Since late 2018, inter 3 has been implementing the "Utility Partnerships 4.0" project. Lena Horlemann will present the first results on 24 May at the conference of the DWA regional group North-East in Halle (Saale) as part of the forum "Digitalisierung konkret". The forum itself will be moderated by inter 3 Managing Director Dr. Mohajeri.

At the heart of the project is the idea of opening up opportunities for German utilities of water management plants through the further development of water 4.0 technologies, to become more involved internationally, i.e. to support foreign partners in their operational management. This has so far only been possible to a limited extent, as skilled workers are scarce for long assignments abroad.

Digitalization and Water 4.0 open up new possibilities for cooperation between German and foreign utilities. The possible applications of modern information and communication technologies range from initial and advanced training courses to the remote operation of water management systems, e.g. through the use of e-learning tools, augmented and virtual reality, or smart maintenance.

"Utility Partnerships 4.0" pursues several objectives: Firstly, the establishment of a network of water and wastewater companies, technology companies, education providers, science and international or development cooperation, and secondly, the development of roadmaps to concretize future activities and developments.

The project is funded as part of the BMBF's Innovation Forums for SMEs initiative. In a 9-month process, the needs and offers of the various (potential) network partners are examined and processed in a structured manner. In autumn 2019, a two-day conference will be held at which all project participants and other interested parties will jointly design and discuss ideas for implementing the vision of utility partnerships 4.0.