HCL-GROUP
24.5.2022 19:18:07 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Water security has never been more urgent. With the global population set to hit 8.5 billion by 2030, pressure is increasing on the world’s limited supply of freshwater. By 2030, the global demand for water will have exceeded sustainable supply by 40%. In addition to immediate and dire consequences to people’s health and food production, a lack of access to clean water can limit economic growth by up to one-third , as well as have adverse effects on natural biodiversity and social fabrics. Governments and businesses must bring freshwater to the forefront of their strategies, and innovation will play a key role in their success.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220524005757/en/
To drive the freshwater conservation and management agenda, leading global conglomerate HCL has partnered with UpLink, the open innovation platform of the World Economic Forum that connects highly-promising start-ups with the partners and funding they need to scale. Through a $15 million investment over five years, HCL will help accelerate the innovation agenda for water and create a first-of-its-kind innovation ecosystem for the global freshwater sector on UpLink, called the ‘Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative’.
This initiative will draw on HCL’s own regional experience of driving innovative projects in water conservation and brings global leaders and champions together, to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration. In building this ecosystem, water entrepreneurs will be able to thrive and influence freshwater ecosystems all over the world.
“Today, freshwater resources globally are extremely burdened and every fifth child on this planet faces water scarcity,” said Roshni Nadar Malhotra, CEO of HCL Group and Chairperson of HCL Technologies . “At HCL we want to make every effort to help resolve this global crisis. Our partnership with World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform is a step in this direction and our ecosystem approach can be truly transformative. Together we will not just encourage and scale innovations in this critical area, but also help build capacity amongst water-focused entrepreneurs - aquapreneurs - to execute on the innovative solutions. Through the Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative, we are re-committing to accelerate multi-stakeholder collaboration and innovation in the global freshwater conservation space.”
HCL’s new collaboration with UpLink will encompass building the freshwater innovation ecosystem including: running innovation challenges to source solutions from ‘aquapreneurs’ (water focused entrepreneurs), connecting these aquapreneurs to existing initiatives and water networks, unlocking funding opportunities to scale their ventures and raising awareness on the global agenda on the importance of freshwater.
Together, HCL & UpLink will also aim to help aquapreneurs build their skills and leadership capacity. Combined, these efforts will help drive and accelerate the innovation agenda for water and the sector’s mainstream ideas, approaches and solutions.
“The Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative comes at a critical time,” said Olivier Schwab, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “With water scarcity enveloping regions around the world, we need to fast-track progress within the freshwater sector and build security for people and planet. HCL’s collaboration with UpLink will harness and drive forward the solutions of the world’s top innovators, connecting them to the initiatives and networks which can see them scale and drive transformational change for the world’s most fragile water systems.”
Innovation in freshwater management is also critical for water’s role in the transition to a green economy, as highlighted in the release of a new report in Davos today, A Freshwater Future: Without Blue, There Is No Green Economy .
UpLink was launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2020 in collaboration with founding partners, Salesforce and Deloitte. The platform sources new innovations through a competition framework known as innovation challenges. UpLink has now run more than 30 challenges and identified over 260 entrepreneurs with innovative solutions for the world’s most pressing issues.
About HCL Group
Founded in 1976 as one of India’s original IT garage start-ups, HCL is a pioneer of modern computing with many firsts to its credit, including the introduction of the 8-bit microprocessor-based computer in 1978 well before its global peers. Today, the HCL Group has business presence across sectors including technology and healthcare and comprises three group companies – HCL Technologies, HCL Infosystems and HCL Healthcare. The Group generates annual revenues of over US$11.5 billion with more than 209,000 employees operating across 52 countries.
HCL Technologies, a group company, empowers global enterprises with technology for the next decade, today. As a leading global technology company, it takes pride in its diversity, social responsibility, sustainability and education initiatives. HCL Technologies is also a strategic partner of the World Economic Forum.
For further information, visit www.hcl.com .
