Oman Humanitarian Desalination Challenge

MEDRC Water Research and The Research Council have recently announced the launch of a major new initiative in water research, the ‘Oman Humanitarian Desalination Challenge’. The challenge is a $700,000 prize that looks to deliver a hand-held, stand-alone, low-cost, desalination device suitable for short-term use and rapid deployment in the event of a humanitarian crises.

Access to clean fresh drinking water following a disaster is critical to health and survival. Current relief response measures often rely on transporting massive quantities of bottled water into the affected population or distributing water purification devices or tablets that don’t have the ability to rid water of salt. There is an urgent need for a desalination device that can be deployed quickly and affordably to people in need of drinking water in times of crises. Such a device would revolutionize humanitarian emergency response efforts in the aftermath of natural disasters.

The challenge will roll once a year for a period of five years or until the prize has been won. The challenge is open to any individual, team or organization from across the world who believes they have a product capable of meeting this need. The Oman Humanitarian Desalination Challenge is a joint initiative led by MEDRC Water Research and The Research Council Oman with funding provided by The Sultan Qaboos Higher Center for Culture and Science.

Are you interested in this challenge? Registration details will be announced shortly, so keep an eye on the website: http://desalinationchallenge.com/. More information and an introduction video can also be found there.