The Sitowise-led consortium has been selected to advance in the EU Horizon–funded Pre‑Commercial Procurement (PCP) competition, which focuses on developing a new generation intelligent water management solution. This is a Europe‑wide innovation competition in which solutions are developed directly to meet the needs of public authorities.

The goal of the PCP competition is to promote the development of an Intelligent Water Management solution. This software tool is intended to help authorities and other actors anticipate and manage climate‑related risks such as droughts, floods, wildfires and infrastructure impacts across different use cases. End users include fire and rescue services, agriculture, water utilities, as well as planning and land‑use sectors.

The project’s buyer group consists of a broad European consortium that has jointly defined the requirements for the solution to be developed. The technology will be tested and validated in five pilots across Europe. From Finland, Forum Virium Helsinki is participating, with its pilot site located in Malmi.

Sitowise’s consortium among the top five

The Sitowise‑led team brings together strong Finnish research and technology expertise. The consortium includes the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the National Land Survey’s Spatial Data Center, the University of Turku and Aalto University.

The development work is particularly based on satellite‑based Earth and environmental observation data, which enables the anticipation and mitigation of water‑related crises in an agile and reliable manner.

- It is fantastic to be able to create a new system that, by integrating different technologies, strengthens Europe’s resilience in a changing climate. With good cooperation between business units, teams and partners, we have everything needed to succeed in a tough Europe‑wide competition, says Jouni Rantanen, Business Development Manager for Digital Consulting at Sitowise.

Next step: competing for larger development funding

The competition progresses in three phases. The Sitowise‑led consortium has now been selected among the top five for the first phase and will receive EUR 300,000 in funding for concept development. The concept is scheduled for completion by the end of June 2026, after which a competition for entry into the next phase will take place in July.

Three consortia will be selected for the second phase, each eligible for EUR 2.4 million in development funding. Two top‑performing groups will continue to the third phase, which offers EUR 1.5 million for finalizing the product. The solution is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The product’s IPR will remain with the developer, opening opportunities to create Europe‑wide business in the sector.

This publication is part of the PCP WISE project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme.