Amman 11 May 2017 – Mutah University and the Arab Potash Company (APC) signed on Thursday 11 May at APC head Office a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for promoting applied research, industrial technologies, water desalination, surface and groundwater management, and environmental monitoring in Jordan. The MOU was signed by Mutah University President Professor Thafer Assaraira and APC President and CEO Brent Heimann.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Brent Heimann said that this MOU aims to promote cooperation between educational institutes and industry in developing solutions to the problems that face industry. This cooperation will achieve the double advantage of enhancing the abilities of Jordanian students in applied research and problem solving in key areas and under real life conditions. This means improving the standards of education in applied sciences in Jordan and also raising the market value of students.

Professor Assaraira also commented that we admired the positive role and continuous support that we received from APC, as they had generously supports many projects inside our compass as WIFI network, Camera system and electronic gates etc., those were very improving the teaching environment and our students. He also elaborates that this MoU will go further important step forward through instituitional and subjective manner to do essential practical research project with APC in order to help solving their industrial problems and developing their production processes. As Mutah university has more than 600 faculty members, they are researchers in a wide range of fields that covers all the company needs for its production and research and training needs too.

Prof. Tayel El-Hasan, Director of Prince Faisal Center for Dead Sea, Environmental and Energy Researches, explains that this MoU with APC is the first between the APC and Jordanian university, and the next steps will be site visit of our researchers to the factory and brines at Ghor Al-Safi in order to see in reality the industrial, water and environmental problems, as well the technical and administrative training needs of the APC employee. Then nucleation of research teams formation in which a specific proposals will be submitted to APC side for approval and financial support. The MoU covers many practical research issues such as water, environment, energy, industrial processes and training, beside the cooperation through the use of Mutah university available instrumental chemical laboratories and engineering workshops in APC research and development.