Desalination and Water Purification Research and Development (DWPR) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Desalination and Water Purification Research and Development (DWPR) funding opportunity is a discretionary federal program run by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Denver Office) that supports applied research, piloting, and real-world demonstration of technologies that desalinate water or improve water purification. The program is designed to build partnerships with private industry, universities, water utilities, and public entities to tackle water treatment challenges that are broadly important to the public. A key theme is that Reclamation wants to fund work that has wide, national-scale benefits but is unlikely to be funded by the private sector alone because the costs, risks, or uncertainties are too high. The research priorities are aligned with the National Research Council report "Desalination: A National Perspective" (April 2008), which signals that proposals should be framed around advancing desalination and purification in ways that could be replicated or adopted across regions rather than solving only a narrow, local issue.

Projects are accepted in three funding categories that represent a typical technology development pathway from early testing to field readiness. The first category, Research and Laboratory Studies, focuses on bench-scale work meant to prove whether a process or concept functions as intended. These studies usually operate at very small flow rates (generally less than 2 gallons per minute) and can involve substantial uncertainty, which is explicitly recognized as part of this early stage. Awards in this category provide up to $150,000 per agreement, and successful projects may be eligible for limited follow-on support to continue development. The second category, Pilot Scale Projects, is intended for technologies that already have evidence of feasibility from prior research funded by Reclamation or other sources. Pilot testing typically runs on natural water sources at roughly 1 to 20 gallons per minute and is meant to assess both physical performance and economic practicality. Pilot projects are expected to generate realistic capital cost estimates and operation and maintenance cost projections, and they are generally structured as two-year agreements with up to $200,000 per year in federal funding. The third category, Demonstration Scale Projects, supports technologies that have already shown they can work and make economic sense at the pilot level. Demonstrations run at larger flow rates (about 20 to 500 gallons per minute) in realistic field settings, with the goal of refining cost estimates, proving reliability, and showing the technology to potential adopters and the broader public. Demonstration projects are expected to produce detailed capital and O&M cost information and to clarify whether the unit is market-ready or what upgrades are needed for commercial viability. These are generally three-year agreements with up to $500,000 per year in federal funding.

The opportunity is offered under Funding Opportunity Number R10SF80251, and awards may be made as cooperative agreements and/or grants, reflecting that Reclamation may have an active partnership role depending on the project. The CFDA program listing is 15.506 (Water Desalination Research and Development Program). Reclamation anticipated making about 7 awards under this announcement, with an estimated total federal funding pool of about $1,000,000 and an award ceiling listed at $500,000. The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, emphasizing that the focus is on developing and validating technologies rather than routine operations or standard infrastructure work.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based stakeholders involved in water treatment innovation and implementation. Eligible applicants include individuals, institutions of higher education, commercial or industrial organizations, private entities, public entities (including state and local governments), and Indian Tribal Governments. Foreign entities are generally not eligible under the authorizing legislation, with a specific exception carved out for U.S.-Mexico binational research foundations and inter-university research programs established by the two countries. That exception matters for cross-border water challenges where joint research structures already exist and are formally recognized.

Cost sharing is a central feature for most applicants and is structured to ensure significant non-federal investment, especially for later-stage work. Institutions of higher education are not required to provide cost share, and that exemption also applies to the eligible U.S.-Mexico binational research foundations and inter-university programs referenced in the announcement. For all other applicants, the standard requirement is a 75% cost share of the total project cost, meaning the federal share is typically the minority portion. However, the announcement also allows for the cost-share requirement to be reduced to 50% if Reclamation determines that the project would not be feasible without a higher federal contribution. In practice, that means applicants with strong national-impact proposals but limited ability to absorb early risk might still be competitive if they can justify why additional federal participation is essential.

Administratively, this synopsis indicates the posting date was May 21, 2010, with an application closing date of July 7, 2010, and an archive date of November 30, 2010. Applicants were directed to use the "Full Announcement" link on the synopsis page for complete instructions, evaluation criteria, and required forms. For access issues, the contact listed was Stephanie Bartlett, Grants Officer, at 303-445-2025.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Next opportunity: Colorado Animas City Mountain Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project Utilizing Veterans

Previous opportunity: Alzheimers Disease Drug Development Program (U01)

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for R10SF80251

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (R10SF80251) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "R10SF80251", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.