Water and Economy in Europe

Water is fast becoming the most important global issue and climate change will accelerate this trend. Europe has a well-developed water sector, the world’s largest water companies, world-leading water research, no shortage of innovative water start-ups, and active water and cleantech investors. But this raises two questions. Why isn’t water tech a major driver of the European economy? And why aren’t we fully deploying this tech to make our economy more efficient, and our water use more resilient?

This workshop is a mix of short presentations, panel discussions, and roundtable dialogue with feedback, bringing together entrepreneurs, funders, utilities, end users and regulators to discuss how to create a European water tech ecosystem that provides social benefit, environmental enhancement, and economic growth. There will be real-world examples of water start-up tech deployment, demonstrating how innovation can add value and cut costs for businesses.

There will be discussions around how can we better connect all elements of the European water sector to ensure tech start-ups? flourish, and how we can ensure that European research funding for water leads to company spin offs and ultimately to jobs, growth, and innovation. The global water challenges are huge, the environmental and social impacts are well rehearsed and daunting, but despite being constantly flagged as a top business risk, there has been less focus on the economic impacts of the water crisis.

This is changing and large corporations are starting take an interest. We want to take this one step further and look at the economic benefits of water to the European economy. Can we, by using technology to solve pressing water problems, not only make benefit environment benefit and society but also boost the European economy? Digital water, water efficiency and applying the circular economy to water could slash business costs and increase water resilience and at the same time create a new water tech economy we can export globally.  

How can we decouple economic growth and increased water use and instead link water efficiency to growth? How can we ensure academic research and EU funds lead to successful water start-ups/spinoffs? How can we develop an ecosystem to nurture start-ups so that they scale, contribute to the European economy, and encourage more innovation in a self-perpetuating ecosystem of profitable water tech?