The state of Arizona will invest $40 million dollars in the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative (AWII), an actionable, multi-year plan led by Arizona State University that will provide immediate, evidence-based solutions to secure the state’s water future.

In conjunction with ASU, Gov. Doug Doug Ducey announced the initiative will “take advantage of the long history of collaboration on water solutions in the state and region.”

“On the heels of our historic legislation to secure our water future, ASU will serve as a force multiplier to enhance our water resiliency. Arizona has a great resource in ASU and the leadership of President Michael Crow to respond with force when called upon to advance work that serves the state,” Ducey in a statement. “From the Central Arizona Project to the landmark Groundwater Management Act, to the Arizona Drought Contingency Plan, leaders in Arizona have looked ahead to future generations and taken action to ensure that our growing state has the water it needs to thrive.”

University researchers, led by the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Lab, will work directly with partners across government, industry, and nonprofit organizations to ensure leading-edge research and technology are translated into substantial impacts for Arizonans.

“The Arizona Water Innovation Initiative is designed first and foremost to take advantage of the intellectual capital, and innovative technology created at the University and to translate that into solutions to help secure Arizona’s water future as that is central to every other metric of success to the state,” said Dr. Dave White, lead researcher and project manager of AWII, director of the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation within the Global Futures Lab, and associate vice president for research advancement in ASU Knowledge Enterprise.

White said that AWII is rooted in ASU’s charter – “taking fundamental responsibility for the community around us.”

“It is always the case that the ASU charter frames and inspires the work we do. Securing our water future is essential to economic development, environmental and conservation, and every social issue important to our state,” White said. “We see this initiative as an investment in our state; as one of public service and of use-inspired research – research that has public value, that contributes to cutting-edge solutions that address these critical challenges facing our state – we hope this opportunity will help the people of Arizona thrive.”