Israel, India sign deal to boost scientific, technological collaboration

Last month Israeli President Reuven Rivlin visited India at the invitation of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. During the visit, Rivlin opened the first ever Israeli-Indian academic conference, which was was attended by Indian Education Minister Prakash Keshav Javadekar, senior Indian academic officials and Prof. Yafe Zilbershatz, chairman of the Israeli Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for higher education.

"Academic cooperation between Israel and India have grown wonderfully, the president said in his opening remarks. "Ten percent of the foreign students and researchers in Israel are Indians, 40 collaborations were supported by the two governments, most universities teach India studies and at Tel Aviv University there is an option to learn the language Marathi," he added. "I believe academic cooperation between India and Israel is a priority for both countries, both nations."

In recent years there has been growing cooperation between Israeli and Indian academia. This was emphasized at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which the Indian government made clear its intentions to act vigorously to strengthen ties. During the meeting, Modi asked to promote Israeli lecturers teaching for long periods in India and the increase of the number of Indian students who come to study at Israeli universities.

India and Israel have been enjoying a warming of relations, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Modi meeting on the sidelines of the Paris climate change conference in November last year. India's Minister for Foreign Affairs Shushma Swaraj met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem earlier this year. Her visit came after the first ever visit by an Indian head of state when President Mukherjee arrived in Israel in last October.