MOU with Seoul Business Agency to Discover Innovative Companies in Water Supply Sector... Applications Open Until May 14
Up to 1 Year of On-Site Water Supply Demonstration, Support Up to 10 Million KRW per Project
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will collaborate with private companies possessing excellent technologies to jointly conduct technology development demonstrations and research cooperation to strengthen tap water quality management.
On the 12th, Seoul announced that it will implement the "2021 Technology Development-Type Testbed" together with the Seoul Business Agency to address current issues in the water supply sector and will call for four water quality-related projects. The technology development-type testbed, announced by the Seoul Water Institute, is a project that discovers excellent private sector technologies and supports technology development by providing a certain amount of funding (up to 10 million KRW per project) and offering water supply sites as demonstration locations.
In particular, this year, the plan is to strengthen water quality management by discovering private sector "water quality analysis and water treatment technologies" that can prevent water quality accidents in the production and supply system, such as red tap water and tap water larvae.
The four technology development-type testbed projects announced by Seoul are: ? "Automated algae analysis technology" for safe raw water management from algae ? "Economic filter technology" capable of removing particles larger than 5 micrometers (㎛) during the water purification process ? "Precise turbidity detection technology inside pipes" that quantifies filter discoloration inside pipes to detect changes in tap water turbidity ? "Automatic measurement of activated carbon expansion rate and biological monitoring technology using imaging systems" to find optimal activated carbon bed cleaning and monitoring methods to prevent larvae occurrence.
This testbed is targeted at domestic material companies, and companies wishing to participate can apply by May 14th via email (hwh0308@seoul.go.kr) after checking the announcements on the Seoul Waterworks Headquarters website (arisu.seoul.go.kr) or the New Technology Submission Center (www.seoul-tech.com).
After the application deadline, a review committee composed of experts by technology will comprehensively examine field applicability, innovativeness, and other factors to finalize the participating companies and products.
Seoul plans to operate an evaluation committee involving external experts from academia and industry to ensure fair evaluation and result analysis of the participating companies' technologies. The selected companies will negotiate detailed implementation plans such as demonstration locations and periods, sign agreements, and have up to one year of field demonstration opportunities. Up to 10 million KRW per project will be supported, and facilities such as the Arisu Water Purification Center, Seoul Water Institute’s laboratories and demonstration plants, and end-distribution areas will be provided as demonstration sites for research, development, and demonstration of private technologies participating in the testbed.
Lee In-geun, Director of the Seoul Water Institute, said, "By providing demonstration sites to domestic companies with excellent technologies, we can enhance the self-sustainability of water industry companies and contribute to revitalizing related businesses." He added, "Especially this year, we expect progress in water quality management by discovering excellent technologies in water quality analysis and water treatment fields."
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