New Water Innovation Guide Maps Path from Concept to Adoption
The open-access resource outlines how utilities, regulators, and funders support innovation—offering lessons for U.S. water systems.
A new resource designed to help innovators navigate the increasingly complex water sector innovation landscape in the UK and Ireland has been launched with the release of the Water Innovation Strategy Ecosystem Guide, developed by Spring, the sector’s innovation center of excellence.
The guide offers a structured overview of the water innovation ecosystem, detailing the roles of utilities, regulators, funders, and delivery partners. Its goal is to help innovators identify available support and better understand how ideas move from early concept through real-world adoption and scaling.
Although focused on the UK and Ireland, the guide’s release comes as water utilities in the United States face similar challenges, including aging infrastructure, climate resilience pressures, workforce constraints, and the need to coordinate innovation across fragmented regulatory and funding environments. Analysts note that ecosystem-level navigation is becoming increasingly important as utilities worldwide seek to deploy new technologies more efficiently.
Designed for innovators both within and outside the water sector, the guide also aims to reduce barriers to cross-sector collaboration. Spring said the resource is intended to help organizations from industries such as energy, nuclear, oil and gas, and agri-tech engage more effectively with water-sector innovation—an approach that mirrors trends in the U.S., where utilities increasingly adopt technologies developed for industrial safety, environmental monitoring, and energy management.
“Spring is pleased to launch the Water Innovation Strategy Ecosystem Guide and living database on behalf of the water sector in the UK and Ireland,” said Carly Perry, managing director of Spring. “Working with a range of partners, we have created a practical tool to help innovators navigate the complex water innovation landscape more effectively.”
The Ecosystem Guide was developed as a companion to the Water Innovation Strategy 2050, which is owned and driven by UK water companies and for which Spring serves as custodian. Since the strategy’s publication in 2020, innovation activity across the sector has expanded, introducing new organizations, collaboration models, and evolving regulatory and environmental pressures that have made the landscape harder to navigate.
The guide defines six core functions within the water innovation ecosystem: research and development; funding and investment; testing; implementation and adoption support; regulatory support and oversight; and communication, collaboration, and networking. Each section explains its role, when innovators should engage, and how to maximize value.
An accompanying live database of organizations and support mechanisms is designed to evolve as the sector changes. Organizations can submit or update their information through an online form, helping maintain an accurate and inclusive view of the innovation landscape.
Perry said the guide is intended to support—not replace—existing strategy by making innovation pathways clearer and more accessible. “The guide helps innovators find the right support at the right time and enables more meaningful engagement across the industry,” she said.
The Ecosystem Guide also aligns with recommendations from the Independent Water Commission’s 2025 review, which called for improved collaboration and access to funding. The commission’s final report noted that broader adoption of innovative technologies could deliver benefits including reduced carbon emissions, environmental improvements, and long-term cost savings—priorities shared by water utilities and regulators in the U.S.
The Water Innovation Strategy Ecosystem Guide and its accompanying database are open access and available at 2050 Water Innovation Strategy – Spring Innovation:
https://spring-innovation.co.uk/2050-water-innovation-strategy/.
