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The Strategic Research Plan (SRP) [Adobe acrobat
file, 24 pages, 227kb] documents the
research planning strategy used to advance the Foundation’s mission
and vision. It is an integral part of the Foundation’s
overall strategic plan.
The SRP identifies near-term issues—needs, challenges and opportunities
for improvement—as well as longer-term trends that will affect Foundation
subscribers and the drinking-water community as a whole.
The SRP is used by Foundation staff and volunteers in developing
the research agenda for
AwwaRF’s Solicited
Research program. It is also used by
researchers to help develop their own research ideas for
submission to the Foundation, and by Foundation staff and
volunteers to prioritize and
evaluate these proposals. It informs Foundation stakeholders
of research priorities and goals so that they may provide
input to the process. The
issues and trends identified by the SRP serve as the starting
point for the development of specific research projects.
The SRP is developed and updated under the direction of the Research
Advisory Council, with input from the chairs of the Unsolicited
Proposal Review Committee and Tailored
Collaboration Review Committee. The SRP is also reviewed by
the Public Council
on Drinking Water Research. The SRP typically is revised annually
to accommodate input from these and other councils and
committees that operate on annual
cycles.
Four strategic research goals provide the basis for identifying research
needs, developing research programs, exploring opportunities for partnerships,
and implementing research results:
• Efficient and Customer Responsive Organization
Develop and optimize organizational systems and processes to help water
utilities be efficient, effective, and customer-responsive organizations.
• Environmental Leadership
Provide research to help water utilities demonstrate environmental leadership
through protection and sustainable use of water resources, development
of alternative water sources, and proper management of residuals.
• High-Quality Water
Provide research to help water utilities, through effective treatment,
distribution system management, and monitoring, deliver high-quality
water that ensures public health and safety and exceeds expectations
for aesthetics.
• Infrastructure Reliability
Provide research to help water utilities achieve and optimize infrastructure
reliability to ensure a continuous, safe, and uninterrupted supply
to
customers.
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