Delegation of vice chancellors from UK universities meet Israeli counterparts

A high-ranking delegation of British university vice chancellors met their counterparts in Israel on Wednesday morning to discuss joint academic activities.

The dons mixed at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel’s south and chewed the cud over research collaboration in areas such as hotel and tourism management, biotechnology and drug development, and sustainable agriculture.

The British delegation included leaders from City University of London, University of Reading, Aston University, Harper Adams University, Oxford University, University of Essex, University of Liverpool and Nottingham Trent University.

They met BGU professors in the fields of cyber security, geriatric medicine, biotech, public health, conflict resolution, chemistry and desert research.

“It was a great group that visited us today, sparking many ideas and ways for collaboration and joint activities,” said Professor Limor Aharonson-Daniel, BGU vice-president, who will travel to the UK next month to continue discussions.

Bilateral research and collaboration between British and Israeli academics has increased markedly since 2010, thanks in part to efforts driven by former British Ambassador Matthew Gould, who now heads the NHS’s digital team.

More recently, the UK-Israel Science Council and the Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Science between the UK and Israel identified priority areas for cross-border working, including nanoscience, neuroscience; regenerative medicine, agri-science and water science.