Khalifa University registers 1,398 students for Global Water Hackathon ahead of UN conference
Khalifa University’s Centre for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology has enrolled 1,398 students from 56 countries in the Khalifa University–UNESCO Global Water Hackathon 2026, linking youth-led innovation to the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi.
Youth teams to feed solutions into the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi
Khalifa University of Science and Technology has confirmed the registration of 1,398 university students, organised into 238 teams from 56 countries, for the Khalifa University–UNESCO Global Water Hackathon 2026. The competition, led by the university’s Centre for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT), forms part of a wider set of initiatives that will contribute research, innovation and youth engagement to the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi.
The Global Water Hackathon runs from 7 September to 10 December 2026 and will culminate in an awards ceremony during the UN Water Conference, which takes place in Abu Dhabi from 8 to 10 December. The conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, is a major global gathering intended to accelerate action on water security and advance Sustainable Development Goal 6.
Participation is broad and international. The UAE is strongly represented with 266 students across 70 teams. Other significant cohorts include 124 students from Saudi Arabia, 91 from India and 86 from Pakistan. Egypt has 48 participants, Indonesia 33 and Singapore 27; the field also includes students from Australia (24), the United States (17), Germany (6) and five each from France, China, Thailand and Vietnam, alongside entrants from South America, East and Southeast Asia, the wider Middle East and Africa.
Teams will work on six challenge areas aligned with the UN Water Pillars, addressing topics such as water security, desalination, water reuse and circularity, digital and AI-enabled systems, water quality and public health, as well as environmental protection, climate resilience, governance and cooperation. Selected teams will move from ideation into a structured development phase, supported by academic advisers, technical specialists and industry mentors to validate and refine proposals.
The hackathon is linked to Khalifa University’s broader efforts, including Youth4Water and the UNESCO Chair on Global Water Resilience, Innovation and Sustainable Solutions, to create pathways that connect young innovators with researchers, industry and the international water community. Finalists will be invited to Abu Dhabi to pitch their projects on-site and present to an international audience at the UN Water Conference.
Professor Shadi W. Hasan, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Global Water Resilience, Innovation and Sustainable Solutions, Chair of the Youth4Water Advisory Board, Chair of the Global Water Hackathon, and Director, CMAT, Khalifa University, said the initiative aims to generate evidence-based proposals that can be seriously evaluated by researchers, policymakers and industry. He stressed the importance of matching technical performance with considerations of infrastructure, regulation, economics and community needs to produce solutions that can be adopted beyond the competition.
Prizes include the Khalifa University–UNESCO Water Innovation Award, six Best Theme Awards and three Strategic Recognition Awards focusing on UAE water priorities, climate and environmental resilience, and industry adoption potential.
Source: WAM