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Water Industry & Research Awards (WIRAs) 2024 |
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Beste waterexpert,
Als representatieve netwerken binnen de academische en industriële watersector slaan watercircle.be en B-IWA voor weer de handen in elkaar, en dit op het jaarlijkse Academia Meets Industry event van watercircle.be. Het event en de bekendmaking van de laureaten vindt zoals elk jaar plaats in december, en wil personen die voor een impact zorgen in de watersector extra in de kijker zetten. Dit document beschrijft de selectieprocedure en -criteria, alsook de omvang en de focus van de verschillende prijzen die ingediend moeten worden via de respectievelijke website van watercircle.be of B-IWA.
Beste groeten,
Het WIRAs-team
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Dear water expert,
As representative networks within the academic and industrial water sector, watercircle.be and B-IWA are joining forces again, at the annual Academia Meets Industry event of watercircle.be. As every year, the event and the announcement of the laureates will take place in December and aim to put people in the spotlight who make an impact in the water sector. This document describes the selection procedure and criteria, as well as the scope of the different awards, to be submitted via the respective website of watercircle.be or B-IWA.
Best regards,
The WIRAs-team
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Cher expert de l'eau,
En tant que réseaux représentatifs du secteur académique et industriel de l'eau, watercircle.be et B-IWA unissent à nouveau leurs forces lors de l'événement annuel Academia Meets Industry. L'événement et l'annonce des lauréats auront lieu, comme chaque année, en décembre et visent à mettre en lumière des personnes ayant un impact dans le secteur de l'eau. Ce document décrit la procédure et les critères de sélection, ainsi que la portée et l'objectif des différents prix à soumettre via le site web respectif de watercircle.be ou de B-IWA.
Salutations distinguées,
L'équipe WIRA
Als representatieve netwerken binnen de academische en industriële watersector slaan watercircle.be en B-IWA voor weer de handen in elkaar, en dit op het jaarlijkse Academia Meets Industry event van watercircle.be. Het event en de bekendmaking van de laureaten vindt zoals elk jaar plaats in december, en wil personen die voor een impact zorgen in de watersector extra in de kijker zetten. Dit document beschrijft de selectieprocedure en -criteria, alsook de omvang en de focus van de verschillende prijzen die ingediend moeten worden via de respectievelijke website van watercircle.be of B-IWA.
Beste groeten,
Het WIRAs-team
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Dear water expert,
As representative networks within the academic and industrial water sector, watercircle.be and B-IWA are joining forces again, at the annual Academia Meets Industry event of watercircle.be. As every year, the event and the announcement of the laureates will take place in December and aim to put people in the spotlight who make an impact in the water sector. This document describes the selection procedure and criteria, as well as the scope of the different awards, to be submitted via the respective website of watercircle.be or B-IWA.
Best regards,
The WIRAs-team
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cher expert de l'eau,
En tant que réseaux représentatifs du secteur académique et industriel de l'eau, watercircle.be et B-IWA unissent à nouveau leurs forces lors de l'événement annuel Academia Meets Industry. L'événement et l'annonce des lauréats auront lieu, comme chaque année, en décembre et visent à mettre en lumière des personnes ayant un impact dans le secteur de l'eau. Ce document décrit la procédure et les critères de sélection, ainsi que la portée et l'objectif des différents prix à soumettre via le site web respectif de watercircle.be ou de B-IWA.
Salutations distinguées,
L'équipe WIRA
WATERTECHNOLOGIEPRIJS 2024
WATER TECHNOLOGY AWARD 2024
As a representative network of the water sector, and with both industrial and academic members on board, watercircle.be is strongly committed to what we call 'Flow of Technology'. With this, our organization promotes the interaction between academics and industrial partners with a view to exchanging already developed knowledge as well as the detected future challenges and opportunities.
In this context, watercircle.be awards several finished master thesis projects each year, with the water technology prize.
All final projects that are directly related to water technology, are collected. Through an initial evaluation, the jury will select a list of final works that will compete for the prizes. Finally, the independent jury, composed by watercircle.be, will reward the best final thesis with the watercircle.be - Water technology Award. The jury will judge on the following points (in descending order of importance):
The author of the best thesis will receive €500 and a certificate. There are also 2 additional laureates. The thesis that is most useful for technology suppliers receives € 250 and a certificate, and the third winner does not go empty-handed either.
In this context, watercircle.be awards several finished master thesis projects each year, with the water technology prize.
