Interview with Joachim Janssen, CEO of IAPsolutions: “CDTI Innovación and ERDF funds have driven our international thermal desalination project for clean water generation”
Ensuring sustainable access to drinking water is one of the great global challenges of the 21st century. Backed by CDTI Innovación and European ERDF funds, the Spanish tech company IAPsolutions is leading an R&D project that applies artificial intelligence, advanced control systems, and renewable energy to the development of an intelligent thermal desalination system designed to improve water access in rural areas and regions with limited infrastructure.
Ensuring access to safe drinking water in a context of climate change, water stress, and territorial inequality has become a major global challenge. In this scenario, technological innovation emerges as a key lever to provide sustainable, efficient solutions adapted to environments with limited infrastructure. With this purpose, the Intelligent Thermal Desalination System for Clean Water Generation was developed, an R&D project led by IAPsolutions and supported by CDTI Innovación and ERDF funds, which applies advanced control technologies, AI, and renewable energy to water purification in rural areas.
At the helm of this initiative is Joachim Janssen, CEO of IAPsolutions, a Spanish tech company with more than 20 years of experience developing advanced software for the intelligent management of critical infrastructures, which is now transferring that expertise to the water sector with a clear social, environmental, and international focus.
Founded in 1997 as Dynamic Consulting International Telecommunications Spain, S.L., IAPsolutions was created to develop advanced software solutions for the telecommunications sector and the management of complex infrastructures. From the outset, the company placed innovation at the core of its strategy, a decision that has enabled it to consolidate its position as a technology provider for major operators, infrastructure companies, and public administrations, both in Spain — including prominent IBEX-35 companies — and in international markets.
With a team of 25–35 highly qualified professionals, a significant portion dedicated to R&D, the company can allocate up to 20% of its revenue to research and development, integrating technologies such as AI, edge computing, and IoT into proprietary platforms like its distributed FieldAgents architecture. “Our experience in software and advanced control systems is applicable to any environment where critical processes need to be monitored, automated, and optimised,” explains Janssen.
This transversal approach led the company to explore new areas linked to sustainability and resource efficiency, such as energy, smart cities, or intelligent water management. “Purification and desalination present precisely these types of challenges. Applying our knowledge to this sector follows a technological transfer strategy oriented towards sustainability and social impact,” he emphasizes.
The project developed by IAPsolutions revolves around a modular and scalable thermal desalination and purification system, based on evaporation and condensation processes, and entirely powered by photovoltaic energy. Its design allows operation in areas without stable access to the electrical grid and with limited technical resources — a key feature for deployment in rural zones or regions experiencing water stress.
The solution incorporates water quality sensors, intelligent control, and AI algorithms, with a focus on ease of maintenance, sustainability, and operational autonomy. “Although the physical principle of the system is simple, artificial intelligence allows us to reduce unnecessary consumption, optimise maintenance, and adapt operation to different conditions,” says the CEO.
One of the project’s distinguishing elements is that the AI models are embedded directly in the system, allowing local operation with low energy consumption and without reliance on external connectivity. “This is critical in rural environments, where stable digital infrastructure is not always available,” notes Janssen.
The use of AI algorithms and real-time control not only improves the system’s energy efficiency but also enhances its reliability and long-term sustainability. The system can dynamically adjust its operation, detect inefficiencies or failures early, and adapt processes to incoming water quality or climatic conditions.
This technological layer is complemented by a strategic dimension of knowledge transfer and capacity building, particularly relevant in the context of international collaboration with Morocco. “It’s not just about deploying technology; it’s about generating local capabilities so the system can be operated and maintained autonomously,” he emphasizes.
The project is being carried out within an international consortium, in which IAPsolutions serves as the principal technology partner. The company leads the development of electronics, software, automation, and control systems, while IAV Hassan II handles R&D for the hydraulic and thermal components, providing scientific expertise and local context adaptation.
Harmony Energy leads renewable energy integration and collaborates on software development, including AI modules and the user interface. “Collaboration follows a model of technological co-creation and knowledge transfer among partners, where each party brings complementary capabilities,” explains Janssen.
This collaborative approach has been essential to tackle the technological, operational, and international coordination challenges of the project. “We aim to develop an efficient, robust, scalable, and low-cost system, integrating modern electronics, deep learning models, and mobile app operation, but with simple maintenance and a circular economy approach,” he summarises.
The project is backed by co-financing from CDTI Innovación and European ERDF funds, support that, according to Janssen, has been decisive for its viability. “CDTI Innovación and ERDF funding has been crucial to make this R&D project viable, especially given the international collaboration,” he affirms.
He highlights that “commercially oriented companies rarely engage early in international initiatives like this without solid institutional backing.” For the CEO of IAPsolutions, public support goes beyond financing: “It is especially relevant that CDTI promotes international R&D cooperation, the export of Spanish technology, and the creation of partnerships with new countries.”
He adds that “this approach not only benefits companies but strengthens Europe’s position as a global technology player, fosters knowledge transfer, and generates tangible economic and social impacts,” both in terms of skilled employment and competitiveness and in developing solutions with real social impact, such as sustainable access to drinking water in rural areas.
From an environmental perspective, the system developed by IAPsolutions reduces pressure on natural water sources and promotes more responsible water management. The use of renewable energy, process efficiency, and focus on modularity and circular economy minimises environmental impact and supports a development model compatible with ecosystem protection.
“The solution helps preserve local ecosystems by reducing resource overexploitation and promoting more balanced water use,” says Janssen, noting that the system’s design adapts to different water and climatic conditions without compromising sustainability.
The project also has a clear social dimension. Its deployment in areas with limited infrastructure can directly improve community well-being by ensuring sustainable access to drinking water and strengthening local resilience.
“The solution strengthens local development through technical capacity building, local employment, and operational autonomy,” explains the CEO. By reducing dependency on highly specialised personnel and promoting local maintenance, the system generates a positive and lasting social and economic impact in the territories where it is implemented.
The project’s international potential is one of its main assets. Morocco is emerging as the first strategic market, supported by local partners, institutional backing, and involvement of entities like IRESEN, Morocco’s counterpart to CDTI. From there, the solution has natural expansion potential into the Arab world and other regions with high water scarcity.
Simultaneously, IAPsolutions is exploring strategic Middle Eastern markets, such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where there is already interest not only in this purification system but also in other company solutions for intelligent water management, such as smart irrigation.
“Industrial and commercial experience at IAPsolutions will be key to structuring the business model, adapting the solution to different markets, and leading the transition from R&D to international commercialization,” concludes Janssen, convinced that technological innovation, when aimed at social impact, can become a globally transformative tool.
CDTI Innovación
The Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation (CDTI E.P.E.) is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose mission is to promote technological innovation in the business sector. CDTI’s goal is to enable the Spanish business fabric to generate and transform scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable, and inclusive growth. In 2024, within the framework of a new strategic plan, CDTI provided more than €2.3 billion in support to Spanish companies and startups.
Image: First prototype of the Intelligent Thermal Desalination System project
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