New UK-Israel fellowship exchange in regenerative medicine announced
31 October 2011
The UK and Israel will establish a joint fellowship exchange scheme to further enhance collaboration between the countries in the area of regenerative medicine.
The Medical Research Council and the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology will provide matching funding of up to £50,000 each for the new fellowship exchange scheme, under the umbrella of BIRAX, the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership in Regenerative Medicine.
The announcement was made today at a meeting between the Minister of Universities and Science David Willetts MP and Israel’s Minister for Science and Technology Professor Daniel Hershkowitz.
Minister of Universities and Science David Willetts commented “Israel and the UK are both world leaders in regenerative medicine. Both our governments are keen to support closer cooperation. This new fellowship scheme demonstrates our commitment to doing so. It will help build a lasting bond between British and Israeli researchers. We want to see it lead to collaboration in research between our scientists.”
Israel’s Minister for Science and Technology Professor Daniel Hershkowitz said today, “Regenerative medicine is one of the most important fields of research in which mankind is still feeling its way. The goal of the joint fellowship programme is to encourage talented researchers to concentrate on this field in order to find a breakthrough in treating a variety of severe diseases. The programme is another important milestone in the relations between the UK and Israel in the field of science, and we are grateful to Matthew Gould, the UK’s Ambassador to Israel, for his work in promoting this matter.”
The announcement comes just a few weeks before the first major UK-Israel Regenerative Medicine conference, which will be held at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The conference will bring together leading researchers from both countries from various fields of regenerative medicine, including cell therapy, stem cell biology, gene therapy and more to learn about each other’s work and develop collaborations.
Dr Mark Palmer, head of international strategy at the Medical Research Council, said: “Building and maintaining a cadre of highly-skilled researchers is essential for driving innovative research worldwide. Israel and the UK are trailblazers for regenerative medicine and, through our collaboration, we will be re-enforcing the MRC’s commitment to improving treatments for patients and identifying areas where new technologies demand new skills and learning. As regenerative medicine becomes an increasingly prevalent aspect of modern medicine, there has never been a more exciting time to work in this field.”
