Ben-Gurion and Bristol universities agree 'ground-breaking collaboration'

Israel and British institutions will work on cutting-edge cyber security with a special focus on 'smart cities'

Israeli and British university researchers have agreed to collaborate on cutting edge cyber security and Artificial Intelligence work with a special interest in “smart cities” and the networks that support them.

The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the University of Bristol pledged to work together on a formal basis after a successful series of joint research projects between BGU’s Prof Yaron Wolfsthal and Bristol’s Prof Dimitra Simeonidou.

Both institutions, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding late last week, are world leaders in the fields, with Bristol pioneering research to support the 5G telecoms roll-out and BGU working with IT giant IBM on smart city design.

BGU vice-president Limor Aharonson-Daniel said the formal collaboration would include bidding for joint research projects, organising joint lectures and seminars, and exchanging students, faculty and staff.

The tie-up seems complimentary – Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab specialises in optical and wireless communications including cloud computing and storage, whereas Wolfsthal is head of the IBM Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in Be’er Sheva.

“This ground-breaking research collaboration between two outstanding universities positions the UK and Israel at the leading edge of cyber security and AI research world-wide,” said British Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan. “It reaffirms the close connection between British and Israeli academic communities.”