Nottingham's Eminate wins £100K Ofwat grant for AI wastewater sensor

What's the deal? University of Nottingham engineers have secured a £100,000 (≈$132,990) grant from OfwatDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to develop an AI-enabled system for monitoring microbial biofilms used in wastewater treatment. The team is among 20 finalists in Ofwat's £7.5 million Water Discovery Challenge.

What's the endgame? The BioSense project provides continuous data on the condition and activity of biofilms without interrupting treatment operations. Led by Dr Oliver Fisher of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, it aims to help operators spot biological changes earlier and improve treatment performance.

Why now? Microorganisms are central to removing pollutants from wastewater, but operators typically assess their performance through indirect process data or lab testing. BioSense offers earlier insight into how these biological systems respond.

Fisher and researcher Asma Ahmed will also get seven months of commercialisation support and mentoring from water companies and industry specialists. In April 2027, up to 10 finalists could receive a further £550,000 each to develop and test their technologies.

"BioSense has the potential to give operators the information they need to proactively optimise treatment performance, improve resilience and reduce environmental risk from untreated wastewater," Fisher said.

The signal: Ofwat's fund — run by Challenge Works with Arup and Isle Utilities — signals a push to shift the water sector from reacting to biological failures towards anticipating and preventing them.

Read more: East Midlands Business Link

Image credit: KOMUnews