Bar Ilan University has received the largest donation in the university’s history, amounting to about NIS 1 billion ($260 million), from an anonymous benefactor’s legacy, the university’s president, Professor Ali Zaban, announced.
The donation will be used to recruit dozens of talented researchers in deep-tech science fields such as energy, environment, cryptography, bioconvergence, quantum, AI, natural language processing, etc. Additionally, Bar-Ilan will use the funds to set up advanced research labs, support the advancement of graduate students, and create an innovation hub in collaboration with external parties from the high-tech industry, the public sector, and the health system.
The donor, who asked to remain anonymous, was a North American Jew, a graduate of Columbia University who “served in World War II.” According to the university, the donor “saw Israel as a safe haven for the Jewish people and was committed to its economic and social stability.”
This is the second-largest donation ever made to an Israeli academic community. The largest donation, $400 million, was given to Ben-Gurion University by the estate of Holocaust survivors Dr. Howard and Lottie Marcus of California, to set up a development endowment for the university.
“The donor, with his extensive academic knowledge, believed that the development of Israel’s technological resilience depends primarily on breakthrough science. During his visit to Israel, he recognized that Bar-Ilan University has had a significant impact in key sectors due to its science-based infrastructure and deep connections with all sectors of Israeli society,” Professor Zaban said. “Today, more than ever, Israel needs support and investment in science and human capital. Our research-driven technological resilience is key to a thriving society and economy.”
