WetsNext

Good Question: WetsNext?

What is next after Wetskills? How to follow-up great concepts? That is WetsNext. This is a program to stimulate follow-up activities based on the concepts and results of the Wetskills Challenges. The first focus of WetsNext is on (feasibility) study and elaboration of the initial concept, under the supervision of case owners, Wetskills alumni and/or other interested partners, to come further and gain impact.

WetsNext Connects Partners For Follow-Up

♦ For companies and organizations in the water sector: WetsNext is a chance to have one or more students / young professionals working on promising solutions for event cases.

♦ For students and young professionals: WetsNext is a great assignment or internship to bring promising concepts to the next level. Supervised by experts, to develop ideas into working solutions.

♦ For Universities: WetsNext has great concepts for education and research purposes.

WetsNext ‘Rules’

WetsNext aims to bring partners together around a Wetskills concept, working together to have a follow-up step (feasibility studies and pilots) and eventually implementation to gain impact.

In principle, students/young professionals get an (internship) assignment at a university or partner organisation. The partners (case owners and interested organizations) contribute inkind with network and expertise, and universities worldwide support the process (supervision, working location, cheap accommodation, etc.).

The Wetskills Foundation labels WetsNext projects, and initiates, stimulates and follows the projects. (Wetskills Foundation does not offer assignments)

WetsNext Study For ILLUVIA Concept In South Africa

A project that aims to improve the access to clean drinking water and sanitation in rural areas and informal urban settlements in South Africa. It started out as a case study by BersonUV during Wetskills-South-Africa 2016, which resulted in the ILLUVIA concept. (POSTER)

The main ambition is to provide the community with more than just safe drinking water and proper sanitation, like: ablution facilities, electricity and wifi. Thereby, we aim to smartly combine technologies and to involve the target community and local enterprises in planning and implementation. Jobs are created in the maintenance of the facility and a small agribusiness that uses pretreated wastewater from the facility for irrigation. Like this, we aim for the project to evolve into a self-sustaining source of community upliftment and economic development.

This WetsNext project was supported by the University of Cape Town, Utrecht University, a South African entrepeneur and BersonUV.

WetsNext Pilot Plastic Reuse For Rain Barrels

Ambition: To develop a rain barrel from recycled plastics for a competitive prize (and so reducing the plastic waste worldwide)

This basis idea of reusing shredded plastic for small scaled storm water infrastructure was posed by the team that worked on the case of Water Authority Delfland during Wetskills-USA 2016 (POSTER).

The aim of WetsNext project was to: 1. Developing a Programme of Demands and a first design; 2. Piloting and optimizing at the Living Lab plastic in Culemborg; 3. Business case; and 4. Network analysis.

This Wetsnext project was elaborated by students from the Industrial Design Engineering department of Rotterdam University of Applied Science. The project was supported by Water Authority Delfland and Searious Business (an organization working on the clean-up of oceans from plastic).

WetsNext: City BluePrints Worldwide

Wetskills Foundation partnered with KWR Watercycle Research Institute and Utrecht University to roll-out the City BluePrint concept worldwide. Students stayed at partners of Wetskills Foundation to execute City BluePrint Assessments. Based on these assessments we know more about the water management and water governance status of cities, with directions for improvement. This also provided data to compare water management of different cities.

The City BluePrint was an assignment for one of the Wetskills teams in Boston-USA (POSTER). The first WetsNext try-out was a project to develop the City BluePrint in Ahmedabad. A City BluePrint of Milwaukee, USA has been executed together with the network of Wetskills Foundation.

For more information: e-brochure-city-blueprint

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