Severn Trent Water’s strategic partnership with Cranfield University is one of the world’s top 100 in environmental research according to academic journal, Nature.
Half of the top 20 collaborations listed in the Nature Index of the leading 100 ‘top 100 corporate-academic partnerships’ involved water companies.
Cranfield’s tie up with Severn Trent has been in place for more than seven years, and covers several areas of the water company’s business including phosphorous removal from wastewater and anaerobic digestion to produce biogas for low-carbon, in-house energy production.
Nature said: “Such collaborations are set to become more important, as populations, especially in cities, increase and water shortages loom due to global warming.”
According to Nature, Severn Trent covered the costs of research including personnel and, in return it “had input into steering research aligned with commercial goals.”
Professor Paul Jeffrey, Director of Water at Cranfield, said: “The partnership makes use of several of our world-class test facilities and offers genuine opportunities for staff and students to co-produce knowledge with a partner who plays a critical role in protecting a vital natural resource.”