The Canadian Water Network (CWN) is a national nonprofit organization that is driving Canada's progress on water challenges. CWN connects researchers with water managers from both industry and government, to collectively identify and address shared needs. Areas of focus include protecting public health, ensuring that Canada has sustainable water infrastructure, and protecting Canada's watersheds and ecosystems. CWN's consortium approach to research encourages collaboration across disciplines and ensures that the right combinations of knowledge yield tangible results. The network's expertise is increasingly sought to inform water policy as well as improve water management and stewardship across municipal and provincial boundaries. CWN initiatives currently engage more than 100 researchers and 200 students across 37 Canadian universities and connect them with more than 100 partners from industry, government and non-governmental organizations.