That toilet fair last year was quite an experience. Lot of smart, dedicated people in one place eager to share their work and ideas. Not at all like your normal trade fairs. I had not seen anything else like it.

According to a press release I've just found, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced winners of the 'Reinvent the Toilet Challenge: India' at the RTT fair.

The six winners are:

• Eram Scientific Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Kerela in collaboration with University of South Florida: A field trial grant to test off-grid, self-sustained, modular, electronic toilet for houses and communities with solar energy for Indian weather, integrated with mixed waste processing unit. The project will couple a modern, public toilet with an advanced onsite, biological treatment system. It will be housed in a standalone unit that will be initially field tested in a suburban slum. - More information about this grant is available here: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/170-pu...eram-scientific#8018
• Amrita School of Biotechnology, Kerela: A proof of concept grants to use viral agents to target and kill pathogens and odour-producing bacteria in fecal waste and also develop for a way to integrate this into waste treatment systems. This is a proof of concept grant. More information about this grant is available here: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/105-pr...versity-kerala-india
• Pradin Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore: The project will test the concept of using ultra-sound to reduce water use in a toilet. It will also test the ability to enhance the settling of fecal particles in a storage tank using ultra-sound. This is a proof of concept grant. - More information about this grant is available here: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/106-us...ed-toilet-seat#11116
• Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in collaboration with Fresh rooms Life Sciences: The project will develop a single household container that will cultivate Black Soldier Fly larvae, using human faeces, which can be processed into valuable products. The project will also demonstrate the market potential for these products. This is a proof of concept grant. More information about this grant is available here: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/147-pr...india-funded-by-bmgf
• Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai: The project will evaluate the concept of using fine sand-like material and an air blower to create a water-free toilet interface that is free from odour and flies. More information about this grant is available here: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/141-ot...gy-mumba-india#13252
• BITS PILANI K. K. Birla Goa Campus in collaboration with Ghent University and Sustainable Biosolutions LLP: The project will demonstrate a novel septic tank design that integrates electrochemistry to reduce organic pollutants and improve the quality of effluent discharged. The system will be demonstrated at a single household and society/gated community. This is a proof of concept grant.

See the full press release here .

These appear to be local India grant awardees, in contrast to the global awardees.


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Note by moderator (EvM) added on 1 Dec. 2014:

* The total amount of the RTTC India grant is $1,068,908, which is spread over these six research projects (see also: www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quic...s/2013/05/OPP1055862)

Perhaps you are also curious what happened to this call for proposals for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge - India (see post from October 2013 above)?
I was curious and asked Pawan. I turns out all will be revealed in a few days on 22 March during the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Fair in Delhi which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is hosting. Expected number of participants there is 700 by the way (sorry, by invitation only). I am one of the 700 who will be there, due to being part of the SEI team who has a grant to encourage grantees to use this discussion forum to share and discuss their results.

Pawan told me that:

Out of 9 project proposals, 6 project proposals have been finally selected for financial support under the Re-invent The Toilet Challenges; India, program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in collaboration with Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. The projects will be awarded on 22nd March during the Reinvent the Toilet Fair, Delhi.

So: stay tuned!

If you use Twitter you will see that the Gates Foundation communications team is this week talking a lot about this event.

See for example this video about it:



And here an announcement on their blog "Impatient Optimists":
www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2014/03...-India-and-the-World

Arno Rosemarin (SEI) and I will try to bring back as much from the Fair to this forum (and to future webinars) for you as possible.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear All
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India &Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has announced “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge - India”, a program directed at addressing the problems in sanitation and specifically targeted towards Indian innovation and creativity. This Request for Proposals (RFP) is specific to India and open to anyone who is interested in applying – including academics, research institutions, medical research institutions, for-profit companies, not-for-profit organizations, and foundations. Grants will be to researchers and innovators who are Indian individual or Indian entities *, but we encourage partnerships with researchers in other countries, especially where the opportunity exists to build on established collaborations.

The proposals should address cost-effective approaches in three areas of need:
1) Completely new systems or modification of existing latrines to intake bodily wastes directly and process them onsite with no further transport of hazardous waste required. The target solution would range from a smaller single-family scale to a public or communal toilet block.
2) Completely new systems for train-cars that intake bodily wastes directly and process them onboard the train with no further transport of hazardous waste from the train required.
3) Neighborhood level systems that swiftly dispose of bodily wastes and fecal sludge collected from local pit latrines and/or septic tanks, with no further transport of hazardous waste required. The processing of the collected waste can encompass the following approaches:
a. Development of bacterial consortium capable of degrading the waste under aerobic and anaerobic conditions under a range of environmental conditions
b. Technologies for processing the waste for producing quality fertilizer and manure
c. Innovative technologies such as improved leach pits, Eco-sanitation, toilet linked biogas
and cleaner technologies.
d. Innovative digester designs for efficient biodegradation.
(Note: If a solution proposed involves aerobic or anaerobic processes, it should describe in detail in the pre-proposal and proposal how complete pathogen removal and full sterilization of any system outputs will be achieved for it to be considered for funding.
Advertisement of the RFP is attached.
Pawan Jha