International recognition of innovative water project

The Malta Council for Science and Technology would like to commend the achievements of Marco Cremona who was recently shortlisted for the prestigious 2012 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. We are especially pleased to note that engineer Cremona was nominated for his work as a researcher.

The council strives to facilitate and sustain research and innovation (R&I) in Malta and supports entrepreneurs and researchers to develop further their innovative ideas into prospective products and services for the market.

Indeed, the council is pleased to see that the research funds it invested in Maltese scientists, companies and institutions are bearing fruit, and Maltese researchers are receiving recognition in top international fora. Mr Cremona’s success is proof of this.

In 2006, through the national R&I programme, the council funded Hoter, a project coordinated by Ing. Cremona on the development of an innovative wastewater recycling process for hotels in Malta and the Mediterranean region for environmental protection and cost recovery. The successful €100,000 project developed a process that manages to recover and reuse 85 per cent of the hotel’s waste water in a safe and cost-effective manner. This project received widespread international acclaim and has been documented and filmed by various international TV stations. Hoter is currently in the commercialisation stage.

Recently this year, Ing. Cremona formed a consortium with the University of Malta, Solid Base Ltd, the Malta Resources Authority and St Theresa College and was awarded the sum of €128,000 through the national R&I programme 2011 to carry out research on the innovative idea of using boreholes to divert run-off from roofs of buildings into the ground to reduce flooding and enhance groundwater recharge. The objective of the GEO-INF project is to develop a cost-effective, tried and tested system that can be retrofitted into existing buildings.

The achievements of Maltese entrepreneurs and researchers like Ing. Cremona not only place Malta in the international sphere but confirm the importance of government’s investment in research and innovation.