Scottish Water is leading a consortium of eight partners from six countries in the Water Test Network project, partially funded through the Interreg programme and with a total budget of €6 million. The launch event took place on 11 December in Brussels.

Water Test Network will create a transnational network of testing facilities to support innovative small and medium enterprises in North West Europe by offering them the possibility to test, demonstrate and develop their new technologies to address the challenges faced by the water sector. This project aims to speed up market uptake of innovative solutions.

The network offers 14 operational demonstration sites across North Water Europe with different parameters (water types, clean/waste water, urban/rural settings, etc.).

Through 'innovation support vouchers' the Water Test Network will tailor a package of support to each SME which could include any if the following components:

• Investigative report - delivered by a test facility ‘Innovation Chaser’.  Analyses development and support needs of the SME and their proposed technology
• Access to test facility - access required varies from a few days in a lab to several weeks in a full-scale water plant
• Verification report - support with validation and verification to assist market entry. This will include help for SMEs to get ISO or similar certification for their product

All SMEs from North-West Europe can apply from now until August 2021.

Visit the project's website for more information.