Public-private partnerships on the rise

Besides our work in the public domain we are also increasingly active in public-private partnerships (PPPs). Various TKI Water Technology projects were ongoing in 2016. For example, we researched the effective removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater. In September 2016 fertilising pellets made from struvite, recovered from wastewater collected from aircraft, were applied to the areas next to Schiphol airport’s runways. Working with water companies and SMEs, we developed a rapid method for enterococci detection in surface water, and established rules of thumb for the relation between investment costs and returns of sensor networks in water distribution networks. We also studied the softening of makeup water in cooling water systems for the industry. And an interim assessment by the Dutch government demonstrated that the TKI premium scheme has been a success: the business community’s investment in research and in the public knowledge infrastructure has exceeded expectations.