Korea-UAE sign seawater desalination collaboration agreement
(from left) Masdar Technology Officer Alexander Richel, Global Desalination Research Center Directpr In Soo, Kim, Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement Representative Young-Hwa Yu
The Global Desalination Research Center (GDRC) at GIST and the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreement with Masdar, global renewable energy company in the UAE, to collaborate on seawater desalination.
The signing ceremony was held at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on May 31, 2015. Professir In Soo, Kim of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering signed on behalf of GDRC. KAIA Director Jae-Boong Lee and Masdar CEO Ahmad Belhoul also attended the signing ceremony.
Nine delegates from seveal institutions from Korea, such as the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, KAIA, Korea Desalination Plant Association (KDPA), POSCO and Hyundai Engineering & Construction, also attended the signing ceremony.
With the signing of the MoU, Korea and the UAE agreed to collaborate in energy-saving technologies, promote future collaborations and exchanges. Dr. In Soo Kim of GDRC said, “With this Mou, we will have opportunity to introduce our technology to the world’s largest market in the Middle East.”
Dr. In Soo Kim was also invited as a guest speaker to a seminar held at the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) in the capital of Oman, Muscat, during his visit to the Middle East. Ten countries, including Israel, Oman, Qatar and United States, attended the seminar and discussed developments in desalination technology. Participants exchanged views on collaborations and discussed possible areas of future cooperation.