Finnish Water Forum

What Finnish Water Forum does

Finnish Water Forum (FWF, legally Finlands vattenforum rf.) is a Helsinki-based non-profit membership association founded in 2009 by 38 organizations to coordinate and internationalize Finnish water sector expertise. FWF acts as a centralized contact point that aggregates 130+ Finnish water sector actors — including technology companies, engineering firms, research institutes, universities, and government ministries — and connects them with international partners, utilities, and government agencies seeking water solutions. The organization does not sell products; instead, it runs a coordination platform that organizes Finnish pavilions at major industry events (Stockholm World Water Week, IWA World Water Congress, VietWater, UN Water Conference), executes multi-year international cooperation projects, and facilitates bilateral partnerships and trade missions in target markets across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Nordic-Baltic region. Its proprietary assets are limited to its network and the project pipeline it curates; member companies provide the underlying water technologies (treatment, monitoring, smart water, dam safety, managed aquifer recharge, transboundary water management).

FWF's revenue model is a hybrid of recurring membership dues from its 130+ member organizations and project-based grant funding from Finnish ministries (Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Environment) and EU programmes (Central Baltic Sea Region, LIFE, Horizon 2020/SPRING). Documented grant inflows include EUR 355,230 for the CB2East project (2015-2018) and EUR 998,390.50 for the LIFE Ukrainian Urban Water Management Capability Springboard (2025-2027). The organization has ~10-11 staff in Helsinki, led by CEO Topi Helle, with Project Directors, Senior Advisors, Project Advisors, and Regional Advisors covering Vietnam, Sub-Saharan Africa, and MENA. FWF also operates the Indo Nordic EU Water Forum (INWF) sub-brand as a joint India-EU water cooperation platform.

Name

Finnish Water Forum

Legal name

Finnish Water Forum (Finlands vattenforum rf.)

Website

https://finnishwaterforum.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Finnish Water Forum is a Helsinki-based non-profit membership association founded in 2009 that aggregates 130+ Finnish water sector companies, research institutes, universities, and ministries to coordinate and internationalize Finnish water expertise across Vietnam, India, South Africa, Ukraine, and other markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Sector Association Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH)

Keywords

• Water sector association
• Industry network services
• Water expertise collaboration
• International water cooperation
• Cleantech water network

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: FWF operates as an association bringing together over 130 Finnish water sector organizations including companies, research institutes, universities, ministries and associations. Revenue appears to come from membership contributions and project-based funding from ministries and EU programs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Finnish Water Forum (FWF) is a non-profit membership association founded in 2009 in Helsinki that brings together over 130 Finnish water sector organizations—including companies, research institutes, universities, ministries, and associations—to promote Finnish water expertise internationally. The organization acts as a centralized contact point that facilitates partnerships, networking, trade missions, joint exhibitions, and project collaborations for its members in global water markets including Vietnam, India, South Africa, Middle East, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

Product overview

Finnish Water Forum (FWF) is not a product company but rather a network association that brings together over 130 Finnish water sector organizations including companies, research institutes, universities, ministries, and associations. FWF serves as a coordination and internationalization platform rather than a product vendor, facilitating partnerships, knowledge sharing, and market access for its members in the global water sector. The organization coordinates joint exhibitions, trade missions, project collaborations, and expertise networks rather than offering standalone products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INWF (Indo Nordic EU Water Forum): Joint network and platform for private and public sector in India and EU, developed under EU Horizon 2020 SPRING project, supporting EU-India Strategic Partnership on water management.

