Ambassadors and other dignitaries from six countries visited Bar-Ilan University (BIU) over the past few months with the aim of implementing new academic research collaborations and expanding partnerships already in place. The most recent countries to visit include Azerbaijan, France, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Germany, and Tanzania.
French Embassy Visit: (L-R) Thierry Peltreau, Prof. Cyrille Cohen, Prof. Shulamit Michaeli, Prof. Amnon Albeck, H.E. Eric Danon, Ambassador of France to Israel, Prof. Arie Zaban, Prof. Doron Aurbach, Georges Diener, Zohar Yinon, Prof. Galia Yanoshevsky, Prof. David Zitoun, and Prof Rachel Dekel
“During these visits, we explore various avenues for collaboration, discussing the potential for joint research projects and exchange programs between our institutions, which will ultimately benefit our academic community and the world at large,” said Ofer Dahan, Executive Director of BIU’s International School.
Tanzania Embassy Visit: (L-R) Prof. Meir Shamai, Lucas Joseph Magwe, Prof. Moshe Lewenstein, Prof. Shulamit Michaeli, H.E. Alex Gabriel Kallua, and Ofer Dahan
“All the ambassadors and attachés who have visited us were very interested in, and enthusiastic about, fostering academic ties; something that is always truly inspiring and rewarding for Bar-Ilan University. It means they see us as an innovative and top-notch institution with which to partner and we look forward to further strengthening the bond between our countries,” he said.
Dignitaries included: H.E. Steffen Seibert, Ambassador of Germany, and Barbara Seimetz, Science Counsellor at the German Embassy; H.E. Eric Danon, Ambassador of France, Thierry Peltreau, Educative and Linguistic Attaché, and Georges Diener, Director of the French Institute in Israel; H.E. Mukhtar Mammadov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan, and Aydan Karimli, Third Secretary, Embassy of Azerbaijan; Adele Li, Chargee d’Affaires, Embassy of Singapore; H.E. Alex Gabriel Kallua, Ambassador of Tanzania, and Lucas Joseph Magwe, Political, Economic, and Cultural Attaché; and H.E. Satybaldy Burshakov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan.
Singapore Embassy Visit: (L-R) Ofer Dahan, Prof. Moshe Lewenstein, Prof. Shulamit Michaeli, Ms. Adele Li, Prof. Arie Zaban, and Dr. Yael Goldfinger
During the visits, the ambassadors and attachés met with senior management from BIU and the International School, including Prof. Arie Zaban, BIU’s President, and were given an overview of the university, the cutting-edge research being conducted in a variety of laboratories, and the opportunities for international students and faculty offered by BIU. They were then taken on a tour of campus and a selection of the research labs.
There were two types of tours arranged by BIU based on the visitors’ needs and interests – one based on the field of energy and sustainability and the second based on medicine and public health.
German Embassy Visit: (L-R) Zohar Yinon, Prof. Uzi Vishne, Prof. Doron Aurbach, Barbara Seimetz, Prof. Arie Zaban (BIU President), Amb. Steffen Seibert, Prof. Moshe Lewenstein, Prof. Amnon Albeck, Ofer Dahan, Prof. Yaron Shav-Tal, Dr. Eitan Shamir, and Prof. Zeev Zalevsky
The dignitaries from Germany, France, Singapore, and Azerbaijan chose the former, while Tanzania and Kazakhstan chose the latter.
The energy and sustainability tour included visits to BIU’s Energy and Sustainability Center; the Emerging Nanoscaled Integrated Circuits & Systems (EnICS) laboratory in the Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering; the Molecular Neuroscience Lab in the Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences; and the BIU’s solar-energy farm, a joint project between BIU and the Doral Energy Group; among others.
Azerbaijan Embassy Visit: (L-R) Prof. Arie Zaban, H.E. Mukhtar Mammadov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Israel, Prof. Amnon Albeck, and Ofer Dahan
The medical- and life sciences-related tours included a visit to the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Safed (Tsfat), the Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE, the Neuroengineering and Regeneration Lab in the Faculty of Engineering, and more.
Kazakhstan Embassy Visit: (L-R) Prof. Orly Avni, new Dean of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, and H.E. Satybaldy Burshakov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Israel
These visits have paved the way for BIU’s upcoming visits to some of these countries, which will take place in September and October 2023. They include Singapore, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan as well as India and Georgia.
