Bridging the %E2%82%AC6.5 Trillion Water Infrastructure Gap A Playbook 2025

Policy-makers can play a critical role in building a more investable innovation ecosystem. Countries can attract talent through targeted visa and relocation programmes, as seen in AI and biotechnology, and use tax incentives to encourage firms to establish R&D centres domestically. Publicly sponsored innovation challenges that incentivize commercially viable solutions for leakage reduction, water reuse or water stress can significantly enhance visibility and stimulate market demand. Finally, governments can catalyse early-stage ventures by supporting public-private water-tech funds, blending concessional capital with institutional and corporate finance. To optimize the cost-efficiency of capital allocation, the government should concentrate resources on a limited number of projects with high scalability potential, providing them with substantial funding. Water innovation ecosystem CASE STUDY 24 US National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) Fund NAWI is a US Department of Energy-funded research consortium led by the Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory. It was established in 2019 with a $110 million budget for five years. Its objective is to make 90% of non-traditional water sources treatable at a levelized cost comparable to today’s marginal water supplies, within 10 years. NAWI coordinates over 70 research projects and pilot demonstrators on desalination and water reuse, each focused on one of three areas: process innovation and intensification, materials and manufacturing, and data modelling and analysis. The consortium is composed of more than 400 partner organizations, including research centres and academia, industry, federal and state bodies, and nonprofit institutions. Bridging the €6.5 Trillion Water Infrastructure Gap: A Playbook 36 Bridging the €6.5 Trillion Water Infrastructure Gap: A Playbook 36