American Jewish Philanthropist Launches $100 Million Program for Joint Israel-US Scientific Research

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. (Doron Horowitz/Flash90)

American Jewish philanthropist Mortimer Zuckerman has launched a $100 million research project aimed at US-Israeli collaboration in science and technology.

A new $100 million initiative funded by Montreal-born American Jewish philanthropist Mortimer B. Zuckerman will allow for US-Israeli collaboration in scientific and technological research, the New York Daily News reported.

Dubbed the Zuckerman STEM Leadership program, American academics will partner with the prestigious Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science, beginning in the 2016-2017 academic year.

“At a time when collaboration is essential to advanced scientific research, this program gives the next generations of leading American and Israeli academics the ability to work together on cutting edge research in ways that stand to benefit their fields for years to come,” Zuckerman said. “The result will help transform not just the work of the scholars involved, but the way the United States and Israel approach collaboration and cooperation across the sciences.”

“It’s not just about the STEM disciplines. Now is a moment to form collaboration with Israel stronger, bolder, than ever before,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated. “The enemy of the terrorists is modernity and…democracy.”

Zuckerman, a media tycoon and co-founder and non-executive chairman of Boston Properties Inc., served as chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations from 2001-2003. His personal net worth is estimated at $2.4 billion.

Referring to Zuckerman as an “ardent supporter of Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that this project “will help bring back home some of Israel’s brilliant sons and daughters, allowing them to advance their own careers here, and in so doing, contribute to Israel’s growing scientific excellence.”

By: United with Israel Staff
(With files from the New York Daily News)