The British Council is proud to be partnering with the University of Bahrain to organize the 2nd Science Collaboration Symposium, this time under the theme: The Water-Food-Energy Nexus.
The Bahrain-UK Science Collaboration Symposium aims to build on the existing collaborations in scientific research, and bring British, Bahraini, and Gulf experts together for a dialogue.
The previous edition of the Science Collaboration Symposium was attended by 20 experts and scientists from Bahrain, as well as 8 UK Speakers from leading educational organizations as well as governmental bodies.
Note: Kindly note that the Science Collaboration Symposium is a by-invitation event. If your organization was invited and you’re interested, please contact your respected organization to nominate your participation.
theme of the year: water-food-energy nexus
The Water-Food-Energy nexus is a high priority research area for both the UK and the Gulf. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) leads on UK energy research in support of UK Government targets. It has been focusing on large-scale solutions to water scarcity. Fresh water in GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) is scarce and existing desalination technologies are incredibly energy intensive. A substantial amount of oil revenue is consumed annually to generate energy for seawater desalination. Rapid population growth and the desire to improve living standards (together with water pollution due to industrial use of water) are increasing water and energy demands. To secure the future supply of water and energy sources we must make use of alternative sources of energy and technologies.
The symposium will invite open discussions and investment in future interdisciplinary research to target water efficiency through emerging clean energy technologies, with the aim of forming UK-Gulf country long term collaborations. The symposium will also look into recent advances in desalination and water reuse technologies including the integration of clean energy desalination such as solar thermal desalination. We encourage early-career scientific researchers to present their stimulating research and ideas for knowledge transfer related to water and energy.
This Symposium, organised in collaboration by the British Council, the UK Science & Innovation Network and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
further information and enquiries
For further information about the Science Collaboration Symposium, Please do not hesitate to contact us
Phone: 17266166
Email: bc.enquiries@britishcouncil.org.bh
background information about bahrain
Bahrain is a country where 60% of its national income relies on oil exports. 88% of water in Bahrain is from desalination plants, using natural gas as the primary fuel. The total amount of energy used for desalination has been increasing over the last ten years and it is estimated that by 2030 Bahrain will have to import liquefied natural gas, and the cost of desalination will increase. On current projections, 78 million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be produced by desalination between 2013 and 2030. Additional costs to society include the impact of gaseous emissions to local health, climate change and the effect of brine discharges on marine ecosystems.
W. Al-Zubari, Energy, Environment and Resources, the Costs of Municipal Water Supply in Bahrain, Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 2014