CRADA accelerates development of mobile, low-energy air-to-water systems for defense, disaster response, and climate resilience
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) signed a multi-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Tampa-based Genesis Systems to advance low-energy, air-to-water technologies that support resilient, mobile water systems for military and humanitarian use.
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Deployed WC-100M WaterCube delivers resilient, on-demand water generation during field operations, October 2025.
“Every year, millions of people suffer due to water scarcity or contamination,” said Shannon Stuckenberg, CEO of Genesis Systems. “This partnership is a leap forward toward making water available anywhere — sustainably and securely.”
What does the CRADA do?
The CRADA establishes a joint research framework to develop sustainable, point-of-need water solutions that capture moisture from the atmosphere—reducing the logistical risks and costs of water transport.
What technology is Genesis co-developing with ERDC?
The technology Genesis Systems will co-develop with ERDC through the CRADA will enhance the company’s flagship WaterCube™ platform, part of a category known as Uninterruptible Water Systems (UWS). Unlike desalination or traditional wells that depend on geography and infrastructure, UWS technologies generate water directly from air, enabling deployment in battlefields, disaster zones, or remote regions.
WaterCubes can also be hardened against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, shielded from electromagnetic disruption (including EMPs), and secured with Post Quantum Encryption (PQE), making them adaptable to contested environments. Genesis Systems’ approach captures moisture from the air and converts it into large quantities of usable fresh water.
What problem is this partnership solving?
Water scarcity is a growing national security risk. Traditional water infrastructure is fixed, fragile, and slow to adapt to environmental and conflict-related challenges. Our mission is to create a new water supply for humanity with the military – a fast-acting approach designed to save lives.
“There is a fast and a slow side of our water cycle – these technologies allow use of the faster, more sustainable side and remove the need for water pipes and transport. This represents a shift in how we think about water infrastructure: from fixed, vulnerable systems to mobile, resilient ones that can operate anywhere,” explained Stephen Lee, Ph.D., chief scientist at Genesis Systems and former Chief Scientist of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Army Research Office.
The CRADA arrives as governments and industries recognize water security as both a climate imperative and an investment frontier. UBS now highlights water as a key growth area, noting that global demand could exceed supply by up to 40% by 2030. As climate change, population growth, and infrastructure strain collide, water security is fast becoming both a risk and an opportunity.
How will this technology be used by the military and civilians?
- For military units, the ability to generate water at the point of need can reduce dependency on resupply convoys or pipelines. It increases freedom of maneuver, extends endurance in the field, and lowers the risks associated with resupply.
- For civilian contexts, the technology has already proven valuable. In 2024, during Hurricane Milton, the State of Florida deployed a WaterCube unit to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital where water infrastructure had failed. The system provided an uninterrupted supply, preventing an estimated $10 million in business interruptions.
- The technology is a bridge between defense resilience and civilian relief, with applications ranging from humanitarian aid to commercial infrastructure security.
What other partnerships does Genesis have with the military?
The ERDC collaboration follows Genesis’s long-standing engagement with the Department of Defense. Recently, the company was awarded a $2 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) by the U.S. Air Force, in partnership with AFWERX and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), to accelerate WaterCube deployment worldwide. Together, these efforts highlight how defense-driven innovation can accelerate global water security and climate resilience.
Learn more about the growing global water crisis and how Genesis Systems is pioneering technology to solve it at genesissystems.com.
About Genesis Systems
Genesis Systems LLC, based in Tampa, Florida, is a technology company that pioneers advanced water–food–energy solutions for defense, humanitarian, and commercial use. Its flagship innovations enable resilient, sustainable water supply at the point of need, advancing security and infrastructure independence worldwide. Genesis closed a Series A funding round in late 2024, placing it among the top fundraising water-tech startups globally. For more information, visit genesissystems.com.
For more information about ERDC, visit https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/.
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“Every year, millions of people suffer due to water scarcity or contamination,” said Shannon Stuckenberg, CEO of Genesis Systems. “This partnership is a leap forward toward making water available anywhere — sustainably and securely.”
Contacts
Media contact: genesis@piercom.com