TAU and Peking University sign Memorandum of Understanding for new joint Food Security Research Institute
The institute will be established in Weifang, Shandong Province in China, which has the population of about 100 million people and is considered China's "Silicon Valley" of agriculture.
Tel Aviv University, Peking University, Beijing, and the city of Weifang, China, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on November 17, 2015 to establish a joint Food Security Research Institute, which will be established in Weifang, Shandong Province.
Prof. Danny Chamovitz, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, noted that the Institute's research interests focus on creating new plant strains with enhanced nutritional properties favorable to Chinese agriculture and the global market alike. Additionally, modern biology will be used to solve current agricultural problems such as climate change and reduced yields.
Under the agreement, the Weifang municipality will handle the establishment of the Institute’s campus, worth tens of millions of dollars, which will include research laboratories and agricultural areas. The new institute will be built on the model of the Manna Center Program for Food Safety & Security at Tel Aviv University, in which researchers and students at Tel Aviv University and Peking will participate in joint research projects.
The city of Weifang has a population of 9.5 million people and is part of Shandong Province, whose population counts nearly 100 million people. The province is the center of advanced agriculture in China and considered its “Silicon Valley” in terms of its level of sustainable agriculture. This province is currently has a number of companies that integrate Israeli technologies.
Prof. Joseph Klafter, President of Tel Aviv University, said that Peking University is considered one of the top universities in China and that the scientific cooperation between the two universities is a badge of honor for Tel Aviv University and for the State of Israel. According to him, the new institute will deepen the academic and research relationships in the field of food security between Israel and China.
For the article in Hebrew, please visit: https://www.tau.ac.il/news/Beijing-mou
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