All final projects that are directly related to water technology, are collected. Through an initial evaluation, the jury will select a list of final works that will compete for the prizes. Finally, the independent jury, composed by watercircle.be, will reward the best final thesis with the watercircle.be - Water technology Award. The jury will judge on the following points (in descending order of importance):
- Usefulness of the information from the thesis for the members of watercircle.be
- Innovative character
- Importance of sustainability in the subject dealt with
- General (scientific) quality
The author of the best thesis will receive €500 and a certificate. There are also 2 additional laureates. The thesis that is most useful for technology suppliers receives € 250 and a certificate, and the third winner does not go empty-handed either.
Jury members
WATER RESEARCH
AWARD 2024
The BWA Water Research Award awards the most excellent scientific publication of the past year. Papers from any peer reviewed journal are accepted, but the topic - as judged from title or the keywords -should have a clear link to the theme of water.
Publications from the past calendar year should be submitted to compete for the award. Thus, for the 2024 award the papers must have appeared in 2023. No papers in press will be accepted. The first date of publication – online or print – is the criterion.
Application for the Water Research Award is done either as a self-nomination, or as a nomination by a third party with respect to the application guidelines below.
The award winner receives € 800, a certificate from the B-IWA Board, and will be featured on the B-IWA website. In case of ex-aequo, the jury can decide to award maximum two winners. In this case the monetary prize is halved.
The B-IWA board reserves the right not to hand out the award in case the quality of the submitted papers is deemed insufficient for an award, or in case there is only a single submission.
The winner will be invited to the awards ceremony (this year in December at the Academia Meets Industry event) to briefly present the paper. For previous winners check www.biwa.be/awards
Publications from the past calendar year should be submitted to compete for the award. Thus, for the 2024 award the papers must have appeared in 2023. No papers in press will be accepted. The first date of publication – online or print – is the criterion.
Application for the Water Research Award is done either as a self-nomination, or as a nomination by a third party with respect to the application guidelines below.
- All submissions should use the designated e-form to be found here.
- Candidates should be affiliated to a Belgian university, research institute, agency, organisation or company (as mentioned in the published paper). (B-)IWA membership is not required.
- Only one paper can be submitted in a given calendar year per first author and a maximum of two papers per last author.
- The award is attributed specifically to the first author. In certain cases, the jury may decide that the award is to be shared by the co-authors (only in case of equal contributions to the article, but this information has to be explicitly indicated on the printed version of the article). In both cases, all co-authors must agree on the application for this award.
- First authors who won the prize cannot reintroduce another candidacy in the next 4 years but the co-authors can, except in the above case.
- The jury includes all B-IWA board members but excludes board members with a conflict of interest, e.g. as co-author or sponsor. This applies only for the assessment of that specific submission.
The award winner receives € 800, a certificate from the B-IWA Board, and will be featured on the B-IWA website. In case of ex-aequo, the jury can decide to award maximum two winners. In this case the monetary prize is halved.
The B-IWA board reserves the right not to hand out the award in case the quality of the submitted papers is deemed insufficient for an award, or in case there is only a single submission.
The winner will be invited to the awards ceremony (this year in December at the Academia Meets Industry event) to briefly present the paper. For previous winners check www.biwa.be/awards
WATER DEVELOPMENT
COLLABORATION AWARD 2025
The B-IWA Development Collaboration Award is a biennial recognition that is reserved for a successful collaboration between a Belgian partner (Academic, Industry or Government) and a partner in developing country. This application is always done as a duo. Both names/institutions should be clearly mentioned on the application.
Applications are either self-nominations, nominations by a third party, or nominations by the B-IWA board. All nominations should be submitted by filling out the designated e-form. A submission can only be made once. Check the jury (B-IWA board) on www.biwa.be and fill in the e-form here.
The type of submission is flexible, and can comprise for example: a PhD thesis, a joint project with demonstrated results, an education project, testing of a prototype in a developing country, development of an interesting new concept, etc.
Innovation, creativity and effective partnership are preponderant criteria for this award.
The award winners receive € 400 each, a certificate from the B-IWA Board, and will be featured on the B-IWA website. No ex-aequos are possible for this award.
The B-IWA board reserves the right not to hand out the award in case the quality of the submissions is deemed insufficient, or in case there is only a single submission.
