H2OTECH: AN EPA-AFFILIATED WATER TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CLUSTER IN ATLANTA SERVING THE SOUTHEAST US, FOCUSED ON WATER AND HUMAN HEALTH

H2OTECH is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in the CollabTech Incubator at Georgia State University in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, serving the Southeast US, a region of 60 million people using 65 billion gallons of water per day. H2OTECH began in 2015, partnering with academics, water industry, agriculture, tech startups, other technologists, and other stakeholders. Like other EPA-affiliated Water Clusters, H2OTECH supports commercialization of tech innovations, with a unique focus on water and human health. Examples include collaborations to finance early stage proof of concept research (e.g. SBIR/STTR funding), mentoring in market research and business acceleration, and support for networking in the water tech sector. At the 2016 White House Water Summit, H2OTECH committed to 2020 goals of doubling federal SBIR/STTR in the regional water economy to $5M/year, and growing the regional water workforce by 5,000 jobs.

Two tech firms provide examples of how H2OTECH is enhancing tech commercialization. NClear, Inc. (Atlanta, GA), developed innovative nano-technologies for phosphate sorption in ambient environmental deployments. H2OTECH is aiding NClear in connecting with southeastern industries with phosphate sorption needs, to develop specific applications to solve industrial problems. OzomaxUSA, LLC (Dahlonega, GA) is the US distributor for the Quebec-based tech firm Ozomax, which deploys innovative in situ nano-AOP/ozone generation technologies to eliminate chemical treatment in HVAC water supply systems while lowering use of water and energy. H2OTECH is pursuing discussions with large building owners to develop a local demonstration site in Downtown Atlanta to highlight the technology. H2OTECH is also partnering with Georgia State University to support SBIR, STTR, and other funding efforts by a number of other local startups.

The Southeast US has a robust water community, with strong science and policy groups addressing regional water challenges. H2OTECH complements those efforts by coordinating water tech commercialization to increase the rate at which innovations in the lab are brought to market to provide solutions to priority problems. These advances will not only address serious issues of water quality and quantity in the region, but will also contribute to technology-led economic development.