New Partnership Between LIFT And Current Creates Chicagoland Water Technology Opportunities

Two of the nation’s leading water innovation organizations launched a new partnership to speed the commercialization of promising new water technologies. Today, the Water Environment Federation and the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF) announced a new affiliate partnership with Current through the Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) program.

This new partnership creates opportunities for promising water technologies identified by LIFT to be validated through Current’s newly launched Demonstration program. The partnership links LIFT’s Technology Scan process, which identifies new innovations, with Current’s robust validation platform. Together, LIFT and Current will leverage their combined capabilities to thoroughly evaluate and help commercialize the innovations needed to improve water treatment and delivery across the U.S.

“We are very excited to partner with Current, and to leverage our resources and networks to advance new technology,” said Jeff C. Moeller, P.E., Director of Water Technologies at WE&RF. “The timing of this announcement aligns with opportunities at WEFTEC 2017 in Chicago September 30 through October 2, so that both partners can explore technology demonstration opportunities.”

LIFT Affiliates connect regional resources with LIFT’s national scope to accelerate innovation. With Chicago-based Current as an affiliate, LIFT can tap Current’s world class research and utility assets that include Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, as well as demonstration sites at the world’s largest water filtration and wastewater treatment facilities at the Chicago Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

“We’re honored to join the LIFT program to offer our validation capabilities that can de-risk innovation and bridge gaps that have slowed technology adoption in the water industry,” said Steve Frenkel, Current’s Executive Director. “Together, LIFT and Current will help overcome commercialization barriers for promising technologies that offer scalable solutions and deliver real value.”

The Current Demonstration program validates innovative technologies through a structured and comprehensive process. Current rigorously analyzes the technical and economic merits of new innovative technologies, assesses market potential, and helps refine the business case to reduce product development risk and speed time to market. LIFT Technology Scans identify and evaluate innovative technologies to inform water facility owners, funders, advisors, and end users in order to promote early adoption of the technologies. Together, the partners offer technology providers an optimal platform to introduce their emerging, pre-commercial, and newly commercialized technologies.

LIFT is a joint initiative of the Water Environment Federation and the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF) designed to accelerate adoption of innovative water technologies. Current leverages Chicago’s world-class utilities, research institutions, industries, and innovation community for global environmental and economic impact.

More information on Current, LIFT, and WE&RF are available on the websites below.

About The Water Environment & Reuse Foundation
The Water Environment & Reuse Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, funds research, pilot projects, and technology demonstrations that maximize the value of water, including wastewater, stormwater, and other water sources. WE&RF is recognized worldwide as a trusted source of innovation and peer-reviewed research in wastewater, water reuse, and resource recovery. For more information, visit www.werf.org.

Current delivers advanced research and market-driven innovations to meet the world’s water needs. Current bridges gaps in the water solutions ecosystem to develop, validate, and commercialize innovations for greater environmental and economic sustainability. For more information, visit www.currentwater.org.