WRF Seeks Proposals For Nine New Research Projects Totaling $2.2M

Proposals Will Be Submitted Via New Online Portal

Denver, CO – The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is now accepting proposals for nine research projects that will advance the science of water for communities around the world. This fall’s Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will be released in two rounds, with the second round (14 additional projects) coming in late September.

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 October 22, 2025, 3 PM MT.

Utilities who 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 on the bottom of each outbound grant page.

Taking a One Water approach, these nine new research projects focus on pathogens, condition assessment, microplastics, biosolids, methane emissions, and many more topics:

• Benchmarking Microbial and Chemical Contamination in Source Water Using Hyperspectral Microscopy (5298)
• The Foundations of Water Resource Planning: Guidance for Establishing Water Utility Service Levels (5306)
• Developing a Protocol for Evaluating Pathogen Concentrations in Secondary Effluent (5309)
• Developing Guidelines for Ferrous Pipe Condition Assessment Technology and Risk of Failure Analysis (5353)
• Quantifying Point Source Mitigation-Ready Methane Emissions at Water Resource Recovery Facilities (5362)
• Maintaining a Minimum Disinfectant Residual in Distribution Systems: Updated Technical Review and Guidance (5363)
• Prioritization and Validation Methods for Microplastic Analysis in Drinking Water (5364)
• State-of-Practice Manual for Inflow and Infiltration Detection and Mitigation at Street and Private Lateral Levels (5365)
• Comprehensive Evaluation of Biosolids Drying Technologies (5370)

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.

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.

If you have any questions about these projects, please contact the Research Manager listed in the individual RFP.