Joint research programs advance with UK, China, India

Israeli research took a couple of global steps forward this week with the announcement that local scientists will have a chance to work at state-of-the-art medical facilities in Britain, and, in another program, academics from India and China will be pursuing their investigations in the fields of science and linguistics at Israeli universities.

The British program is sponsored by the British Embassy in Israel and the British Council, and will grant up to 30 fellowships over the next three years to researchers who will work on a project to develop advanced regenerative medicine therapies, to cure ailments like heart disease, diabetes, and diseases of the central nervous system. The fellowships, worth up to £12,600, are a project of the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange (BIRAX) Partnership, a multimillion-pound bilateral research program that promotes regenerative medicine research, a biomedical approach to curing and restoring the functions of the human body, often using the body’s own tissues.

Commenting on the new project, Britain’s Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould said “the fellowship scheme is just the latest step in an ambitious program to promote scientific collaboration between Britain and Israel. We have already set up a UK/Israel Life Sciences Council, that brings together the very top life scientists on both sides.

“And this is only the start. We have plans to take this to the next stage, and to build links in neuroscience, nanotechnology, space and water technology. All of these are areas where both Britain and Israel are world leaders, and where there is huge potential that can be unlocked by us working together,” Gould added.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Education Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday welcomed the first group of post-doctoral students from India and China, kicking off a project that was announced last year after Steinitz visited China and India.

Speaking at a ceremony welcoming the researchers who will be working in Israel for the next six months, Steinitz said “the research and cultural relationships we are creating with the researchers are the foundation to expanding our relationship with India and China, and deepen the economic cooperation with these countries that is so important to the future of Israel.”