Institute objectives:
The institute aims to create conditions that will enable the members of staff to carry out research work, primarily funded by outside foundations, in the many areas of water industries engineering, including research projects that necessitate the use of laboratories and pioneer facilities. The institute serves as a framework which facilitates cooperation between researchers who are members of the college staff, and researchers from others research and academic institutions. The institute allows cooperation with various bodies, such as commercial companies and startup companies, who are interested in funding research projects carried out by, and in cooperation with, members of staff, including research work executed in cooperation with industry and researchers from the department staff. The institute will serve as a center of knowhow in the field of water industries, operates an information center and seminars, conferences and advanced training courses in areas relating to water industries.
Institute Members
Institute head: Dr. Ram Spinner – head of the Department of Water Industries Engineering, specializes in water and sewage treatment processes.
Dr. Ofir Menasheh – microbiology, specializes in microbiology of water and sewage.
Dr. Ran Sutzquarin – chemical engineer specializes in plastic substances.
Fields of Activity
1. Initiating and implementing research work through the institute members and their students, and integrating in research projects together with outside parties.
2. Enabling college students to work on their final project.
3. Conducting R&D and surveys for bodies in industry, the government and the public sector.
4. Testing new technologies, from the bench scale level, through pilot scale to the full scale level.
5. Conducting seminars, workshops, dedicated courses, study groups and national and international conferences on the institute’s fields of activity.
The Institute Institutions
1. The council
1.1 Membership: (1) 5 members of the institute who are members of the academic staff, (2) 3 experts from industry and representatives of NPOs and public organizations in Israel who engage in the water industries and water sector.
1.2 The council’s roles: (1) Discussions of the institute’s research policy and its development; (2) Decisions on expanding the institute’s areas of activity; (3) Fundraising; (4) Maintaining contacts with parties in Israel and abroad.
2. The steering committee
2.1 Membership: The committee comprises 7 members including the head of the institute, the dean of the School of Engineering, 2 members of the institute with at least 1 from the Department of Water Industries Engineering, a representative of the Israel Water Association and 2 representatives of industry.
2.2 The committee’s roles: (1) To lay out the institute’s policies; (2) Approving the institute’s budget; (3) Making decisions on various areas in which the institute engages; (4) Monitoring execution of all the institute’s activities.
3. The research committee
The members of the research committee are appointed selected, by the head of the institute, from the members of the steering committee. The committee examines, approves and supports the operational programs and research proposals that are conducted at the center. Research projects that involve members of staff are submitted by the staff members for approval by the college’s research committee. The committee carries out scientific control of the programs that are implemented.