Two new large projects in WIN
We at WIN are very happy to be part of two of the nine major projects that are now receiving funding through the “Transition Lab within Water Wise Societies 2025 for Sustainable Water for All”.
“Water Management in Crisis and War” – ViKK is a project that we have been running from the start together with MSB (the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency) and which has now been assigned to the Swedish National Food Agency as the owner of the needs.
“From Plate to Pixel”, despite its name, is also about water, more specifically about assessing water quality. Sweden Water Research has invited us as a partner in the project.
Both projects are fully in line with WIN’s vision of contributing to a secure water supply. We are very much looking forward to getting started!
Water Management in Crisis and War
Water Management in Crisis and War (ViKK) aims to strengthen Sweden’s ability to secure its water supply during prolonged and extensive crises. Experiences from, among other things, the war in Ukraine show how vulnerable society becomes when water resources are threatened or disrupted, and how crucial alternative systems, backup solutions, and increased preparedness are.
ViKK builds on a WWS pre-project that was used to begin mobilizing relevant actors for the Transition Lab. The needs owner in ViKK is the National Food Agency/VAKA, which is the national water disaster group responsible for providing support during an acute crisis in the drinking water supply.
ViKK contributes to a combination of, among other things, technological innovations, alternative strategies, new forms of collaboration, and more. The consortium of partners will work jointly as far as possible and then take turns driving concrete initiatives across organizational boundaries. The focus will be on continuously creating several smaller shifts in order to achieve an overall transformation.
In addition, stress tests will be conducted. Through these stress tests, we will simulate complex crisis scenarios in which several events occur simultaneously and put pressure on the water supply system. By staging these situations, both technical systems and cooperation between actors are tested, allowing hidden weaknesses to be identified.
ViKK will strengthen Sweden’s ability to maintain secure water management that functions both in everyday conditions and during crises.
From Plate to Pixel – Faster Decisions for Safe and Sustainable Water Use
The Transition Lab aims to pave the way for a fundamental shift in how we assess microbial water quality – from slow, analog cultivation methods to fast, digital technologies such as flow cytometry and qPCR. In an era marked by climate change, security threats, and increasing demands for resource efficiency, the need for rapid and reliable analysis is greater than ever. Current methods provide results only after several days, delaying action and potentially leading to production stoppages, discarded products, and risks to health and the environment. New methods enable real-time analysis and create conditions for safe drinking water and circular water management, where water is recycled and used more intelligently. The project brings together a broad spectrum water utilities, authorities, researchers, industry, and technology developers to jointly test, develop, and implement new solutions. Sweden Water Research leads the initiative, with strong involvement from key stakeholders such as Norrvatten, Sydvatten, VA SYD, Tetra Pak, and Absolut. The Swedish Food Agency, National Veterinary Institute (SVA), RISE, and WIN Water are among the partners contributing expertise and needs. The focus is on creating robust decision support, understanding organizational implications, and influencing policy and legislation. The lab acts as a catalyst, support hub, and coordination centre – a place where technology meets practice and innovation is translated into real-world impact.
Press release
Nya lösningar för att prioritera vatten vid kris – Livsmedelsverket driver innovationsprojekt