BlueTech Research

Greetings from Davos! BlueTech is on the ground at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, with Paul O'Callaghan and Aoife Kelleher. WEF week is always about the conversations that happen between sessions, the informal exchanges where ideas sharpen and partnerships form. If you’re in Davos and would like to connect on water and climate innovation, or simply to exchange notes on what’s emerging this year, Paul and Aoife would love to meet. 📩 Drop a comment or send a DM #WEF26 #Davos2026 #WaterInnovation #BlueTechResearch

Microbial monitoring is entering a new phase. Quieter, faster, and far more consequential. Advances in automation, sensing and digital integration are reshaping how operators detect risk, respond to disruption and validate performance in real time. This briefing explores what is changing, where adoption is accelerating, and why online microbial monitoring is moving from niche innovation to operational necessity. Presented by Dr Kim Wu and Dr Corina Carpentier. Details here: https://lnkd.in/dvF3gpSQ

Bipolar membranes sit at the intersection of electrochemistry, sustainability and industrial pragmatism, offering new routes to value from RO concentrate and cooling tower blowdown. This session unpacks where BPMs are delivering real impact, where expectations remain ahead of reality, and why interest is accelerating. Presented by Dr Vishal Wagholikar, PhD and Rhys Owen. More info: https://lnkd.in/dvF3gpSQ

Water risk data is everywhere. Decision clarity is not. This session takes a hard look at how water risk tools are used, misused, and misunderstood and why even sophisticated assessments can mislead decision-makers when context is missing. A candid, interactive roundtable with Jennifer Möller-Gulland, Saurabh Singh and Aoife Kelleher, for those who want water risk to inform decisions rather than obscure them. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dvF3gpSQ

What happens when a “niche” technology quietly grows into a £60M market and starts reshaping the competitive landscape of water treatment? Ceramic membranes have done exactly that! Over the past decade the market has quadrupled, flat sheet systems have overtaken tubular formats, and silicon carbide has carved out a solid position for difficult industrial feeds. At the same time, the EU’s PFAS proposal has placed PVDF under real pressure. Suddenly, the long-term resilience of membrane fleets is no longer a theoretical concern. It is a strategic one. Four suppliers now set the pace globally: METAWATER Co., Ltd, Nanostone Water, Cembrane (Ovivo), and CERAFILTEC. Their rapid rise reflects a shift in where utilities and industries see value: predictable integrity, lifecycle stability, and risk mitigation. Industrial wastewater is leading the charge, drinking water is entering a new replacement cycle, and SWRO pre-treatment remains the biggest opportunity yet to be fully realised. Tomorrow, Dr Graeme Pearce will walk through the latest market evidence and what it means for the next phase of ceramic adoption. BlueTech clients can register directly. If you’re not yet a member but feel you should be part of this discussion, request access here: https://lnkd.in/dvF3gpSQ

The water sector is not suddenly fast, but it is faster than it has been for many years. Evove, CERAFILTEC and Vortech Water Solutions showed how design-for-adoption choices, credible reference plants and the right partners can shorten the path from lighthouse projects to market pull. Our author panel connected these stories back to the patterns outlined in 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑦𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. Yesterday’s Townhall saw a strong turnout, with many attendees witnessing the relationship between the theory in The Dynamics of Water Innovation and the real-world journeys of the three innovators. It was a rare moment where the framework and the field could be examined side by side. Thanks to everyone who joined, and special thanks to the companies for sharing their stories and data: Chris Wyres, Julius Gloeckner, and Sean Mulligan and the author panel Paul O'Callaghan, Cees Buisman (Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology) and Reinhard Huebner (SKion Water GmbH), and Rhys Owen and Lily Chen If you missed the session, the full recording is available: 💻 Video https://lnkd.in/dydPDbMT 🎧 Apple Podcasts https://lnkd.in/dma732Dy 🎧 Spotify https://lnkd.in/diu_vfCA 🎧 Amazon Music https://lnkd.in/dbFWFxig

People often ask what a Research Analyst actually does at BlueTech. The short answer is: quite a lot! One week you might be analysing membrane fouling data or reading twenty patents on PFAS destruction. The next week you could be interviewing a startup, distilling a new category of digital technology or presenting insights to executives at a global utility. The work is varied, fast-moving and deeply connected to the innovations shaping the future of water. What makes the role special is that the work doesn’t disappear into a drawer. Our clients use it to make real decisions about investments, pilots, partnerships and strategy. And you do it alongside a team of sharp, thoughtful people who bring decades of experience across engineering, science and technology. There’s a reason so many colleagues have been with BlueTech for years: the work stays interesting and the culture stays human. We’re now looking for the next person to join that team. If you’re curious, analytical, and excited about water technology and sustainability, you may enjoy this work as much as we do. Here’s the full position and how to apply: https://lnkd.in/dy5THjkA

Black Friday tends to revolve around discounts. We’re taking a different approach! 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑦𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 isn’t something we discount but this moment in the calendar does create the perfect window for teams and organisations to think about year-end learning, shared purpose, and internal capability building. Over the last year, the book has found its way into boardrooms, university programmes, R&D teams, corporate retreats and, most recently, into the hands of every attendee at Momentum Global Ventures' innovation event. Organisations are using it as a way to spark conversations around velocity, friction, and what it really takes to scale new technologies. With the Water Innovation Townhall broadcasting next week (https://lnkd.in/dNXTDt9V) and with fresh case studies from Evove, CERAFILTEC and Vortech Water Solutions — this is an ideal moment to bring the book into your own organisation. Bulk orders are available, and the Epilogue is free to download for anyone who wants a deeper look at the WATA Model and adoption timelines: https://lnkd.in/dUaTQTpt If you’re considering meaningful year-end gifting or planning internal learning sessions for 2026, this may be the right time to make it part of your toolkit 💼 #TheDynamicsOfWaterInnovation #WaterInnovation #WATAModel #InnovationVelocity #WaterTechnology #InnovationEcosystem #AdoptionCurve #BlueTechResearch #FromLighthousesToTippingPoints

The past year delivered some defining moments for water: bold technology pivots, new regulatory pressure points, and research directions that signal where investment is heading next. On Thursday 8 January, BlueTech's Water Almanac brings these threads together. Paul O'Callaghan will explore the rise of electrification; Kim Wu and Rhys Owen will trace the trends shaping our 2025–2026 research agenda; our analysts and TAG members, including Vishal Wagholikar, Jeff Guild, Karen Meidlinger and Richard Woodling, will spotlight the breakthroughs and blind spots revealed across WEFTEC and our global intelligence work. This briefing is exclusively for BlueTech clients. If you think you should be in the room, just reach out here, we’ll help you get oriented: https://lnkd.in/dvF3gpSQ #WebBriefing #WaterSector #WaterInnovation #WaterAlmanac #BlueTechResearch #WaterTechnology

Water is, and will remain, a powerful driver of economic value. Industrial sectors depend on it as fundamentally as machines depend on oil. As Paul O'Callaghan highlighted in his keynote at the Momentum Global Ventures event last week, the momentum behind water innovation has never been stronger. A heartfelt thank-you to Momentum Global Ventures for the invitation, and a special appreciation to Joost Oostveen for his exceptional hosting and partnership throughout. We greatly enjoyed being part of this inspiring event and look forward to future collaborations. Read more: Investing at the Tipping Point of Water Innovation https://lnkd.in/dgn7HUzq #InvestInWater #WaterInnovation #CleanWater #ImpactInvesting #BlueTechResearch #SustainableInvesting #WaterTech #FutureOfWater