Application for the B-IWA Research Award is done either as a self-nomination, or as a nomination by a third party. Nominations for this award will not be made by the jury. All submissions should use the designated e-form on www.biwa.be
The winner (or its representative) will be invited to the awards ceremony (this year in December at the Academia Meets Industry event) to provide a short presentation. For previous winners check www.biwa.be/awards
Applications are either self-nominations, nominations by a third party, or nominations by the B-IWA board. All nominations should be submitted by filling out the designated e-form. A submission can only be made once. Check the jury (B-IWA board) on www.biwa.be and fill in the e-form here.
The type of submission is flexible, and can comprise for example: a PhD thesis, a joint project with demonstrated results, an education project, testing of a prototype in a developing country, development of an interesting new concept, etc.
Innovation, creativity and effective partnership are preponderant criteria for this award.
The award winners receive € 400 each, a certificate from the B-IWA Board, and will be featured on the B-IWA website. No ex-aequos are possible for this award.
The B-IWA board reserves the right not to hand out the award in case the quality of the submissions is deemed insufficient, or in case there is only a single submission.
Application for the B-IWA Research Award is done either as a self-nomination, or as a nomination by a third party. Nominations for this award will not be made by the jury. All submissions should use the designated e-form on www.biwa.be
The winner (or its representative) will be invited to the awards ceremony (this year in December at the Academia Meets Industry event) to provide a short presentation. For previous winners check www.biwa.be/awards
WATER CAREER
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2024
The Water Career Achievement Award represents B-IWA’s most important award and is only awarded every 2 years. It can only be received once. The candidate may still be professionally active, or retired.
In this case candidates shall be proposed by members of the B-IWA Board, and selected and formally approved by the Board (majority vote in case of discussion). Check the Board on www.biwa.be.
The candidates can have any or blend of the following profiles: academic, industry, government, non-profit.
The person who proposes a candidate must motivate his/her choice in a short recommendation (which will be used for the press release).
A nomination is only valid if the candidate is informed and agrees with his/her nomination.
The nominee shall supply additional information and a detailed CV if requested by the jury.
The winner receives a certificate from the B-IWA Board, and will be featured on the B-IWA website. There is no monetary prize with this award.
The winner will be invited to the awards ceremony (this year in December at the Academia Meets Industry event), and has the possibility to deliver a short acceptance speech. For previous winners check www.biwa.be/awards.
In this case candidates shall be proposed by members of the B-IWA Board, and selected and formally approved by the Board (majority vote in case of discussion). Check the Board on www.biwa.be.
The candidates can have any or blend of the following profiles: academic, industry, government, non-profit.
The person who proposes a candidate must motivate his/her choice in a short recommendation (which will be used for the press release).
A nomination is only valid if the candidate is informed and agrees with his/her nomination.
The nominee shall supply additional information and a detailed CV if requested by the jury.
The winner receives a certificate from the B-IWA Board, and will be featured on the B-IWA website. There is no monetary prize with this award.
The winner will be invited to the awards ceremony (this year in December at the Academia Meets Industry event), and has the possibility to deliver a short acceptance speech. For previous winners check www.biwa.be/awards.
Evaluation criteria based on IWA
An exceptional body of research which has defined our understanding of water science, management or policy and its application at national/international level and/or
An exceptional career in practice or policy that has made a positive contribution to sustainable water management and/or
An outstanding publications record which includes landmark papers in major international journals and monographs and other research publications and/or
An exceptional contribution to the communication and promotion of water management.
In all cases, there must be a contribution in connection with the activities of B-IWA
An exceptional career in practice or policy that has made a positive contribution to sustainable water management and/or
An outstanding publications record which includes landmark papers in major international journals and monographs and other research publications and/or
An exceptional contribution to the communication and promotion of water management.
In all cases, there must be a contribution in connection with the activities of B-IWA
INDUSTRIAL WATER INNOVATION AWARD 2024
The B-IWA and watercircle.be Industrial Water Innovation Award aims to enhance the visibility of a company and the excellence of its achievements in developing innovative and sustainable solutions for the water sector.
The following achievements that can be considered for this award are defined as: a newly acquired certificate (patent), a promising new concept or prototype, innovative solutions that have already been tried out and have demonstrated success, or significant improvements on existing technologies.
Applications are either self-nominations or nominations by a third party. Both persons (employees) and/or companies can be nominated. Nominations will not be made by the jury. All submissions should use the designated e-form. Check the jury (B-IWA and watercircle.be, 3 of each board) and e-form here.
