Two private companies in the UAE signed agreement with two companies in Israel Agreement is to develop research and technology to combat COVID-19 DUBAI: Two private companies in the UAE have signed an agreement with two companies in Israel to develop research and technology to combat COVID-19. The deal was made “in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessity of strengthening international cooperation and pursuing coordinated efforts in the fields of research, development, and technology in service of humanity,” the UAE state news agency WAM said. “This scientific and medical agreement forms part of constructive cooperation aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the health of the region’s peoples.”