ECCI entrepreneur awarded prestigious Fellowship
ECCI-supported low carbon technology entrepreneur and founder of Waterwhelm Dr. Alireza Abbassi Monjezi has been awarded a prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowship.
The highly competitive programme focuses on equipping the UK's most talented and successful engineers with the confidence, skills, experience and networks of expert advisors needed to develop their innovations.
Currently an ECCI resident and EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator participant, Ali is focused on "Re-inventing Water Supply" and is currently developing a patent-pending, unique, self-powered process for wastewater treatment and desalination - turning wastewater into freshwater while generating renewable energy and fertiliser - and ideal for use in small and remote communities.
Since embarking on ECCI's EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator in June last year Waterwhelm has won a string of awards - winning the Scottish EDGE 15 Wild Card competition, being shortlisted in the MSDUK Innovation Challenge - the initiative that connects UK Ethnic Minority-owned businesses to corporate supply chains, securing a SMART Feasibility grant from Scottish Enterprise to build their first plant and taking home a Young EDGE Award.
Waterwhelm Founding Director Alireza Abbassi Monjezi - previously a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh - said: "I am delighted to receive the Fellowship. It will help us accelerate the commercialisation of our patent-pending technology."
"This is only the second time the University of Edinburgh has ever been selected to host one of these Fellowships and I am very grateful to ECCI and Edinburgh Innovations for supporting my application."
"The award is an important endorsement for Waterwhelm and the innovative self-powered wastewater treatment and desalination technology we are developing. I look forward to working with the ECCI community, Edinburgh Innovations and the Royal Academy of Engineering as part of our journey in “Re-inventing Water Supply”."
Ali follows in the footsteps of former ECCI residents and EIT Climate-KIC start-ups Ifeyinwa Kanu of IntelliDigest and Lorenzo Conti of Crover who were both awarded Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowships last year.
The EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator is ECCI’s three-stage programme for low carbon entrepreneurs and start-ups in the UK - getting entrepreneurs and start-ups investment-ready by offering the knowledge, resources, tools and coaching you needed to grow into a great business. Since launching in 2017 ECCI's Accelerator businesses have secured more than £1.75m worth of investments and won more than 50 awards.
The Royal Academy of Engineering - the UK’s national academy for engineering and technology - delivers advice to government, develops talent and engages the public, as well as supporting the most talented and successful engineers – their Fellows – to advance and promote excellence in engineering for the benefit of society.