The Tempe skyline during sunset.

Global Center for Water Technology

Pioneering and advancing innovative technologies for fit-for-purpose water augmentation and generating new sustainable water sources for a water-secure Arizona

The Global Center for Water Technology (GCWT) at Arizona State University, as part of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative (AWII), addresses the water quantity and quality concerns of current and future Arizonan water users by rapidly developing, commercializing, and deploying advanced technologies for water augmentation, conservation, treatment, and reuse. Working with industrial, municipal, agricultural, tribal, and international partners, the Center links world-class researchers and students with companies to support energy production, microchip manufacturing, information technology, industrial cooling, agriculture, tourism and other industries.

Our vision is to pioneer and advance innovative technologies that enhance water quality while generating an additional 250,000 acre-feet per year of sustainable water annually within a decade.

The Center has the following four primary activities:

  1. Develop technology roadmaps tailored to Arizona that prioritize research needs and technology demonstration opportunities
  2. Discover new materials and processes that lead to patents, new technologies and companies that revolutionize how water production and uses in Arizona
  3. Develop demonstration sites in Arizona that enable evaluation of cutting edge solutions in the field to shorten their time of adoption
  4. Produce talent and opportunities that advances the water-related workforce in Arizona
Paul Westerhoff portrait, Director of Global Center for Water Technology
Paul Westerhoff PhD, Director GCWT

A Solutions-Focused Approach

We will create value across the water technology sector in Arizona by focusing on identifying unmet stakeholder needs, catalyzing early-phase discoveries of materials, green energy sources and processes for water acquisition plus purification, and accelerating the demonstration of emerging water treatment technologies in Arizona-focused use cases. GCWT will leverage stakeholder knowledge and seek partner financing to maximize the pace of innovation in the water sector through identification of important opportunities where innovation is needed.