The Young Academics Track

Powered by DTU Skylab, Next Generation Water Action – Young Academics Track connects more than 90 university students from leading technical universities from Denmark, Kenya, Mexico, South Korea, and India to the water solutions of the future.

Working in 22 teams on solving 5 real-life challenges, we equip the international students with the network, partnerships and tools to develop sustainable water solutions.

By bridging between the international innovative young minds and water experts, solutions are not only showcased locally in their home countries, but also worldwide by giving the solutions a global stage. 

Cracking 5 Water Challenges

petitioned by global partners

See below:

Future-proofing and protecting groundwater

Rainwater utilisation in households

Drinking water supply in metropolitan cities

Reducing flood-risks in urban areas

Water Resources & Large Scale Water Management

Future-proofing and protecting groundwater

How might we future-proof remediation efforts against discovery of unidentified contaminants / contaminants of emerging concern to protect the groundwater and thus ensure the foundation for a safe water supply?

Groundwater, Drinking Water Resource, Soil, Contamination, Contaminants of Emerging Concern, in-situ Remediation, on-site Remediation, Future-proofing, Technology Development, Innovative Strategies, Rethinking

Challenge partner

NGWA 2022 Region Zealand – Team India

Synergistic effect of photo-catalysis and adsorption for the removal of organic (PFOA) and inorganic (arsenic) contaminant from water Introduction: As a result of continued production and use, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become widespread in the environment, including drinking water, rivers, groundwater, wastewater, household dust, and soils. Since the C-F bond is very stable, […] Read more

NGWA 2022 – Region Zealand – Team Kenya

A.KE Team Kenya Over the years, groundwater have become contaminated by a growing number of organic and inorganic substances ranging from Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), Pesticides, Emerging contaminants petroleum-derived hydrocarbons to radioactive compounds, to cancer-causing hexavalent chromium. The importance of uncontaminated groundwater for agriculture, human consumption, and the environmental health of ecosystems is paramount […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Region Zealand – Team Denmark

Phreatech in-situ biodegradation solutions Combating PFAS in water 97% of people in the USA have PFAS in their blood [1]. These are perpetual compounds that can cause diseases as cancer, liver damage or birth defects. Phreatech has the solution. What are PFAS? Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), are a group of chemical components with quite particular characteristics. […] Read more

The Blue Beads: Absorb Contaminants, Release the Future

The Blue Beads: Absorb Contaminants, Release the Future The Challenge Region Zealand, one of the 100 largest islands in the world has beautiful white cliffs, stunning stream that cuts through the middle part of Zealand, and other environmental charms. Those charms are what people appreciate in the past, today, and even in the future. This […] Read more

Rainwater utilisation in households

How can existing homes be retrofit for utilization of rainwater and reusing as much potable water within the household as possible, while maintaining water- and supply safety?

Water reuse, domestic, supply, water safety, water scarcity, flood control

Challenge partner

NGWA 2022 Grundfos – Team Mexico 2

NGWA 2022 Grundfos – Team Mexico 2 Pure Panel This is Pure Panel: A new technologycal system that helps save most of your shower wastewater. An average a shower wastes around 46 liters of water, but depending on the pressure of the shower head, it can waste up to 150 liters per shower. This is […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Grundfos – Team Mexico 1

HAWA INTEGRAL WATER TREATMENT In Mexico 4.6 million of people don´t have access to water – CENEVAL, 2020 Water scarcity is a problem no one should suffer, it undervalues the life quality of humans and limites its development. Mexico has one of the areas with the most precipitation anually in Latin America, averaging at 1567 […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Grundfos – Team Kenya

Kilimoerevu by team GreenForce Unlocking the Potential of Rainwater harvesting and Wastewater re-use Welcome to kilimoErevu, a fast-paced startup with the goal of optimizing the process of rainwater harvesting and wastewater reuse targeting households in Kenya and globally. Rainwater Harvesting Rainwater is arguably the most accessible and sustainable source of water in the world. Rainwater […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Grundfos – Team India

Hydro Gravitricity A retrofittable rainwater filtration and monitoring system Problem Water is a very scarce resource, especially in current times. According to UNICEF water scarcity reports, 50 percent of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025 [1]. 135 Liters of water are consumed per day per […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Grundfos – Team Denmark

Unleashing the full potential of water conservation in everyday life. A single person wastes 15% – 39% of water every day due to over-use. www.drizzlex.com Welcome to effitap, a startup founded by a group of talented master’s students from all across the world with the purpose of reducing water consumption through raising awareness by retrofitting […] Read more

Drinking water supply in metropolitan cities

How to ensure a sustainable and sufficient drinking water supply in a city like Ulsan metropolitan city?

