In March 2020, MEDRC and USAID launched an international research call on small-scale desalination, the Oman Observer reported. It sought concepts for a unit able to supply a family with little or no access to fresh water. MEDRC planned to award up to four grants of no more than 90,000 dollars each in 2020, split over two rounds. Alongside ran the Oman Humanitarian Desalination Challenge by MEDRC and The Research Council (TRC), offering a 700,000 dollar prize for a hand-held, off-grid device for use after humanitarian crises.
The report showed a deliberate counter-trend in desalination research: instead of ever larger plants, the focus was on devices for single households and crisis settings, backed by prize money and targeted research grants.
Source: Oman Observer