Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Water Authority has estimated the market value of innovations and entrepreneurial projects in the water sector at around SR200 million ($53.3 million), all linked to local and international investors and aimed at enhancing water security and supporting sustainable solutions in the Kingdom, according to Tariq Al-Ghaffari, vice president for research and promising water technologies, speaking to Al-Eqtisadiah.

Al-Ghaffari said: “The authority works through a dedicated platform for innovators to transform research ideas into scalable investment opportunities,” emphasizing that the authority’s entrepreneurship sector offers innovators multiple options, including sharing patents with local and international companies to maximize impact and increase competitiveness.

Al-Ghaffari noted that the authority has successfully built partnerships with more than 20 local companies, which have evolved into global collaborations to address existing water challenges in Saudi Arabia. “Their solutions are now being exported abroad,” he said.

Jeddah conference

Jeddah will host the fourth edition of the Water Sustainability Innovation Conference from December 8 to 10, 2025, featuring 169 speakers and around 7,300 participants from 133 countries, including the US, China, Singapore, and the UK, along with Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Italy, alongside several Gulf and Arab nations.

The conference is considered the world’s largest platform bringing together experts, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the water sector.

Al-Ghaffari said more than 2,700 international participants are expected to attend in person, emphasizing that this number represents “only the beginning” given the global momentum the conference has gained.

Global innovation award

The conference will also feature the Global Innovation Award, which has attracted over 2,500 innovators from 119 countries, submitting initiatives to address challenges across six key tracks identified by the authority, all focused on critical issues in the water sector.

According to Al-Ghaffari, an international judging panel of six experts from six different countries will select the first-place winner, who will receive $100,000, along with a $250,000 technical development voucher to support the winning innovation through platforms operated by the Saudi Water Authority.

This extensive activity — from supporting innovation and opening markets to hosting the world’s largest water conference — reflects Saudi Arabia’s transformation into an attractive hub for advanced water technologies and a key contributor to shaping the future of water sustainability regionally and globally.