A first-of-its-kind official agreement has been signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to launch a joint Israeli-Emirati Water Research Institute in Abu Dhabi. It is being established as part of a strategic commercial collaboration between Watergen, Israeli water from an air technology company, and Baynunah, a sister company of Al Dahra Group, which is an Emirati agriculture group that specializes in food security. 

It will be working in close collaboration with the Mirilashvili Institute for Applied Water Studies at Tel Aviv University (TAU).   

Attending the signing ceremony were Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, owner and president of Watergen; TAU president Prof. Ariel Porat; Prof. Milette Shamir, TAU vice president; Amos Elad, vice president for resource development and public affairs division at TAU Prof. Dror Avisar, head of the Mirilashvili Institute; Khedaim Abdulla Al Derei, vice chairman and co-founder of Al Dahra Group; Eitan Na’eh, the Israeli ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and other senior officials. 

“Tel Aviv University has a strong commitment to excellence in research and to extensive international collaboration,” said Shamir. “Research at the joint water institute will build on our special academic strengths, and will open a path for collaboration with the UAE. in other mutual areas of research, as well as to student and faculty exchange programs.”  

Besides academic cooperation, Watergen and Baynunah laid the cornerstone for a Watergen production facility in the UAE. This joint venture will commercialize Watergen products in the UAE, the Gulf States, and Africa. The joint venture has already been collaborating with the Abu Dhabi Municipality, leading to dozens of Watergen devices being already deployed around the city for the benefit of its residents, forming the initial stage of one of these joint venture missions, namely to deploy thousands of Watergen devices all across the UAE.  

Watergen’s innovative technology enables it to produce top-quality pure, fresh drinking water solely from the air. Watergen devices use a standard connection to electricity or other alternative energy sources such as solar panels and can produce up to 6,000 liters of top-quality pure drinking water per day. Today, Watergen’s devices are used in more than 80 countries and are located in remote villages, hospitals, city centers, public parks, schools, office buildings, and even in disaster-struck areas. The partnership between Watergen and Baynunah expands the commercial footprint of Watergen in the region while serving as a catalyst in strengthening the ties between the two nations.    

“The Abraham Accords has given countries in the Middle East the opportunity to improve and advance relations in various fields,” said Mirilashvili. “Thanks to the agreements, we – an Israeli company – are able to cooperate with our Middle East neighbors to solve one of the region’s difficult problems – water scarcity. Throughout history, conflicts have often been centered around controlling water sources. Today we are doing the opposite: building peace and a common future around a groundbreaking Israeli technology that will provide a plug-and-play solution that allows all residents of the UAE and the world unlimited access to off-grid, top quality, and pure drinking water.”