There’s still time to partner with UK water companies to submit a bid for funding to develop a PFAS chemicals analyser from the Ofwat Water Breakthrough Challenge 6, which launches in September 2025 – the deadline to express interest has been extended to Friday 30 May.

A number of water companies across the UK and Ireland are exploring the development of a cutting-edge analyser to detect PFAS chemicals and are seeking innovative partners to join them in submitting a bid.

The water sector’s innovation centre of excellence Spring is facilitating the search for interested partners.

Necessary Requirements for the analyser will include:

• The analyser must be self-contained, robust and able to be used in the field [i.e. not in a laboratory]
• Be usable by a non-technical expert from a water company
• Able to analyse PFAS concentrations below 0.01ug/l
• Be usable in all areas of drinking water treatment (from raw source water to final drinking water)
• By the end of the OFWAT project, the analyser has to be at TRL7 (prototype in an operational environment) or above.

Ideal Requirements will include:

• Can be used online as well as being handheld, to enable analysis in the field
• Can analyse more than one PFAS chemicals in one measurement
• The PFAS chemicals of most interest to water companies at present are: PFOS, PFOA, 6:2 FTAB, PFHxS, PFECHS, 6:2 FTSA, PFPa and PFBS.
• The analyser could be adapted to measure samples in wastewater treatment
• A solution is looking to be developed during this process so there is no desired Technology Readiness Level (TRL) before the project.

The collaboration will enter the OFWAT Water Breakthrough Challenge 6 - potential candidates will be invited to attend a virtual pitch session on 3 June 2025.

Next steps

Innovators interested in the opportunity will need complete an online survey - review and assessment of applications will then take place and potential candidates will be invited to attend a virtual pitch session on Tuesday 3 June 2025. Timings are still to be confirmed but are expected to consist of a 10 minute pitch and a 5 minute Q&A.

If applicants are unable to attend the pitch day, a video pitch can be provided. Pitches will be delivered in front of Spring and water companies from around the UK and Ireland (i.e. no other innovators will be present during presentations).

Interested applicants are told not to share commercially sensitive information in their entry. To express an interest in being an innovator in the challenge, applicants are also firstly asked to ensure that they have read the requirements for entering into a bid with OFWAT - this is especially relevant with regards to IP. The requirements for WBC6 are yet to be released but those for WBC5 can be found here https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/breakthrough5/catalyst/

The deadline for responses is now 8 am this Friday - click here to complete the online survey and submit your Expression of Interest