IGUDAN, the Dan Region Association for Environmental Infrastructure, and the national water company Mekorot will establish a National Center for Water Education and Innovation at the Shafdan wastewater treatment complex near Rishon LeZion, with doors set to open in 2026, the partners announced this week.
Planned as part of IGUDAN’s technology incubator, the 2-dunam (0.5-acre) campus will house advanced laboratories, training rooms, and co-working spaces where academics, engineers, and start-ups can test new approaches to water recycling, climate-resilience, and energy efficiency.
Mekorot expects to invest up to NIS 15 million ($4 m.) in the first phase and will use the site as a “beta” field for pilots in AI-based infrastructure mapping, cybersecurity for critical water systems, and low-carbon energy optimization.
“Israel is already a world leader in water technologies, and the Shafdan innovation hub will strengthen that status,” Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen said at the launch ceremony. “Water is life, and we will keep investing in infrastructure that supports the energy sector, agriculture and our Zionist vision.”
Mekorot chief executive Amit Lang called the project a “growth engine” that will “blend technology, academia and industry” and eventually export Israeli know-how to countries battling climate-driven water stress.
Gal Sharabi Damaio, chairman of IGUDAN, said the incubator would encourage “breakthrough research and start-ups” and nurture the next generation of water engineers. “I hope regulators allow further development on site so we can channel even more reclaimed water to Negev agriculture,” he added.
Treats water from approx. 2.5 million residents
Shafdan already treats wastewater from over 2.5 million residents in more than 20 central Israeli municipalities, recycling effluent for use on farms in the Negev and Arava deserts. The new center is intended to turn the facility into a global showcase for circular water solutions, just as climate change tightens water supplies across the Middle East and beyond.
The partners said the hub will welcome international delegations, host joint programs with universities and run accelerator tracks for early-stage companies. Start-ups now working with Mekorot will migrate their pilots to the site once construction is complete.
Construction is slated to begin early next year, with the first cohort of researchers and entrepreneurs expected to move in during the second half of 2026.