SEVEROMORAVSKE VODOVODY A KANALIZACE OSTRAVA AS

Their core work

Severomoravské vodovody a kanalizace (SmVaK) is a major regional water utility serving the North Moravian region of the Czech Republic, operating water supply and sewerage infrastructure in and around Ostrava. In H2020 projects, they contribute real-world operational sites — wastewater treatment plants, sewage systems, and municipal water networks — where innovative technologies for nutrient recovery, bio-waste valorization, and water-smart industrial symbiosis are tested and validated at scale. Their value lies in providing access to actual municipal water infrastructure and operational data that research teams need to move from lab results to demonstrated solutions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SmVaK's early H2020 involvement (2017–2018) centered on bio-waste recovery and circular economy — converting organic fractions into bioplastics, proteins, and energy through projects like RUN4LIFE and SCALIBUR. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward water-smart systems, climate resilience, and industrial symbiosis (ULTIMATE, REWAISE), reflecting a broader move from waste-as-problem to water-as-strategic-resource. This mirrors the EU water sector's transition from treatment compliance toward systemic resource management and climate adaptation.

SmVaK is moving from traditional waste treatment toward integrated water-energy-resource management, making them increasingly relevant for climate adaptation and industrial symbiosis projects.

How they like to work

SmVaK participates exclusively as a third party — linked to projects through a main consortium partner rather than joining directly. This is typical for large utilities that provide demonstration sites and operational data without taking on project management responsibilities. With 110 unique partners across 18 countries, they are embedded in broad European networks, but their engagement model is passive: they offer infrastructure access rather than driving research agendas.

Connected to 110 unique partners across 18 countries through five Innovation Action projects, giving them an unusually wide network for a utility operating as third party. Their connections span water technology developers, research institutes, and municipalities across Europe.

What sets them apart

SmVaK offers something most research partners cannot: access to a full-scale, operational municipal water and sewage system in a Central European industrial city. For any consortium that needs to demonstrate water treatment, nutrient recovery, or resource efficiency technologies beyond the lab, a willing utility partner with real infrastructure is essential and hard to find. Their track record across five Innovation Actions shows they are experienced in hosting demonstration activities and navigating the practicalities of testing new technologies on live systems.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DEEP PURPLE
  Ambitious photobiorefinery concept converting diluted urban bio-waste into biopolymers, cellulose, fertilizer, and chemical precursors — a wide product range from sewage.
• REWAISE
  Their most recent and longest-running project (2020–2026), focused on smart water economy and climate resilience — signals their strategic direction.
• ULTIMATE
  Directly targets water-utility-industry symbiosis, positioning SmVaK at the center of cross-sector resource sharing between municipal and industrial water users.