October 15, 2026 – Tel Aviv University (TAU) and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) today announced the launch of The Nancy and Stephen Grand UCSF-TAU Collaborative Initiative in Computational Biology, Drug Discovery, and Artificial Intelligence. The new three-year research partnership was made possible by a generous grant from the Stephen and Nancy Grand Charitable Trust.

The initiative, founded by TAU’s Blavatnik School of Computer Science and the Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF, will be co-directed by Professor Ron Shamir, Professor of Computer Science and Bioinformatics and Founder of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Bioinformatics, and Professor Nevan Krogan, Director of QBI.

This effort will bring together leading scientists from both universities to deepen understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying human disease and accelerate the development of innovative diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventive strategies. By combining UCSF’s strength in biomedical research and translational medicine with TAU’s recognized expertise in computational biology and artificial intelligence, the collaboration aims to advance discoveries that improve human health.

Key goals of the initiative include:

• Accelerating the discovery and development of new drugs and therapies
• Advancing understanding of disease mechanisms to improve diagnostics, prevention, and treatment
• Applying artificial intelligence and computational approaches to biomedical research
• Fostering scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange between leading researchers at TAU and UCSF
  
  “My husband, Stephen, believed deeply in Israel’s capacity for improving the world through scientific and medical advancement,” said Nancy Grand, “and we are especially grateful for the opportunity to further his legacy by supporting a collaboration between two premier institutions, one in the city that we have called home for many years and the other in the homeland to which Stephen was committed throughout his lifetime.” 
  
  “This collaboration brings together world class researchers with complementary strengths in computational biology, artificial intelligence, and biomedical science. We are deeply grateful to the Stephen and Nancy Grand Charitable Trust for making this initiative possible and enabling discoveries that have the potential to transform lives around the world,” said Professor Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University.
  
  The collaboration builds on longstanding scientific ties between researchers at the two institutions, further strengthened by joint symposia on computational biology and drug discovery held in 2019 and 2023 and collaborative research collaborations. The gift creates a framework for deeper cooperation and knowledge exchange between researchers at both institutions.  
  
  By bringing together leading researchers from Israel and the United States, TAU and UCSF reaffirm their shared commitment to scientific excellence, open inquiry, and the belief that research partnerships can advance discoveries that benefit humanity.

About Tel Aviv University (TAU):
TAU is a globally ranked research University and is Israel’s largest public institution of higher learning, with 30,000 students, including 2,100 international students from over 100 countries. The University encompasses nine faculties, 35 schools, and 400 labs, and it has 17 affiliated hospitals in its network.

About UCSF and QBI:
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.

The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) is a University of California organized research unit reporting through the UCSF School of Pharmacy. QBI fosters collaborations across the biomedical and physical sciences to advance interdisciplinary approaches to human disease and therapeutic discovery. QBI’s disease-agnostic, uniquely integrated technological platforms have generated insights across cancer, neurodegeneration, and infectious diseases, leading to the formation of spinout companies, including Rezo Therapeutics. QBI incorporates the UCSF division of QB3, a multicampus UC institute that supports bioscience research and innovation in California. Learn more at qbi.ucsf.edu.