Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, led a delegation to Israel in the beginning of November with the intent of deepening economic relations between both states. One particular area Gov. Walker focused on was water technology, an area of economic overlap between Wisconsin and Israel. During his 8 day trip, the Governor signed an accord, between the Water Council of Wisconsin and the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, focused on increasing collaborative water research between both states.
According to the Times of Israel, the accord is focused on discovering and introducing new water technologies through the U.S. independent federal agency, Wisconsin’s National Science Foundation. This agreement is intended to give the foundation a presence in Israel and to allow it to promote science, health and welfare through collaborative efforts with the State of Israel.
An accord was also signed between Wisconsin’s Water Council and Israel’s Innovation Authority with the ultimate goal of pursuing research collaboration between Wisconsin and Israeli water tech companies to create new solutions for managing the water utilities in the U.S..
Governor Walker remarked on the economic benefits of such research cooperation,
“These partnerships will strengthen the sector in both countries,
and are expected to open new markets to water technology
companies in Wisconsin and Israel.”
Overall, such collaboration in the realm of water technology serves as a great example of how Texas can deepen relations with Israeli agencies and universities to expand its water conservation efforts. These types of pursuits would also allow Texas to learn more about diverse ways in approaching water management from a nation that has already been successful in implementing innovative ways of conserving and treating water.