Israel Academy of Sciences UK’s Royal Society sign agreement for exchange program

Twelve to 15 young scientists will study in Israel and Great Britain under program.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Weizmann Institute of Science. (photo credit: MICHAEL JACOBSON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Weizmann Institute of Science.
(photo credit: MICHAEL JACOBSON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Twelve to 15 young scientists will study in Israel and Great Britain under a scholarship program just finalized in London by the Israel Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society.
The accord, worth £1 million over the next five years, renews an agreement reached by the two science academies in 1967.
Postdoctoral students at the beginning of their academic careers who come from the two countries will be chosen for an exchange program, according to the signatories, Israel academy president Prof. Ruth Arnon and Sir Paul Nurse, a geneticist and president of the Royal Academy, with support from the Kohn International Fellowships. The aim is to strengthen the ties among scientists in the two countries.
Postdoctoral students will work in the other country for up to two years each and take part in conferences and workshops in which veteran scientists from Israel and Britain will participate.
Nurse said at the ceremony late last week that “international cooperation is vital for the advancement of science.
For Britain, which is a leading force in science, it was important to bring the best from around the world to work there. It not only increases scientific know-how but also contributes to culture and economics.” He added that he is “grateful to the Kohn Foundation, which made this cooperation possible.”
Arnon, a veteran scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, added that “since science is an international language of bridging, based on cooperation among scientists from around the world, the academy regards the existence and promotion of ties as one of its main tasks. There is no doubt that the Royal Society is one of the most important among them, thus we see this accord as a significant milestone in Israel’s scientific connections. Such an agreement with Britain is especially important in these stormy times,” Arnon said.