NCBR Launches Third Hydrostrateg Competition with a PLN 100 Million Budget for Innovative Water Management Solutions

The National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) announces the third competition within the Hydrostrateg programme. This strategic government programme has a budget destined for solutions in water management and inland navigation. In the current competition, the NCBR will allocate up to PLN 100 million for the best propositions from consortiums.

The Hydrostrateg programme was created in response to problems regarding insufficient or excessive amounts of water, as well as its very poor quality. The main objective of the programme is the implementation of new solutions to improve the efficiency of the use and management of Poland’s water resources.

The recently announced Hydrostrateg competition will focus on the topics of “Water in the Environment: Biodiversity and Bioproductivity” and “Water in the City”. Under the first topic, NCBR awaits proposals for systems that reduce the amount of pollution in surface waters, together with systems for monitoring the parameters of water environment quality caused by increased retention. “Water in the City”, in turn, refers to the area where the institution is seeking solutions related to retention in combined sewage systems and in rainwater drainage networks.

The application process will take place from 2nd September to 13th December 2024 (until 16:00).

The NCBR encourages both businesses and scientists to participate in the competition. Consortiums consisting of at least one business and one research unit can submit applications. The organizer does not specify which of these entities will lead the consortium. The entire consortium can include a maximum of 5 entities.

Each project meeting the competition criteria has a chance to be financed by a minimum of PLN 3 million, and a maximum of PLN 25 million. The total fund allocated for the competition amounts to PLN 100 million. These are funds from the national budget.

– We hope that through collaboration within consortia, businesses and scientific centres can develop the most effective ideas to improve water management. It is a difficult domain to manage, particularly considering Poland’s and our part of Europe’s climatic conditions. However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is a challenge for decision-makers worldwide. Therefore, we continually seek good solutions and now initiate the third Hydrostrateg competition. We have prepared its assumptions based on an analysis of the binding national and European documents and in cooperation with specialists from various centres who have been monitoring the hydrological situation for years. – says Professor Jerzy Małachowski, Director of the National Centre for Research and Development.

Previous competitions, in addition to the mentioned areas, also included solutions for improving inland navigation. Universities and scientific institutions from across the country, including the Warsaw University of Technology, the Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute, the AGH University of Science and Technology, the Lodz University of Technology, the European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, are responsible for the projects submitted in the closed calls. On the business side, companies like the State Water Farm Waters, VIGO Photonics, PM Ecology, and ConnectedLife have engaged.

These and other entities are currently developing several solutions, including the “Intelligent Waterway Route Designation System for inland navigation, increasing navigational safety, supplemented by the possibility of dynamic hydrological and physicochemical data acquisition”, the “ConnectedFlow – an adaptable and intelligent system for monitoring surface water quality in compliance with anthropogenic pressures and impacts analysis”, and the “Comprehensive system for monitoring surface water quality and coastal areas using a multi-sensor system with the use of hyperspectral cameras”.

– We are experiencing a hot summer in Poland and more is being said in the public debate about the challenges related to climate changes, particularly in the context of water retention in cities. Therefore, we are encouraged by the ideas already being implemented and the partnerships formed as a result. The expected success of the Research and Development projects in the Hydrostrateg programme gives us a chance that usable systems will be operational in the near future, contributing to the conservation of water and ensuring we never run out. – adds Professor Jerzy Małachowski, Director of the NCBR.