Karst Waters Institute

The Karst Waters Institute describes itself as a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to improve understanding of karst water systems among professionals and the public. It is run by a board of directors, has no membership, and works by initiating and coordinating research, sponsoring conferences and workshops and publishing scientific works; it does not give grants directly to individual researchers ^[1].

Its stated goals are to hold small conferences that advance karst science, to recognise outstanding research through the KWI Karst Award and a book series, to support graduate students through the Wilson scholarship, and to provide public educational material about karst, caves, sinkholes and karst groundwater. In 2026 it ran a webinar series on topics including subterranean biodiversity and groundwater storage in karst ^[1][2]. KWI is a useful entry point for divers who want the scientific literature behind the caves they visit rather than a diving organisation.