Great Lakes ReNEW

What Great Lakes ReNEW does

Great Lakes ReNEW (NSF Great Lakes RENEW Engine) is a U.S. National Science Foundation-supported Regional Innovation Engine focused on catalyzing the circular blue economy in the six-state Great Lakes region. Its mission is to recover critical resources — energy, nutrients, and critical elements — from water while removing harmful contaminants, with an explicit emphasis on PFAS detection and removal and on repurposing pollutants for manufacturing use cases. The initiative is anchored by Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub that serves as the lead organization and operational home.

The technical program spans materials science, sensor development, and process technologies for resource recovery and contaminant removal, organized into R&D challenge areas covering selective separation, process technology, sensing and networks, and testbed validation. Great Lakes ReNEW operates four interlocking functions: ecosystem building across industry, utilities, research institutions, communities, and policymakers; use-inspired R&D with principal investigators from Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Purdue, Ohio State, and other partner universities; technology translation including startup support and a regional connected testbed network; and workforce development aimed at creating career pathways in water technology jobs.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. The organization received a $160 million NSF grant (Grant Number 2315268) in January 2024 and distributes programmatic funding across a partner network of more than 70 universities, national labs, utilities, corporations (Exelon, Dow, Whirlpool, Black & Veatch, Ingredion, Kubota, A.O. Smith), federal agencies (EPA, Argonne, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland), and consulting/legal partners (McKinsey, Mayer Brown, Brookings). There are no disclosed commercial products, pricing models, or customer billing arrangements; the core operating team is small (1-10 employees) and the broader effort is executed through partner institutions.

Name

Great Lakes ReNEW

Legal name

Great Lakes ReNEW (NSF Great Lakes RENEW Engine)

Website

https://greatlakesrenew.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Great Lakes ReNEW is an NSF-funded Regional Innovation Engine, anchored by Current in Chicago, that develops water technologies to recover critical resources and remove contaminants like PFAS across the six-state Great Lakes region. It operates through a 70+ partner coalition of universities, national labs, utilities, and corporations via a $160M federal grant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Technology Innovation and Circular Blue Economy

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Advanced Treatment & Purification Utilities (MF/UF, RO, AOP, UV) (EUANAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE), Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) Utilities (Advanced Treatment & Blending) (EUANAGAC)

Keywords

• Water technology innovation
• Circular blue economy
• Resource recovery from water
• PFAS remediation technology
• Water workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Great Lakes ReNEW is an NSF-funded Regional Innovation Engine that develops materials, sensors, and process technologies for critical resource recovery (energy, nutrients, critical elements) from water while removing contaminants such as PFAS. Its deliverables span four functions—Ecosystem Building, Research & Development, Technology Translation via a regional testbed network, and Workforce Development—serving water-intensive industry, research institutions, utilities, and communities across the Great Lakes region.

Product overview

Great Lakes RENEW (Recovery of Energy, Nutrients, critical Elements, and Water) is a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported Regional Innovation Engine anchored by Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub. It is not a commercial product company but rather an initiative focused on four core functions: Ecosystem Building (cultivating a collaborative cross-sector network), Research & Development (developing materials, sensors, technologies, and processes for recovering valuable resources from water while removing contaminants), Technology Translation (commercializing water tech through startup support and a regional testbed network), and Workforce Development (training people for water jobs). The initiative is funded by a $160 million NSF grant and operates across six Great Lakes states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Catalyze the circular blue economy in the Great Lakes region
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

37 partnerships are on record, tiered core and partner.

