The first meeting of the AASPIRE Network - Abraham Accords Science Partnership for Innovation and Research Excellence, was held in late January in Abu Dhabi. The Network was initiated by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and various non-governmental partners from across the region.

The meeting took place on January 28-30, 2026, at leading academic institutions in Abu Dhabi and brought together about 25 presidents and key senior figures of national academies of sciences, universities, science policy bodies, and stakeholders from the research, innovation and technology commercialization communities, representing the U.S. and Abraham Accords countries - Morocco, Bahrain, the UAE, Kazakhstan and Israel.

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities was represented by its President, Prof. David Harel, together with the Director of International Affairs, Liat Mandelbaum Shor. From Israel, additional participants included Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, President of Ben Gurion University of the Negev, and Prof. Mina Teicher, former Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Science.

Discussions focused on developing a regional framework for scientific, research and commercial-industrial cooperation, and on identifying shared priority areas, including health, energy, water, agriculture, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Participants agreed on the continued activity of the AASPIRE network, as an ongoing collaborative platform for regional scientific engagement.

As a result of the meeting, a charter was formulated, setting out the core principles that will guide AASPIRE: integrity, reciprocity, transparency and openness. The Charter outlines a vision of a region in which science and innovation serve as engines for prosperity, stability and long-term cooperation among the Abraham Accords countries, spearheaded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Participants expressed hope that additional countries from the region would join the Network in the future. Beyond the formal outcomes, the meeting fostered strong professional ties between the Israel Academy and other participants, laying the foundations for future joint initiatives.

Prof. David Harel, President of the Israel Academy, and Prof. Ebrahim Al Hajri, President of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, at the AASPIRE network meeting in Abu Dhabi


Some of the participants of the inaugural AASPIRE network meeting in Abu Dhabi, January 2026