Cleveland, OH – Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) is proud to announce the signing of a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Trial Reservoirs Initiative, under the care of the Tech Ascend Foundation, an independent nonprofit spun out of Isle Utilities. This strategic collaboration creates a powerful, de-risked pathway for deploying cutting-edge technologies. By combining CWA’s robust testbed ecosystem with the Initiative’s unique financing model, the partnership offers water utilities a safe, financially secure method to pilot and implement high-impact solutions.

De-Risking Technology Demonstrations

For utility managers and operators, the risk of failure is often the single biggest barrier to adopting new technology. The Trial Reservoirs Initiative was created specifically to dismantle this hurdle.

Their innovative model de-risks full-scale demonstrations of high-maturity technologies (TRL 8-9) through a "no-cure, no-pay" structure. The Initiative provides the upfront capital for the trial. If the solution does not perform according to mutually agreed-upon Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the trial is free to the utility.

This financial safety net, paired with access to Isle Utilities’ extensive technical and market expertise, allows U.S. utilities to bypass the typical budgetary stalemates that stall innovation, particularly in advanced treatment and industrial water sectors.

“Utilities are the stewards of public health and public funds, so being risk-averse is in their nature. Our goal is to absorb that financial risk so utility leaders can focus on what matters: finding efficiency and performance gains without gambling ratepayer money.” - Jo Burgess, Founding Director of the Trial Reservoirs Initiative.

A Unified Engine for Innovation 

This partnership represents more than just a funding mechanism; it is a comprehensive support system for water innovation. Max Herzog, Deputy Director of Programs & Partnerships at Cleveland Water Alliance, emphasized the strategic importance of this new alliance:

“The risk of failure is often the biggest barrier to a utility or industry adopting a new water solution. This partnership helps eliminate that barrier. By integrating CWA's world-class testing and validation capacity with the Trial Reservoirs Initiative’s performance-based trial financing, we are creating a seamless, accelerated pathway for our innovators. This provides an effective method for reducing the financial and technical risks associated with scaling new technology.”

What This Means for the Industry

By joining forces, CWA and the Trial Reservoirs Initiative are bridging the gap between "promising tech" and "proven solution."

Cleveland Water Alliance brings an international pipeline of vetted innovators, robust regional network of industry trial partners, and deep expertise in trialing/demonstration evaluation, matchmaking, and coordination within a real-world testbed network. Our capacity to provide scale-up support helps water businesses capitalize on successful demonstrations.

The Trial Reservoirs Initiative brings the "checkbook" necessary to support these trials, along with the technical rigor of Isle Utilities to ensure KPIs are realistic and meaningful. For the end-user, this means a direct, financially secure route to securing full-scale demonstrations. It allows utilities to test the latest advancements in water management with the confidence that the financial risk is covered.

About Cleveland Water Alliance

Established in 2014, Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) is a world-renowned water cluster, establishing the Great Lakes region as a global destination for freshwater innovation. Supported by robust testbed infrastructure and industry expertise, CWA leverages multi-sector partnerships to support market-driven innovation, economic impact, and sustainable solutions for regional and global water challenges.

About the Trial Reservoirs Initiative

The Tech Ascend Foundation is a mission-driven organisation accelerating the global adoption of climate and water resilience technologies. Our goal is to move proven innovations quickly from pilot to full-scale deployment, helping utilities strengthen resilience, reduce costs, and respond effectively to growing climate pressures. The Foundation is the independent home of the Trial Reservoirs Initiative, a revolving fund that enables real-world technology trials with water utilities. The initiative removes one of the sector’s biggest innovation barriers by making it possible to test and scale new solutions in operational environments.  It’s a unique model in the water industry and with a 75% adoption rate, it provides utilities with strong evidence and confidence to adopt technologies that can transform the future of water.

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