A new international partnership between IDSC and Tel Aviv University in Israel will open the door to collaborative research, learning, and cultural initiatives.

“We are looking forward to creating exciting opportunities for our researchers, faculty, and students, to expand their horizons,” said Nick Tsinoremas, IDSC Director, who recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Tel Aviv University (TAU).

“This international partnership, across continents with special focus on data science, is very timely these days while we are trying to understand the universe and human wellbeing,” said Yaron Oz, Professor and Provost, Tel Aviv University. “The goal is to provide a broad picture of the human body functioning in its surrounding, while converging knowledge, data and technologies. The data science can provide us with the tools to combine and analyze the micro and macro environmental features in a secure and safe mode, providing reliable outcomes towards translational research and development.”

Founded in 1956, TAU is Israel’s largest and most comprehensive institution of higher learning and research with 125 schools and departments across the spectrum of science, humanities, and the arts, all located in one campus enabling the convergence and cross-disciplinarity of science & technology. It is also Israel’s biggest bio-medical research and teaching complex and has 128 research centers.

“Interdisciplinary collaboration is a core value of the academic culture at both UM and TAU,” said Dr. Yelena Yesha, UM Knight Foundation Chair of Data Science and AI, and Innovation Officer, IDSC. “We look forward to establishing a framework for mutually beneficial collaboration.” For example, IDSC’s resources in supercomputing and informatics could accelerate TAU’s drug discovery program, according to Dr. Yesha. “We can help their biomedical researchers identify potential drug targets, develop new pharmaceuticals, and reposition existing drugs,” she said. “That work could accelerate the commercialization of new therapies and benefit patients around the world.”

Along with a variety of research partnerships, other prospective areas of IDSC and TAU’s collaboration include academic seminars, exchange programs for faculty, students, and staff, and cultural and artistic activities.