A dedication ceremony was held Tuesday morning at the Masada National Park Visitor's Center, for the Dead Sea Research Institute, in which Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian Authority scientists will work together to study the Dead Sea in order to find ways to rehabilitate it and the region around it. The institute was established under the aegis of the International Cooperation Ministry, which invested NIS 4 million. Additional partners are the Tamar Regional Council, Tel Aviv University, the Jewish National Fund and the Nature and National Parks Authority.
Studies carried out by the institute will concentrate on issues such as climate and environmental medicine and health; flora and fauna, environment, geology, archaeology and heritage of the Dead Sea; natural resource, environmental and community management and regional-international cooperation, as well as bio- and nano-technology.