Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel expressed strong support for the research collaboration in water management between the University of Chicago and Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is collaborating with the University of Chicago to fund nanotechnology research that aims to develop the materials and methods necessary to produce more clean water, and to make it cheaper, by 2020. The Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill., and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., will also contribute to the project.

The project was announced Sunday in Jerusalem during a meeting between Israeli President Shimon Peres, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and both university presidents. “Clean, plentiful water is a strategic issue in the Middle East and the world at large,” said BGU President Rivka Carmi.

“Chicago’s worldwide leadership in water management continues to grow as we invest in our water infrastructure, creating jobs for our residents and economic activity in our neighborhoods. I strongly support this partnership,” Emanuel said.