Online and automated E. coli monitoring for 100% safe drinking water

Project Information

ColiSense Online

Grant agreement ID: 809065

DOI

10.3030/809065

Project closed

EC signature date 10 February 2018

Start date 1 March 2018

End date 30 June 2018

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

BNOVATE TECHNOLOGIES SA
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ColiSense Online (Online and automated E. coli monitoring for 100% safe drinking water)

Reporting period: 2018-03-01 to 2018-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The presence of E. coli in drinking water is a clear indication of fecal contamination and makes the water unsafe to drink. More than 300,000 cases of waterborne disease due to microbiological contamination are reported yearly in Europe according to the WHO. bNovate Technologies AG aims to bring to industrial production stage ColiSense, a quick (60 min), inexpensive (€1 per analysis) and accurate analyzer capable of detecting and quantifying E. coli cells in drinking water below the regulation threshold limits (1 cell per 100 ml). The technology behind ColiSense is flow cytometry, technology that bNovate has brought for the first time to industrial scale in a fully-automated manner.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During our 4-month Feasibility Study several activities have been carried out. First, the technical specifications of ColiSense’s subsystems have been defined. Following, a risk analysis has been conducted to ensure that no issues have been left aside and that future development will be with a low and controlled risk. Our team prepared a complete Execution Plan for the development and exploitation of ColiSense; we also identified the most beneficial partners to support us in the execution and exploitation of the Phase 2 project. Regarding commercial feasibility assessment, we have focused on the potential new markets which has allowed us to prepare our marketing and pricing strategy. Furthermore, a complete Freedom-to-Operate was performed and confirmed 1) the novelty of the ColiSense and 2) the absence of existing thread for its commercialization. Finally, financial projections for the 2021-2026 period have been calculated, and we expect a highly positive turnover.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

We have designed a commercialisation strategy covering a wide range of end-user industries. Our targeted sectors are waterworks and bottled water industries which, together, cover almost the entire drinking water production market. ColiSense meets the real needs of our customers such as: 1) being compliant with EU legislation, 2) fast E. coli detection (60 min), 3) low operation and maintenance cost; 4) easy to use (no qualified personnel is needed to operate it), and 5) low investment cost (4 years amortization). The Return on Investment (ROI) of ColiSense is 4.68 taken into account the total investment and the accumulated profit. Pay-back of the project will be achieved at the second year of commercialization.

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