We are proud to announce that PCP WISE has been featured for the second time in Open Access Government, a leading digital publication providing in-depth insights into key public policy areas, including research and innovation, technology, environment, and energy.
Following the publication of the first article, “How Innovation Procurement Can Boost European Water Resilience,” the latest article, “From tender to prototype: Implementing a pre-commercial procurement for climate-resilient water management,” takes a closer look at how the PCP WISE procurement process is being implemented in practice.
The article explores the different stages of the PCP WISE journey, from the Call for Tenders and the selection of innovative consortia to the Solution Design phase and the transition towards prototype development. It highlights the collaborative approach at the heart of the project, bringing together public buyers, suppliers, end-users, researchers and other stakeholders to ensure that the solutions developed respond to real operational needs.
Among the key aspects highlighted are the five matchmaking sessions, which brought together more than 160 participants from across Europe, the 25 bids received in response to the Call for Tenders, and the selection of five consortia for Phase 1. The article also showcases how continuous dialogue with end-users and dedicated workshops have helped shape the proposed solutions throughout the Solution Design phase.
A particular focus is placed on the transition to Phase 2, following the evaluation of the Phase 1 deliverables. Three consortia — WI4EURECA, DROPS-WISE and SYMPHONICA — have been selected to develop functional prototypes and demonstrate their solutions in representative operational environments between August 2026 and May 2027.
The article also highlights PCP WISE’s ambition to go beyond the development of innovative technologies. Through its exploitation activities, scalability workshops and Stakeholder Observatory Group, the project is working to create the conditions for the future replication, market uptake and wider deployment of innovative Earth Observation-based solutions for climate-resilient water management.
This second feature in Open Access Government provides further visibility for PCP WISE and illustrates how Pre-Commercial Procurement can turn public sector challenges into concrete opportunities for collaborative research, innovation and real-world deployment.
🔗 Read the full article on Open Access Government (PDF version available here).