Drinking water supply, sustainable water management, Industrial region, cultural heritage preservation

Challenge partners

Buildings for the Future: Water Smart Buildings

KE-2 ULSAN CHALLENGE Ulsan city drinking water supply issue is contributed to by several factors. The city’s water supply is from Nakdong-river, which is not only unqualified for drinking water as its watershed involves various industrial regions, but also requires Ulsan to buy the water since the river is in other metropolitan cities. It is […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Ulsan – Team Kenya 1

The Pumpless Ion Exchange System PIErs are a team of bright undergraduate water-enthusiasts from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology who seek to provide clean and safe drinking water for all. The following short video is a story of how we intend to provide a sustainable solution for the removal of industrial pollutants […] Read more

Cost-effective seawater desalination

Cost-effective seawater desalination It’s a “customized solution” of Ulsan, by Ulsan, for Ulsan ! Problem Metropolitan City Ulsan In Ulsan, Petroglyphs of Bangudae found in 1971. This prehistoric remain is presumed to have been made from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, mostly about whale hunting. This is the oldest whaling petroglyphs in the world.However, […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Ulsan – Team Denmark

Be a water efficient city by increasing your knowledge on the water losses in your buildings  Welcome to SonoLeak, a start-up team of bright master’s students from around the world with the goal of saving leaking water by detecting the leaks from the pipes around the world! Our short 3-minute video will introduce you to […] Read more

Reducing flood-risks in urban areas

How to help new urban districts, like “Gowanus Canal” in New York City, to become highly attractive, sustainable and liveable urban areas, with a significantly reduced flood-risk despite climate change and the expected sea-level rise?

The Gowanus Canal Neighborhood, New York City, Climate Adaptation

Challenge partner

NGWA 2022 Rambøll – Team Mexico 2

CHINAMPAS nEXT REGENERATION The New York City drinking water supply system is the largest in the United States; it provides over 1 billion gallons of water to the city that comes all along 125 miles from the western regions. But this enormous travel isn’t happening because there’s no water in New York, but because their […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Ramboll Challenge – D.MX1

On Water Conscious water based ecosystem where water is valued as a public good “We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one” Jacques Cousteau Introduction Located in the Eastern part of the United States of America, in what is known as the New York City Metropolitan Area. Found in the Borough of […] Read more

Smart Sustainable URban Flood Solutions(SSURFS) Usipoziba ufa, utajenga ukuta Swahili proverb: If you do not repair the cracks on the walls, you eventually, will have to build a new wall. Urban Flooding If you live in an urban area, you may have experienced urban floods commonly characterized by flooded streets and low-lying urban areas. These […] Read more

NGWA 2022 Rambøll – Team Denmark

Incorporate residents in flood-proof urban development Blue Planner is a startup team with the goal of addressing flood prevention in highly endangered urban areas around the globe. We are offering a collaborative platform for community engagement that brings awareness to flood management solutions using gamification. Residents can redesign their own neighborhood by adding blue green […] Read more

Water Resources & Large Scale Water Management

How to tackle concrete innovation challenges identified in India’s water infrastructure programs through smart water resource management solutions?

Targeting solutions and business plans with the potential for implementation and scaling to become a part of the transformation of the Indian water sector in the areas of water resource management and surveillance, efficient water utilities and systems, waste water handling and reuse, pollution control.

India, entrepreneurship, smart solutions, water resource management & surveillance, efficient water utilities and systems, waste water handling & reuse, pollution control

Challenge partners

NGWA 2022 NITI Aayog & AIM – Team South Korea

Filtering Heavy Metals with Wetland and Wicked Weed TEAM.E.KR(WHICK) “We propose consulting services that use an eco-friendly way to filter heavy metals using constructed wetland with wicked weed for drinking water. This wetland uses a ‘step-by-step’ purification method and plant-based absorbing stick to intensively remove harmful substances including heavy metals.” Why did we start this […] Read more

NGWA 2022 NITI Aayog & AIM – Team India 3

NITI Aayog & AIM – Team India 3 Contamination of water is the major cause for waterborne diseases. In order to detect the water contaminants, electrochemical and optical sensors are needed to measure physical and chemical properties of water quality. The proposed system consisting of sensors and their signal conditioning circuits are connected to the […] Read more

NGWA 2022 NITI Aayog & AIM – Team India 2:

A Reusable Filtration Bottle to solve drinking water problem while traveling & Commuting: Electric Filter Bottle Drinking continuous filtered/clean water helps to increase our life expectancy by 30 years in this modern world. Dr. Jeffrey Griffiths -Tuft University School of Medicine Motivation Our story began during a college trip for 14 days with our friends, […] Read more

NGWA 2022 NITI Aayog & AIM – Team India 1

BARCO Bifurcation of Aquatic weed by Reap Cleansing Organon The beauty of nature lies in simplicity. ProblemWater hyacinth mats physically slow the flow of water in large and slow-moving bodies of water, causing suspended particles to precipitate and silt to form. If a flowing waterway contains approximately 13600 liters of water, the water hyacinth absorbs […] Read more

NGWA 2022 NITI Aayog & AIM – Team Denmark

Don’t Let Life Slip Down the Drain | Sparniir Have you ever experienced a shortage of water at home even after you have been paying for the water bills on time? Have you ever thought why a month after the monsoon brings shortage of water in the cities while there are heavy floods during the […] Read more