New Opportunities for International Collaborations

HIT's management, headed by the Institute's President, Prof. Eduard Yakubov, hosted an official visit by the CEO of the BARD Fund, the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund, Prof. Yoram Kapulnik, together with Dr. Shlomo Wald, former Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Energy, who currently assists the fund in building an academia-industry accelerator, with the aim of examining collaboration with HIT and with the new Institute for Applied Research in Responsible Artificial Intelligence at HIT, headed by Hadas Lorber.

Photo: Ilanit Kitzoni

Prof. Kapulnik emphasized the growing importance of artificial intelligence in 'precision agriculture' and the need for innovative models for data-driven agricultural information management, noting that HIT is a perfect partner for these initiatives.

The Institute's President, Prof. Eduard Yakubov, overviewed the Institute's academic and research activities and its international collaborations, stating that collaboration with the BARD Fund, which promotes research partnerships between Israeli and American researchers in the fields of agriculture, environment, and water, could constitute an important cornerstone in the strategy to expand the Institute's international academic and research connections: "We see great importance in strengthening international partnerships, especially when it comes to a prestigious fund like BARD, which can provide our students and researchers with a platform for applied research with real impact on the world. There is extensive ground here for collaboration."

The visit to HIT marks the beginning of a new relationship between the fund and the Institute, including examination of possibilities for submitting joint research proposals.

Additionally, the possibility of integrating additional innovation fields in which the Institute excels is being examined, with emphasis on combining AI technologies in solutions to environmental challenges – a trend that aligns with the fund's policy of encouraging technological innovation for food security and natural resource conservation.

The fund's management welcomed the meeting, noted the potential for future collaborations with HIT researchers, and invited the Institute's researchers to submit proposals to open funds and plan collaborations with American researchers with similar areas of interest.

HIT - Holon Institute of Technology has international collaborations with more than 140 academic institutions in 35 countries, which include joint proposal submissions to funds, faculty and student exchanges, and joint international conferences.

Meeting participants included:
Prof. Eduard Yakubov – President;
Dr. Barkan Refael – Vice President for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Internationalization 
Prof. Oded Potchter – Climate and Environment Expert, responsible for developing a Master's degree program in Climate Change
Ms. Hadas Lorber – Head of the Institute for Applied Research in Responsible Artificial Intelligence
Mr. Moti Mishan – Head of the President's Office and Senior Advisor
Dr. Dikla Timna Lankri – International Projects Coordinator / Authority for Research, Innovation and International Affairs

BARD Fund guests: 
Prof. Yoram Kapulnik – CEO of BARD Fund
Dr. Shlomo Wald, former Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Energy. Currently assists the BARD Fund in building an academia-industry accelerator