Blue Gold, European Water Partnership Blog

With the launch of Blue Gold, the European Water Partnership (EWP) is creating a communication platform for the EWP, its members, the European water community, stakeholders and those interested in water at large.

Blue Gold is in important tool in achieving EWP's mission to be an action-oriented forum for all stakeholders including local, national and European governmental agencies, knowledge institutes, business, non-governmental organizations, public and private financial institutions, end-users and civil society groups. It constitutes a platform for exchanging views, finding solutions for water challenges in wider Europe and stimulating cooperation and partnerships.

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Singapore’s PUB agrees with Suez on cutting-edge research

Singapore’s national water agency, PUB, has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with SUEZ Environnement to collaborate on cutting-edge water research.
PUB will work with the French waste and water management company on research projects relating to filtration membranes for drinking water, water recycling, water quality analytics, waste minimisation and valorisation, and hydroinformatics.
The company will develop technologies in partnership with the national water agency, as well as offer water solutions tailored to the latter’s needs. PUB will also be able to participate in SUEZ Environment’s global research network, which comprises 120 international partners including universities, technical organisations and companies, and some 400 researchers.
The MOU was signed today at the Water Expo, one of the six key events at the Singapore International Water Week, a global event for the water industry.
The signatories were Mr Harry Seah of PUB’s Technology and Water Quality Office, and Mr Philippe Gislette, who is in charge of SUEZ Environnement’s R&D Centre. Mr Chan Yoon Kum, PUB’s Assistant Chief Executive (Water Supply), and Ms Diane d’Arras, SUEZ Environnement’s Vice President of Technology and Research, acted as witnesses.

Commenting on the MOU, Mr Jean-Louis Chaussade, CEO of SUEZ Environnement, said: “This agreement lays the basis of a partnership that should enable both parties to take advantage of each other’s expertise by developing a scientific and technological alliance that will generate synergies and create value in the water and environment businesses.”
With this agreement, the company further strengthens its commitment to research in Asia, a region where it aims to expand its expertise on major environmental issues. In April this year, it signed an agreement with Tsinghua University in Beijing, and in 2006, launched partnerships with Tongji University and the Eastern China University of Science and Technology, both located in Shanghai. 
To facilitate this latest collaboration, SUEZ Environnement will locate a representative in Singapore. It plans to set up an office in the country’s WaterHub, a facility devoted to water companies and organisations.
PUB’s Chief Executive, Mr Khoo Teng Chye, said: “SUEZ Environnement shares Singapore’s commitment to forwarding-thinking water research. With this MOU, we will be able to pool our collective resources in some of the fastest-growing areas in the field, such as membrane technology and water reclamation.
“We are also pleased to see this vote of confidence in Singapore’s water industry and its development as a global hydrohub.”
The MOU was one of several collaborations and deals signed during the Singapore International Water Week (23 to 27 June 2008), an annual summit, conference and trade show attended by some 5,000 representatives from governments, utilities providers, businesses and academia.