region of up to £30,000 (including VAT) for each project for up to 6 months. We expect to fund 5 projects. The assessors will consider fair value in making their evaluation.

On the basis of the R&D work you will submit detailed technical, financial and design specifications.

Your financial business case should include figures for the investment that will be required for the phased installation of your treatment system on a much wider scale.

We would welcome bids that bring together a consortium of sectoral specialists.

Phase 2: R&D prototype and testing contracts

Prototype development and testing resulting in installation at the Gorthleck Development Centre.

A total of up to £300,000, including VAT, is allocated to phase 2. R&D contracts will be awarded to businesses chosen from the successful phase 1 applicants. Each will receive up to £150,000, including VAT, for up to 12 months. They will be required to develop a prototype and undertake field testing.

The decision to proceed with phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from phase 1. Only successful applicants from phase 1 will be able to take part in phase 2.

Project types

Your project should focus on 3 elements.

1. A technical design specification package. Include all detailed technical specifications for your solution and a detailed design package.
2. A commercial or financial specification. Give the full investment required, including equipment, installation, yearly maintenance and the plan.
3. Your R&D methodology and the final report. Outline all R&D undertaken and give evidence your solution can meet our requirements. Confirm the equipment complies with all UK and European standards, codes of practice and directives.

Competition scope

Scottish Water is being supported in this competition by the Can Do Innovation Challenge Fund.

We are seeking R&D of innovative solutions for point-of-use water treatment systems. These systems must consistently turn high organic surface waters into drinking water compliant with regulations. The output must pose no risk to human health and be produced in a way that is cost effective and low maintenance.

Recent trials of commercially available systems have shown they require heavy maintenance and have poor reliability. None of the technologies tested performed well under high organic loading.

We have identified 2 situations that would benefit from the successful solution:

1. Supplying rural, dispersed and remote island communities.

2. Supporting safe water for Scotland’s private water supplies.

Your system must be simple. It must be easy for the general public to understand and operate, and be easy to maintain. A good comparison is the level of maintenance required and reliability of a new, good quality gas boiler.

Your solution must:

• meet the quality standards set out in 'The water intended for human consumption (private supplies) (Scotland) regulations 2017’
• be affordable
• close the water loop by recycling rain and grey water
• provide a complete treatment from source to tap
• be automated

Ideally your solution will allow remote monitoring and operation.

Applications must have at least 50% of the contract value attributed directly and exclusively to R&D services. R&D can cover solution exploration and design. It can also include prototyping and field testing the product or service. R&D does not include:

• commercial development activities such as quantity production
• supply to establish commercial viability or to recover R&D costs
• integration, customisation or incremental adaptations and improvements to existing products or processes

• 12 February 2018: Competition opens
• 6 March 2018: Briefing event. Download the documents.
• 18 April 2018 12:00pm: Registration closes
• 25 April 2018 12:00pm: Competition closes
• 13 June 2018: Applicants notified
• 31 July 2018: Feedback provided.
• 31 July 2018: Phase 1 contracts awarded.

Before you start

To apply:

• the lead applicant must register online (the link will be available once the competition has opened). Please note that you must complete a separate registration for each proposal submitted
• read the invitation to tender which will be available for you to download from our secure site after registration
• attend the briefing event in Edinburgh for potential applicants
• complete and upload your online application for phase 1. You must complete a separate form for each innovation proposed

We will not accept late submissions. Your application is confidential.

A panel of independent experts will assess the quality of your application. We will then choose the best proposals from those that meet the aims of this competition.

Also, please read the general guidance for applicants. It will help your chances of submitting a successful application.

Guidance for applicants

Please view the guidance and application questions for this competition.

Background and further information

The innovation is required for several reasons.

For small rural systems (1 to 50 households) establishing a reliable point-of-use system is essential for long term sustainability of wholesome drinking water. The advancements in point-of-use water treatment systems can improve the affordability and quality of drinking water for rural communities and those hardest to reach.

The effectiveness of point-of-use technologies are seriously undermined by high and variable organic loading of the river sources in Scotland. There still isn’t a reliable fully effective point-of-use water treatment system on the market that’s capable of treating raw water high in organic material and quality variability.

To add to the problem, long term UK data shows that dissolved organic carbon has increased over the past 2 decades. This trend is set to continue. This is supported by Scottish Water’s own data.

The market potential can be expressed in terms of market size. If 20,000 properties require minimum treatment to reach standards and a system costs £900 for water, it could be reasonable to estimate a market size of £18 million in Scotland alone.

This is a worldwide opportunity and directly relates to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6. A recent review by WHO estimated that more than 18 million people use household water treatment systems, but an estimated 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to improved water supplies.

About SBRI competitions

SBRI provides innovative solutions to challenges faced by the public sector. This can lead to better public services and improved efficiency and effectiveness. SBRI supports economic growth and enables the development of innovative products and services. It does this through the public procurement of research and development (R&D). SBRI generates new business opportunities for companies and provides a route to market for their ideas. It also bridges the seed funding gap experienced by many early-stage companies.

Further help and information

You can find information on how to enter this competition in the invitation to tender document which is available for download on our secure site after registration.

If you want help to find a project partner, contact the Knowledge Transfer Network.

If you need more information, contact the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email us at support@innovateuk.gov.uk

Questions on the scope of this competition should be addressed to Scottishwatercandochallenge@Scottishwater.co.uk

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