• Current (Water Innovation Hub)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent is the Chicago-based water innovation hub that anchors Great Lakes RENEW. Current serves as the lead organization for the NSF-funded initiative.
• Argonne National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing Principal Materials Scientist Dr. Yuepeng Zhang as Testbed Challenge Lead, with institutional partnerships through Argonne's research capabilities.
• Northwestern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing Dr. Eric Perreault (VP for Research) on Governance Board and Dr. George Wells (Associate Professor) as R&D Process Technology Challenge Lead.
• University of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing Dr. Joanna Groden (Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC), Dr. Brian Chaplin (Professor, UIC), and Dr. Susan Martinis (Vice Chancellor, UIUC) for research collaboration.
• University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Dr. Nadya Mason (Dean) serving on the Governance Board, contributing molecular engineering expertise.
• Cleveland Water AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization with Bryan Stubbs (President & Executive Director) serving as Challenge Lead, supporting regional water innovation.
• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Brian Perkovich (Executive Director) serving as Ex Officio on Governance Board, providing wastewater treatment expertise.
• ExeloncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Sunny Elebua (Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer) on Governance Board, contributing energy sector expertise.
• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Venkat Atluri (Senior Partner) serving as Board Chairman, providing strategic consulting guidance.
• Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university with Dr. John Lenhart (Professor) as Testbed Challenge Lead, contributing research capabilities.
• Purdue UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university with Dr. Linda Lee (Professor) contributing environmental research expertise.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university with Dr. Tianhong Cui (Professor) as R&D Sensing & Networks Challenge Lead.
• University of CincinnaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university with Dr. Soryong Chae (Professor) contributing engineering research capabilities.
• Marquette UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university with Dr. Daniel Zitomer (Professor) contributing water technology research.
• Illinois Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university with Dr. Dave Lampert (Associate Professor) contributing research capabilities.
• Sentry EquipmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Brian Baker (President & CEO) on Governance Board, contributing industrial equipment expertise.
• Burnt Island VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Dr. Steven Kloos (Partner) on Governance Board, contributing water sector venture expertise.
• ClayCocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Michael Fassnacht (President & Chief Growth Officer) on Governance Board.
• Mayer Brown LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Richard Assmus (Partner) serving as Board Secretary, providing legal counsel.
• Brookings InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with MarySue Barrett (Nonresident Senior Fellow) on Governance Board.
• National Fund for Workforce SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Amanda Cage (CEO) as Workforce Lead, contributing workforce development expertise.
• CAELcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Dr. Beth Doyle (Chief of Strategy) as workforce partner, contributing workforce learning expertise.
• Chicago Department of Water ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Randy Conner (Commissioner) as Ex Officio on Governance Board.
• TYLincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Andy Martin (Senior VP, Director of Technical Services & Innovation Center Americas) on Governance Board.
• Freshwater AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with David Weinstein (Founder & CEO) as Industry Consortium Lead, contributing water sector advisory expertise.
• 20 FathomspartnerTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner organization listed among the 70+ partners in the Great Lakes RENEW ecosystem.
• A.O. SmithpartnerTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner contributing water technology solutions to the ecosystem.
• Black & VeatchpartnerTechnology or IntegrationEngineering and construction partner providing infrastructure expertise.
• WhirlpoolpartnerTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner contributing consumer appliance water technology expertise.
• DowpartnerTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner contributing chemical and materials science expertise.
• IngredionpartnerTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner contributing ingredient solutions and manufacturing expertise.
• KubotapartnerTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner contributing equipment and technology solutions.
• S2G VenturespartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenture capital partner focused on food and water sector investments.
• U.S. Environmental Protection AgencypartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency partner through the Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center.
• Federal Reserve Bank of ClevelandpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Federal Reserve partner contributing economic research and analysis.
• Water Research FoundationpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch foundation partner focused on water utility research.
• World Business ChicagopartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development partner for Chicago and regional business development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Current (Water Innovation Hub): Current is the Chicago-based parent and anchor organization of Great Lakes ReNEW, serving as the lead entity for the NSF Engine. It directly operates the water-innovation ecosystem, commercialization pipeline, and partner network that Great Lakes ReNEW is built on, making it the closest functional peer.
• Cleveland Water Alliance: Cleveland Water Alliance is a Great Lakes regional water-innovation cluster and explicit Great Lakes ReNEW partner (Bryan Stubbs serves as a Testbed Challenge Lead). It pursues the same mission of convening industry, utilities, and researchers around freshwater technology commercialization in the same geography.
• ReNUWIt (Re-Inventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure): ReNUWIt is an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center focused on urban water infrastructure, treatment technologies, and resource recovery at universities including Stanford, UC Berkeley, Colorado School of Mines, and New Mexico State. It is the most direct academic-research peer to Great Lakes ReNEW's water-treatment R&D mission.

Broad incumbents

• Water Research Foundation: Water Research Foundation is the largest U.S. water-utility-funded research collaborative and an explicit Great Lakes ReNEW partner. It covers a broader portfolio of managed-research topics across drinking water and wastewater, overlapping with Great Lakes ReNEW's R&D priorities but at a national incumbent scale.
• Water Environment Federation: Water Environment Federation is the largest U.S. technical and educational organization for water-quality professionals, with a broader wastewater-focused membership portfolio. It overlaps with Great Lakes ReNEW's ecosystem-building and workforce-development functions at a national-incumbent scale.

Emerging players

• Imagine H2O: Imagine H2O is a global water-innovation accelerator that runs a startup pipeline analogous to Great Lakes ReNEW's commercialization function. Both organizations aim to scale water-tech ventures from lab to market, though Imagine H2O operates globally rather than regionally.
• WaterStart: WaterStart is a water-innovation cluster founded by the Las Vegas Valley Water District that connects utilities, technology vendors, and investors to commercialize water technologies. It mirrors Great Lakes ReNEW's testbed-and-commercialization model but is anchored in the U.S. Southwest.

Others

• Argonne National Laboratory: Argonne National Laboratory is a key partner and Testbed Challenge Lead for Great Lakes ReNEW, contributing materials-science and water-treatment research capabilities. As a U.S. DOE national lab, it is an enabler/collaborator in the ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
• Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII): CESMII is a Manufacturing USA institute and an NSF-adjacent federally funded innovation engine that similarly convenes industry, academia, and government around technology translation. It is thematically comparable as a model — though focused on smart manufacturing rather than water.

Regional players

• Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska is a research and innovation institute that drives water-and-food security innovation, primarily in the Plains and globally. It shares the academic-institute-meets-water-innovation model but operates in a different U.S. region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CurrentWater
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/CurrentWater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-lakes-renew

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes ReNEW