British and Israeli Scientists meet

Over 350 British and Israeli medical researchers are meeting at the University of Oxford today and tomorrow, in the largest such bilateral gathering of recent years.

Despite the recent calls for academics to boycott cooperation with Israel, the 3rd BIRAX Conference is attended by more than 250 British researchers from 33 institutions across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as nearly 100 researchers from Israel’s research universities.

BIRAX, is a joint research initiative between Israel and the UK to tackle some of the world’s most debilitating diseases. It has invested over £7 million in bilateral research since it was founded in 2011. 

Professor Ada Yonath is one of the founding members of the UK-Israel Science Council, which includes 30 scientists from both countries. She said:

"There is no substitute for international collaboration between scientists, and UK-Israeli partnerships are no exception."

Oxford University's Professor Raymond Dwek added: "The scientific partnership between the UK and Israel continues to flourish and in so doing, to benefit not only British and Israeli scientists but the global research community."