February 24, 2025
U of I System, Hebrew University launch fourth round of joint R&D teams
The University of Illinois System and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem recently awarded a total of $200,000 to four new interdisciplinary research teams that will drive innovations and advance collaboration between the universities. The projects are the fourth round of a joint research and innovation seed grant program that began in 2019.
The initiative seeks to accelerate economic development through the development of innovative technologies, building on talent, innovations and resources from the two universities. Funding for the program comes from The Hebrew University`s International Office and its Authority for R&D, and the University of Illinois System’s Office of the President and Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation.
The newly funded projects will focus on the limiting factors and efficiency of carbon sequestration; developing flexible batteries for wearable electronics; enabling long-context reasoning in large language models; and visually augmented language models.
“The proposals we receive for this seed grant program are truly innovative,” said Jay Walsh, the U of I System’s vice president for economic development and innovation. “I am impressed by the new knowledge that previous research projects have developed and the significant impact each could have. We expect that these newly funded projects will lead to breakthrough discoveries. This seed grant program is a cornerstone in the partnership we continue to build with Hebrew University, its faculty and its students.”
