The Tailored Collaboration (TC) Program is a cash-matching program that enables subscribing utilities to partner directly with WRF on research projects addressing issues of interest to a significant subset of WRF subscribers. A subscriber or group of subscribers can obtain up to $150,000 in matching funds for a research idea that they have developed. While these ideas may be more specialized or regional than those funded through our other research programs, they should still have the potential for broader applicability and deliver a positive impact on the water industry. Proposals submitted to the TC Program must be sponsored by a subscribing utility, and only cash provided by subscribers will be matched. Strategic oversight and guidance for the program are provided by WRF’s Tailored Collaboration Research Council (TCRC). The TCRC plays a critical role in reviewing and approving projects for funding. Twenty percent of WRF’s annual research budget is allocated to this program.
The 2026 TC program opened on January 8, 2026. Pre-proposal submissions are due by 3pm Mountain Time, Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
How a taste & odor event prompted the City of St. Louis to turn to WRF's TC program
Learn about several topics the City of Calgary has addressed through this program
Learn how a collaborative effort is investigating biofilter optimization
Overview
Projects funded under the TC Program are chosen annually through a two-stage competitive process:
Stage 1: WRF issues an annual call for pre-proposals. Submitted ideas are reviewed by the Tailored Collaboration Review Committee (TCRC) and comments are provided to applicants.
Stage 2: Stage 1 applicants are invited to submit full proposals to compete for funding. The full proposals are evaluated and approved by the TCRC.
Applicants can apply for a 1:1 match of up to $150,000 in WRF funds.
Program Details
- Each TC proposal must be sponsored by a utility that has paid its WRF subscription
- Cash match is required in order to submit a proposal to the program
- WRF will provide a 1:1 match, up to $150,000, for every $1 in cash that a subscriber or group of subscribers provides toward the project.
There is no minimum in-kind contribution required.
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2024
- Per Capita Water Use Calculation (5335)
- Breaking the Forever PFAS Cycle: Recycle Stream Treatment to Reduce PFAS Loading to WRRF Influent and Biosolids (5337)
- Microplastics in Drinking Water Distribution Systems (5338)
- Artificial Intelligence-Based Early-Warning & Mitigation System for Harmful Algal Blooms (5339)
- Estimating PFAS Using Total Fluorine Methods in Influent and Effluents from a Pilot-Scale Adsorption System (5340)
- Advancing HTL Adoption: Integrating HTL Aqueous into WRRF Digestion Processes through Pilot Testing and Assessing Associated PFAS Destruction (5341)
- PFAS Removal: Comparison of GAC/sand vs. anthracite/sand prior to post-filter GAC (5342)
- Electrochemical-Driven Partial Denitrification Anammox (ePdNA) Process for Reverse Osmosis Concentrate (ROC) Treatment (5343)
- Investigating the Effect of Operational Strategies and the Role of Microbial Biomass for Extending the Lifetime of Granular Activated Carbon (5344)
- One PFAS: A One Water Approach to Managing PFAS Pollution (5345)
- Process Intensification and Decarbonization via Carbon Management: Pilot-scale Demonstration of the Triple A Settler Technology in Municipal Wastewater Treatment (5346)
- Practical Considerations for the Application of Phosphorus Recovery in Biosolids Utilizing Struvite-Based Mineral Production (5347)
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2023
- Determining the Role of Spectral Imaging as an Early Warning System for Presence/Significance of Algal Blooms (5266)
- HTL Aqueous Stream Anaerobic Co-Digestion and Ammonia Recovery to Enhance the Technical and Economic Viability of HTL Technology for Biosolids Treatment (5267)
- Lithium Treatment Strategies in Drinking Water (5268)
- Understanding the Factors Affecting PFAS Variability in the Potomac River Watershed (5269)
- Pop-Up Hyporheic Zones (PUHZO): A Novel Modular Technology to Treat Phosphorus in Urban Drool and Dry-Weather Creeks (5270)
- Balancing Carbon Management, Energy Production, Nutrient Removal and Densification (5271)
- Evaluation of Adsorptive Medias for Optimizing Siloxane Removal from Biogas (5272)
- RT-ddPCR for EBPR Biomonitoring (5273)
- Evaluating the Full-Scale Impacts of Densified Activated Sludge on Disinfection Efficacy; Connecting Water Quality and Disinfectant Dose-Response (5274)
- Characterization and Pilot Testing of Microwave Reactivation for PFAS-laden Granular Activated Carbons (5275)
- PFAS Fingerprinting for Source Identification Using Machine Learning (5276)
- Cal-Val Guide To Treatment Credits For Indirect Potable Reuse In California (5277)
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2022
- A Simple and Cost-Effective Alternative Analytical Method for Monitoring and Optimizing Chloramine Chemistry in a Distribution System (5215)
- Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) Rehabilitation Emissions Study (5216)
- Evolution and Characterization of Water Quality in Quarry Lakes (5217)
- Inactivation of Amoeba-Internalized Legionella pneumophila by UV-LED and Multi-Barrier Approaches (5218)
- Performic Acid Disinfection in Wastewater Effluent and CSOs in Context of Disinfection Byproducts and Future Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Viruses (5219)
- Sewer Methane Methods for Everyone (5220)
- Impact of Solid Stream Treatment on Microplastics in Biosolids (5221)
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2021
- Impact of UV Treatment on Microbial Communities in a Full-Scale Drinking Water Distribution System (5151)
- Identifying Service Line Materials without Excavation: Distinguishing LSLs from Non-LSLs (5152)
- Evaluation of Bench-Scale Methods to Predict Drinking Water PFAS Removal Performance of Ion Exchange and Novel Adsorbents at Pilot- and Full-Scale (5153)
- Autonomous In Situ Monitoring of Harmful Algal Blooms (5154)
- Developing Strategic Consumer Messaging for Microplastics in Drinking Water Supplies (5155)
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2020
- Post-Wildfire Distribution System Water Quality Impacts and Potential Responses (5106)
- Understanding Pyrolysis for PFAS Removal (5107)
- Acid+ Digestion (5108)
- Application of Finite Element Analysis in the Design of Large-Diameter Buried Pressure Pipes: Special Cases (5109)
- Filtration Process Control for Pathogen Removal and Climate Change Adaptation (5110)
- Stuyding the Fate of PFAS through Sewage Sludge Incinerators (5111)
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2019
- Managing Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) to Extend Asset Life (5069)
- Application of Nanobubble Technology in Water Treatment (5070)
- Demonstration of Progressive Carbon Efficient Nitrogen with Biological Phosphorous Removal in a Conventional BNR Facility (5071)
- Mitigation Strategy Plan for Direct Greenhouse Emissions from BNR Processes in New York City (5072)
- Understanding and Improving Reuse Biofilter Performance during Transformation from GAC to BAC (5092)
Please contact Mary Smith, Director of Research Services and Jian Zhang, PhD, PE, Research Principal with questions about the Tailored Collaboration Program.