NEW YORK, 25th September, 2026 (WAM) -- The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, Dalio Philanthropies, Imagine H2O and XPRIZE Foundation have announced a new strategic collaboration designed to help promising water technologies progress beyond innovation competitions toward commercialisation, deployment and scale.
Announced in New York City during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), the collaboration will bring together the complementary capabilities of the four organisations to strengthen support for innovators addressing global water scarcity. Activities are intended to be supported in part through a multi-year grant from Dalio Philanthropies.
The collaboration responds to a persistent challenge across the water innovation ecosystem: while competitions attract new talent, incentivize breakthroughs and help promising technologies demonstrate their performance and potential, innovators often require further commercial, technical and ecosystem support to translate that progress into adoption at scale.
Under the collaboration, Imagine H2O will lead accelerator and commercialization activities for selected innovators, spanning market development, technical assistance for pilot design, testing and deployment, engagement with companies and other ecosystem stakeholders, and support to strengthen commercial readiness.
The programme will initially focus on innovators participating in XPRIZE Water Scarcity and Al Miyah Challenge competitions, connecting the performance-driven model with continued support beyond the competition itself.
Commenting on the announcement, Ayesha Al Ateeqi, CEO of The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, said, “Competitions play an important role in bringing fresh perspectives and creativity to complex challenges, creating the conditions for breakthrough innovation. But identifying a promising solution is only one part of the journey. Innovators also need the commercial capabilities, partnerships, customers and deployment pathways to turn technological progress into lasting real-world impact. This collaboration extends the innovation journey beyond the competition itself and creates stronger pathways for high-potential water innovations to advance toward commercialization, adoption and scale.”
Ray Dalio, Co-Founder of Dalio Philanthropies, added, "There is nothing more important to human survival than clean water and not having enough of it is an increasing risk. Supporting this joint approach from the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, Imagine H2O, and the XPRIZE Foundation to bring talent and technology to deal with this challenge is probably the best catalytic capital investment we can make."
Scott Bryan, President of Imagine H2O, commented, “Better technology alone does not determine which solutions succeed in water. Adoption depends on earning the trust of the operators and buyers who bear the consequences when something fails. For more than 15 years, Imagine H2O has worked alongside entrepreneurs, water utilities, industrial users, and growers to close that gap. This partnership extends that work to a new group of innovators, connecting promising solutions with the customers and institutions that can help them scale.”
“Water scarcity is a growing global challenge, and addressing it requires turning bold ideas into practical solutions that can create lasting impact,” said Anousheh Ansari, CEO of XPRIZE Foundation. “Partnerships like this are critical to the success of XPRIZE competitions, helping bridge the gap between innovation and implementation and accelerating breakthrough technologies toward market readiness. By bringing innovators, industry leaders and communities together, we can help transform promising solutions into scalable technologies capable of addressing one of the world’s most urgent challenges.”
Through the new collaboration, the organisations will also explore opportunities for wider ecosystem activation, knowledge sharing, case studies and insights, and additional jointly agreed initiatives intended to support progress from innovation to commercial application and deployment. The approach reflects The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative's broader focus on bridging the gap between innovation and large-scale implementation by strengthening the evidence, partnerships and pathways that promising technologies need to progress from lab to field.
The announcement followed Beyond the Prize: When Can Competitions and Awards Catalyse Change?, a closed-door high-level roundtable convened by The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative on the sidelines of UNGA81 and New York Climate Week.
The session brought together leaders from philanthropy, innovation competitions, accelerators, investment and industry to examine where prizes and challenges belong within the broader innovation and philanthropic toolkit, and what additional support is required to translate breakthroughs into lasting impact.