The Dresden Water Center (DKW) was founded in 2003 and based on a long-term tradition of scientific cooperation between civil and environmental engineering and natural sciences at TU Dresden. It aimed to develope existing cooperation between the chairs of TU Dresden with national and international partners in the field of analysis, modelling and management of water resources into a international center for water research.

In 2013 the DKW merged into the Center for Advanced Water Research (CAWR).