Tel Aviv and Tsinghua universities are launching a $300m joint research project.

Tel Aviv University and Tsinghua University, in Beijing, are launching a $300m research project together. The joint project will focus on nanotechnologies. The two institutions will exchange graduate students and faculty members to the centre, named Xin – meaning “new” in Chinese.
Funding will be sought from both private investors and government sources – a third of the money has already been secured. Initially, the partnership will focus particularly on nanotechnology with medical and optics applications. However, the project may later be expanded to support other areas, including raw materials, water treatment and environmental issues.
Co-operation between Israel and China has been increasing, with trade between the two nations reaching $8.4bn last year, up from $6.7bn in 2010. Beijing is hoping to gain access to technologies in fields where Israel is considered a leader, such as agriculture, water desalination and medicine, while Israel is keen to grab a share of the Chinese market.
The alliance is also a political game. China is trying to secure energy imports needed to fuel its growing economy. Israel, on the other hand, can further its ties with the People’s Republic without angering the US, its key political ally, as increased military co-operation would do.
Joseph Klafter, president of Tel Aviv University, meanwhile took a more romantic approach, and said: “It is an unprecedented agreement in size and scope. It was built from the bottom up because it started with our scientists meeting and falling in love with each other.”