Israel – France Innovation Day in Tel Aviv

Technion and École Polytechnique sign cooperation accord; Technion Professor Alon Wolf Demonstrates Snake Robot for French President François Hollande

President Hollande praises the cooperation between the Polytechnique and the Technion; Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hollande: “Visit the Technion”

École Polytechnique and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology signed today an agreement for academic cooperation.

The strategic accord between the two renowned science and technology universities was signed by École Polytechnique President Jacques Biot and Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie during Israel-France Innovation Day in Tel Aviv, attended by French President François Hollande, Israel President Shimon Peres, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and hundreds of French and Israeli public figures, business people and entrepreneurs.

At the start of meeting, the three leaders attended an exhibit highlighting Israeli technological achievements. Chosen to represent Israeli academia was Technion’s Prof. Alon Wolf, who together with his chief research engineer Oded Solomon, demonstrated his search and rescue Snake Robot for Hollande, Peres and Netanyahu.

École Polytechnique and the Technion both pursue innovation and technology transfer as a key strategic priority, and seek to share their experience and practices in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly with regards to their academic programs in innovation management and their business incubators for start-ups created by students and researchers.

In addition to this common vision, École Polytechnique and the Technion have already established numerous exchanges. For example, several Polytechnique investigators have undergone their research internships at Technion, particularly in electrical engineering and computer science, two of the Technion’s top fields of expertise.

President Hollande repeatedly praised the strategic cooperation between these two leading institutions, both in his speech in Tel Aviv and in his address to Israel’s Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday. “The cooperation between the Polytechnique and the Technion is a landmark, and an example for all universities,” he said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu encouraged Mr. Hollande to visit the Technion the next time he comes to Israel.

The agreement signed today between Technion and École Polytechnique will reinforce the ongoing academic ties between the two universities, facilitating cooperation, increasing educational opportunities, enriching their academic and research environments, and promoting international and intercultural understanding. In particular, the agreement provides a framework for hosting guest professors, student exchanges, and the development of research partnerships. A second accord, paving the way for a double degree program, outlines the conditions and specifications of the student exchange program: it concerns the exchange of Master’s level students for research internships and semesters abroad in the partner institution.

“École Polytechnique strengthens its international reach through the development of very high-level strategic partnerships with top institutions worldwide. Its goal is to create a network of first-rate partners in different regions of the world, and the Technion is among the target institutes for this international development policy,” comments Jacques Biot, President of École Polytechnique.

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie said that the agreement with École Polytechnique will add a new and important dimension to the Technion’s international relationships. He emphasized that “Israel and France have a long history of warm friendship and the language of science is a shared language that bridges cultures and peoples. I am convinced that École Polytechnique, an important French institution of international renown and reputation, will contribute a great deal to Technion. I hope that Technion, a world leader in the areas of science, engineering and medicine, will contribute to École Polytechnique, and that together we will contribute to all of humanity.”

Above: Technion Professor Alon Wolf demonstrates his search and rescue Snake Robot to French President François Hollande, Israeli President Shimon Peres, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo credit : Koby Gideon/Government Press Office (GPO)

About Technion

Israel’s emergence as a world leader in high-tech can be largely credited to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, a global leader in cutting-edge research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Three Technion scientists have won Nobel Prizes in the past decade, and Technion researchers have made countless contributions to science, technology and medicine. Technion’s highly-trained graduates are the engine that drives Israel’s “Start-up Nation” economy. Technion’s powerful synergy with the tech sector in Israel has created an ecosystem of technological innovation, attracting numerous international tech giants such as Google, Apple and Microsoft, and inspiring hundreds of start-up enterprises in Israel and throughout the world. Together with its ranking as one of the world’s best sci-tech universities, it was Technion’s success in driving Israel’s high-tech sector that convinced New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to choose the Technion-Cornell partnership to establish a new, innovative applied science campus in New York, aimed as being a “game changer” for the city’s tech sector. Technion’s 13,000 students and researchers study in 18 academic departments and 52 research centers and institutes. As an increasingly globalized university Technion is developing a variety of international programs, and a growing number of foreign students are attracted to Technion for its outstanding reputation.

About École Polytechnique

Largely internationalized (30% of the student body, 23% of faculty members), École Polytechnique combines research, education and innovation at the highest scientific and technological level. Its three graduate programs – Ingénieur Polytechnicien, Master’s and PhD – are highly selective and promote a culture of excellence with a strong emphasis on science, combined with humanist traditions.

École Polytechnique educates responsible men and women who are prepared to lead complex and innovative activities which will meet the challenges of 21st century society. With its 20 laboratories, all joint research facilities with the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the École Polytechnique Research Center works to expand the frontiers of knowledge in the major interdisciplinary issues faced by science, technology and society.

As a ParisTech member institute, École Polytechnique is also one of the driving forces behind the Paris Saclay Campus project, along with its 22 academic and scientific partners.