Israel’s Weizmann Institute, UAE University To Collaborate On AI Research

By NoCamels Team September 13, 2020 4 minutes

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, chairman of the board of trustees of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi speaks with Weizmann Institute officials ahead of an agreement for joint AI research. September 12, 2020. Courtesy

Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science announced on Sunday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE_ to collaborate on research and joint scholarship in AI.

The Rehovot-based university, a leading Israeli academic institution particularly in math and computer science, said the collaboration will advance the Weizmann Institute’s flagship project, the Artificial Intelligence Enterprise for Scientific Discovery, announced earlier this year. The $100 million project will seek to develop AI tools “and their integration into a range of scientific areas, while providing the massive computing power necessary to store, process, and analyze the data that will lead to the next big discoveries,” the university said. Areas of interest include biomedicine, climate research, and particle physics.

The deal also covers a range of opportunities for collaboration including student and postdoctoral fellow exchange programs, conferences and seminars, various forms of exchange between researchers, sharing of computing resource, and the establishment of a joint virtual institute for artificial intelligence.

The Weizmann Institute of Science. Photo via the Weizmann Institute of Science

The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence is a research-based academic institution, established in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, and offers doctoral and master’s degree programs in the fields of computer vision, machine learning, and natural language processing. The university is named for the UAE crown prince and is part of a broader national strategy to make the UAE a leader in artificial intelligence.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, a minister of state in the federal cabinet of the UAE and chairman of the MBZUAI Board of Trustees said in a statement that he welcomed “the opportunity to collaborate with such a renowned establishment as the Weizmann Institute of Science,” adding that “MBZUAI seeks partnerships with leaders in their respective fields to further our collective scientific understanding and push the boundaries of technological innovation.”

Through this MoU, we can leverage the expertise of both our institutes towards using artificial intelligence to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from COVID-19 to climate change and beyond,” he said.

Professor Alon Chen, president of the Weizmann Institute of Science said the Israeli university was “thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with this unique, pioneering institution and to advance the field of artificial intelligence together.”

“As a neuroscientist, I believe that AI is an extension of the power and intricacy of the human brain into the digital realm; the implications will be vast, affecting our lives our health and the global economy. It is said that science knows no borders. I have every hope this collaboration between scientists in the same region will be a shining example of this expression and will extend the boundaries of human knowledge,” said Prof. Chen.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

The signing ceremony for the agreement was held virtually between Prof. Chen and Dr. Al Jaber. A delegation headed by Chen is expected to travel to Abu Dhabi next week to finalize the details of the MoU and discuss its implementation.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, chairman of the MBZUAI Board of Trustees, and Professor Alon Chen, president of the Weizmann Institute of Science, sign an MoU on joint AI research, September 12, 2020. Courtesy

Israel’s normalization pacts

Israel and the UAE announced a US-brokered normalization pact last month that paves a path for the federation to become the third Arab country to sign a peace agreement with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan.

The development was greeted with excitement and hope and a number of deals between private companies are already in the works.

A signing ceremony for the agreement is scheduled for later this week at the White House.

Over the weekend, Bahrain also indicated that it was normalizing ties with Israel, becoming the fourth Arab state to do so. US President Donald Trump announced the deal on Twitter on Friday.

Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner told the Associated Press: “It took us 26 years between the second peace agreement with an Arab country and the third, but only 29 days between the third and the fourth, and there will be more.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he spoke with King Hamad of Bahrain on Friday. “It was a very warm conversation in which we agreed on the establishment of peaceful relations between Bahrain and Israel – the official establishment of peace with full diplomatic relations and with all that entails,” the premier said.

“We now have two historic peace agreements, with two Arab countries, which were established in one month. I am certain that we all welcome the new era,” he added.