BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY | THE WAY FORWARD

is anticipating the arrival of the second cohort of Ecuadorian students who will begin their studies in the 2026-27 academic year and build the institute’s research capacity further. Partnership Between the Next-Generation Cities Institute and the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change Established in 2023 with donor support, the partnership between the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change and Concordia University’s Next-Generation Cities Institute brings together two institutions with a shared commitment to developing innovative solutions for sustainable, smart, and affordable urban development. Living labs established in Eilat and Montreal serve as real-world testbeds where researchers,

students, municipalities, and industry partners collaborate to develop, evaluate, and implement technologies that address pressing urban sustainability challenges. The partnership, which provides access to advanced software platforms, modeling tools, and analytical technologies developed at Concordia, enabling their implementation in Israel (often for the first time), has expanded BGU’s capacity to address the unique environmental and urban challenges of the Negev. Despite the challenges posed by the international climate following the events of October 7th, the collaboration has continued with ongoing joint research, workshops, virtual meetings, and student exchanges, establishing a lasting framework for scientific cooperation, innovation, and mutual learning.

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