The investigation has shown that, in practice, Hydrochip does not yet produce the distinctive results that are important for a reliable assessment of ecological water quality. Improving the validation requires additional investments, while the probability of success is uncertain, according to the researchers. In addition, a major competitive DNA technology is now available: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). This technique is faster than the Hydrochip, less error-sensitive and has a wider range of applications. The Hydrochip project has however contributed to increasing attention for the use of DNA technology in water quality monitoring.