Rajgir: A leading Israeli university has formalised an academic partnership with Nalanda University in India, marking a fresh step in growing educational ties between the two countries.
Nalanda University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) this week establishing a structured framework for faculty and student exchanges, joint research initiatives and collaborative teaching programmes.
The agreement was announced in Rajgir, Bihar, on Friday . In a statement, the Hebrew University expressed appreciation for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Israeli Knesset, describing the “deep partnership” between the two nations as one that is also reflected in the academic sphere.
University officials said the MoU builds on a series of recent academic engagements between the two institutions. Prof Guy Harpaz, vice-president for international affairs at the Hebrew University, led a delegation that met Nalanda’s vice-chancellor, Prof Sachin Chaturvedi, and faculty members to discuss areas of cooperation.
Earlier this month, Prof Eviatar Shulman, director of Buddhist studies and head of the Institute for the Study of History, Religion and Classics at the Hebrew University, delivered a distinguished lecture at Nalanda, further strengthening scholarly links.
Under the new agreement, both universities aim to promote academic mobility, integrated teaching and collaborative research, alongside broader civilisational dialogue between India and Israel.
Chaturvedi said the partnership would “strengthen the ancient bonds between the two countries, create better research opportunities and provide new direction to students’ research skills, innovation capabilities and career prospects”.
Both institutions said they expected the collaboration to advance research excellence and intercultural understanding, and to build what they described as enduring academic bridges between the two nations.
