The innovation process typically begins with the generation of a novel idea or concept. Researchers, entrepreneurs or inventors develop and refine this idea, often with the support of a funding stream to support the commercialisation of the innovation. 

The ideation stage is followed by proof of concept. This usually involves research and experiments to validate the feasibility and potential of the concept. The “Valley of Death” typically occurs after the proof of concept but before reaching the market. Innovators face significant hurdles, including securing additional funding, scaling up production, conducting further testing and navigating regulatory and market uncertainties. 

Many innovations do not make it past this phase owing to resource constraints, market risks and other obstacles. Successfully navigating past the innovation chasm requires securing larger investments, developing a market-ready product, and navigating the complexities of entering the market, commercialising the innovation, and achieving widespread adoption.

The term “Valley of Death” underscores the high failure rate and challenges faced by innovators during this critical stage. It often requires a combination of funding, expertise, perseverance and strategic partnerships to bridge the gap and bring innovations to market successfully. Various entities, including government agencies, venture capitalists and incubators, may provide support to help innovators traverse this challenging terrain and avoid falling into the valley.

For decades South Africa has consistently and impactfully contributed to global research and innovation related to water and sanitation. The country is ranked 19th in the world for its contribution to published research related to water and wastewater. 

The establishment of the Water Research Commission (WRC) through the Water Research Act 34 of 1971 provided the requisite impetus and funding mechanism to create a commission that supports and promotes research in connection with the national water department. The act was spurred by the drought of the late 1960s and to provide the government with relevant information, expertise and intelligence to predict and help to avert future water-related disasters and incidents. The commission is primarily funded by a portion of collection from water levies and through other leveraged and grant funding. The commission has been the bedrock of water-related research in the country, providing a conduit through which academic research and innovation related to water and sanitation are funded. However, despite this, the translation of research and innovation into useful products and solutions that can address current and emerging water-related socioeconomic issues remains a challenge.

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The innovation “Valley of Death” is one of the major reasons. While not unique to South Africa, the absence of funding to incentivise and bridge the valley is the bane of many nation systems of innovations (NSI) worldwide. While several studies have tried to articulate the reasons for and root causes of the phenomenon, in South Africa the disjuncture between various actors and innovation institutions and the lack of, or limited knowledge of intellectual property legislation and processes have been highlighted as causes. It can also be mentioned that public procurement incentivises “tried-and-tested” solutions, which are often imported, over emerging, often homegrown innovations. 

Spreading the lav

In response to these challenges in the water and sanitation sector, the WRC established two technology accelerator programmes to provide a bridge across the South African water and sanitation innovation development chasm. These have been established in partnership with local and international entities to provide necessary support to the water and sanitation ecosystem and help to increase the number of innovations reaching the market.

The Water Technologies Demonstration Programme (Wader) was established to promote the early adoption of promising technologies, and accelerates innovation in the water sector by showcasing technologies that have gone through a credible assessment process, while the South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (Sastep) was established in 2014 with the vision to foster “a South  African sanitation industry that not only creates jobs and contributes to the GDP, but also one that is a global leader in the application  of alternative sanitation technologies that provides everyone in South Africa with access to dignified sanitation that minimises pollution, enables valorisation and promotes  health, safety and water security”. 

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To date, the Wader has established itself as a robust platform for innovative water solutions in the South African water sector. Opportunities are available for technology providers and other partners in the NSI to work with the technology accelerator for funding and other support to pilot innovative water technologies.

A comprehensive portfolio of more than 50 different types of tested innovations, from TRL 5 upwards, is currently available. Successful partnerships with the municipal sector have been developed over time. The platform has had uptake of a few Wader-piloted innovations by municipal partners. A test bed network of 34 available test sites is also available through the tech accelerator.

Sastep was originally conceptualised as a technology evaluation programme, but was expanded in 2019 to focus more on enterprise development and establishing a platform that can foster local manufacturing and industrialisation of next-generation sanitation technologies. It has successfully matched local manufacturers with reinvented toilet technology innovators. These reinvented toilet systems have been localised and made appropriate for local conditions. The programme also researches and recommends enabling policies, regulations and standards that support water and sanitation innovation uptake. 

The Arumloo low flush toilet pedestal was developed by civil engineer and water and sanitation innovator Jonny Harris. The pedestal design was inspired by the arum lily. The altered P-trap and shape of the pan enables the Arumloo to flush effectively on fewer than two litres of water, significantly less than conventional toilets. The pedestal was developed to minimise the volume of water used in flushing. South Africa is a water-stressed country that is highly susceptible to seasonal droughts, such as the Day Zero event in Cape Town in 2017. South Africa consumes up to 250l per capita per day compared with a world average of 180l (Heeden and Cilliers, 2014). This presented an opportunity to develop a pedestal that uses less water but still performs like conventional pedestals that use between 6l and 12l for flushing. This innovation has the potential to save millions of litres of water per day. The innovator has received support from the WRC water and sanitation technology accelerator programmes, which has helped it navigate past the innovation chasm. 

The first Takealot delivery of the Arumloo was completed on 15 September 2023 – the first WRC-supported technology to achieve this feat. Arumloo decided to list the product on Takealot to meet the demand from private customers wanting to buy the water-saving toilet for their homes. The trusted e-commerce site provides an affordable vehicle for distributing the Arumloo to homes throughout South Africa. This South African site has also started exporting the toilets worldwide, including Canada, the UK, Dubai and several African countries. The export potential for the Arumloo provides the opportunity for this R&D project to cross the chasm and achieve commercial growth.

The Arumloo is one of the many success stories from the WRC and its technology accelerator programmes. It is also a testament to what can be achieved when deliberated and concerted support and funding are made available to innovators. While these programmes address some issues in the water and sanitation innovation value chain, they have a certain life span, and their level of reach is limited. A long-term and sustainable approach is needed. DM

Dr Manjusha Sunil and Akin Akinsete are managers at the Water Research Commission.