Water innovation for a climate resilient future

Climate change is already impacting upon Victoria’s water security and amplifying the risks our water sector is facing from more likely, more intense, more frequent, and overlapping emergency events.
The Water Minister’s Climate Innovation Challenge aims to facilitate investment in climate innovation to generate sector-wide transformational outcomes and inspire further climate actions.
The annual competition is a collaboration between the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), the Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) and the Minister for Water.
By funding innovations that bring about real climate action and sharing the approaches, outcomes and key learnings, the whole sector and the communities we serve will benefit from the Challenge. This enables the water sector to collectively accelerate climate action opportunities.

It is expected that climate change will continue to impact the sector in the future, and that the impacts are likely to become more severe over time.

Details of the 2025 Climate Innovation Challenge will be uploaded soon.

 The Hon. Harriet Shing MP, Minister for Water introduced her Water Minister’s Climate Innovation Challenge in 2023

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The Challenge aims to:
  • Promote and recognise innovation within the water sector.
  • Increase the resilience of the water cycle by supporting the sector to harness new opportunities that may arise through effective climate action while delivering essential water services to the environment and the Victorian community.
  • Reduce barriers for the Victorian water sector to explore and implement innovative solutions to climate change challenges.
  • Support collaboration and capacity building within the sector.
  • Share key learnings and generate sector-wide transformational outcomes while inspiring climate action within the Victorian water sector and beyond.

The Challenge will encourage commitment and support for the water sector to harness new opportunities that may arise through effective climate action.

WMCIC – “The Challenge”- Frequently Asked Questions

The Water Minister’s Climate Innovation Challenge (the Challenge) is a collaboration between the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), the Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) and the Minister for Water to deliver Action 10.3 of Water for Victoria to promote innovation within the water sector.

The Challenge is an annual competition for all Victorian water corporations and provides a structured way to drive innovation, adaptation and collaboration on key climate challenges facing the sector.

The Challenge will incentivise individual water corporations to explore and invest in climate innovation while continuing to deliver essential water services to Victorians.

Climate change is already impacting upon Victoria’s water security and amplifying the risks our water sector is facing from more likely, more intense, more frequent, and overlapping emergency events.

It is expected that climate change will continue to impact the sector in the future, and that the impacts are likely to become more severe over time.

From Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2017

Climate Change: means a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.

From Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2017

Climate adaptation: means any process of adjusting to actual or expected climate and its effects that:

a.  in human systems, seeks to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities; and
b.  in natural systems, may be facilitated by human intervention

The Water Minister’s Climate Innovation Challenge aims to facilitate investment in climate innovation to generate sector-wide transformational outcomes and inspire further climate actions. This is the primary goal of the Challenge.

By funding innovations that bring about real climate action and sharing the approaches, outcomes and key learnings, the whole Victorian Water sector and the communities we serve will benefit from the Challenge. This enables the Victorian water sector to collectively accelerate climate action opportunities.

The Challenge aims to:

  • Promote and recognise innovation within the Victorian water sector.
  • Increase the resilience of the water cycle by supporting the sector to harness new opportunities that may arise through effective climate action while delivering essential water services to the environment and the Victorian community.
  • Reduce barriers for the Victorian water sector to explore and implement innovative solutions to climate change challenges.
  • Support collaboration and capacity building within the Victorian Water sector.
  • Share key learnings and generate sector-wide transformational outcomes while inspiring climate action within the Victorian water sector and beyond.

The Challenge is open to all Victorian Water Corporations. Submissions will not be accepted from any other organisation or individual. Collaborative submissions are encouraged provided the submission is led by a Victorian Water Corporation.

The Challenge also provides a Leadership practice field for the development of the sector’s emerging leaders to drive innovation and transformation within their organisations and across the Victorian Water sector.

All prize winners will be provided with an Agreement that specifies the agreed project milestones and outcomes, funding, reporting requirements and knowledge sharing requirements.

If you require assistance preparing or submitting your submission, please contact the IWN team at:

IWN Contacts:
Jason Cotton, Program Director Jason.Cotton@iwn.org.au
The Challenge email climateinnovationchallenge@iwn.org.au

Yes. The Challenge has an Executive Steering Committee and reportable deliverables to DEECA, under The Challenge Funding Agreement

Yes. It is available on The Challenge Website climateinnovationchallenge.org.au

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IWN is a program of VicWater established by and working with its member water corporations.

IWN’s purpose is to contribute to the transformation of the water industry by driving the exploration and adoption of innovative approaches, thinking and technologies and create opportunities that foster emerging leadership talent.

www.iwn.org.au

climateinnovationchallenge@iwn.org.au

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iwn.org.au

Victoria’s Climate Change Strategy