This February, Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) headed to London to join global leaders at two of the most influential gatherings in the water sector: the British Water International Forum & Reception and the World Water-Tech Innovation Summit.

British Water International Forum & Reception

Cleveland Water Alliance was honored to serve as the international cluster partner and sponsor for British Water’s International Forum and Reception. CWA’s partnership with British Water was formalized last year through a Memorandum of Action (MoA) focused on exchanging innovations and facilitating market entry for innovative UK technologies into the U.S. water sector. This event provided a premier platform to connect with a vast network of global innovators, utilities, and agencies dedicated to solving water challenges through collaboration. It was an incredible opportunity to strengthen our ties with UK partners and explore how our regional strengths in the Great Lakes can support a broader, global ecosystem of water technology.

Gateway to the Commonwealth & North America

During the forum, our Director of Communications and Engagement, Samantha Martin, participated in a featured session titled Gateway to the Commonwealth & North America. Joining a group of international experts, she discussed the shifting dynamics of global water markets and identified high-growth regions where innovation meets the greatest opportunity.

Samantha highlighted how Cleveland Water Alliance serves as a critical catalyst for overcoming the barriers to U.S. market entry, matching utilities with vetted technology to solve real-world water challenges. By facilitating these pilot logistics, we help attract new businesses to the Great Lakes while ensuring our region’s most precious resource is managed efficiently and effectively.

World Water-Tech Innovation Summit

The World Water-Tech Innovation Summit serves as a global hub for water companies, utilities, and investors to exchange ideas on the future of water resilience. This year, a key focus of the summit was PFAS and emerging contaminants. There is an urgent need to find scalable, real-time monitoring and treatment solutions for these "forever chemicals" so they can be effectively managed within our water systems.

Another significant discussion during the summit was the role of European legislation in driving the water sector forward. Because of the specific laws and utility-based innovation currently happening in Europe, they are setting the example of what is possible across a wide range of water issues. As these frameworks continue to evolve, the U.S. will likely look to European best practices and technologies as a roadmap for managing modern water challenges and implementing cutting-edge solutions.

Translating R&D into Water Innovation

CWA’s Director of Data & Innovation, Ebie Holst, took the main stage to moderate a high-level panel focused on bridging the gap between scientific breakthroughs and practical application. The central message from Ebie’s session was a clear call to action: we must move significantly faster than we have in the past to get technology to market and fully adopted by the industry.

The panel emphasized that while we have the talent and the tools, the industry needs to evolve the way it supports innovation to ensure technologies actually reach the end users who need them. This is where CWA plays a vital role. We serve as a landing pad for international companies looking to enter the U.S. market, helping them navigate new regulations and pairing them with local partners ready to trial the technology in real-world conditions. By facilitating these pilots, we help high-impact solutions move through the hurdles of validation and into adoption.

Visiting the UK's Smartest City

Samantha concluded the trip with a visit to Sunderland, recently named the UK’s smartest city. Sunderland is a leader in urban transformation, utilizing a city-wide advanced telecommunications network to enhance the lives of its residents through data-driven services. 

We were connected with the Sunderland team through Makutu, a partner we worked with at the Northumbrian Innovation Festival last year. We look forward to learning from one another as we continue to exchange innovation, ideas, and best practices across the Atlantic.

Bridging the Gap for Faster Innovation

To solve global water issues, we must work more closely across borders and ensure that critical technologies are adopted faster than ever before. Cleveland Water Alliance is dedicated to closing the gap between development and implementation of water technology. By connecting innovators with the end users who need their solutions, and helping international companies navigate the U.S. market, we are effectively accelerating the path to market for the world's most promising water technologies.

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