The Water Equipment and Policy Center (WEP), an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center supported by the National Science Foundation, is soliciting research proposals for 2025. WEP will award a total of $500,000 for projects that faculty members will work on with industry members.
Deadline for submission of proposals is Friday, August 16. Awards will be announced in November.
WEP brings together researchers at both UWM and Marquette University together with industry partners to create new devices, novel materials and innovative systems that will help industry members solve problems and policymakers manage stressed water resources.
The maximum award size for new projects is $50,000 per year, but the maximum award size for continuing projects may be up to $100,000 per year. For continuing projects, proposals need to be submitted annually with a summary of prior accomplishments and well-defined milestones and deliverables for funding requested for the specific year.
Continuing projects will compete with new proposals received in the same round.
The center currently has 11 industry members, including: A.O. Smith Corporation, Badger Meter, GE Appliances, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, NEW Water, Sentry Equipment, Sloan, Pentair Inc., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Watts Water Technologies, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Submit proposals through AirTable. For more information, contact Professor Qian Liao, WEP center director, at liao@uwm.edu.