The Water Council — a hub for water sector innovation in Milwaukee, Wis. — launched the Global Water Port. The port is an online research and collaboration tool that was developed to enhance connectivity within the water technology sector and among those interested in finding solutions to water-related challenges.

Launched at WEFTEC, the Water Environment Federation’s annual exhibition and conference, The Water Council and the innovationExchange first conceived the idea for the port in fall 2014 as a way to dramatically increase and improve cross-sector water-related collaborative research. Since then, the Global Water Port has gone through extensive development and testing to enable participants to gain industry insight, pitch projects, find and create solutions, monitor innovations, connect with global experts, and bring new ideas to life.

The Global Water Port incorporates social collaboration tools and access to such content as patent, academic, and industry databases, providing an engine for learning and networking to solve pressing global water needs.

On Sept. 29, The Water Council, in partnership with Veolia and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., also launched a national competition to reward new ideas and approaches for improving sustainability and resiliency efforts in the water and clean technology sectors.

The competition,“Pow! emPowering Opportunities in Water,” provides an opportunity for innovators and social entrepreneurs to fast-track their water-related ideas while connecting them to water industry influencers and experts who can directly support their company’s services, products, or ideas. Entries must be received by Nov. 15. Learn more.