UNLV-based startup WAVR Technologies is one of just eight emerging tech companies from throughout the Southwest to earn an innovation grant as part of the Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine (SWSIE), a National Science Foundation-supported initiative that is tackling regional environmental challenges.

Launched in early 2024, SWSIE unites academic, community, nonprofit and industry partners across Nevada, Arizona, and Utah to create a regional economic and workforce development ecosystem in the Southwest. UNLV is one of the engine’s core partners.

WAVR Technologies launched in 2024 and has developed a novel approach to atmospheric water harvesting that has proven effective in even low-humidity environments. Born from NSF-funded research at UNLV’s Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, this water distillation process can be continuously operated and run on numerous energy sources — solar, traditional grid power, or waste heat.
 
The SWSIE award will advance WAVR’s prototype to commercial applications, attract additional investment, and forge new partnerships for testing.
 
More than 215 applicants from 16 states vied for a total of $1.5 million in innovation grants, which support the transition from proven model or prototype to commercialization. 
 
The eight companies are either based in or are piloting projects in Arizona, Nevada and Utah, and are advancing sustainability solutions in industries ranging from semiconductor manufacturing and solar power to mining and atmospheric water harvesting. WAVR and other grant awardees will be pitching their companies to investors in SWSIE’s network at the engine’s Innovation Summit, slated for May 21-22 in Las Vegas.