Five international consortia selected to develop solutions for Europe’s water crises

As a result of the Open Call for Tenders published by the PCP WISE project at the end of 2025, the project received a total of 25 proposals to solve Europe’s water crises. The number exceeded expectations and demonstrated the significance of the challenge. After the evaluation process, five consortia that best met the requirements have been selected for the first phase.

The consortia selected for the first phase are:

• Aquaspace Finland (Finland): Led by Sitowise Oy. Includes Aalto University, University of Turku, the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI) of the National Land Survey of Finland, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
  
• DROPS WISE (Netherlands): Led by ARUP B.V. The consortium also includes Nelen & Schuurmans, FutureWater, AcaciaWater, Vito, and Technolution.
  
• SYMPHONICA (Netherlands): Led by Hydrologic Systems B.V. Partners include Witteveen+Bos, ELEAF, WeatherImpact, and Wageningen University & Research (WUR).
  
• VALOR AQUA (Greece): Led by SingularLogic. Includes Centro Tecnológico CARTIF, Nazka, Sumaqua, and AgroApps.
  
• WI4EURECA (Italy): Led by Planetek Italia S.r.l. The consortium includes Latitudo 40, Agricolus, and Tracasa Global.

Ideas refined into prototypes in a three-stage process

The PCP (Pre-Commercial Procurement) process proceeds in three consecutive phases, through which innovations are refined from concepts into ready-to-use prototypes:

Phase 1: Solution Design Over four months, the selected suppliers will develop detailed concepts of their solutions. This includes presenting the general structure and design, as well as demonstrating technical, economic, and organisational feasibility.

Phase 2: Prototype Development Following the design phase, the best competitors will continue to build and test prototypes in a controlled environment. In this phase, the functionality of the solution is verified in practice.

Phase 3: Operational Testing and Validation In the final phase, prototypes are tested and demonstrated under real-world conditions at five different pilot sites across Europe. Malmi in Helsinki is one of the key test areas, where solutions specifically related to urban drought will be put to the test.

Satellite data to aid urban resilience

The PCP WISE project develops systems that utilise satellite and Earth observation data to improve cities’ resilience to climate change. The goal is to provide real-time information on the state of water resources and predict future threats, enabling more effective preparedness and rapid response in crisis situations.

The results and plans from the first phase of the process create a foundation for future innovations that will help Europe manage its water resources more sustainably in a changing climate.

Helsinki benefits from solutions as a pilot site

Helsinki is one of the project’s five pilot sites. This means the city will have the opportunity to test and validate cutting-edge water data management systems in authentic conditions. Specifically, the Malmi district in Helsinki plays a central role in tests related to urban drought and soil moisture monitoring. City experts act as co-developers, ensuring that the end results directly serve Helsinki’s strategic goals in climate change adaptation.

The solutions developed for urban needs and the pilots conducted in the city are implemented with a total of 12 million euros in funding.

In the first phase, all five selected consortia receive 300,000 euros to develop their plans. For the second phase, the three best consortia will be selected, each receiving 2.4 million euros in funding for pilot development. In the third phase, the two best among them will receive a further 1.5 million euros for field testing and validation, to be carried out in all five pilot cities.

Read more: pcp-wise.eu

Article image: Janne Hirvonen, Helsinki Partners