Stantec launches new institute to galvanise technology uptake in addressing global water issues

Design firm Stantec has unveiled a new institute that will “explore the real-world impacts of a changing climate on the sustainability of water and the role of emerging technologies in water science and policy.”

The primary mission of Stantec Institute for Water Technology and Policy, according to Stantec’s global sector leader for wastewater treatment, Dr Art Umble, is to “identify emerging and leading-edge technologies to help address the water challenges our communities face and bridge the gap between science and practice to de-risk their implementation.”

The institute will function as a “connector” working with experts at regional utilities, industrial water users, academic institutions, industry organisations, and technology providers.

Stantec said the pace of research and commercialisation needed to bring on the technology and policies to solve global water problems was often inadequate. And it asserted that “risk averse” publicly-owned water sectors led to early adopters of advances in technology paid a premium.

“The Institute exists to demonstrate that solutions to preserve and protect water quantity and quality in the context of a changing global climate are both technologically available and achievable at any scale,” said Umble.