Tailored Collaboration Program

The Tailored Collaboration (TC) Program is a matching program designed to support utility-specific/regional issues. It provides an opportunity for subscribing utilities to partner with WRF in regional research projects or projects that address issues of interest to a significant subgroup of WRF subscribers. The program receives 20% of WRF’s allocated budget each year.

Learn what others are saying about the Tailored Collaboration Program

How a taste & odor event prompted the City of St. Louis to turn to WRF's TC program

Interview with Curt Skouby

Learn about several topics the City of Calgary has addressed through this program

Interview with Calgary staff

Learn how a collaborative effort is investigating biofilter optimization

Interview with Gwinnett County (GA) and The Water Tower

Overview

Projects funded under the Tailored Collaboration Program are chosen annually through a two-stage competitive process:

Stage 1 - WRF issues a annual call for pre-proposals. Submitted ideas are evaluated and approved by the Tailored Collaboration Review Committee (TCRC).

Stage 2 - Candidates whose pre-proposals were approved in Stage 1 are instructed to submit a full proposal to compete for funding. The full proposals are evaluated and approved by TCRC.

Applicants can apply for a 1:1 match of up to $150,000 of 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.

Selection Criteria

Proposals are selected based on:

Topic breadth and applicability
Originality
Technical approach
Budget
Management plan
Qualifications of key personnel

Submitters will be notified by the second week of August about the outcome, and short-listed research teams will be given approximately 45 days to complete and submit their full proposals. The final funding decision will be made by mid-November.

Process

First, submit a pre-proposal according to the Tailored Collaboration Program pre-proposal guidelines. Those who submit the best pre-proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal.

View the Pre-Proposal Forms

Proposal Guidelines

Visit WRF's Proposal Guidelines page to access supporting documentation, deadline requirements, and information regarding where to send your pre-proposal for the Tailored Collaboration Program.

View the Guidelines