Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Professor Hani Sweilem reaffirmed that applied research must support the Ministry’s priorities by delivering innovative, practical solutions to water management challenges. He also stressed that scientific research and innovation remain key pillars of the second generation of the Water System 2.0. These remarks were made during a meeting the minister called on Thursday to review preparations for launching the second phase of the Egypt-Netherlands Applied Research Programme (Water-JCAR). Sweilem directed that preparations for the programme’s second phase be based on an integrated model linking forecasting, planning and operation within the framework of the second-generation Water System 2.0. He also underscored the importance of sustaining the scientific partnership between Egypt and the Netherlands through the launch of the programme’s second phase, building on the achievements of previous cooperation and advancing applied research that supports the sustainable management of water resources.