UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) welcomes the publication of the Independent Water Commission's final report into the water sector. We recognise the widespread public concern surrounding the performance of the water sector and the urgent need for a framework that robustly serves both customers and the environment.

At UKWIR, our core mission is to provide the impartial, sound science and evidence-based research that underpins confident, high-quality decision-making and investment planning across the UK and Irish water industries.

For decades, we've been at the forefront of tackling the sector's most pressing challenges. Our work is, and always has been, driven by a commitment to deliver healthy, reliable, and affordable water services while protecting our natural environment for future generations.

The challenges facing the water sector are complex and multifaceted, encompassing climate change, population growth, ageing infrastructure, and environmental quality. Addressing these issues effectively demands more than regulatory oversight; it requires a collective commitment to innovation, shared knowledge, and a truly collaborative spirit.

"At this pivotal moment, UKWIR is calling for even greater collaboration across the entire water sector, including its supply chain, and leading academic institutions," said Mike Rose, UKWIR chief executive. "It is extremely positive that the Independent Water Commission's report directly identified UKWIR as playing a 'key role' in driving collaboration between the industry, research institutions, and academia. This endorsement underscores the vital role we play in supporting innovation and knowledge transfer."

UKWIR plays a pivotal role in this space by managing strategic research projects that directly address the major challenges facing the water industry. The research organisation also disseminates findings and practical tools to its members and stakeholders. The IWC report highlights several critical priority areas, many of which are central to UKWIR's ongoing and planned research programmes:

• Wastewater and drainage: UKWIR’s research includes projects focused on transforming sewerage management, such as understanding the impact of privately owned drains, advancing data-driven methods for blockage identification, and developing nature-based solutions to reduce storm overflows.
• Emerging pollutants: The commission highlights the growing awareness and concern around contaminants such as "forever chemicals" (PFAS) and microplastics. This underscores a critical need for research into detection methods, effective treatment solutions, and mitigation strategies for these substances. UKWIR’s work with water companies and regulators on the Chemical Investigations Programme will be critical.
• Drinking Water: UKWIR continue to drive research into securing long-term water supply and maintaining world-leading drinking water quality, including projects on sustainable and resilient water treatment alternatives and addressing emerging contaminants.
• Water resources: Recommendations for compulsory smart metering and the removal of regulatory barriers to water reuse are supported by UKWIR research into advanced water efficiency measures, including technologies for water recycling and rainwater harvesting.
• Resilience and asset health: UKWIR's research aims to ensure critical operations and assets are resilient to future challenges. This includes projects on understanding asset health and developing tools and frameworks to enhance data confidence and improve decision making in the sector. To this end, UKWIR developed a Data Confidence Index and a Value of Information framework to address data quality concerns and quantify the monetary benefits of data improvements.

"As the provider of impartial, science-based data, UKWIR stands ready to work closely with regulators, government, private businesses, and all other interested parties to ensure that policy and investment decisions are informed by the best available evidence, leading to a resilient, sustainable, and trusted water future for all," concluded Rose.

“The coming period marks a profound shift for the UK water sector, and UKWIR is fully committed to supporting our members and the wider industry every step of the way. We are well placed to accelerate our collaborative research efforts, scaling to deliver vital evidence, and support the knowledge exchange needed to navigate this transition successfully. Together, we can build a water future that truly serves customers, protects our environment, and restores public confidence,” he added.

UKWIR remains committed to enabling the industry in meeting these challenges through the delivery of collaborative research, bringing together partners with the right skills to drive forward essential innovation for the benefit of customers and the environment. To find out more about UKWIR’s work, please visit> https://ukwir.org/home-of-water-industry-research-projects-reports-tools