One of the leading drinking water research organizations in the United States and a top Australian drinking water association have agreed to cooperatively fund projects and share research. The agreement between the U.S.-based Water Research Foundation (WRF) and the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) has been developed so both organizations can work together to more effectively solve pressing water resource problems. Among their top priorities is the effect of climate change on drinking water resources. This partnership is announced a day after President Obama, in a speech to the National Academy of Sciences, pushed for greater international science and technology cooperation.

“Australia and the U.S. both face water quality problems and impending water shortages,” notes Robert Renner, WRF’s executive director. “Together, we can fund research more cost-effectively and find answers more rapidly.”

In the next several months, WRF and WSAA will conduct planning sessions to write a joint research roadmap. The organizations also will share research, filling in knowledge gaps in their respective organizations. This fall, WSAA will ask the Australian government to fund parts of the cooperatively developed roadmap. The partners also will fund joint conferences, training sessions and knowledge-transfer workshops.