The Water Innovation Challenge, powered by RootCamp in collaboration with industry leader K+S, is seeking groundbreaking solutions to transform water management and brine utilization. The initiative offers innovators the opportunity to collaborate directly with K+S, access pilot funding, and explore scale-up partnerships. Applications close on 7 September 2025.
Key Opportunities for Innovators
Direct Industry Access
Participants will engage with K+S, a global leader in the production and processing of mineral resources, gaining a pathway to implement their technologies within industrial operations.
Pilot Funding
Selected innovators will receive financial support to pilot their solutions, test viability, and validate impact in real-world conditions.
Scale-Up Potential
The program emphasizes long-term collaboration, providing opportunities for successful solutions to scale across industrial applications.
Timeline and Application Process
- Application Deadline: 7 September 2025
- Desk Review: September 2025
- First Pitch (Video Calls): 6–17 October 2025
- Final Pitch (Jury Decision, Online): 18 November 2025
Focus Areas
The challenge is centered on three key sub-areas designed to enhance sustainable water management:
1. Brine Treatment & Resource Recovery
- Cost-effective, sustainable handling of brine to reduce environmental impact
- Potential solutions may include desalination, bio-manufacturing using saline water, or carbon sequestration in brine environments
- Aim: minimize residual brine and support optimized water management
Not in focus: Reverse osmosis processes (due to brine salinity) and large-scale conventional evaporation methods.
2. Brine & Salt Valorization
- Transforming brines and solid salt residues into new, valuable products
- Opportunities include applications in wastewater treatment, biogas, or consumer products
- Aim: create added value from existing byproducts
Not in focus: Solutions relying primarily on conventional evaporation without further valorization.
3. Long-Term Salt Heap Management
- Durable and economically viable solutions for covering salt piles and preventing water accumulation
- Focus on approaches that enhance pile stability, water absorption, and long-term environmental performance
- Potential innovations include advanced surface coverings, improved greening techniques, and moisture regulation technologies
Not in focus: Coverings relying solely on bulk materials such as cement, or loose coverings without stabilization.
Who Should Apply
The challenge welcomes participation from:
- Startups
- Universities and Research Institutions
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
This inclusive approach encourages cross-sector collaboration, ensuring diverse expertise and innovative perspectives.
Why Apply
- Circular Economy Benefits: Turn industrial waste streams into valuable resources.
- Impactful Innovation: Contribute to environmental sustainability at an industrial scale.
- Cross-Disciplinary Opportunity: Leverage expertise in water treatment, bio-manufacturing, materials science, or chemical engineering.
The Water Innovation Challenge offers a unique platform for innovators to make a measurable impact on industrial water management and sustainability. With the backing of RootCamp and K+S, participants can transform ideas into actionable solutions that address pressing environmental challenges. Applications remain open until 7 September 2025.