Operational Plan · Draft for discussion
Mortenson Center & UNU-INWEH Operational Plan
Planned deliverables under the Memorandum of Understanding on Academic Collaboration
DRAFT · SEPTEMBER 2026 · FOR REVIEW BY THE FOCAL POINTS OF BOTH INSTITUTES
Agreement
Memorandum of Understanding on Academic Collaboration between UNU-INWEH and the Regents of the University of Colorado, on behalf of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience
CU Boulder
Signed. Evan Thomas, Director, Mortenson Center (August 27, 2026); Ann Huff Stevens, Provost (August 28, 2026)
UNU-INWEH
Awaiting signature. Kaveh Madani, Director
Term
In force on signature by both Parties (clause 14), for five years (clause 12)
1 Purpose
The MOU names the areas in which UNU-INWEH and the Mortenson Center will cooperate and the way they will consult each other. It does
not commit staff or funding (clause 2.4), and it leaves the terms of each joint activity to a separate written arrangement that sets
out the modalities and costs for each Party (clause 2.2).
This plan lists the deliverables the two institutes intend to produce, when, who leads each one, and which written
arrangement each will need before work proceeds. It is a working document for the focal points named in section 2. It does not
amend the MOU or create obligations beyond it, and the focal points will revise it as activities are agreed.
2 Coordination
Clause 2.1 asks the Parties to consult each other regularly on projects, methodologies, training, tools and resource mobilization. The proposed contacts and meeting schedule are below.
| Role | Mortenson Center | UNU-INWEH |
|---|
| Directors | Evan Thomas, Director | Kaveh Madani, Director |
| Focal points | Evan Thomas | Mir Matin, Head, Research and Training |
| Partnerships and events | To be named | Rohit Ramchandani, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Officer; Sogol Jafarzadeh, UN and Government Relations Coordinator |
| Agreements and approvals | Manuel Laguna, CU Boulder | UNU Legal Office |
- Monthly: a call between the focal points to go through the action list in section 4.
- Quarterly: a review of each deliverable and an update to this plan, including joint funding proposals (clause 2.1).
- Annually: a meeting of the two Directors to review progress. Clause 1.1 allows the areas of cooperation to be reviewed from time to time, and this meeting is where that happens.
3 Planned deliverables
The deliverables follow the three streams proposed by UNU-INWEH in September 2026, with a fourth for the pathway to UNU Hub status. Each corresponds to an area of common interest listed in clause 1.1.
Stream A · Open data and analytics
A1Global microbial water quality data portal
- Description
- A co-hosted, co-branded open data product on openwaterquality.org, built on the harmonized global dataset of fecal indicator bacteria in surface water: 11.1 million measurements (3.5 million of them E. coli, plus enterococci, fecal coliforms and total coliforms) at 198,461 sites from nine public sources, with records from 1898 to 2026. A data brief documents how the dataset was assembled.
- Current state
- Live at openwaterquality.org, where it also hosts the first policy brief (B3)
- Expected date
- Formal launch in Q1 2027, timed to publication of the companion paper, which is in peer review
- Leads
- Mortenson Center: data infrastructure and curation. UNU-INWEH: UN-Water positioning and engagement with member states.
- To confirm
- Which SDG 6.3.2 reporting conventions apply to fecal indicators; a visualization export for reports and presentations, requested by UNU-INWEH
- Arrangement needed
- Ownership of the portal and data brief, with a license to the other Party (clause 3.2); written permission to show each Party's name and logo (clause 5); hosting and maintenance costs (clause 2.4)
A2Earth-observation enhanced water quality risk layer
- Description
- Gap-filled global contamination-risk surfaces that combine the in-situ observations in A1 with Earth-observation and geospatial covariates (surface water dynamics, land use, livestock density, precipitation and runoff, population and sanitation proxies) to extend coverage to unmonitored areas
- Expected date
- First version in Q4 2027
- Leads
- Shared build. UNU-INWEH: Earth observation and geospatial modeling. Mortenson Center: the in-situ dataset for training and validation, and a share of the modeling.
- Arrangement needed
- Ownership and license for the risk layer (clause 3.2); staff time on each side (clause 2.4)
Stream B · Knowledge products
B1Flagship report on the state of microbial water quality
- Description
- A co-branded reference report on the global state of microbial water quality, drawing on A1 and A2
- Target
- One edition in 2027. The cadence of later editions is decided at the first annual review.
- Expected date
- Q4 2027
- Arrangement needed
- Ownership, license and authorship (clause 3.2); use of names and logos (clause 5)
B2Joint peer-reviewed publication
- Description
- Earth-observation and in-situ data fusion for global microbial water quality risk assessment
- Target
- One paper
- Expected date
- Submitted in 2028, once the first version of A2 exists
B3Policy brief series
- Description
- Co-branded policy briefs drawn from Stream A and Stream B outputs. The first, The World Cannot See Its Water (July 2026 draft, posted on the portal), covers data sharing and sampling frequency and accompanies the companion paper.
