The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a loan of EUR 120m to Xylem for research, development and innovation activities in the water industry. The R&D project supported will be carried out at the company’s R&D centres primarily in Sweden but also in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Austria, Norway and Hungary.

“With the financing that is now in place, Xylem will be able to enhance their knowledge and expertise in the field of water and wastewater handling technologies,” said EIB Vice-President Jonathan Taylor. “This is of particular importance, as one of the EIB’s goals is to increase the potential of the European knowledge economy.”

The R&D project supported by the EIB will concentrate on four important areas: water and wastewater treatment solutions; flow control equipment; analytical instruments; and water applications and pump systems for residential, commercial and industrial uses. The R&D activities financed by the loan from the EIB will focus on developing new innovative and sustainable products and services for biological water treatment, desalination, filtration and disinfection as well as improving the control of such processes.  

The EIB also strongly encourages environmental protection. Accordingly, the main focus of Xylem’s R&D activities will be on the development of sustainable solutions in the entire product offering with reduced energy consumption and increased re-use of scarce resources. The R&D activities supported by the Bank will not only enhance energy efficiency, but also further promote the recovery of bio-fuel as a by-product of the wastewater treatment process.