BIRAX: a new academic partnership between the UK and Israel

A new partnership programme to enhance research and academic cooperation between the UK and Israel was announced during British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s visit to Israel last month.  The Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) will build and strengthen the already excellent academic links between universities in the UK and Israel, and will award grants to junior academics for research and exchange opportunities. Read more

Britain and Israel to start negotiations for Film Co-Production Treaty

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also announced the UK government’s commitment to start negotiations for a Britain-Israel Film Co-Production treaty. The announcement was welcomed by the British and Israeli film industries, and by the British Council who have worked with the Israeli film industry for many years, producing our annual British Film Festival and supporting exchange and collaboration between Israeli and British professionals through the BI ARTS programme.

Israeli stage artists to participate in a stage combat workshop in the UK

Stage combat - the art of presenting physical violence onstage in a safe yet dramatically effective manner - has become an internationally recognised theatrical discipline and is being taught in the UK at leading drama schools. For the past year we have supported collaboration with the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC) to develop this art in Israel. Supported by BI-ARTS, three Israeli stage artists will be travelling to the UK for a two weeks intensive stage combat workshop at BASSC. This follows the visit of two BASSC senior instructors to Nissan Nativ studio last January, and will be followed by the first BASSC certification workshop in Israel to be held next winter. 4-15 August, London

LOFT: Leap of Faith Together

The British Council and Mossawa, the Advocacy Centre for Arab Citizens in Israel, are recruiting participants for the LOFT (Leap of Faith Together) project, which promotes intercultural dialogue through a community volunteering scheme aimed at young leaders who want to make a positive difference in society. Eight young people will be recruited from each participating country. If you would like to take part in a LOFT project, please visit this page to apply. Applicants in Israel should apply to the British Council by Sunday, 10 August

Joining the Intercultural Navigators Facilitator Network

We have launched a new series of English learning global products, aimed at both teachers and learners. The use of existing and new technologies means we can reach as wide an audience as possible, as well as allowing us to represent UK innovation and new approaches to learning. We have developed LearnEnglish Audio to help young people who have grown up with technology to learn English outside the classroom, as well as Premier Skills, a face-to-face training course combining football coaching and English. Finally, we have created an island on Second Life for Teens where young people (13-17 years-old) can practise their English and meet other learners of English in a safe social-networking virtual environment. Contact us to find out more about our English learning materials.