What is the replication potential of Nextgen's solutions to international markets?
Developing world-class solutions to a problem is not enough to create change. Fundamentally, those solutions have to be shared and embraced by others. Only then, societal challenges can begin to be solved.
NextGen decided to promote international cooperation in research and innovation by creating a strong European brand and forging relations with key partners from around the globe. The project identified and included three demo cases of partners from India, China and South Korea in order to test the replication potential of NextGen circular water solutions outside EU, in completely different surroundings.
To support replication and international commercial success of European expertise within NextGen targets, India and China were priority markets. Our project has built and continues to build visibility and shared ideas through numerous national and international conferences, ‘tech festivals’, workshops and seminars in India and China. High-level private meetings with Ministries, Urban Local Bodies have also took place to accelerate roll out in said countries.
NextGen has engaged with an international audience through Hammarby Sjöstadsverk – a unique facility for research, development and demonstration of wastewater treatment technologies- and the Smart City Sweden platform, a state-funded export platform for sustainable city solutions. This platform serves as a broker between technology providers and users around globe interested in investing in smart and sustainable city solutions. In addition, the international network Watershare acts as a knowledge sharing platform between water institutes across the globe and was especially important to connect with partners in South Korea.
How to do it?
To encourage the water industry in India, China and South Korea to adopt NextGen’s technologies, models and concepts, a feasibility criterion for middle-lower-income countries was prepared after studying respective market needs and economic conditions presented in replication potential meeting to Indian, Chinese and Korean side.
Three NextGen’s solutions where identified, i.e. Sewer Mining, Serious Game and AnMBR, and the replication potential of these were analysed, identifying conditions for replication in India, China and South-Korea. This new deliverable describes the development of NextGen associate partner’s demo cases in India, China and South Korea, summarises all the activities carried out for ‘outreach in international markets’, and presents the replication potential of NextGen technologies and tools beyond the EU.