The scope of this project was to investigate what makes urban water innovation succeed – and why so many promising solutions remain fragmented or fail to scale. Drawing on systems thinking, the initial research focused on identifying commonalities across different enabling environments. Who are the key actors that shape successful enabling environments for water innovation, and how do they interact? What types of partnerships, policies or financing strategies help innovations take root? How do governance, entrepreneurship and public institutions align (or misalign) in practice? As insights from the initial four case-study cities began to accumulate, a clear pattern emerged. Innovation ecosystems were defined not just by individual technologies or institutions but by the strength, quality and alignment of relationships among stakeholders – and by the enabling mechanisms that support their collaboration. Through iterative mapping and stakeholder engagement, a framework began to take shape – one capable of capturing this complexity in a clear, visual and actionable way. This systems mapping led to the creation of Water- BOOST (Bridging Opportunities and Optimising Support Toolkit). Based on lessons learned from the research and the city case studies, Water-BOOST was developed to support assessment and strategy in order to help cities and water stakeholders understand their enabling environment and define more coherent pathways for scaling innovation. It translates systemic insights into operational guidance, bridging the gap between fragmented efforts and coordinated transformation.Water-BOOST: A systems toolkit for scaling water innovation Water-BOOST provides a practical framework to help cities understand, strengthen and adapt the enabling conditions needed for water innovation.2 To enable water innovation, cities need more than strong institutions or new technologies – they need an environment in which key actors are connected through relationships and mechanisms that support collaboration, investment and delivery. At the heart of the Water-BOOST framework is the concept of a minimal viable system (MVS) – the baseline configuration of enabling stakeholders and enablers required for a functional, innovation- ready ecosystem. Without this minimal structure in place, water solutions struggle to move from pilots to impact. This overall framework is illustrated in Figure 4, which maps how enabling stakeholders (in blue) interact through enabling mechanisms (green arrows), forming the MVS at the centre. Surrounding this core are supporting stakeholders (in grey) and their corresponding enablers, which reinforce system performance, capacity and long-term resilience.2.1 Mapping the water innovation ecosystem Water-BOOST: Enabling Innovation for Future-Ready Cities 15

Water BOOST Enabling Innovation for Future Ready Cities 2025