Origin, mission and current status of the CAWR

The International Water Research Alliance Saxony IWAS was a joint project of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, the TUD Dresden University of Technology and Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH as an entrepreneurial partner (funded by the BMBF 2008-2013). The excellent cooperation between the project partners in the field of integrated water resource management led to the idea of founding a water research center jointly initiated by TU Dresden and UFZ.

In October 2013, the Center for Advanced Water Research (CAWR) was established in the form of a strategic cooperation to combine the expertise of both institutions in the field of water research and to address key challenges in the water sector. As a network between university and non-university research and with a focus on inter- and transdisciplinary water research, the CAWR focuses its work on the areas of research, teaching and transfer.

"Ensuring safe water - i.e. water of good quality and sufficient quantity - for people and the environment" is the central mission to which the CAWR aims to contribute.

Founded in 2003 as a decentralized research institution at TU Dresden, the Dresden Competence Center Water (DKW) built on a tradition of more than 40 years of intensive scientific cooperation between civil and water management engineers and natural scientists. The aim was to further develop existing collaborations between TU Dresden Chairs and domestic and foreign partners in the field of water resource analysis, modeling and management. The Dresden Competence Center Water was merged into the CAWR in 2013.

In addition to numerous jointly acquired collaborative projects, a total of 5 jointly appointed Chairs (currently 4) at TU Dresden were established as part of the strategic cooperation. The Emerging Field Water Research as part of the University of Excellence is also a joint initiative of the two research institutions. During the term of the Emerging Field, the activities of the CAWR will concentrate on the core research areas of forest water dynamics under climate change and will be bundled under the umbrella of the Emerging Field.