WATER & ENERGY INTELLIGENCE BV

Their core work

Water & Energy Intelligence is a Delft-based SME specializing in water treatment intelligence, particularly around desalination brine management, resource recovery from wastewater, and climate adaptation strategies. They bring expertise in converting waste streams from desalination and urban wastewater into valuable materials — critical raw materials, salts, phosphorus, and energy. Their work sits at the intersection of circular economy thinking and water infrastructure, helping industrial and municipal operators extract value from what was previously a disposal problem.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Water & Energy Intelligence entered H2020 in 2020 with a tight focus on industrial water treatment — specifically separation technologies, concentration and crystallisation processes, and trace metals recovery from desalination brines. By 2021, their scope broadened to include climate resilience, nature-based solutions, governance models, and community co-creation approaches (via IMPETUS), suggesting a shift from purely technical water processing toward systemic, policy-aware climate adaptation. This evolution indicates a company moving from niche technical contributor to broader environmental intelligence provider.

Moving from narrow desalination technology toward integrated climate-water intelligence combining resource recovery with governance and behavioral dimensions.

How they like to work

Water & Energy Intelligence operates exclusively as a project participant — never as coordinator — which is typical for a small SME contributing specialized knowledge to larger consortia. With 88 unique partners across 18 countries from just 3 projects, they work in large-scale demonstration and research consortia (averaging ~30 partners per project). This suggests they are comfortable in complex, multi-partner environments and bring a defined contribution rather than leading project management.

Despite only 3 projects, they have built connections with 88 unique partners across 18 countries, reflecting participation in large EU-wide consortia. Their base in Delft (Netherlands) positions them in one of Europe's strongest water technology clusters.

What sets them apart

Their specific value lies in the intelligence layer around water and energy systems — not building the physical infrastructure, but understanding how to extract maximum value from water treatment processes. Being based in Delft gives them proximity to TU Delft, Deltares, and the broader Dutch water technology ecosystem. For consortium builders, they offer a rare combination: a small, agile company that understands both the technical chemistry of brine processing and the business model side of making resource recovery economically viable.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WATER-MINING
  Their largest funded project (EUR 262,500), focused on large-scale circular economy demonstrations for water-smart management — combining technical resource recovery with service-based business models.
• IMPETUS
  Their highest single funding (EUR 304,850) and a departure from core water treatment into climate resilience, governance, and nature-based solutions — signaling strategic diversification.