03 April 2016 - 05 April 2016
Tel Aviv, Israel

IIASA and Israel, Towards a Mutually Beneficial Partnership

A IIASA delegation, led by the Institute’s Director General and CEO, Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat, visited Israel last week to discuss substantially enhancing research collaborations and Israel becoming a member of IIASA.

© Eldadcarin

© Eldadcarin

Israel is a world leader in science and innovation with a recent report by the World Economic Forum concluding: “The country’s main strengths remain its world-class capacity for innovation (3rd), which rests on highly innovative businesses that benefit from the presence of the world’s best research institutions geared toward the needs of the business sector.”

Such strength in innovation combined with IIASA’s expertise in systems analysis, offers substantial benefits for both Israel and IIASA. With this in mind, a high-level visit to Israel was jointly organized by Dr. Shmuel Abramzon, Head of Research at the National Economic Council in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and IIASA to discuss strengthening cooperation between Israel and IIASA.

During the visit from 3 to 5 April 2016, IIASA Director General and CEO, Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat along with his Special Advisor, Professor Chin-Min Lee, discussed how membership of IIASA would benefit Israel by helping it to:

  • Better understand and find solutions to the complex global systems that are integrally connected to and impinge on Israel’s economy, environment, government, and society.
  • Develop the research base for system analysis in Israel.
  • Establish new multilateral scientific relationships and contribute to Israel’s soft power through science diplomacy.

High-level Meetings with Government

Kabat discussed developing a mutually beneficial partnership with Israel at a wide range of high-level meetings and events with senior members of Israel’s government and the country’s academic sector including:

  • From the Prime Minister’s Office: Mr. Eli Groner, Director General; Professor Avi Simhon, Head of the National Economic Council; and Dr. Shmuel Abramzon, Head of Research, The National Economic Council.
  • Professor Eugene Kandel, Former Head of the National Economic Council and Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel and Professor at the Hebrew University.
  • Professor Uzi Arad, Former National Security Advisor to Israel's Prime Minister and Head of the Israeli National Security Council and Foreign Policy Advisor to the PM and now Chair of the Israel Grand-Strategy Forum and the Center for Defense Studies.
  • From Israeli Government Ministries: H.E. Ron Adam, Special Ambassador for Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ms. Galit Cohen, Senior Deputy Director General of Planning and Policy, Ministry of Environmental Protection; Mr. Peretz Vazan, Director General, Ministry of Science, Technology and Space; Budget Directors: Higher Education, Water, Environment.

IIASA Director General and CEO, Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat, together with the President of Tel Aviv University, Professor Joseph Klafter.

High-level Meetings with Academia

  • From the Council for Higher Education: Professor Yaffa Zilbershats, Member of the Council for Higher Education and Chairman of its Planning and Budgeting Committee.
  • From Tel Aviv University: Professor Joseph Klafter, President; Professor Itai Sened, Head of the Boris Mints Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions to Global Challenges.
  • From the National Academy of Sciences: Mr. Meir Tsadok, CEO; Professor Bob Lapidot, Head of International Relations. 

 “In Israel I was delighted to find such a strong interest in systems analysis and in joining IIASA in order to develop system analytical capability in Israel’s academic, public and private sectors,” said Kabat during the visit. “In turn, IIASA is very keen for Israel to join the Institute as it is one of the largest economies in the Middle East and has a highly productive science and innovation system.” 


Seminar: Systems Analysis and Israel

Additionally IIASA and Tel Aviv University co-organized a seminar to demonstrate the value of developing a research base for systems analysis in Israel and how IIASA can contribute to this at the Porter School for Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University on 4th April 2016.

About the Seminar:

Many of the most serious problems that confront humanity—including climate change, global food security, and sustainable energy—are complex and interconnected. A country’s national interests are tightly connected to these complex global systems. Resolving such challenges requires an understanding not only of the detailed components of each element (disciplinary research) but also their dynamic and interconnecting elements (integrated multidisciplinary research). Systems analysis is one of the few research tools that have both the breadth and depth to truly understand global change, and only through this understanding can a country navigate smart pathways through these global challenges and avoid being simply swept along by them. Collaborating with IIASA provides a mechanism to enhance researchers’ capabilities in systems analysis by leveraging on IIASA’s expertise in this field as well as providing access to global knowledge and an international network.

Speakers

Introductions by:

Professor Joseph Klafter, President of Tel Aviv University

Professor Itai Sened, Head of the Boris Mints Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions to Global Challenges, Tel Aviv University

Presentations:

Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat, Director General & CEO, IIASA (Presentation: IIASA & Israel)

Dr. David McCollum, Research Scholar, IIASA’s Energy Program (Presentation: International Research Collaborations to Develop the Tools of Systems Analysis)

Dr. Nadejda Komendantova-Amann, Research Scholar, IIASA's Risk Policy and Vulnerability Program (Presentation: Participatory Governance of Energy Transition)

Dr. Leena Ilmola, Research Scholar, IIASA’s Advanced Systems Analysis Program (Presentation: Agent Based Modeling and Foresight Research Techniques)

Professor Amir Sharon, Cereal Crops Institute, Tel Aviv University (Presentation: Bio-Stimulants: A Systems Analysis of Alternative Fuels of Food Production)

Professor Uri Shamir, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology (Presentation: An Israeli Perspective on IIASA)

IIASA Director General and CEO, Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat presenting at the seminar "Systems Analysis and Israel" at Tel Aviv University.









Plenary speech and seminar: Long-term Strategic Energy Solutions

Kabat presented a plenary speech at the Hadera EnergyTech Conference on long-term strategic energy solutions on 4th April 2016, followed by a side event co-organized by IIASA and the National Economic Council at the same conference. This showed how an international perspective and a system-analytical approach are key to finding long-lasting solutions to a country’s energy challenges. 

About the event:

Energy is an international commodity and with the discovery and extraction of natural gas from the massive Leviathan gas field off the coast of Israel, the success of Israel as a future energy exporter depends considerably what happens outside Israel’s borders. At the same time this new source of natural gas is expected to reduce the use of coal in Israel, but it may also limit Israel's plans to develop renewable sources of energy—both have wide ranging implications for greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in Israel. By presenting a selection of international case studies, this event will show ways that energy planners and policymakers can develop energy strategies that meet multiple objectives (energy access, energy security, climate change, air pollution and its health impacts) in the most cost-effective way over the coming decades taking into account the development and diffusion of new technologies. 

Speakers

Plenary Session

Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat, Director General & CEO, IIASA (Presentation: Long-Term Strategic Energy Solutions)

Professor Uzi Arad, Former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel and now at The Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at The Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya and Chairman of Israel's Institute of Defence Studies 


Side Event

Introductions by:

Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat, Director General and CEO, IIASA

H.E. Ron Adam, Special Ambassador for Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel

Presentations by:

Dr. David McCollum, Research Scholar, IIASA’s Energy Program (Presentation: Sustainable Energy Scenarios for the 21st Century: The Role of Systems Analysis)

Dr. Nadejda Komendantova-Amann, Research Scholar, IIASA'S Risk Policy and Vulnerability Program (Presentation: Participatory Governance of Energy Transition)

Dr. Holger Rogner, Senior Research Scholar, IIASA’s Transitions To New Technologies Program (Presentation: From Long-Term Global Energy System Research to National Energy Analysis and Planning)

H.E. Ron Adam, Special Ambassador for Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel

IIASA Director General and CEO, Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat delivering his plenary address at the Hadera EnergyTech Conference.




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Last edited: 15 December 2017

IIASA & Israel:

Benefits of IIASA Membership

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