Victoria’s water sector is being called on to deliver bold, innovative solutions to tackle the impacts of climate change, with a new round of funding now available for forward-thinking projects.
Today the 2025 Water Minister’s Climate Innovation Challenge was launched at the Intelligent Water Networks’ Member Conference.
With 2025 being a very dry year, with rainfall so far being lower than any other this century, smart ideas for adapting our water systems to be more climate resilient are more important than ever.
The challenge is open to all Victorian Water corporations with a prize pool of $280,000. This funding has been increased this year to enable bigger, more collaborative and complex projects.
The competition aims to challenge water professionals to develop solutions to climate change impacts in the sector. This includes projects which help to reduce the effects of climate change or transform obstacles within the sector into new opportunities.
The last two years of the challenge have awarded funding to a range of projects, from technology solutions to innovative environmental approaches to help water systems adapt to changing climate conditions.
Last year’s winner of the challenge was South East Water, in partnership with RMIT University, for their plan to co-produce green hydrogen and oxidant from direct solar radiation.
The winning project proposed using recycled water to separate hydrogen and oxygen to generate green hydrogen. This world-first method, which harnesses power from the sun, can be installed on a floating modular platform and integrated into existing infrastructure.
The Victorian Water Minister’s Climate Innovation Challenge is an annual competition and is a collaboration between the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), the Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) and the Minister for Water.
For more information on the challenge and to apply, head to Water Minister's Climate Innovation Challenge.
Page last updated: 01/08/25