WRF Seeks Proposals For 14 New Research Projects Totaling $3.4M

23 RFPs Now Open for Submission

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is now accepting proposals for 14 additional research projects that will advance the science of water for communities around the world. With these 14 Requests for Proposals (RFPs), there are now 23 projects open for proposals on WRF’s website, presenting a total research value of over $5.2M.

Proposals for these projects will be submitted via WRF’s new online portal. Research teams should refer to our training materials to gain familiarity with the new submission process. Proposers should allow themselves extra time to learn and navigate the new system. Proposals for this batch of projects are due on November 20, 2025, 3 PM MT.

Taking a One Water approach, these 14 new research projects focus on asset management, PFAS source identification, climate change resilience, nature-based solutions, and many more topics:

• Application of Asset Health Monitoring to Buried Asset Management and Operations (5354)
• Developing a Robust Framework for PFAS Source Identification and Characterization (5355)
• Ensuring Resilient Source Water Protection Programs in a Changing Climate and Under Extreme Events (5356)
• Evaluating and Linking Treatment Process Strategies with Irregular Water Quality Events for Downstream Impacts (5357)
• Balancing Water Distribution System Flow Capacity and Water Quality for Fire and Natural Disasters (5358)
• Building Better Forecasts: Improving Utility Demand Models with Climate, Development, and Socioeconomic Insights (5359)
• Alternative Approaches to Water Shutoffs for Non-Payment of Bills (5360)
• Simultaneous Control of Regulated and Emerging DBPs of Health Concern (5361)
• Nature-Based Approaches for Concentrate and Salinity Management (5366)
• Data Centers: Understanding Economic Considerations and Opportunities for Water and Wastewater Utilities (5367)
• Framework for Assessing Alternative Water Systems: Economic, Environmental, and Social Aspects (5368)
• Eliminating Barriers to Entry: Water Utilities as Community Partners for Career Pipelines (5369)
• Optimizing Densified Systems for Nutrient Removal, Energy Savings, and Reliable Performance (5371)
• Advancing Non-Evaporative Cooling Technologies in the CII Sector (5372)

Funded through WRF’s Research Priority Program, these projects were chosen by WRF’s Research Advisory Council, which reviews stakeholder perspectives on challenges and opportunities facing the water sector and approves the annual research agenda.

Subscribing utilities that wish to serve as a participating utility on these projects will also need to login to the new system and complete the volunteer form. Utilities that volunteered during the Advance Notice period earlier this year should already be listed at the bottom of each outbound grant page.

Entities eligible to apply for funding include, but are not limited to, academic institutions, research organizations, utilities, government agencies, and consulting firms. Proposals must follow WRF’s Guidelines for Research Priority Program Proposals.

About The Water Research Foundation
The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public. For more information, visit www.waterrf.org.