The Water Cluster is a triple-helix network which provides a platform for bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, including academia, business, government, NGOs, SMEs and others. The cluster is jointly owned and managed by the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University and Opportunity Peterborough, an economic business development agency for the city of Peterborough and the wider region. The cluster represents a true research-business collaboration which benefits from the expertise and experience of experts from research and business. The cluster provides a forum to share ideas and encourage collaboration through the development of long-term partnerships, with the purpose of innovating and improving water efficiency and urban water management in the East of England.
The Water Cluster aims to identify opportunities for collaboration and improve the coordination of Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) in water efficiency and urban water management, within the East of England and internationally. The cluster aims to cultivate an "innovation friendly ecosystem", where academia and businesses can work together to identify synergies and opportunities, collaborating with local and national authorities to transform knowledge and expertise into innovative products, services and skills in the urban water management sector. It provides a hub, enabling regional actors to enter into a dialogue with one another, before collaborating to improve regional communication and the co-ordination of water efficiency research, turning this pioneering excellence into innovative and commercially successful solutions for the future of water efficiency and urban water management.
The cluster provides an online interactive innovation database, forum and member's map, which gives its members the opportunity to connect with other stakeholders in the water sector and support the identification of opportunities for collaboration. The cluster coordinates networking and business brokerage events to enable members to engage with thought leaders, share knowledge and discuss 'hot topics' in the water sector. The cluster's goal is to encourage collaboration and the development of long-term partnerships, with the purpose of innovating and improving water efficiency and urban water management in the East of England and internationally. The network map is crucial to this, with members able to identify target markets for their collaboration, as well approach the Water Cluster directly for advice and support when looking for new partners in other countries. The Cluster has access to a number of international networks and partnerships which have been developed through the WE@EU project and now Energy in Water ESCP, including North and South America.
The Water Cluster takes part in networking and business brokerage events at the national, European and International Level through the WE@EU and Energy in Water project, showcasing the cluster and its members. A meeting with the Nevada Center of Excellence in London, hosted by British Water resulted in the signing of an international collaboration agreement. The most recently attended event was the EIP Water conference where the Water Cluster officially launched the Energy in Water ESCP in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
The Water Cluster has recieved funding under EU FP7 as a partner of the Water Efficiency in EU Urban Areas (WE@EU).
The Water Cluster has signed two international cooperation agreements with the Nevada Center of Excellence in the United States and Centro de Competencias del Agua in Peru.
The Water Cluster has recieved funding under EU COSME as coordinator of Energy in Water ESCP.
We offer a collaborative plaform that encourages networking across different areas of expertise relating to water. Our membership is both broad and diverse, with numerous specialist and larger cross-sectoral innovation actors. We also have significant experience in EU projects, as both a coordinator and partner and we are keen to collaborate.