United Utilities launch new Innovation Lab to find the best business solutions

by Startacus Admin

The UK’s largest listed water company, United Utilities are seeking businesses with innovative ideas in the fields of safety, well-being, predictive maintenance, connected home, customer interactions and the future of the water sector, to join a new United Utilities Innovation Lab.

Invited businesses will collaborate with United Utilities on some of its key business and customer challenges via a 10-week programme, run in collaboration with corporate innovation specialist L Marks.

The programme will see a number of selected businesses mentored by senior United Utilities business leaders and tech experts.

They will also have access to office space in United Utilities’ head office to develop their ideas, be given the chance to test their products in a live environment, and be provided with potential investment opportunities via United Utilities and L Marks direct. 

Head straight to United Utilities Innovation Lab read over all the information you’ll need to know to apply, or read on for a further summary of all the key details (we’re good like that!).

Through their Innovation Lab, United Utilities are looking for pitches which deliver innovation solutions to the key customer and internal challenges of:

• Connect Water / Customer – Smart homes and connected devices are a growing trend. How can IoT and sensors work together to catch water issues early and help customers manage their water bills better? 

• Proactive Customer Actions - How can new technology like predictive or monitoring solutions help United Utilities to resolve issues before a customer even notices they exist? How can United Utilities make its internal processes seamless and transparent to customers and make customer interactions more positive? 

• Safe and Healthy Worker – With over 5,000 employees across the business – undertaking tasks including asset repair, maintenance, visiting customers and moving from job to job – how can United Utilities better support the workforce, especially lone workers? 

• Predictive Asset Maintenance – Every day United Utilities is reacting to maintenance issues which could have saved disruption, time and money if they had been predicted sooner. How can predictive tools help pull together data sources to detect when and where leaks, bursts or floods are going to happen, to help United Utilities manage its water and wastewater networks more proactively?

• Future of Water - United Utilities wants to work smarter to maintain the highest levels of customer service, reduce costs and reduce energy consumption. How can it stay ahead of the curve in these areas by using future technologies in the fields of energy management, artificial intelligence or robotics?    

Headquartered in Warrington, United Utilities manages the regulated water and wastewater systems in North West England and serves a combined population of seven million across Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. 

Timescales

• Applications will go live on 21st August

• The first round of applications will close midday Monday 18th September

• You may then be invited to offer up more information on your service / product, with a second round of applications then shortlisted to pitch at an event on the 6th December

• Post that all important pitch and if then selected, the 10 week programme will then kick off on the 5th February with a final demo day happening on the 12th April to finish the programme.

So if you fancy being in the ‘pool’ of innovative businesses that apply - heads straight to www.unitedutilities/innovation to read over all the information, FAQ’s, and to make that all important application. Good luck!

Apply Here.

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• #united utilities
• #safety
• #well-being
• #well being
• #connected home
• #water
• #innovation lab
• #l marks

Published on: 17th August 2017