The Technion campus on Mount Carmel, Haifa. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The Technion — Israel Institute of Technology will join the EuroTech Universities Alliance in January, a strategic partnership of five leading European schools focused on science and technology.

Jan Mengelers, president of the alliance, called the Technion a “perfect match” in a statement announcing the decision last week. The Haifa-based school “is a striking example of how excellent fundamental science translates into impact,” boasting 84 European Research Council grants under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 and 7th Framework Program for research and development, as well as 90 spin-off companies, the alliance said.

Technion’s president, Prof. Peretz Lavie, said in the statement that his school will “bring the ‘Technion way’ of doing things to this partnership: reaching our goals faster and with less resources.”

“The combination with the great strengths of the other members of the alliance, which comprises an elite group of European universities similar to Technion, will help us ensure we are at the forefront of scientific research, benefiting millions worldwide,” Lavie added.

The alliance was first formed in 2011 with the Technical University of Denmark, Technical University of Munich, Eindhoven University of Technology of the Netherlands, and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne of Switzerland. France’s Ecole Polytechnique joined in June.

Founded in 1912, the Technion is Israel’s oldest university and offers degrees in science, engineering, and related fields. In 2018 it was ranked the 77th best university in the world by the prestigious Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai Ranking, securing its spot as Israel’s top school for the third consecutive year.