The University of Sheffield, as a partner of the Anglian Water team, has been named as one of the nine winners of Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge, sharing in £36 million to deliver wide scale, transformational change to benefit customers, society and the environment.
The Safe Smart Systems project will use artificial intelligence and mathematical optimisation to improve long-term operational resilience in the face of climate change and rapid population growth. It will identify, predict, and manage vulnerabilities to reduce leakage, interruptions, and pressure issues across the whole water cycle. Safe Smart Systems focuses on the first steps to achieve autonomous control in water systems across the UK.
Professor Vanessa Speight, commented: “We’re pleased to be part of this ambitious project to revolutionise how water systems are operated, and how operators interact with water systems. The concept of a living lab where smart water solutions can be trialled and optimised will support wide engagement across water utilities around the world to deliver significant benefits to drinking water everywhere.”
Run by Ofwat and Nesta Challenges, in partnership with Arup, the Water Breakthrough Challenge is the second competition delivered under Ofwat’s £200 million Innovation Fund.
The 9 winning initiatives will receive up to £10 million each to tackle the biggest challenges facing the water sector – from reaching net zero, to protecting our natural ecosystems, to using open data to deliver value to customers, society and the environment.