NSERC Industrial Research Chairs are founded to assist universities in establishing long-term partnerships with industry, enabling:
 

• High-level scientific output
• Training of highly qualified personnel (HQP)
• Improvements to the well-being of Canadians
• Increased industrial competitiveness

The NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Drinking Water Treatment and Distribution at Polytechnique Montréal was established in 1992 and is currently in its fifth funding phase. The Chair's high-quality scientific output and close ties with industry have led to renewed partnerships with City of Montréal, Veolia Water Technologies Canada Inc., City of Laval, City of Longueuil, and City of Repentigny for the 2015—2020 period.

The two Chairholders, Dr. Michèle Prévost and Dr. Benoit Barbeau, are recognized as world leaders in research and development in the following areas:

Source protection

• Wastewater characterization
• Detection, occurrence, and fate of emerging contaminants
• Risk assessment
  ​​​​​​​

Water treatment

• Hybrid membrane processes
• Nanofiltration
• New generation adsorbents
• Chemicals with small environmental footprints
• Advanced process control
• Biological treatment and organic matter reduction
• Oxidation of emerging contaminants
   

Water quality in distribution systems

• Corrosion control
• Biostability
• Microbial growth, intrusion, and biofilm
• Legionella control
• Modelling
• Hydraulics and water quality

Since the Chair's creation in 1992, substantial numbers of highly qualified personnel (HQP) have been trained (12 postdoctoral fellows, 27 doctoral and 95 master's students). The majority of these HQP have found work in their fields of specialty in Canada.