As the world grapples with increasing water challenges, an Irish research and education organisation specialising in sustainability and climate action is making strides in delivering green programmes and world-class research.

Headquartered in Limerick, 20FIFTY Partners has over 20 years’ research experience in water stewardship, circular economy and broader sustainability. It delivers evidence-based methodologies, tools, technologies and sustainability programmes to the public and private sector across Europe.

The company recently secured €1.2 million Horizon Europe funding to continue its research on water circularity – reusing and recycling water to reduce waste; resource recovery – using wastewater to produce clean water and other energy sources; demand reduction; and decarbonisation of industrial water lifecycles.

In fact, it applied for Horizon Europe funding for two research proposals and both were accepted.

“Being part of one successful consortium in a highly competitive call is a huge achievement, so being part of two winning consortiums in the same period is incredible for the organisation,” says Colm Gaskin, head of research and communities at 20FIFTY Partners.

“It will allow us to maximise the impact of our research team in an increasingly critical area of EU policy.”

Supporting EU climate action targets

The funding will help deliver two projects, Cornerstone and Resurgence, both of which support key EU climate objectives. In particular, it will ensure the solutions piloted over the next four years are replicable and scalable.

Cornerstone involves 16 consortium partners – leading research institutes and organisations – from eight countries. Focusing on water, energy, and solute (dissolved substance) recovery, it targets the steel, paper, and chemical industries. The project aims to meet Processes4Planet objectives and contribute to a sustainable European industrial water management approach.

Resurgence promotes the transformation of EU process industries into wastewater resource recovery facilities. It aims to achieve three key EU 2050 objectives: climate neutrality, circularity and competitiveness.

The team will also develop a portfolio of treatments and digital technologies to maximise water, boost energy recovery and efficiency, and increase the value of industrial wastewater.

Both projects will promote sustainable water consumption and circularity, and support substance and energy recovery in wastewater streams. To achieve this, the team will use a combination of existing and new water treatment technologies, smart monitoring technologies and advanced digital tools.

“The projects support the EU’s twin green and digital transition goals, and the target of demonstrating potential for 80% of wastewater reuse by 2030,” says Colm.

Industrial water use globally is expected to grow dramatically by 2050, with a 400% growth rate predicted across global manufacturing sites alone, according to the UN. Both projects aim to deliver significant environmental and societal benefits to help meet the EU climate neutrality goal.

Years in the making

According to Colm, education and collaboration are crucial to delivering better water stewardship, locally and globally, and help solve shared water challenges.

“We understand protecting natural resources requires a systematic approach, so we found a natural home in the principles of water stewardship,” says Colm. “It focuses on collaboration and cross sectoral engagement to identify holistic solutions to shared water challenges.

“By generating momentum in the water stewardship movement nationally, we realised at an early stage that we need to educate businesses on the importance of water,” he says.

“In 2013 we received funding from the EPA to set up a community of practice for large industrial water users. By sharing challenges and identifying solutions, the public and private sectors in Ireland have worked together for over a decade to determine what water stewardship best practice looks like and how to achieve it.”

Today, the peer-to-peer group has around 400 members from multiple sectors coming together to share ideas and debate solutions.

“Our focus is to deliver impact at scale through research, education and fostering a community of practitioners to support stronger conservation and better stewardship activity in Ireland and Europe.”

The confidence catalyst

In 2021, 20FIFTY Partners received the Water Governance Award from Water Europe for 10 years’ work combining research, innovation and education to deliver impact at a national level.

According to Colm, this, along with EPA-funded research project Industrial Water 4.0, gave the organisation confidence that what it had achieved in Ireland was at the forefront of best practice across Europe and the team could deliver impact on a broader scale.

“Why did we apply for Horizon Europe funding?” says Colm, “It really was the confidence we got from engaging on a European level on foot of funding from the EPA combined with our own interactions across Europe and realising that we’re doing something novel and exciting here. We’ve got a unique skillset and expertise.”

Since securing the Horizon Europe funding, Colm says the support from Enterprise Ireland has been hugely beneficial, keeping the team on track and helping navigate EU processes.

“Since we got confirmation both proposals were successful, we’ve had a huge amount of support from Horizon Europe National Contact Points in Enterprise Ireland,” he explains. “We’ve been really fortunate to have received funding from multiple sources over the past 20 years. Horizon Europe will allow us to take our research outputs to the next level.”

Making a good impression

Now working with multiple research institutes and industrial sites from across Europe, the team is keen to put its best foot forward and keep momentum going.

“We’re working with consortium partners in leading research institutes across Europe, each grappling with their own water challenges,” says Colm. “We intend to present ourselves in the best possible light, showcase our value, and deliver tangible impacts for both industry and wider society across Europe.

“Enterprise Ireland has been great at guiding us through the admin items, the challenges and pitfalls in reporting processes, governance meetings, relationship building and also driving ambition.”

Colm and the team will roll out the two projects on seven sites across Germany, Poland, France and Spain.

“We’ll work with these demonstration sites to test out new solutions,” he says. “The projects need to have cross-sectoral impact and we must ensure the learnings can be replicated at scale across Europe.”

Moreover, the team looks forward to using this opportunity to grow its water stewardship and circularity research to help build water resilient societies at home and further afield.

If you would like more information or advice about accessing Horizon Europe support, please contact horizonsupport@enterprise-ireland.com or visit HorizonEurope.ie.