“Our participation in Tech Challenge widens our access to innovators who have ideas but haven’t explored marketing their solutions through traditional channels yet. It’s been a valuable way to extend our R&D efforts for innovations that would have taken much longer to find on our own.”
Rebecca Tallon, Engineering Director – Water Treatment at A. O. Smith Corporation“Winning the Tech Challenge helped validate our technology and placed us directly into networks that we otherwise would likely have taken years to penetrate.”
Daniel Lanman, Executive Vice President, Fixed Earth Innovations
tech challenge matches promising innovative water technologies to companies seeking novel solutions—ACCELERATING innovation for all
The semi-annual Tech Challenge program connects water innovators to innovative water users through topic-specific open innovation contests. Tech Challenge finalists win the opportunity to present their innovation to company sponsors to compete for prize money, access to corporate R&D resources and the opportunity to partner on the development, marketing, licensing or sale of the technology or idea. Tech Challenge company sponsors save time in surfacing water and water-adjacent technologies by tapping into our powerful global network to find new ideas, talent and investment opportunities quickly and efficiently.
HOW TECH CHALLENGE WORKS
Targeted topics are selected by sponsoring companies, with challenges held each spring and fall. Water technology innovators from anywhere in the world—including inventive individuals, university students or researchers, water professionals or private sector and government labs—are invited to apply. After the close of the competition, applications are reviewed by our corporate R&D team sponsors. Winners are chosen and get the opportunity to present to sponsors and compete for:
- A top prize of $10,000
- Opportunity for potential joint commercialization with market leaders
- Access to sponsoring companies’ R&D team expertise and feedback
Is Your COMPANY INTERESTED IN ACCELERATING R&D?
Consider becoming a tech challenge sponsor! Check out our Frequently asked questions.
tech challenge SPONSORS
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TECH CHALLENGE TOP PRIZE WINNERS
Spring 2024
- Water Quality Sensors for Phosphate, Ammonia and Other Nutrients Non-destructive structural analysis of pressurized pipes: PAGE Technologies (Colorado, USA)
- Water Quality Sensors for Hardness, Scale, and Biofilm Monitoring in Pipe Networks: No Winner
Fall 2023
- PFAS destruction: Aquagga (Washington, USA)
- PFAS extraction/concentration: Searen (Ohio, USA)
- Non-invasive assessment of pressurized pipes: Pipesonic (Ontario, Canada, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
Spring 2023
• Electrochemical Sensors to Detect Pharmaceutical Pollutants in Water: No Winner
• Low Cost Structural Plastic Materials for use in Chlorinated Water : No Winner
Fall 2022
- Contactless water quality sensors: Meratch (Bratislava, Slovakia)
- In-situ water hardness monitoring: Atlas Sensor Technologies (El Paso, Texas)
Spring 2022
- Non-turbine energy harvesting: MIS7 (Westerbork, the Netherlands)
- Reducing operating expenses in waste management: Biovert Protein (Bangkok, Thailand)
Fall 2021
- Reducing operating expenses in aerobic wastewater treatment: CAVinTace (Istanbul, Turkey)
- Internet of Things-enabled water quality sensing: Anthony Dichiara (Seattle, Washington)
- Microbial control in distribution systems and buildings: Vienna Water Monitoring Solutions/ColiMinder (Vienna, Austria)
Spring 2021
- Reducing scale, corrosion and fouling for pipes, tanks, valves and other equipment: PANI/Ran Suckeveriene (Zemach, Israel)
Fall 2020
- Water quality sensing and/or remediating of heavy metals and industrial chemicals in water and wastewater: Fixed Earth Innovations (Saskatoon, Canada)
Spring 2020
- Sensors and enabling technologies for leak detection: SMART FLOW (Dublin, Ireland)
- Energy harvesting from small- and large-scale water networks: Pydro (Rostock, Germany)
Fall 2019
- Inline sensors for detecting water quality parameters: Verifi H2O (Montclair, New Jersey)
- Artificial intelligence for pipe networks and systems: Waterhound Futures (Sacramento, California)
Spring 2019
- Sensing microbiological organisms or disinfection byproducts: Burge Environmental Inc. (Tempe, Arizona)
- Detecting heavy metals (such as lead) and industrial chemicals in water and wastewater: ANDalyze (Houston, Texas)
QUESTIONS? LET’S CONNECT!