The winner receives a certificate from the B-IWA and watercircle.be board, and will be featured on a dedicated page on the B-IWA and watercircle.be website. The winner will be also invited to the awards ceremony (this year in December at the Academia Meets Industry event) to briefly present the project/technology.
In case of ex-aequo, the jury can decide to award a maximum of two winners. The B-IWA and watercircle.be board reserves the right not to hand out the award in case the quality or quantity of the submissions is deemed insufficient.
The jury includes the watercircle.be manager and president as well as all interested B-IWA board members but excludes board members with conflicts of interest (only for the assessment of that specific work). Scores will be weighted to even out differences in jury member numbers between watercircle.be and B-IWA.
The following achievements that can be considered for this award are defined as: a newly acquired certificate (patent), a promising new concept or prototype, innovative solutions that have already been tried out and have demonstrated success, or significant improvements on existing technologies.
Applications are either self-nominations or nominations by a third party. Both persons (employees) and/or companies can be nominated. Nominations will not be made by the jury. All submissions should use the designated e-form. Check the jury (B-IWA and watercircle.be, 3 of each board) and e-form here.
The winner receives a certificate from the B-IWA and watercircle.be board, and will be featured on a dedicated page on the B-IWA and watercircle.be website. The winner will be also invited to the awards ceremony (this year in December at the Academia Meets Industry event) to briefly present the project/technology.
In case of ex-aequo, the jury can decide to award a maximum of two winners. The B-IWA and watercircle.be board reserves the right not to hand out the award in case the quality or quantity of the submissions is deemed insufficient.
The jury includes the watercircle.be manager and president as well as all interested B-IWA board members but excludes board members with conflicts of interest (only for the assessment of that specific work). Scores will be weighted to even out differences in jury member numbers between watercircle.be and B-IWA.
Evaluation criteria based on IWA
Innovation, creativity and potential impact are preponderant criteria for this award. A file describing (a summary of) the proposed project or technology including adequate documentation and visual material (pictures, short video) should accompany the submission.
B-IWA awards winners
Research Award
Year |
Name |
Affiliation |
2013 |
Joachim Desloover / Anouk Debrauwere |
UGent / VUB-UCL |
2014 |
Karen De Roy / Wim Audenaert |
UGent / UGent |
2015 |
Emilie Courtens |
UGent |
2016 |
Marina Arnaldos Orts |
Acciona, Sp. / UGent |
2017 |
Youri Amerlinck |
UGent |
2018 |
Lai Peng / Andreia Amaral |
UAntwerpen / UGent |
2019 |
Michael Chys |
UGent campus Kortrijk |
2020 |
UGent |
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2021 |
UGent |
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2022 |
Michiel Van Tendeloo |
UAntwerpen |
2023 |
Laurence Strubbe |
UGent |
Industry Water Innovation Award
Year |
Name |
Affiliation |
2013 |
Wim Moerman |
Nuresys |
2015 |
Mari-Karoliina Winkler |
GMB Bioenergie BV |
2021 |
SmartBall technology |
Xylem |
Development Collaboration Award
Year |
Name |
Affiliation |
2015 |
Seid Tikku Meretam & Peter Goethals |
Jimma University / UGent |
2017 |
Embialle Mengistie Beyene & Tom Van Gerven |
Jimma University / KULeuven |
2018 |
Korneel Rabaey & Srikanth Mutnuri |
UGent / Birla Institute, Goa, India |
2019 |
Rudy Devinck & Winnie Owiti |
Kitanda VZW (8380 Dudzele), in partnership with Ebenezer Life (40101 Ahero, Kenya) |
2020 |
VLIR Ecuador Network (UGent & ESPOL) |
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2021 |
Belgian-Vietnamese collaboration(s) for a sustainable future |
Career Achievement Award
Year |
Name |
Affiliation |
2013 |
Willy Verstraete |
UGent |
2014 |
Jan Cromphout |
De Watergroep |
2015 |
Francis Edeline |
UGembloux - Cebedeau |
2016 |
Diederik Schowanek |
Procter & Gamble NV |
2017 |
Patrick Meire |
UAntwerpen |
2018 |
Boudewijn Van De Steene |
Aquafin / De Watergroep |
2019 |
Alain Bernard |
DEME group |
2020 |
Belgaqua |
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2021 |
Aquafin |
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2022 |
IECBW |