Water Institute, Deltares USA Form Research Partnership

The Water Institute of the Gulf and Deltares USA Inc. have signed a memorandum of agreement to partner on research related to water management projects, coastal modeling applications and international projects.

The agreement does not create a financial relationship. Rather, it specifies both organizations’ commitment to collaborate on opportunities that are mutually beneficial and that provide value to communities in Louisiana and around the world.

Leaders of both organizations say the partnership will contribute to the improvement of coastal and river water resource management efforts around the country and worldwide.

“We’re extremely excited to add Deltares to our strong network of partners. Their expertise will add valuable capacity to efforts to meet challenges and develop solutions here in Louisiana and around the world,” says Chip Groat, Ph.D., president and CEO of The Water Institute. “Deltares is a global leader in this research, and we’re excited to have the chance to share knowledge and expertise between our respective teams.”

Toon Segeren, Ph.D., president of Deltares USA, calls the agreement “transformative” in its potential for combining the abilities of researchers throughout the world. “The Water Institute shares a number of interests with our organization, and we’re delighted to be able to work together,” Segeren says. “We support The Water Institute’s goal of sharing research for the benefit of everyone worldwide. Deltares Netherlands has a long-standing tradition of openness and transparency and our principle of ‘dare to share’ is evident in our open source software and models policy.”

Dr. Groat says the partnership will provide opportunities to explore and enhance shared interests, including integrated water resource management, development of coastal modeling capabilities, research focused on subsidence, and creating software and tools to assist with data management efforts.

Dr. Groat and members of The Water Institute board of directors recently returned from The Netherlands, where they toured Deltares’ facilities and regional water management projects throughout the coastal area. They also participated in presentations on related scientific issues and met with experts from the scientific and academic communities. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation provided the grant enabling The Water Institute’s coordination and participation.

Other participants in the trip included representatives of Louisiana State University, Tulane University, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s office, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office and the University of Singapore.

The agreement creates a research partnership between The Water Institute and Deltares USA Inc., which operates in close collaboration with Deltares Netherlands, an independent research institute, and a global leader in applied research in the field of water, subsurface and infrastructure.

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Press Release, June 21, 2013