Landmark Agreement Signed As Australian Organization Becomes WaterStart's First International Member

Partnership aims to further innovation of tech in the water industry

This week, WaterStart signed a landmark agreement with Queensland Urban Utilities, which could see innovation in Australia’s water industry showcased on the world stage. Queensland Urban Utilities is the first international organization to be invited to join WaterStart, a cluster of global leaders in the implementation of water innovation.

Based on the Las Vegas campus of the Desert Research Institute, WaterStart connects water and wastewater providers with technology companies around the world to bring about innovative solutions to industry challenges and opportunities.

Queensland Urban Utilities Innovation Research and Development Manager Col Chapman said joining WaterStart was an exciting milestone.

“Since launching our Innovation Program in 2013, we’ve made a concerted effort to embed innovation across our business,” he said.

“At the moment, our Innovation Program is delivering 63 initiatives, of which six key projects are targeting anticipated benefits of up to $4M in efficiencies, savings and offsets for our business.

“Working with WaterStart will allow us to tap into research and technology around the world and give us an opportunity to share insights from our Innovation Program with international partners.”

WaterStart Executive Director Nathan Allen said the organisation was excited to work with Queensland Urban Utilities to enter the Australian market.

“Water and wastewater utilities around the world face common challenges and WaterStart enables companies to come together to innovate and share their findings with the industry,” he said.

“Queensland Urban Utilities has a reputation for commitment to innovation, so we’re looking forward to sharing their research and development initiatives with the WaterStart community.”

Mr Allen said the agreement was also good news for Australia’s start-up community.

“This agreement could provide opportunities for technology companies solving challenges in the Australian water and wastewater industry to be introduced to the market in the United States,” he said.

WaterStart was set up in 2013 to provide channels for water innovation by leveraging Nevada’s water expertise, capability and leadership in the academic, public and the private sector. It operates in a region of proven first adopters that are sitting at the nexus of technology, research and economic development.

Earlier this year, the Queensland Government and the state of Nevada became Sister States, committing to work collaboratively across key industries and opportunities including advancement in water technology.

For information about Queensland Urban Utilities’ Innovation Program, visit www.urbanutilities.com.au/innovation

About WaterStart
WaterStart is a cluster of global leaders in the implementation of water innovation. Based on the Las Vegas campus of the Desert Research Institute, WaterStart leverages the strategic resources and expertise of its network to evaluate and demonstrate the performance of water innovation. As a channel for innovation, WaterStart accelerates the rate of adoption of new solutions to real challenges facing water management agencies and large consumers. For more information, visit www.waterstart.com.

About Queensland Urban Utilities
Established on July 1, 2010, Queensland Urban Utilities is one of the largest water distributor-retailers in Australia, providing water and sewerage services to more than 1.4 million residents across Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset regions. We are upgrading and improving the reliability of our infrastructure by investing $2.76B in a 10-year capital works program. Our service territory covers 14,384 square kilometres and we employ around 1050 people.

For more information, visit www.urbanutilities.com.au.