India is the strategic precedence for
A delegation from Israel’s premier tutorial and analysis establishment, the Hebrew College of Jerusalem (HUJI), lately visited India to boost tutorial ties with varied Indian universities. Led by Prof Oron Shagrir, vice chairman for Worldwide Affairs, the delegation geared toward fostering analysis collaboration, scholar, and college exchanges, and sharing experience throughout tutorial disciplines.The delegation engaged with representatives from main Indian establishments similar to IIT Delhi, AIIMS, TIFR, IIT Bombay, IISc, NCBS, and IIM Bengaluru.
Professor Shagrir, what have been the important thing outcomes of your latest delegation to India and what areas of mutual curiosity have been recognized?
Our major focus was on deepening our understanding of Indian academia and fostering private {and professional} connections with main establishments in each the personal and authorities sectors. Given India’s spectacular development trajectory, analysis capabilities, and shared values with Israel, it naturally emerges as a strategic precedence for our college. Ranked constantly among the many world high 100, and with an enormous tutorial panorama spanning over 150 various fields of analysis, together with interdisciplinary programmes, we intention to formulate actionable plans for development throughout all collaborating establishments.
Highlighting our dedication to excellence in greater schooling, we actively promote superior postgraduate examine and analysis. With a mission to drive cutting-edge analysis, domesticate future leaders, and assist excellent scientists and students, we maintain a distinguished place on the worldwide tutorial stage.
May you elaborate on the precise areas of collaboration that HUJI is exploring with Indian universities?
By way of bilateral collaborations, we’re exploring varied areas with Indian Universities, together with partnerships with esteemed establishments similar to IITs, AIIMs, TIFR, and NCBS. These partnerships embody joint analysis initiatives, tutorial trade programmes, and collaborative workshops, fostering a sturdy setting for shared analysis endeavours.
Our collaboration with IIT Delhi includes an lively trade programme and a joint analysis scheme that has already funded 10 joint initiatives. Each Hebrew College and IIT Delhi are wanting to renew the settlement for joint seed funding and plan to publish a brand new spherical quickly. Moreover, HUJI will host visiting researchers from IIT Delhi in 2025, and our researchers will reciprocate the visits. The collaborations span various fields, together with medical robotics, local weather analysis, catastrophe administration, defence, AI initiatives, vitality, biotech, healthcare, agriculture and meals tech, quantum science, and nanoscience, with two researchers from the Hebrew College Local weather Science Middle visiting IIT Delhi in March.
Moreover, we’ve got signed an MoU with IIT-Bombay, which incorporates an trade settlement. Hebrew College and IIT Bombay have the potential to ship and obtain college students between our respective establishments and moreover will proceed exploring extra realms for analysis collaboration. As Israel’s premier complete analysis establishment, advancing science via elementary analysis lies on the coronary heart of the Hebrew College’s mission, and we make substantial investments on this endeavour.
There’s a vital overlap in our analysis strengths with the Tata Institute for Elementary Analysis (TIFR), significantly in Arithmetic. We intention to strengthen present collaborations and set up a joint workshop within the upcoming months. Moreover, we anticipate holding a joint workshop with NCBS within the fields of Genome stability, DNA restore, chromatin, and most cancers to additional improve analysis collaborations. This collaboration will even contain employees trade and visiting lecturers from each establishments.
How does the Hebrew College guarantee continuity of schooling in a war-affected area?
Our college prioritises tutorial continuity, even amidst difficult circumstances. Israel has demonstrated resilience, notably in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, enabling us to swiftly adapt. This adaptability ensures that worldwide college students at HUJI’s worldwide programmes have had seamless entry to on-line lectures since mid-November 2023, sustaining our dedication to their schooling regardless of the continuing battle.
Moreover, the college gives community-building programmes and weekly dialogue teams to foster a supportive setting for each Israeli and worldwide college students throughout these difficult instances. This dedication to tutorial continuity is a testomony to the deep-rooted significance of schooling in Israeli tradition, the place values of household and schooling are shared between Indians and Israelis. On this method, college students are handled like members of an prolonged household, making certain a supportive and nurturing academic expertise.
How are the federal government and universities addressing security and safety issues for worldwide college students?
Making certain the protection and safety of worldwide college students is a high precedence for each the Israeli authorities and universities, together with Hebrew College, with its various world neighborhood of over 25,000 college students from 90+ international locations. We’ve applied proactive measures to make sure clear communication, scholar assist and services throughout our 6 campuses and 100+ analysis centres. These efforts allow college students to take care of their routines and interact in social and cultural actions. As an illustration, celebrations such because the distinctive mix of Holi and Purim which was lately organised by the college’s Workplace of Scholar Life, supply enriching cultural experiences. Moreover, as Passover approaches, worldwide college students can partake in conventional celebrations with Israeli households, additional enhancing their cultural immersion.
Moreover, the college gives complete assist companies, together with 24/7 counselling, emergency help, and psychological companies. Initiatives just like the ‘Buddies Program’ join worldwide college students with native friends for assist and discussions, fostering constructive experiences and lasting relationships.
How is the Hebrew College managing the present state of affairs within the nation and facilitating college students’ return to Israel or the consumption of latest worldwide college students?
We provide personalised assist tailor-made to every scholar’s wants, offering flexibility in attendance choices in the course of the first semester and complete help companies. Our devoted Worldwide Welcome Middle addresses the precise wants of worldwide college students, whether or not they select to stay in Israel or quickly return dwelling. Moreover, our professors and Principal Investigators (PIs) keep shut contact with their college students, particularly these concerned in lab analysis, making certain continuity of their research regardless of any challenges they could face.
