Regional Cooperation in Research
Conferene held on

June 4, 2000
 

Regional cooperation in research is of national importance, and its management is not centered or directed by any national body. The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities therefore found it necessary to study the topic, in order to examine the need for its promotion.
 
Regional cooperation between Israeli scientists and their colleagues in the region (Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority), which began in the 1970s, is multi faceted and has significant scientific, social and political implications. The conference aimed to examine for the first time the state of cooperation between scientists in the region in the various areas, draw conclusions and examine future action.
 
Topics discussed:
- The Egyptian experience - a universal ´´prototype´´ in agricultural cooperation between former enemies;
- Regional cooperation in the field of veterinary medicine;
- Long-term cooperation with Egypt and Morocco in the development of arid regions: conclusions and lessons;
- Joint water studies in the Middle East and North Africa;
- Assessment of water resources for regional development in the Jordan Rift Basin;
- Joint management of ground water: From a theoretical idea to a topic for negotiation;
- Cooperation in oceanic studies between Israel and its neighbors: benefits, lessons from the past and a view toward the future;
- Science vs. science, goal vs. goal, rationale vs. rationale: conclusions from the ´´Red Sea Program´´
- a multi-disciplinary study of the Eilat area and the Red Sea;
- A study of communicable diseases from the Israeli standpoint - a joint program with  Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority;
- Genetics of deafness: a successful Israeli
- Palestinian cooperative project;
- MERGE (Middle East Regional Genome Endeavor): A Middle-Eastern cooperative project on genome and bio-informatics;
- Support of multi-national projects for industrial R&D as a tool for establishing sophisticated industries and for advanced cooperation.