Over 200 students and faculty members from China studied at Tel Aviv University in 2012 * Delegations from the elite 'Qinghua' University are now staying at Tel Aviv University. A broad cooperation that is being forged between the two universities places Tel Aviv University at the forefront of academic cooperation with China * Tel Aviv University President, Prof. Yosef Klefter: China is a preferred target in the university's strategic decision to strengthen its presence in the international arena
Tel Aviv University is strengthening its ties with the leading universities in China. In 2012, about 200 students and faculty members from China who studied at the university in various programs arrived at the university.
The president of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Yosef Klefter, said that in the last year a wide cooperation has been forged between the university and the elite university of China, Tsinghua. Two large delegations from this university, which is considered one of the best and leading universities in China in the fields of science and technology, are now staying as part of a two-week visit to Tel Aviv University. These visits are part of a broad collaboration in a number of fields that is being forged between the Chinese University, which is based in Beijing, and Tel Aviv University, and which places it at the forefront of academic collaborations with China. It was recently reported, As a reminder, Tsinghua University won a donation of 100 million dollars from the founder of the Blackstone Foundation, Stephen Schwartzman.
The current delegation's visit follows two visits made by the president of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Yosef Klefter, and the vice president, Prof. Ra'anan Rein, to China in the second half of 2012. According to Prof. Klefter, the collaboration includes joint research, researcher exchanges and student exchanges, with the three The main axes of the cooperation are in the fields of nanotechnology and nanomechanics, life sciences and business administration.
Nanotechnology and life sciences
One of the delegation that includes professors and senior researchers, doctoral students as well as undergraduate students from the outstanding program of the Chinese University participated in a joint research workshop in the field of nanotechnology led by Prof. Michael Orbach from the Faculty of Exact Sciences. The workshop included a seminar day, lectures, tours of the laboratories, a meeting with the Israeli colleagues as well as the preparation of the visit of additional Chinese students during the summer. Prof. Auerbach himself has already stayed in China for a period of research, where he began collaborations with local researchers and will soon return to China for another research stay.
The second delegation from China is visiting the School of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University this week. She met with the Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, Prof. Moshe Mbarech and with the faculty of the Biochemistry Department. In the summer months, Chinese students are expected to come for training in the laboratories of the School of Life Sciences.
The visit of the delegations is intended to prepare the visit that will soon be held by the president of Tel Aviv University and his deputy in Beijing, during which a move will be made to further upgrade the relationship between the universities and embark on a new venture.
These visits join the visit in April of a delegation of forty-five participants led by the Dean of the Faculty of Management of Qinghua. The delegation, which included faculty members and senior managers, participated in a six-day intensive study program held at the Recanti Faculty of Management, which is intended for managers from all over the world who wish to learn the Israeli model for entrepreneurship and innovation.
In addition to these delegations, and as part of the university's broader move to deepen academic cooperation with China, a delegation from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which is the leader in its field in Hong Kong, is arriving in Israel these days, and a joint workshop is also being held with researchers from Renmin University in China, who are coming Together with their vice president with the aim of expanding cooperation in the fields of social sciences and the humanities.
"China is no longer the future," concludes Prof. Yosef Klefter, "China is the present." There is an accelerated development in the Chinese university system and research institutions in particular and we see that at the head of the research programs, with which we cooperate, are faculty members who received their training in the best universities in the United States and Europe. In view of the university's strategic decision to strengthen its international presence in East Asia as well. It is clear that China is a preferred destination for us. We are looking for the best institutions and there is no doubt that Qinghua is among the leaders."
