At Future Towns Innovation Hub (FTIH), we collaborate with external organisations to drive innovation, fostering happy, healthy, and prosperous communities.
Clean Water South: A Network to Tackle Water Quality Challenges in Southern England
FTIH, alongside the Sustainability and Resilience Institute and the University’s Civic Team, leads Clean Water South, a network addressing river and coastal water quality. It connects University of Southampton researchers with water industry representatives, regulators, charities, and others to identify challenges and improve water quality.
The first meeting in June featured rapid-fire presentations on critical topics, including sensors, farming, sewage, planning, ecosystems, nutrient neutrality, and energy technologies, followed by a panel on civic responsibility in water quality. The next workshop on 31 January 2025 aims to build on the momentum of the first event – sign up here!
FTIH is involved in the coordination and delivery of a number of linked collaborative projects, summarised below.
The Upper Hamble River Water Quality Project: Is my water safe to swim?
The River Hamble in Hampshire, popular for recreation and commerce, faces growing water quality concerns. In response, Botley Parish Council, our Civic Team and FTIH launched a project using prototype living sensors in the river, based on living batteries, that generate electricity from organic matter to monitor water quality in real time. FTIH seeks further funding to scale the project, integrating live data into a public platform for recreational users.
Sustainable Management of River Valleys in the Central South
This project tackles the challenge of balancing development needs with water quality preservation in Hampshire’s river valleys—the Itchen, Test, and Meon. Through engagement of local stakeholders, this initiative will guide regional decision-makers, particularly in managing the tension between development essential for economic growth and protecting water quality. The project will gather stakeholder perspectives, develop systems mapping and future-state visualisations, explore nature-based solutions, and establish a Test Valley Observatory to inform sustainable, water-focused policy decisions.
Valuing ecosystems services of the River Test
This project quantifies the economic value of the River Test’s ecosystems to inform sustainable growth in Test Valley. Collaborating with Test Valley Borough Council, the University will identify businesses reliant on the river, analyse trends, and assess water quality impacts to balance growth and stewardship.
Chalk Stream Restoration
With 85% of global chalk streams in South East England, these unique ecosystems have been under-monitored. Efforts to restore them focus on improving ecological health, fisheries, and flood management. A University of Southampton-led project, in partnership with The Piscatorial Society, Southern Water, and Wessex Rivers Trust, will trial innovative monitoring on parts of the river in towns such as Salisbury and Andover in Hampshire to improve restoration outcomes.