TZW is a founding member of the Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC), a global network of leading water research institutions such as PUB (Singapore), the Water Research Foundation (USA), Water Research Australia, the Water Research Commission (South Africa), among others. The coalition brings together international expertise to jointly develop solutions for key challenges in water supply.
In 2025, TZW was again actively involved – both scientifically and strategically. A highlight was the board meeting held at TZW, where Dr. Josef Klinger and TZW partners presented German research activities and national challenges in water supply. The GWRC’s main areas of work in 2025 were as follows:
GWRC Key Topics 2025
1. Water Quality & Emerging Contaminants (PFAS, TFA, Emerging Contaminants)
The coalition continued its intensive work on PFAS and other persistent contaminants – a topic of high global urgency. In addition, transformation products such as TFA and advanced analytical methods for monitoring micro‑pollutants were key areas of focus.
2. Sludge and Resource Management
One of the first major results of the GWRC Strategy Process 2025 was the establishment of a new international working group on sludge management, led by STOWA (Netherlands) and PUB (Singapore).
The group examines, among other aspects, the role of microplastics and PFAS in sewage sludge and their implications for agricultural use.
3. Resilient and Digital Water Infrastructure
Several GWRC members reported new developments in 2025 to enhance the resilience of pipeline networks, advance the digitalization of operational processes, and assess climate‑related risks.
4. International Networking
A key meeting of GWRC members took place in March 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa – held in parallel with the IWA Conference on Water Reuse.
TZW contributes scientific findings from German research projects as well as practical experience from cooperation with water utilities and authorities to the GWRC.
The GWRC report highlights the importance of global cooperation in the water sector. TZW will continue to actively contribute to the development of the research agenda in 2026 and further strengthen international exchange.
