This award recognises projects challenging current practice to address the need for a sustainable future. Project outcomes must demonstrably add to the conservation or better use of water resources, knowledge of water technology, environment, sociology, economics or culture.

As leaders in collaborative water research, Water Research Australia supports innovation in the sector through long-term sponsorship of both the national and state-based Research and Development Excellence Awards.

WaterRA’s sponsorship will continue for the next three years, recognising research and development that has made a significant contribution to the water sector.

Entry for the R&D Excellence Award is at a state or territory level with nominations now open across most states in Australia. The awards are announced annually at events around the country calumniating in the awarding of the national R&D Excellence Award at the Ozwater’23 conference in Sydney.

“Research is the core of what we do and the foundation for innovation and growth in the sector,” WaterRA CEO Karen Rouse said. “We are delighted to be able to recognise the outstanding research that will take place across Australia now and into the future.”

Click here for 2022/23 closing dates and further information.

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The techniques developed in Australia have now been trialed in both low prevalence case settings as well as during the height of the Australian outbreaks and can be confidently adapted and applied in these scenarios in Suva, Fiji.

The project has been structured in a similar way to ColoSSoS Mekong, with SA Water providing both utility and laboratory expertise to developed tailored sampling and analysis protocols. Australian health departments will also be engaged in a formal capacity to provide tailored advice to Fijian counterparts.

The international work to date has seen the application of SARS-CoV-2 detection and analysis practices outside of Australia in the Mekong region, through the sharing of tools, protocols, and best practice skills, and knowledge. These wastewater monitoring techniques will remain relevant if new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerge globally, and current global and Australian research efforts focus on the identification of new strains in the community and ports of entry, as well as the quantification of proportions of these variants within community populations. Its use in Fiji will provide the heath agency with valuable information to make critical decisions to protect the community.

To date, Project Delivery Group have established working relationships between Australian and Fijian laboratory and utility partners. Health agency connections are currently also being established, and work is underway to specify laboratory equipment and consumables, some of which will be shipped to Fiji by the project team. Furthermore, tailored guidelines and protocols are being written for use by Fijian counterparts and first drafts of these are expected to be completed by the end of April 2022.

WaterRA’s continued involvement in these projects has provided our Australian Members an opportunity to elevate their international profile through DFAT-funded collaborations under the umbrella of the Australian Water Partnership. Furthermore, this sharing of Australian knowledge and skills supports Australia’s regional response to the ever-evolving Covid-19 situation, providing tools and strategies to help protect communities both in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

The post ColoSSoS work continues in Fiji appeared first on Water Research Australia.

Each month, WaterRA brings together experts from each of the state health departments in Australia and New Zealand meet to share their most recent experiences in the ongoing response to the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic. From initial sampling and analysis method development in mid-2020, Australian and New Zealand scientists and water utility operators work hand in hand with health authorities to gather, process, and interpret relevant and prescient data to inform the health response to emerging outbreaks, including new variants.

The post WBE methods continue to adapt to the changing landscape of the fight appeared first on Water Research Australia.