UK invites Israeli innovators to water summit

In an attempt to strengthen future water innovation partnerships between Israel and the United Kingdom, the British Embassy will be bringing 14 water technology companies to an upcoming UK water summit.

Leading the companies to London for the World Water-Tech Investment Summit will be the embassy’s UK-Israel Tech Hub, whose mission is to encourage technological partnerships between the two countries as a mechanism for economic growth, according to the embassy.

The companies chosen to participate are a mix of small and large water corporations with expertise in desalination, waste-water treatment, smart water management and drip irrigation.

“There is enormous potential for a partnership between British business and Israeli water tech,” said British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould. “Israeli water tech can go global through partnering with British business, and British business can get a global competitive advantage from partnering with Israeli water tech. There are huge synergies to be had. Whether it is Israeli startups teaming Britain’s world-leading engineering consultancies to reach their global clients, or enabling British industrial companies to treat their waste-water more efficiently and at lower cost, water-tech partnerships can deliver tremendous value both to Israel and to the UK.”

While the group is at the summit, Gould will be meeting with them as well as delivering opening remarks at Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Water Briefing reception, which is being organized in conjunction with the Israeli Embassy in London’s commercial office, the embassy to Israel noted.

The specific Israeli companies joining the delegation include Mekorot, Booky Oren Global Water Technologies, Kinrot Ventures, Whitewater Technologies, Applied CleanTech, Aqwise – Wise Water Technologies, RWL Nirosoft, Mapal Green Energy Ltd., IOSight, AGM Communication & Control Ltd., Top-It-Up, Netafim and TaKaDu, the embassy said.

Group members will attend a workshop together with British water professionals to talk about pursuing joint projects, and they will also spend a day with the Arup Group Limited – a London-based engineering, design and planning consulting firm – to explore capitalization of global water opportunities, the embassy added.

“To meet the needs of a global water market we need to explore innovative solutions throughout the supply chain,” said Mark Fletcher, global water leader at Arup. “We look forward to hosting this Israeli water delegation and identifying short- and long-term opportunities to work with Israeli businesses to deliver value to our clients.”