– Netherlands Enabling Water technology WaterCampus

Netherlands Enabling Water technology Pillar 1: knowledge valorization Pillar 2: NEW-fund How can NEW support me? NEW Cases

Netherlands Enabling Water technology

What’s NEW?

How do we translate scientific research into concrete solutions to tackle the impending shortage of clean water? And how do we successfully bring those innovations to the market? The NEW-plan offers answers by investing 8 million euros in promising knowledge starters in water technology the coming years. Awesome, but…what’s NEW?

NEW stands for Netherlands Enabling Water technology. The NEW-consortium consists of Wetsus, Deltares, the University of Groningen and the NOM. Together they are promoting promising initiatives in the field of water technology. Main themes are: water treatment, reuse of water and raw materials, production and storage of energy from water and smarter management of water systems.

How does it work?

The NEW-ttt consists of two pillars: pillar 1 focuses on the valorization of research through the creation of (spin-off) companies, and pillar 2 focuses on funding of recently founded start-ups.

More information?

Please contact Roel Meulepas for more information about the NEW-project and the support possibilities NEW offers.

The NEW-ttt is partly financed by a subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

“The NEW plan puts the Netherlands even more firmly on the map as a water technology country. Thanks to the pooling of knowledge between the research institutes and the fund, we can speed up knowledge valorization. NEW gives us the opportunity to help knowledge starters systematically and professionally. These knowledge starters are the bridge between science and society. To create a world where you would like to life yourself, we need creative research and apply this research in society. That is why this combination with entrepreneurship is so important; it takes commercial companies to complete the circle.”

Cees Buisman, director Wetsus and chair steering committee NEW-ttt

Pillar 1: knowledge valorization

Within Pillar 1 three international top institutes, Wetsus, RUG and Deltares, who jointly cover the entire water technology theme, combine their valorization strengths and ambitions. Due to the combined knowledge and expertise, stronger innovations will be developed by the knowledge starters.

The work in pillar 1 focuses among other things, on:

broadly scouting for promising starters with good innovation ideas, also outside the research programs of Wetsus, RUG and Deltares;

exploiting different IP models (patent transfer, licenses and open source);

the creation of a NEW-focused incubation program where supply, demand and solutions, but also technical and business expertise, come together;

the deployment of 11 unique state-of-the-art validation facilities for NEW and the possibility to do validation tests;

and strengthening and expanding open innovation communities, as well as the targeted attraction of suppliers, customers and partners for promising knowledge starters.

Pillar 2: NEW-fund

For young start-ups, NEW also offers initial financing, typically in the form of convertible loans intended to become investor-ready. This part of the TTT support is delivered by NOM together with several other (private) investors. In addition to capital, fund provides hands-on support for the newly found start-ups through their extensive knowledge, experience, and above all their networks in both the financial and industrial sector.