University–utility partnerships: Best practices for water innovation and collaboration

Abstract University–utility partnerships (UUPs) are mutually beneficial collaborations that promote and accelerate innovation in the water sector. The Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) program worked with representatives from universities and utilities to define successful methods and strategies for establishing strong university–utility collaborative partnerships. Overall, partners in a successful university–utility collaboration need to be honest and realistic to match university capabilities and utility needs. In order to manage expectations at both organizations, utilities and universities must understand their respective points of view. Building and maintaining strong relationships should be a primary concern. Successful UUPs are built upon strong relationships between organizations rather than just strong research ideas. Different implementation structures should be considered for UUPs depending on what works best for both organizations. Common hurdles to overcome when implementing UUPs include working across distances and managing risks related to financing, intellectual property, and public outreach. Practitioner points University–utility collaborative partnerships are mutually beneficial and promote innovation throughout the water sector as a whole Establishing successful partnerships can be challenging, but difficulties can be mitigated by following the described best practices Partnerships can be structured and implemented in a variety of ways depending on the specific needs of each organization involved