United Utilities goes fourth with its innovation accelerator

United Utilities last week opened its fourth Innovation Lab accelerator programme, .

The eight places on the12-week programme offer participants access to United Utilities’ “expertise, resources and data to test, develop, improve and demonstrate their great ideas.” Applicants have until 22 October to submit their proposals.

United Utilities said it is looking for applications in several key areas:

digital networks to connect fully its water and wastewater assets to consolidate all types of internal and external data “to enable prediction and intervention where needed”;

energy efficiency focusing on data aggregation and applying the insight gained from it in operations and change but it is “not for analytics software or visualisation tools”;

net zero and nature-based solutions – working in partnership with the Environment Agency with an emphasis on managing and reducing impacts from its current operations;

wildcard which is open to any new company whose technology “could transform any aspect of United Utilities’ business that isn’t covered by the other three categories.”

Previous participants include Cumbrian firm, Typhon, which developed the use of UV LEDs to disinfect drinking water – a winner of a UK Water Industry Award for Drinking Water Initiative of the Year.

As in previous years, United Utilities will deliver Innovation Lab with corporate innovation specialist, L Marks which has signed a five-year agreement to act as United Utilities innovation partner after a competitive tendering process.”