STW opens call for Cooperation Programme Technology Innovation for Sewer Condition Assessment (TISCA)

STW and a consortium of Stichting RIONED, STOWA and the Knowledge Program Urban Drainage (KPUD), together the TISCA Partners, have agreed to initiate the Cooperation Programme Technology Innovation for Sewer Condition Assessment (TISCA). STW invites academic scientists to submit proposals for research projects that aim to answer the scientific and application challenges in assessing the condition of sewers.

The consortium is looking for research, leading to innovation and breakthroughs in each of the following themes:

• Objective detection and quantification of defects in sewers;

• Constructive strength and stability of sewers: methods and techniques enabling to assess the carrying capacity of (deteriorating) sewers and their bedding material, structural properties of sewer pipes and sewer pipe material;

• Leak detection and quantification of infiltration and exfiltration;

• Failure mechanisms of renovated pipes and remaining service life.


Along with the introduction of new inspection techniques, new software for analyzing and interpreting the data, new decision support software and services and potentially new concepts for sewer rehabilitation will emerge. In addition, asset managers of the urban wastewater infrastructure will be challenged to incorporate the new possibilities in day to day practice, which will by itself generate unexpected applications of the knowledge developed.


Projects should be multiparty projects, including science, governance and companies (the government and the business community can participate “in kind”) and can last up to a maximum of 5 years.
The total budget is € 3 million.
The maximum STW contribution to a project is € 500,000 per project. In addition private in-kind contributions of companies and public organisations can be added to the individual project budgets.

Proposals for this call can be submitted between 1 March 2015 and Tuesday 2 June 2015. For more detailed information and documents please click here.