InnoWise Scale pitching competitions

The InnoWise Scale pitching competitions are one of the activiites of our project EIT Community Water Scarcity focus on finding innovative solutions to reverse water scarcity, changing from water misuse and pollution to reduce, reuse and non-use of water. During the events, the 35 companies selected to participate in the competitions will pitch their solution to specific sectoral challenges and case studies provided by different end users, with the possibility of been awarded with equity-free cash prizes of up to 12,000€ based on the uniqueness and replicability of their innovations, and 30,000€ of special prize as a voucher to implement a demo study with one of the problem holders.

As part of the competition’s programme, the EIT communities EIT Food, EIT Climate KIC, EIT Manufacturing and EIT Digital aim to deep dive into the circular future of the water sector and how digital tools and innovations can support that transition.

The series of talks under the title of Road to 2030: Future circular water-cycle perspectives will bring insightful discussions around key topics aligned with the InnoWise Scale competition challenges.

Road to 2030: Future circular water-cycle perspectives

The InnoWise Scale pitching series will explore how the circular economy can make the water sector more sustainable focusing on the agrifood, utilities, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors. The circular economy offers an opportunity to imitate and restore the natural cycle of water, where nothing is considered a waste but an input to another process.

In each of the five pitching events, experts will bring insightful discussions around key topics such as water recycling and water reuse as key tools to solve tackle scarcity; how to ensure the water quality for food production; improving water governance to face current water challenges; and how to use digital tools to manage water – focusing on digital twins.

Water is essential for socio-economic development and is a contributing factor in nearly every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). 75% of our jobs depend on water, while water crises rank among the top 5 global risks in terms of impact. Nevertheless, water is undervalued, and proper incentives are not in place to use water resources efficiently. The EIT Community Water Scarcity works to improve that situation and tackle water scarcity in Europe.