Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) will bring together more than 20,000 attendees and 850 participating companies, who have a collective interest in finding innovative solutions to the world’s water challenges.
Held in conjunction with the fourth World Cities Summit and the second CleanEnviro Summit Singapore, the sixth edition of SIWW will focus on industrial water solutions, talent development and the commercialization of innovative water technologies and solutions.
Developed with the objective of nurturing and uncovering the next generation of water leaders and entrepreneurs, Hydro-gen (short for “Hydro Generation”), is the youth and talent development program at SIWW 2014. A key thrust under Hydro-gen is the HydroPrenenur Program (HPP), SIWW’s first accelerator program for water technologies. Conducted in collaboration with the National University of Singapore’s Lean LaunchPad and the Founder Institute, it is designed to inculcate an entrepreneurial and innovation culture, and help aspiring water entrepreneurs develop water start-ups and commercialize their technologies.
Under HPP, participants will undergo a nine-week industry-oriented entrepreneurship and development program with experienced mentors. More than 50 participants have been successfully enlisted in HPP, which will culminate in the Hydro Pitch Day, when shortlisted teams will pitch their ideas before an audience of global water companies, venture capitalists and potential clients, to obtain the support required to kick start their ventures.
Another key component of Hydro-gen is the Young Water Leaders Summit, which brings together young water leaders from around the world to engage in discussions on global water issues. Selected participants will represent the voice of the youth in the Water Leaders Summit, providing an opportunity for young water leaders to interact and share their ideas with established global water leaders from the public and private sectors.
In support of Singapore’s position as a global hydrohub and marketplace for sustainable solutions, SIWW will also continue to feature the TechXchange as well as the inaugural Water Innovations Pavilion at the Water Expo, to shine the spotlight on innovative technologies. The objective of these programs is to connect water technology start-ups with potential investors and funding schemes, buyers with sellers, to promote the commercialization of game-changing technologies.
In addition to pitching to international investors and buyers on Hydro Pitch Day, participating companies will also showcase their disruptive technologies and prototypes at the Innovations Pavilion at the Water Expo. The sold-out Water Expo 2014 is 35% bigger than the 2012 edition, with more than 850 participating companies and 24 Group Pavilions exhibiting over 23,000 sq meters of covered space.
With the industrial water sector, which ranks second in global water consumption, accounting for about 25% of global water demand, SIWW 2014 will continue to focus on the need for thought leadership and sharing of best practices in industrial water solutions through platforms such as the Industrial Water Solutions Forum. Besides looking at issues such as efficient water use in the manufacturing sector to help companies achieve productivity and savings, the forum will also match-make industrial water users with water technology companies, start-ups and academics.
SIWW 2014 will feature expanded discussions on industrial water solutions that cut across different levels—thought leadership, technical and business solutions. There will also be more focused and dedicated discussion tracks, spanning financial, chemical and refinery, electronics, pharmaceutical, mining, food & beverage, oil and gas and industrial parks sectors. These discussions will take place at various SIWW events including the Water Convention, Hot Issues Workshop, TechXchange and the booths of exhibiting companies at the Water Expo.
The sixth Singapore International Water Week will be held June 1 to 5, 2014 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
Source: Singapore International Water Week