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220524005757/en/
Link:
Social Media:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
IQM Announces Novel Quantum Error Correction Approach Toward Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing9.6.2026 09:00:00 CEST | Press release
New approach delivers cutting edge performance, while significantly reducing hardware complexity IQM Quantum Computers, the global leader in superconducting quantum computers, has developed a novel quantum error-correcting code that achieves up to three orders of magnitude lower logical error rates than the surface code, also requiring up to eight times fewer physical qubits. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260609533201/en/ IQM´s breakthrough technology, called barbell codes. Unlike many alternative high-performance quantum error-correction approaches, the new code also maintains a comparatively low hardware complexity, marking a significant advancement toward scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing. Quantum error correction remains one of the defining challenges in the race toward practical quantum computing. Errors introduced by noise must be corrected faster than they accumulate, a requirement that previo
Estonia Raises the Bar for Secure Digital Identity in Europe With New eID Cards Developed With Thales9.6.2026 09:00:00 CEST | Press release
The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board has begun the issuance of the country’s new electronic identity (eID) cards, marking a major milestone in the ongoing modernisation of Estonia’s renowned digital identity programme. This new generation of cards has been developed in partnership with Thales under an eight-year contract covering the full lifecycle of national identity documents - from issuance to personalisation -for residents, citizens, and specific groups such as diplomats or refugees. The advanced eID cards1 feature cutting-edge embedded security elements that can be upgraded to counter emerging cyber threats, ensuring citizens’ digital transactions remain protected over time. With increasing cyber risks and the rapid evolution of digital public services, Estonia is reinforcing the security, durability and adaptability of the documents that underpin its digital society: identity cards, residence permit cards, e-resident digital identity cards, diplomatic identity cards, certi
Longpoint Expands into Germany and the Netherlands, Targeting €400 Million of Infill Logistics Investment9.6.2026 09:00:00 CEST | Press release
Firm appoints Gijs Vissers and Benedict Stichel as country heads to lead growth across two key European logistics markets Longpoint Partners today announced its expansion into Germany and the Netherlands, extending its infill industrial strategy into two of Europe’s most supply-constrained logistics markets. The firm is establishing a presence in high-demand locations, including Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and the Randstad, and plans to deploy approximately €400 million into logistics assets near major population centers and transportation corridors. “We are excited to expand Longpoint’s infill industrial strategy into Germany and the Netherlands,” said Dwight Angelini, Founding and Managing Partner of Longpoint Partners. “These are highly attractive logistics markets with strong fundamentals, limited supply, and a clear need for high-quality light industrial and logistics space. With Gijs and Benedict leading our local efforts, we have the market knowledge, relationships, and discipline to
ISO/TC 251 Recognizes Ampowr as the Only BESS Operator With a Fully Integrated ISO Stack9.6.2026 09:00:00 CEST | Press release
ISO/TC 251 and NEN, the Netherlands national standards body, profile Ampowr alongside Rijkswaterstaat, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Novo Nordisk and Veolia after an in-depth methodology interview with Executive Director Andrew Elwell. ISO/TC 251, the international technical committee that authors the ISO 55000 family of asset management standards, has published a case study profiling Ampowr's integrated certification methodology. Authored by NEN, the Dutch national standards body, the study is now publicly available in the ISO/TC 251 case studies library alongside profiles of Rijkswaterstaat, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Novo Nordisk, and Veolia. ISO/TC 251 approached Ampowr directly. NEN subsequently conducted an in-depth interview with Executive Director Andrew Elwell, examining how Ampowr operates its five certifications (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001 and ISO 55001), as a single integrated system rather than separate compliance silos. "To our knowledge we are the o
Bial Reports Topline Results From ACTIVATE Phase 2b Study in GBA‑Associated Parkinson’s9.6.2026 08:00:00 CEST | Press release
Bial, an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company focused on neurosciences and rare diseases, announced today that the Phase 2b ACTIVATE study of BIA 28-6156 (pariceract) in patients with Parkinson’s who have a pathogenic variant in the GBA1 gene (GBA-PD) did not meet its primary, nor the key secondary efficacy endpoints, meaning that BIA 28-6156 failed to slow the progression of GBA-PD versus placebo. BIA 28-6156 proved to be generally well tolerated in the study, with no unexpected safety concerns arising. While the study data provide valuable scientific information and contribute to a broader understanding of Parkinson’s biology, BIA 28-6156 did not demonstrate significant differentiation from placebo on the primary or key secondary endpoints measured. Based on the lack of demonstrated efficacy in this study, Bial has made the decision to discontinue further development of BIA 28-6156 for this indication. “We are disappointed with the outcome of the Phase 2b ACTIVATE study, as th
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom