California and Israel have reached a new agreement to collaborate on stem cell research.

The partnership between California’s state stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Israel’s Industry Center for R&D paves the way for future joint research into stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine, according to a press release from the Consulate General of Israel for the Pacific Northwest.

Gili Ovadia

The press release was issued this week to announce the Dec. 5 signing of the agreement in San Francisco.

“It represents the practical expression of shared interests that is unusual for its depth and range,” Andy David, Israel’s S.F.-based consul general, said in the release. “Israel and California are on opposite corners of the globe geographically, but they are practically coming closer every day.”

The agreement will allow California and Israeli re-searchers to seek joint research funding and share knowledge in the field, according to the release. The agreement builds upon a partnership between Israel and California ushered in with the March signing of a memo of understanding between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gov. Jerry Brown.

The signing ceremony was scheduled to include Michel Hivert, the managing director of MATIMOP, a government agency in Israel that guides cooperation between Israel and foreign enterprises.

Gili Ovadia, the San Francisco director of Israel’s Economic Mission to the West Coast, said the joint effort to find “vital cures is inspiring.”