The Water Council and its corporate partners are seeking applicants for its third annual Tech Challenge competition. The competition, which first launched in 2018, identifies freshwater technologies and solutions with a “high potential” for commercialization, according to a new release from the Milwaukee-based member organization.
This year’s topic focuses on leak detection technologies and energy harvesting from water networks. Entrepreneurs, university students, researchers and professionals who work in water-dependent industries, both domestically and internationally, are encouraged to submit their concepts and apply online.
Finalists for the competition have the opportunity to win a cash prize up to $10,000, gain access to corporate R&D resources, and the chance to partner with the competition’s corporate sponsors on marketing, licensing or sale of the championing tech or solution. Tech challenge winners and any runners up are selected by the Water Council’s corporate sponsor teams.
“The value of these connections goes beyond the application and selection stage,” said Karen Frost, Water Council vice president of economic development, in the release. “The ability to meet face-to-face with corporate R&D teams adds long-term value to an applicant’s network, even after the competition concludes.”
In a statement earlier this year, Frost said roughly 80 percent of the competition’s past applicants weren’t on the radar of the group’s corporate sponsors, highlighting the benefit of hosting the challenge and building out a research and talent pipeline for the freshwater industry.
Previous winners of the Tech Challenge have included:
- Verifi H20: A water-monitoring platform delivering real-time water quality surveillance systems.
- Waterground Futures: A predictive modeling and analytics solution that simulates water and wastewater treatment plants.
- ANDAlyze: A real-time water contaminant measurement tool.
- Burge Environmental Inc.: A maker of direct microbial sensor technology.
The deadline for applications is May 3, 2020. More application details can be found here.
