UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) has launched a new round of Expressions of Interest (EoIs), inviting the research and supply chain community to bid for 11 projects aimed at strengthening the water sector’s response to climate change, emerging pollutants and infrastructure resilience.
The research programme comes as the UK and Irish water sectors face growing pressure to deliver major investment programmes while addressing climate risks and evolving regulatory expectations. The latest projects are intended to build a stronger shared evidence base to support improved water quality, system resilience and asset performance.
“This programme cycle marks a shift from theory to scalable practice, bringing systems thinking to life through sector-wide insight,” said Mike Rose, chief executive, UKWIR.
“The data and learning from these projects will provide the shared technical evidence needed to make effective, outcome-based decisions that benefit customers, communities the environment and support growth during a period of profound change.”
Several projects focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from water operations. These include research into carbon capture and removal technologies suited to water infrastructure, approaches to scaling lower-carbon construction materials and nature-based solutions, and the development of standardised monitoring protocols for methane and nitrous oxide emissions from primary and tertiary wastewater treatment processes.
Another group of studies will address hazardous and emerging pollutants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), microplastics and pharmaceuticals. One project will examine the carbon implications of advanced treatment processes required to remove such contaminants, while another will investigate the root causes of coliform failures in potable water systems using historical datasets and new analytical tools. A separate initiative will develop a reference framework to help identify and manage hazardous pollutants in industrial trade effluent.
The programme also places strong emphasis on systems thinking and data-driven water management. Planned projects include the use of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) data and machine learning to distinguish between internal plumbing losses and external supply pipe leaks.
Other studies will support Drainage and Water Management Plans (DWMPs) by developing methodologies to better understand ecological and chemical status in urban and transport-related catchments.
Additional research will examine global best practice in asset renewal rates, evidence-based approaches to managing rainwater near where it falls, and cost-benefit methodologies for assessing non-essential use bans (NEUB) during periods of water scarcity.
UKWIR said further EoIs will be launched shortly, including a project quantifying the economic and environmental impact of wet-wipe-related sewer blockages, and a relaunch of its National Failures Database to improve insight into asset health and infrastructure performance.
The organisation is inviting proposals from academia, technology providers, consultancies and the wider innovation community, particularly collaborative bids combining technical and sector expertise.
The deadline for submissions is 27 Mar 2026.