AWWA And Imagine H2O Join Forces On Water Innovation

The American Water Works Association and Imagine H2O have announced a memorandum of understanding to cultivate entrepreneurship and innovation in the water sector by providing entrepreneurs with the opportunities, tools, and resources to build great water businesses.

To kick off the partnership, the two organizations will co-host the Innovation Pavilion during AWWA’s Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE14), to be held June 8-12 in Boston, Mass. The Pavilion will feature companies identified by Imagine H2O’s annual competition including WaterSmart Software, Wellntel, WatrHub and NBD Nanotechnologies, Inc., and two of the organizations’ partners, MIT Water Club and WaterTAP, will all be featured exhibitors. Additionally, the ACE14 professional program will features three key sessions that address overcoming barriers to innovation in the water sector.

“AWWA and its members represents a powerful partnership opportunity for innovators in the water sector,” said Imagine H2O COO Scott Bryan. “Imagine H2O is excited to engage AWWA and its members in supporting entrepreneurial solutions to water challenges.”

Imagine H2O also recently launched its Infrastructure Challenge. The Challenge—Imagine H2O’s sixth annual Business Innovations Program—will identify and support innovative water businesses presenting scalable solutions that improve water and wastewater infrastructure in a matter resulting in quantifiable cost savings or environmental impact.

“AWWA looks forward to building our relationships with Imagine H2O in the coming years,” says AWWA Chief Executive Officer David LaFrance. “By working together we can facilitate the sharing of ideas, programming and research that will undoubtedly be of great value to both of our memberships.”

About The American Water Works Association
Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most important resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.

Imagine H2O inspires and empowers people to solve water challenges and turn them into opportunities. We offer annual competitions for water innovation with focused, specific challenges including Water Efficiency (2009), Water-Energy Nexus (2010), Wastewater (2011), Consumer Innovations (2012), and Food and Agriculture (2013). In addition to financial support for the best ideas, the Imagine H2O Accelerator helps participating entrepreneurs turn their plans into transformational, real-world solutions. For more information, visit www.imagineh2o.org.