NewsNews – News & UpdatesWater Breakthrough Challenge
May 19, 2026
19 pioneering technological, engineering and nature-based solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the water sector have been awarded £58 million by the Water Innovation Fund.
Each project sees water companies work in collaboration with a diverse set of partners – from environmental charities and leading universities to technology and engineering companies – with the purpose of changing how the water sector operates to transform its impact for customers, communities and the environment.
The water sector is on the cusp of its biggest transformation in 30 years. To ensure the next chapter leads to brighter outcomes for the environment and the wider public, we need to solve multiple urgent challenges. Bold, innovative solutions that take a long-term approach to the health of our precious water system and the impact of the water industry on environments and communities are what we should be striving for. What’s clear is that this line-up of winners is not short on innovation – a powerful tool for change.
The 19 winning projects include Mycofiltration: Using Fungi as a Natural Way to Improve Water Quality, which has been awarded £1.5 million to trial fungal-based filters at storm overflows and run–off sites to remove pollutants from river water in a low-carbon, cost-effective way.
Phil Buckingham, Head of Research and Innovation, Anglian Water, lead partner of Mycofiltration, said:
“This funding will play a pivotal role in expanding natural technologies across the water sector. It will enable us to scale up our innovative approach: harnessing the filtration superpower of mycelia to enhance water quality, which will have a direct benefit on local wildlife and ecosystems, as well as the communities who use these environments day-to-day. Our immediate focus is to trial our fungal-based filters at storm overflows and run-off sites and gather the evidence needed to scale what works”.
Good Vibrations: Ecoacoustic river health monitoring has been awarded £1.5 million to develop technology that uses acoustic signals and AI to listen to the health of rivers. Healthy rivers are rich in life, much of which produces sound – and this project will use underwater microphones to capture these acoustic signals. AI will then analyse the recordings and translate them into insights about river ecosystem health. It is led by Severn Trent Water, in partnership with SUEZ, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and others.
Dr Lori Lawson Handley, Senior Freshwater Molecular Ecologist UK at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, partner of the Good Vibrations project, said:
“Our project is a unique opportunity to combine eco-acoustics with environmental DNA analyses to provide detailed, real-time insights into how river biodiversity responds to stress from pollution and climate change. This helps us to understand the health of our rivers and showcase their biodiversity, which is normally hidden from view. With the £1.5 million that we’ve received through the challenge, we are laser focused on scaling up this technology so that it can have a far-reaching impact on rivers and natural systems, while delivering benefits for the water sector and communities nationwide”.
Tackling the challenge of upgrading infrastructure and building additional capacity in the water system, Printfrastructure 2.0 has been awarded £1.9 million to advance 3D concrete printing for wastewater infrastructure to enable onsite construction of larger storage tanks using low-carbon, water-approved materials. Building on earlier success in Water Breakthrough Challenge 3, which demonstrated up to 50% reduction in CO2e for concrete infrastructure while cutting construction costs by 8%, Printfrastructure 2.0 aims to speed up delivery, cut costs and carbon, and reduce pressure on constrained supply chains. It is led by Northumbrian Water, in partnership with Changemaker 3D Limited and others.
£2 million has been awarded to a 12-month pilot project in Leicester to monitor wastewater in the city for antibiotic resistant infections – also known as superbugs. Smoke in the Water: Uncovering Public Health Data in Sewers, will combine AI, clinical data, and in-sewer monitoring to identify resistance trends – working to support public health protection across the UK. It is led by Severn Trent Water in partnership with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Kando Environmental, Resistomap and others.
To find out more about all 19 winners of the sixth Water Breakthrough Challenge or to discover previous winners, visit waterinnovation.challenges.org/winners
The seventh round of the Water Breakthrough Challenge will open on 7th September 2026.
