Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center (ICRC) at Tel Aviv University fosters interdisciplinary scientific research on information age, digital transformation and cybersecurity. Led by Prof. Maj.-Gen. Isaac Ben-Israel, Blavatnik ICRC operates a research fund, competitively awarding fundamental and applied research grants, and organizes outreach activities.
Since 2014, Blavatnik ICRC has awarded $8 million in research funding to 250 researchers, 2/3 of them come from the Exact Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and 1/3 from Social, Law, Behavior, Management, Health and other scientific disciplines. Blavatnik ICRC has directly supported:
- 95 funded research projects
- 196 Principle Investigators (PI), including 80+ worldwide
- 220+ Graduate students
Impact and outreach
Blavatnik ICRC funding enabled international academic collaboration, such as Joint Cyber Lab with Italy, joint research with Universities in Singapore, Japan, Germany, USA and more. Sixty-five of the Principle Investigators are faculty of leading research institutions that teamed up with Tel Aviv University scientists.
Initial scientific outputs reveal the extensive scope and impact of Blavatnik ICRC research. In addition to scientific rigor, funded researchers have shaped policy in fields as diverse as
- bulk internet traffic hijacking
- cryptocurrency manipulation and Bitcoin regulation
- national security strategy
- threat information sharing between competitors
Blavatnik ICRC organizes and hosts the Cyber Week: the esteemed series of conferences, workshops and community events held annually at Tel Aviv University. Collaborating with the National Cyber Directorate, Prime Minister Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cyber Week attracted more than 8,000 attendees from over 80 countries in June 2018, bringing together a variety of industry, policy and technology leaders to Israel.
Blavatnik ICRC rigorous research and impactful outreach attract external research funding and continue to bolster Tel Aviv University’s recognition as one of the world’s leading cyber research centers.