Water Research Foundation Board Of Trustees Votes To Commit $5.57M To 2013 Research Efforts

At its January board meeting, the Water Research Foundation’s (WaterRF) Board of Trustees approved $4.88M in 2013 funding for WaterRF’s research programs. This research budget will be leveraged with partnerships and in-kind support increasing the total amount of funds dedicated to water research. The approved funds are allocated to the three research programs as follows:
• The Focus Area Program (approximately 60% of WaterRF’s research budget) identifies a limited number of broadly relevant subscriber issues and solves them with a targeted, multi-year research response. Approximately $2.93M has been allocated to this program for 2013.  
• The Emerging Opportunities Program (approximately 20% of WaterRF’s research budget) enables WaterRF to respond quickly to emergent subscriber challenges and research ideas identified throughout the year. Approximately $976,000 has been allocated to this program for 2012.  
• The Tailored Collaboration Program (approximately 20% of WaterRF’s research budget) enables WaterRF to partner with utility subscribers on research that may be more limited or regional in impact. Approximately $976,000 has been allocated to this program for 2013.  

And finally, an additional $670,000 was set aside to support key international research partnerships. In total, WaterRF committed $5.57M to water related research.

In announcing the 2013 research program funding, Roy Wolfe, Board Chairman, said, “These research programs and funding decisions reflect the Board of Trustees’ ongoing commitment to comprehensively solving our subscribers’ most pressing problems. At the same time, we are committed to accelerating the timeframe from identification of need to approval of project, without compromising the scientific integrity of results. Our new system of allocating resources into the three research programs – Focus Area, Emerging Opportunities and Tailored Collaboration – is operating very well.” 

About The Water Research Foundation 
Founded in 1966, the Water Research Foundation is an international, 501(c)3 non-profit organization that sponsors research to enable water utilities, public health agencies and other professionals to provide safe and affordable water to the public. With more than 1,000 subscribers who provide water to 80 percent of the U.S. population, WaterRF has funded and managed more than 1,000 projects. For more information, visit www.WaterRF.org.