The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative and German Water Partnership signed a memorandum of understanding in Munich on 15 September 2026, during the German-Emirati Business Forum held in the context of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s state visit to Germany. The organisations said they plan to cooperate on developing and applying sustainable responses to water scarcity. The agreement brings together a UAE initiative focused on advancing water solutions and a German network of water-sector companies, research institutions and experts.

The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative says it works to advance innovation and to test and scale water technologies. German Water Partnership connects expertise from across water management, including businesses and research bodies. The MoU offers a channel through which technology developers and applied specialists could work together. It sits within the Initiative’s wider remit of promoting innovation, international dialogue and practical water solutions for communities. The announcement does not name companies or research groups that will participate in any work under this agreement.

The partners named four potential areas for collaboration: innovative responses to water scarcity; sustainable desalination, water reuse and wastewater treatment; more efficient water management in industry and agriculture; and digital solutions for monitoring, management and system efficiency. The list spans water supply and use. Desalination and reuse can add or recover resources, while efficient use and monitoring can help operators understand consumption. These are subjects for exploration under the MoU; no specific plant, farm trial, digital system or supplier was announced.

The agreement also points to knowledge exchange, technical dialogue, testing, demonstration and possible deployment. That outlines a potential progression from sharing expertise to assessing and trialling suitable solutions, with deployment subject to later evaluation. The organisations have not announced a schedule, budget, project target or pilot locations. The announcement is not a procurement contract and does not confirm that a particular technology will be selected. Ayesha Al Ateeqi, chief executive of the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, said partnerships are needed to connect promising technologies with expertise and opportunities for practical impact. German Water Partnership managing director Boris Greifeneder pointed to the breadth of German water-sector capabilities and the opportunity to connect them with needs in other markets.