The Agriculture Department of the Peres Center hosted the Inaugural Inter-University Forum of "Nanotechnology in the Service of Desalination, Remediation and Purification of Water" at the Weizmann Institute for Science in December 2003. The forum was jointly initiated and organized by Prof. Samuel Pohoryles, Deputy Director General of the Peres Center for Peace and Dr. Uri Sagman, Manager of the Canadian Nanotechnology Alliance. Mr. Shimon Peres delivered the opening address of the Forum.

The meeting was attended by fifty-five participants, including various CEOs from nanotechnology companies, as well as their teams of senior scientists engaged in the ongoing nanotechnology research. Moreover, distinguished professors from the Weizmann Institute for Science, the Technion, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University, and the Agriculture Faculty of the Hebrew University were in attendance.

The subjects discussed at the Forum included: water protection and treatment with special reference to sea water and pollutant intrusion, nanotechnology and solar energy remediation of water pollution, nanotechnology for desalination and purification by improving pressure and electricity driven membrane process, nanotechnology in water treatment and reuse, and nanotechnologies to detect contaminants in waste water, industrial and urban pollutants.

Participants discussed and decided upon a road map to harness nanotechnology in the service of desalination and remediation of water by adopting the vision of Mr. Shimon Peres, who eloquently described the potential uses and challenges of nanotechnology in this conflict region.

Upon conclusion of the meeting, the participants agreed on the importance of inter-university cooperation, and within the framework of their research, also seek to include private partners.