- Target
- One brief in the first year, then two per year
- Expected date
- First brief finalized and released in Q1 2027, with the paper
- Arrangement needed
- Ownership and license for each brief, agreed before publication (clause 3.2); UNU publication clearance
Stream C · Education, training and capacity building
C1Online Learning Centre course on in-situ sensing and digital MRV
- Description
- A free, self-paced online course of six to eight modules, about ten to twelve hours, assessed, leading to a UNU-INWEH certificate of completion
- Expected date
- Launch in Q3 2027
- Leads
- Mortenson Center: course content. UNU-INWEH: hosting on the Online Learning Centre.
- Joint certificate
- Once launched, it joins the UNU-INWEH courses that count toward the joint graduate certificate (C3)
- Arrangement needed
- Ownership and license for course materials (clause 3.2)
C2Executive short course for ministries, regulators and utilities
- Description
- Professionals from ministries, regulators and utilities take individual online modules of the joint graduate certificate (C3) without enrolling in the full certificate
- Expected date
- Fall 2027
C3Joint graduate certificate
- Description
- A joint CU–UNU Graduate Certificate in Global Engineering: 9 credits of Mortenson Center courses, including a required practicum with a UNU-INWEH co-advisor, plus at least three UNU-INWEH Online Learning Centre courses. Open to online and on-campus Graduate Certificate students and to current CU Boulder MS students. See the joint graduate certificate page.
- Expected date
- Fall 2027
- Arrangement needed
- A joint offering agreement, subject to UNU approval and CU Boulder academic governance (clause 2.2); UNU-INWEH co-advisors for the practicum (clause 2.4)
C5Joint graduate program concept note
- Description
- A concept note for the joint graduate certificate (C3), including a pathway toward a joint degree at a later stage. The deliverable in this period is the note.
- Expected date
- Q4 2026
- Leads
- Mortenson Center: Evan Thomas. UNU-INWEH: Research and Training (Mir Matin), with Rohit Ramchandani.
Stream D · Toward UNU Hub status
D1Pathway to a joint UNU Hub
- Description
- The two institutes will work toward UNU Hub status for the partnership in water, environment and health, building on the deliverables in Streams A to C
- Expected date
- Reviewed at the first annual review, Q3 2027
- Arrangement needed
- UNU approval and an agreement of its own
4 Near-term actions
Targets are proposals for the focal points to confirm on their first call.
| # | Action | Owner | Target |
|---|
| 1 | Focal-point call on the planned deliverables, the portal and the policy brief | Thomas, Matin | Week of Sep 21, 2026 |
| 2 | UNU-INWEH signature of the MOU, and where to announce it (UNU-INWEH's 30th anniversary celebrations have been proposed) | Madani, Jafarzadeh | To be set |
| 3 | Working session at UNU-INWEH | Thomas, Matin | October 2026 |
| 4 | Revised companion paper submitted | Mortenson Center | Mid-Oct 2026 |
| 5 | Draft arrangement for the portal (A1): ownership, name and logo use, costs | Laguna, UNU Legal Office | Q4 2026 |
| 6 | Finalize the first policy brief (B3) with UNU-INWEH | Mortenson Center, UNU-INWEH | Q4 2026 |
| 7 | Concept note for the joint graduate certificate (C3, C5) | Thomas | Q4 2026 |
| 8 | Scope of the risk layer (A2) and who models what | Both focal points | Q4 2026 |
| 9 | Renew the Online Learning Centre courses on the joint certificate list that close between December 2026 and December 2027 (INWEH-02, 03, 11, 16) | Matin | Q4 2026 |
| 10 | Confirm the CU Boulder approval route for the joint certificate as a 9-credit credential | Thomas, Laguna | Q4 2026 |
5 First-year sequence
Q4 2026
- MOU in force
- Working session at UNU-INWEH
- Portal arrangement drafted
- Paper revision submitted
- Certificate concept note (C5)
Q1 2027
- Formal portal launch and data brief (A1)
- First policy brief released (B3)
Q2 to Q3 2027
- UNU and CU Boulder approvals of the joint certificate (C3)
- Risk layer and flagship report in development (A2, B1)
- Online course launch (C1)
- First annual review, including the Hub pathway (D1)
Q4 2027
- Joint certificate and modules open (C2, C3), Fall 2027
- Risk layer first version (A2)
- Flagship report first edition (B1)
The joint paper (B2) follows in 2028. Dates for A1 and B3 depend on the journal's review timeline.
6 MOU terms that apply to every activity
| Clause | What it requires |
|---|
| 2.2 | Each joint activity is governed by a separate arrangement that defines its modalities and each Party's costs, after each Party's internal approvals. |
| 2.4 | The MOU commits no staff or funding. Any staff or funding is agreed in writing. |
| 3.1, 3.2 | Each Party owns what it develops on its own. Ownership of jointly developed work is agreed in writing for each activity, and the owner grants the other Party a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use it for the purposes of the MOU. |
| 4 | Personal data, including student records and any survey data, is handled under each Party's own rules. |
| 5 | Neither Party uses the other's name or logo without written permission. |
| 6 | Information one Party marks as confidential, or that is not public, is not passed to third parties without consent. |
| 8 | Either Party may end the MOU on three months' written notice, and the Parties then agree how to wind down ongoing work. |
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