WASHINGTON – Today, the Milwaukee Water Council was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Department of Commerce through the Economic Development Administration's Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge, U.S. Senator Herb Kohl announced. This funding will allow the Milwaukee Water Council, in partnership with UW-Milwaukee, to further job creation, water technology, and policy research in Wisconsin.  The partners anticipate that more than 100 jobs will be created with this funding.  In July, Kohl sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce supporting this grant.  

"In just a few short years, the Milwaukee 7 region has established itself as a globally-significant hub for everything water related," Kohl said. "The Milwaukee Water Council and  UW-Milwaukee are to be commended for their tireless efforts to attract the top academic leaders and the finest companies to our region, as well as lay the groundwork for the future through their business incubator.  It is critical that we continue to invest in partnerships like this one.  This funding will not only create good paying jobs, it will also develop the technology that provides clean water to the people of Wisconsin and the rest of the world."   

"This prestigious grant is great testament of the strong collaborative partnership that exists with the Milwaukee's water technology cluster," stated Dean Amhaus, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Water Council.  "This award will have a significant impact in further solidifying the region's global leadership when it comes to economic and talent development centered on water technology that addresses global water issues."   

Southeastern Wisconsin is home to over more than 130 water-related businesses and five of the largest 11 water technology companies have significant presence in the area.  UWM is home to the Great Lakes WATER Institute, which is the largest research center of its kind on the Great Lakes and the School of Fresh Water Sciences, the country's first graduate program of its kind.  

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, this EDA investment supports the development of the Research and Business Accelerator Center in Milwaukee. The Center will provide technical assistance to small and large firms in the region's water cluster by purchasing communal lab equipment for research, building an international presence for the Milwaukee water industry cluster, and acting as a "matchmaker" to serve global markets and commercialize research.