Utrecht University & King Abdullah University Of Science And Technology (KAUST)

The Center-in-Development for SOIL, WATER and COASTAL RESOURCES - SOWACOR- was a multi disciplinary Institute in Utrecht.

The extended project duration was 3.5 years: 1 July 2008 until 31 December 2011.

SOWACOR aimed to

H.E. Minister Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Chairman, KAUST Board of Trustees (second from right), recognizes KAUST Centers-in-Development grant recipient Dr. Philippe Van Cappellen, professor, Department of Earth Sciences - Geochemistry, Utrecht University, alongside Professor Choon Fong Shih, president designate, KAUST (left) and Mr. Nadhmi Al-Nasr, interim president, KAUST (right) at the GRP Technical Symposium awards ceremony in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 27, 2008.
  • provide an open platform where society, environment, economy and science interact on issues related to the sustainable use of soil, water and coastal resources,
  • advance the process-based understanding and predictive modeling of the impact of human activity on the functioning of soils, aquatic environments and the coastal environment,
  • develop new technologies for de-contamination of soil and water resources,
  • train scientists and engineers able to tackle complex, multi-disciplinary environmental issues, such as those involved in soil and groundwater contamination or coastal eutrophication, and
  • build a world-class infrastructure for environmental research within the SOWACOR home institutions and on the KAUST campus.