Products and services

• Finnish Water Forum Membership
• Indo Nordic EU Water Forum (INWF)
• LIFE Ukrainian Urban Water Management Capability Springboard

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 130 member organizations in network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Public Union Centre for Regional Development (Ukraine)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EU-funded LIFE project (LIFE Ukrainian Urban Water Management Capability Springboard) to strengthen Ukrainian water and wastewater systems to meet EU standards. Project duration 2 years from April 2025. Consortium includes Ukraine, Finland and Poland. EU funding: 998,390.50 EUR.
• Cape Town and Western Cape Province (South Africa)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023MoU negotiations underway for water infrastructure development cooperation. FWF participated in Innovation Indaba with 8 innovation proposals for Cape Town water challenges. Major infrastructure projects expected in Cape Town over next 10 years.
• United Nations Global Service Center (UNGSC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Co-organized webinar on Groundwater Monitoring for UN field missions. FWF provided Finnish groundwater monitoring expertise.
• Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Long-term cooperation project (2017-2020) with VWSA to strengthen capacity of Vietnamese water utilities. Project included experience sharing, capacity building and partnership development between public and private water sector organizations. Supported by Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
• EU Central Baltic Sea Region ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015CB2East project (Central Baltic Cleantech Clusters expanding East of EU markets) funded by European Structural and Investment Funds. Total project funding 909,065 EUR. Priority areas: sustainable energy efficiency and water inspection solutions.
• Indo Nordic EU Water Forum (INWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint network platform for private and public sector in India and EU. Supports EU-India Strategic Partnership declared at EU-India Leaders meeting 2021. Developed under EU Horizon 2020 SPRING project (Strategic Planning for Water Resources and Implementation of Novel Biotechnical Treatment Solutions).
• Business FinlandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborates on Team Finland visits and export promotion activities. Business Finland organizes delegations and provides funding support for Finnish companies attending international water sector events.
• FinnpartnershipcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for business development support. Finnpartnership organizes 'Doing Business with Finland' seminars and SDG Booster events in target markets to facilitate partnerships between Finnish and local companies.
• Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizes World Water Week activities and seminars. Finland co-hosted 'Innovations and Geopolitics' seminar series at World Water Week 2023.
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of FinlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey government partner in Finnish water sector international strategy implementation. Coordinates national water expertise growth and internationalization program.
• Ministry for Foreign Affairs of FinlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey government partner in international water cooperation. Supports development cooperation projects and Water Action Agenda initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Global Water Intelligence: Water industry information and research provider serving the international water sector. Adjacent rather than directly competing — FWF facilitates partnerships while GWI provides market intelligence to the same ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid: Major international NGO focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries. Operates at much larger scale than FWF but in overlapping international development water spaces, particularly across the African and Asian markets FWF serves.
• International Water Association (IWA): Global network of water professionals and organizations that develops water industry standards and convenes the IWA World Water Congress. A broader incumbent operating at global scale in the same water sector networking space as FWF.
• Water Europe: European water-focused platform bringing together industry, research, and policy stakeholders to advance the EU water agenda. Broader in scope than FWF but covers similar water sector coordination and policy facilitation activities.

Regional players

• Swedish Water / Sweden Water Research: Swedish water sector research and promotion organization. Comparable Nordic peer operating in the same regional water expertise ecosystem and engaging with the same international water events such as Stockholm World Water Week.

Direct peers

• Danish Water Forum: Danish national water sector network that promotes Danish water expertise internationally and facilitates partnerships. Highly comparable to FWF in size, mission, and small-country export-promotion model.
• Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI): Stockholm-based water policy institute that organizes World Water Week and runs water capacity-building programs globally. A close partner of FWF, with overlapping international network functions and similar focus on water sector collaboration.
• Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP): Dutch national water sector promotion network that brings together Dutch water companies, knowledge institutes, and government to internationalize Dutch water expertise. Directly comparable to FWF as a small-country water sector export facilitator with EU-funded international projects.

Emerging players

• Aqua for All: Dutch-based foundation supporting water and sanitation entrepreneurs in developing markets. Comparable in promoting water solutions to emerging markets and operating with EU funding, though more development-finance focused than FWF.
• Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN): Global forum promoting smart water network technologies and data-driven water management. Comparable in connecting water sector actors around smart water solutions — an area where FWF has also positioned itself via its SWIM project with Nokia and VTT.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FinWaterForum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/finnish-water-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Finnish Water Forum