MEKOROT WATER COMPANY LIMITED

Their core work

Mekorot is Israel's national water company, responsible for large-scale water supply, treatment, and distribution infrastructure. In EU research, they bring operational expertise in wastewater treatment, managed aquifer recharge, and water reuse — contributing real-world test sites and decades of experience managing water scarcity in arid climates. Their H2020 involvement focuses on demonstrating and scaling water technologies under actual operational conditions, bridging the gap between lab research and utility-scale deployment.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier period (2016-2018), Mekorot focused on physical and biological wastewater treatment — recovering phosphorus, bioplastics, and cellulose from treatment plants (SMART-Plant), and demonstrating combined natural-engineered treatment systems (AquaNES). From 2019 onward, their focus shifted toward water scarcity adaptation, aquifer recharge, and circular economy models linking industrial and municipal water systems. This evolution reflects a move from component-level treatment technologies toward system-level water resource management under climate stress.

Mekorot is moving toward integrated water-cycle management — combining reuse, aquifer recharge, and industrial symbiosis — making them increasingly relevant for climate adaptation projects in water-stressed regions.

How they like to work

Mekorot consistently joins as a participant or third party rather than leading consortia, which is typical for a large utility contributing demonstration sites and operational data rather than driving research agendas. With 139 unique partners across 21 countries, they maintain a broad European network despite being an Israeli company. Their value to consortia is clear: they offer real infrastructure and operational scale that academic partners cannot replicate.

Mekorot has collaborated with 139 distinct partners across 21 countries, establishing a wide European network despite being based in Israel. Their partnerships span utilities, universities, and technology providers across Mediterranean and Northern European water research communities.

What sets them apart

Mekorot operates one of the world's most advanced national water systems in one of its most water-scarce countries, giving them unmatched practical experience in desalination, reuse, and aquifer management at national scale. For EU consortia, they offer what few partners can: a full-scale operational water utility willing to test and demonstrate research outputs on live infrastructure. Their Mediterranean climate context makes them an ideal validation partner for technologies targeting southern European water challenges.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AquaNES
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 486,895), demonstrating combined natural and engineered water treatment at operational scale.
• ULTIMATE
  Most recent project (2020-2024) representing their strategic pivot toward industrial-municipal water symbiosis and circular economy.
• STOP-IT
  Unusual topic for a water utility — cyber-physical security of water infrastructure — showing Mekorot's role as a critical infrastructure operator with security concerns.