Open Innovation Challenge

Whenever there is a market gap – a true absence of effective solutions to a challenge – there is also an opportunity to accelerate solutions to the market that yield significant potential profit. Understanding the scope and nuances that comprise the challenge is critical to equipping innovators to inspire ideas, develop prototypes, and evolve solutions that can make a transformational – and potentially very profitable -- impact.

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CWA’s Open Innovation Challenge programming aims to solve real-world challenges within the water industry, connecting innovators with grant funding or potential purchasers. Participants receive access to exclusive testbeds to prove their market-driven innovations in partnership with industry leaders.

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2023 OPEN INNOVATION CHALLENGE

Detecting Lead Service Lines without Breaking Ground

This Request for Technology Concepts (RFTC) called for technologies and innovative concepts around a significant market gap: the physical detection of the material(s) comprising drinking water utility service lines without having to dig down to the service-line pipes for identification. Winners of this challenge received grant dollars to assist in bringing their solutions to market. Individual grants ranged between US $10,000 and US $40,000 each. Giving a total of $75,000 in grant awards.

Learn more about our Challenge Winners here

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