AUGUST 2026
Mode Labs has been selected as one of 20 finalists in Ofwat’s Water Discovery Challenge, securing £100,000 to further develop and demonstrate CERES, its autonomous chemical monitoring platform.
Mode Labs has been selected as one of 20 finalists in Ofwat’s Water Discovery Challenge, securing £100,000 to further develop and demonstrate CERES, its autonomous chemical monitoring platform.
The award is part of a £7.5 million competition supporting innovations that address some of the water sector’s biggest challenges. Mode Labs will use the funding to demonstrate how continuous chemical monitoring can transform pollution detection in rivers and sewer networks.
Developed at Begbroke Science Park near Oxford, CERES brings laboratory-quality chemical analysis directly into the field.
The autonomous platform automatically collects and analyses water samples, delivering continuous, real-time data without the need for routine manual sampling.
Unlike traditional monitoring methods, which provide occasional snapshots of water quality, CERES offers a continuous picture of changing conditions. This enables earlier pollution detection, more informed decision-making and potentially significant reductions in monitoring costs.
“Our ambition is to replace occasional snapshots of river health with a continuous picture of what is happening across rivers and sewer networks.”
In April 2027, up to 10 finalists will be selected to receive further funding of up to £550,000 each, alongside industry mentorship and support to accelerate the development and testing of their innovations.
The Water Discovery Challenge is delivered by Challenge Works, part of Nesta, in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities.
