Great Lakes ReNEW, an effort among Marquette University and numerous other industry, university and public sector partners has been awarded up to $160 million over 10 years from the National Science Foundation to develop and grow job training, new technology R&D and DEI initiatives for the water sector with an initial focus on Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio.
ReNEW is an ambitious plan to use inclusive, streamlined innovation; workforce development; and stakeholder engagement to drive a decarbonized circular “Blue Economy” that would leverage the region’s extraordinary water resources to transform the upper Midwest. ReNEW engages about 50 partners across six states and is being coordinated by Current, the Chicago-based water innovation hub.
“We are excited to be part of the Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine Leadership Team that will be guiding efforts in job training, DEI initiatives and R&D to develop the next generation of clean water technologies,” said Dr. Daniel Zitomer, chair and professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, and director of Water Quality Center. “We are delighted to team with Current and the other participating industries and universities to build a center that will keep our environment clean while stimulating economic growth in Wisconsin and the entire Midwest.”
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