Evogene announced a strategic joint initiative with the Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery (BCDD) at Tel Aviv University. The partnership will focus on accelerating the growth and development on small-molecule drug discovery at the Israeli academic research ecosystem.

Evogene is a computational chemistry company the works with AI for the generative design on small molecules in the pharmaceutical and agricultural space.

What are the goals of the Evogene and Blavatnik partnership?

In a press release, Ofer Haviv, president and CEO of Evogene, said, "Israel's academic institutions generate world-class discoveries and novel therapeutic targets. However, many entrepreneurs and researchers face significant hurdles in transforming these scientific insights into viable drug development programs. Through this collaboration with the Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery, we are creating a unique framework that combines advanced AI-driven computational chemistry with world-class experimental validation capabilities. This collaboration represents an excellent way to broaden the pipeline of drug candidates developed by Evogene's unique technology. Researchers focused on biological targets, particularly molecular glues and complex proteins, and interested in identifying small-molecule therapeutics are invited to contact the Blavatnik Institute. We look forward to identifying suitable projects for potential joint support."

In the same press release, the Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery’s managing director Leah Klapper added, “The Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery was established to advance pioneering medical research from the lab to patient treatment. Our mission has always been to bridge the gap between outstanding academic science and real-world therapeutic innovation. By partnering with Evogene, and leveraging their cutting-edge ChemPass AI™ engine, we can provide researchers and entrepreneurs with a comprehensive drug discovery pipeline. This platform uniquely combines deep biological expertise, experimental validation, and advanced computational chemistry. We believe this collaboration will significantly strengthen the ability of academic-originated ventures to translate breakthrough discoveries into successful therapeutic programs, ultimately improving patient outcomes."

How else has Evogene worked to advance its AI platform?

This is Evogene’s latest partneship to push its AI-drive small molecule discovery platform. In June of this year, the company announced that it had hit a major milestone in its partnership with Google Cloud.

The two companies partnered to advance the possibility of autonomous small molecule discovery and optimization. In June, they announced the successful integration of agentic computational systems into its platform.

In a press release issued at the time, Haviv said, “This milestone advances our vision to redefine molecular discovery and optimization through AI. Google Cloud’s technology provides a robust foundation for scaling these capabilities across our pipeline and future collaborations. By integrating advanced AI agents into ChemPass AI™, we believe we can generate richer target profiles earlier in discovery. This is intended to allow us to anticipate downstream requirements and prioritize high-potential candidates before committing significant resources, with the goal of moving us closer to autonomous computational systems that predict key success requirements at the earliest stages. As we enter this next phase, we believe these new capabilities may position us to address complex proteins that currently represent a challenge in the development of new therapies.”

Boaz Maoz, managing director at Google Cloud Israel, also added, “We are excited to see how Evogene is leveraging Google Cloud’s full AI stack to redefine the life sciences sector. By using our Gemini models and embarking on agentic AI, Evogene is positioned to innovate and significantly accelerate the discovery of new molecules, demonstrating the transformative power of AI in streamlining complex biological and chemical research.”

Sources

1. Evogene and Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery Announce Joint Initiative to Accelerate AI-Driven Small-Molecule Drug Discovery. Evogene, Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery. July 8, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/evogene-and-tel-aviv-universitys-blavatnik-center-for-drug-discovery-announce-joint-initiative-to-accelerate-ai-driven-small-molecule-drug-discovery-302820619.html
2. Evogene Announces Major Milestone in Its Collaboration with Google Cloud, Advancing ChemPass AI™ Toward Autonomous Small Molecule Discovery and Optimization. Evogene. June 24, 2026. Accessed July 7, 2026. https://evogene.com/newsroom/press-release/evogene-announces-major-milestone-in-its-collaboration-with-google-cloud-advancing-chempass-ai-toward-autonomous-small-molecule-discovery-and-optimization/