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John Packman (l) and Rob Leigh of the Broads Authority receive their award
- Credit: Broads Authority
The Broads Authority won the Knowledge Pioneer award, sponsored by University of East Anglia. The Broads is an extraordinary place and because it has so many facets, you have to respond in an innovative way just to look after them,” explains chief executive John Packman. Constantly finding new ways of doing that is a challenge.
University of East Anglia sponsors Knowledge Pioneer
- Credit: Archant
The Authority has been innovating for as long as it has existed. “It was set up in 1979 and then given a statutory framework in 1989 and from the very beginning it has been a pioneering organisation,” he explains. “Some of that has been quite long programmes of work that have had a significant impact.
The WATR monitor has raised nearly £250,000 in its first four days
- Credit: WATR
A water quality monitor has raised 97pc of a £250,000 target in a public crowdfunding scheme within four days of launching.
WATR is a solar-powered monitor which can be deployed in remote locations to check factors such as dissolved oxygen, pH balance and conductivity.
With water quality-related diseases costing 3.7m lives a year across the globe, the monitor could not have come to market at a more pivotal time.
Glyn Cotton, co-founder and chief executive of the Norwich-based business, said: “With this fundraising round, we would love to revolutionise the water industry and significantly improve water quality across the globe.