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TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY LEADS THE WAY IN
ANNOUNCED RESEARCH PROJECTS GOING TO SPACE

Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University salutes faculty and students for their outsized involvement in upcoming Rakia Mission, supported, in part, by Canadian donors

(MONTREAL/TORONTO) – Canadian supporters of Tel Aviv University are rejoicing in the wake of the announcement showing TAU having the largest presence in Israel’s planned Rakia space exploration mission than any other of the country’s institutions of higher learning.

Last Wednesday, at a press conference in Tel Aviv, the Ramon Foundation and Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology announced the 44 Israeli-developed experiments that will be part of the Rakia Mission to the International Space Station early next year. TAU figures prominently in the list of research projects selected for their potential for technological, scientific and medical breakthroughs and their promise of economic impact. In total, TAU and its affiliated hospitals are involved in 16 projects.

Projects are divided into six subcategories: astrophysics, optics, engineering, medicine, renewable energies, and agriculture. Together they reflect a wide spectrum of scientific and technological disciplines – including radiation, genomics, immunology, neural functioning, quantum communication, astrophysics, agri-tech, communications, optics, ophthalmology, medical devices and disease research. The experiments, most of which are life support systems, will likely impact the next generation of space travel, especially the health of future astronauts, and will also have significant influence on terrestrial industries.

Competition for inclusion on the mission was intense. Making the selection were members of Rakia’s Scientific and Technological Committee, comprised of leading figures from Israeli academia, industry and government. It’s led by Inbal Kreiss, a space industry expert and head of the Innovation Systems Missiles and Space Division at Israel Aerospace Industries.

CFTAU’s leadership congratulates TAU on reaching new heights in its achievements, to which many Canadians have contributed generously.

“Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University is proud to support this historic initiative and support the ground-breaking research being done at Tel Aviv University,” says Stephen Adler, Executive Director, CFTAU, Ontario and Western Canada. “These projects, aided by financial support from donors across Canada are proof that the dynamic, entrepreneurial, innovative spirit of Tel Aviv University reaches beyond our universe and is global in impact.” 

Reflecting its mandate, CFTAU derives great satisfaction in supporting TAU researchers in all of their endeavours. For the entire CFTAU team, it’s gratifying to see TAU students and faculty members who have always reached for the stars now reach those stars.

“We were truly impressed to learn that so many Tel Aviv University research projects are among the diverse experiments chosen from Israel’s finest institutions to be part of the upcoming Rakia Mission,” says Sharon J. Fraenkel, Executive Director, CFTAU, Ottawa, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. “One of the projects actually started 19 years ago involving TAU Prof. Colin Price who worked with the late Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut and a TAU alum, on the 2003 mission that ended with a tragic accident. It is something special to continue Ilan Ramon’s legacy and TAU’s connection on this new mission.”

About Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University

With offices in Toronto and Montreal, CFTAU provides direct funding support for the educational and research goals of Tel Aviv University, Israel’s largest and most comprehensive institution of higher learning. CFTAU facilitates academic and research partnerships between Canada and Israel as well as establishing scholarships, supporting research, cultivating student and faculty exchanges and recruiting Canadian students to participate in the TAU International Program.


For more information, please contact:

Stephen J. Adler
Executive Director
Ontario and Western Canada
Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University
Phone: 416.787.6868
stephen@cftau.ca

(Mr.) Sharon J. Fraenkel
Executive Director
Ottawa, Quebec and Atlantic Canada
Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University
Phone: 514.344.3417 ext. 350
sharon@cftau.ca          

Ontario and Western Canada

3130 Bathurst Street, Suite, 214, Toronto, ON | M6A 2A1 
Phone: 416.787.9930 | Toll Free: 833.32.CFTAU (22328)
Email: toronto@cftau.ca

Ottawa, Quebec and Atlantic Canada

6900 Boulevard Décarie, Suite 3480, Montreal, QC | H3X 2T8
Phone: 514.344.3417
Email: montreal@cftau.ca