RSE honoured with the King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation

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RSE is proud to announce that we have been awarded the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, the UK’s highest accolade for business achievement. This honour recognises the outstanding technical expertise and innovation we have developed over more than 40 years, and entitles us to display the esteemed Royal Emblem for the next five years.

The award acknowledges the pioneering work done in developing modular water treatment systems, which enable faster, more flexible, and lower-carbon solutions for building and upgrading treatment facilities across the UK.

The design that delivers these advantages integrates essential wrap-around solutions such as high-velocity backwash, CIP (cleansing in place), and chemical neutralisation. RSE is the first to combine all these elements in a modular design. This “plug-and-play” capability means that the product is scalable for plants as small as 1mL/D for a population of approximately 6,000 and up to 500mL/D for a population of around 3 million.

Founded in Muir of Ord in 1982, RSE has grown to employ more than 2,000 people across 17 offices nationwide and has increased revenue from £61 million in 2019 to £360 million in 2025. Our continued expansion has brought significant development to the Highland economy, including the creation of around 100 new jobs annually in recent years, with a strong focus on apprenticeships, graduate pathways, and skills development.

Today, RSE delivers projects for the UK’s major water companies, as well as leading firms such as Diageo, Siemens, SSE, ScotRail, and EDF. Our commitment to the circular economy, carbon reduction, and cutting-edge engineering methods, including modular off-site fabrication and digital innovation, has enabled us to achieve company-wide Carbon Neutral status.

“The King’s Award for Enterprise is a tremendous honour and a recognition of the dedication and ingenuity of our people. We are proud to be rooted in the Highlands, supported by generations of local families, and remain committed to creating skilled, sustainable employment in rural communities.”

“Engineering talent based in the Highlands is leading a revolution in how water companies upgrade treatment plants across the UK. Our future depends on continued collaboration with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the University of the Highlands and Islands, and other partners to help us push the boundaries of water technology and grow into international markets.”

This award reflects the hard work, skill, and innovation of everyone at RSE and marks an exciting step forward in our mission to deliver sustainable water solutions across the UK and beyond.