nir-vana innovation network

The company was created by the French State to design, operate and manage the development of a major hydraulic infrastructure (canals/pipes/tunnels, treatment units, dams/reservoirs, hydroelectric power stations, pumping stations...) for the supply of water to the south-east of France. This infrastructure meets the needs of numerous users for irrigation, drinking water, watering, industry and fire management. From the outset, the company chose to set up an internal design office (200 people), which has enabled to develop numerous skills and to support other entities in meeting the challenges of water management in a context of climate change.

Apart of its original activity as an operator and developer in the Provence region, the production of renewable energy and its services to rural areas, the company has an engineering design office active in more than 30 countries.

It offers its expertise in the following fields:
- Hydro-agricultural developments: mobilization of the resource, design of structures, agro-economics, support for irrigators in the choice of equipment and in the management of their consumption thanks to decision support tools which are the subject of a research program, particularly for Mediterranean crops
- Water treatment, including support for the implementation of reuse systems for treated wastewater (process, multi-purpose recovery, regulatory support, social acceptability)
- Integrated management of water resources, including resource management (qualitative and quantitative), the diversity of uses, climate change (management and analysis of agrometeorological data), the institutional context of the territory, etc.
- The development of renewable energies on hydraulic works (hydroelectricity and floating photovoltaic)
- The development of supervision systems
- Engineering and operation of large dams, flood protection, forestry management

Already involved in various transnational cooperation projects in Africa, the French company is looking to participate in the following Horizon Europe projects :
- HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-03-11 : Development of hydropower equipment for hidden hydropower. deadline : feb 22
- HORIZON-CL5-2022-D3-03-08 : Development of digital solutions for existing hydropower operation and maintenance. Deadline : jan 23
- HORIZON-CL6-2022-FARM2FORK-02-04: Smart solutions for the use of digital technologies for small and medium sized farms and farms structures. Deadline (two stage): feb 22 and sept 22
-HORIZON-CL6-2022-CLIMATE-01-03: Demonstration network on climate-smart farming-boosting the role of advisory services: feb 22

In particuliar, it is looking for an experienced coordinator of European projects. With three laboratories and a large hydraulic infrastructure on which it is possible to install pilots for the development of innovative solutions, the French company will participate in the project and can act as a work package leader.

The company works with a wide range of organizations around the world, including governments, local authorities, international finance banks, research organizations, facility managers, national parks, industry and farmers. The support offered is adapted to the needs of each one of them, thanks to the company's wide experience as an operator, designer and developer of rural areas, as well as in installing turnkey infrastructures and in doing research on innovative systems.

Being very attentive to the impact of its projects, the company notably integrates a life cycle analysis into them.

Advantages & innovations

As a player of a large-scale facility, the company has an extensive experience in the design of facilities and methods in line with the constraints linked to the operation and evolution of the availability of water resources in the broad sense. The company has a deep knowledge of many territories, particularly in the Mediterranean area (Provence, Middle East, Balkans, North Africa). The company's design office employs around 200 people and has a number of senior experts who support the staff on a daily basis in complex matters. Thanks to its multidisciplinary teams, it has a transversal vision of the matters linked to the access to water in rural areas. The company has a very dynamic innovation policy based on five strategic axes: - Preserving water in response to climate change - Supporting the sustainable growth of territories - Producing and controlling the energy of tomorrow - Accelerating high value-added digital solutions - Committing to sustainable development Expenditure related to the implementation of the Innovation plan amounts to approximately €500k each year. The subjects covered by the research projects are wide: agri-environmental practices, irrigation management, reuse of treated wastewater, management of hydrological data, environmental assessment of developments and life cycle analysis, photovoltaic coverage of canals, intelligent networks, and so on.

Stage of development

Already on the market

Partner sought

The French company is looking for coordinators with experience in European calls for projects and who have complementary skills in the fields of water and agriculture. The company is interested to participate in Horizon Europe projects in geographic areas that it knows well, but also in territories where it hasn't been involved yet. It's looking for partnerships with organizations involved in the development of models to support territories in accessing water resources, particularly in rural areas with an agricultural context. The French company would like to bring its experience and know-how as a contributor to projects related to the management of watersheds with a multi-purpose component that generates problems requiring cross-cutting technical, economic, institutional and social approaches. It would be particularly interested in projects with a Water Reuse , irrigation management, remote management/supervision or development of Renewable Energy on hydraulic infrastructures component. The company has a large hydraulic infrastructure on which it is possible to install pilots for the development of innovative solutions.