Scaling up innovations in the water sector

Several challenges in the field of water and soil, such as extreme weather and rising sea levels, call for innovation in the water sector. The Dutch water and soil domain has built a strong reputation worldwide in terms of knowledge and innovation. However, the innovations developed are not yet being scaled up sufficiently. As a result, they are less applicable in practice. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management recognises the need to improve the scaling up of innovations in the water sector and has commissioned a consortium of TwynstraGudde and Dialogic Innovation and Interaction to conduct research on this. The research has four objectives:

1. Insight into success factors and barriers to scaling up based on learning experiences within the water domain;
2. Practical advice for parties involved in knowledge and innovation, including the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management;
3. Increasing financing opportunities for scaling up;
4. Encouraging scaling up of the cases through knowledge sharing and inciting action.

Central to the research is the case studies: in this study, six recent water innovations were analysed, with a focus on the experiences of those involved in scaling up. What stood out? Technology is rarely the biggest challenge. Innovations more often get stuck due to issues with cooperation, ownership, financing, market development, and organising an ecosystem in which innovations can grow. The insights have been compiled into a report, in which we describe the factors that promote scaling up, where innovations get stuck, and what is needed to achieve greater impact. Additionally, we have written a short article about this research.