Tel Aviv University, together with Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (TIET) in India, have agreed to jointly build a collaborative research center – the Thapar-Tel Aviv University Center of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing.
Professor Milette Shamir, Vice President of TAU, together with Prof Prakash Gopalan, Director of TIET, signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding at TIET’s main campus in Patiala, India, in the presence of Mr. R. R. Vederah, Chairman of TIET’s Board of Governors.
As part of the agreement signed between the two universities, TIET has committed to establish a TAU Chair Professorship who will lead the Center. Professor Noam Eliaz, the founder of TAU’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, will serve as the inaugural Chair Professor. The Center will draw multidisciplinary TAU and TIET research teams with expertise from all fields of engineering and sciences. Utilizing advanced research infrastructure, the center will promote cutting-edge research with industry applications in a wide range of fields, including biomedical, automotive, space and defense.
The new center adds to the already substantial partnership between TAU and TIET, which includes the Center of Excellence in Food Security headed by Professor Yosi Shacham, joint degree programs in life sciences and engineering and other forms of academic cooperation.
Speaking at the signing ceremony held at TIET on April 4, Professor Shamir said, “TIET is an important partner for TAU in India, and the new center will bring cooperation between our two universities to a new level.” Noting that 2022 marks thirty years of diplomatic relations between Israel and India, Professor Shamir said, “Academia plays a special role in the bilateral relationship. Through the building of knowledge bridges between students and researchers, we can generate substantial benefits for both countries.”
Professor Noam Eliaz, TAU Chair Professorship at the Thapar-Tel Aviv University Center of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing: “I’m excited and proud to be chosen by Thapar University as TAU’s representative to serve as the new Chair professor and take part in establishing one of six excellence centers for advanced production technologies, including 3D printing and unprecedented resource investment. I am ready for the challenge and hope to establish a leading center in India and in the world.”