Representatives from five British universities have travelled to Israel to explore the country’s academic opportunities for British students.

Officials from Nottingham, Sussex, City, Essex and Cardiff Universities — members of the UK Study in Israel Delegation — spent five days touring campuses, including the University of Haifa, Ben Gurion and the Technion Institute.

The visit was organised by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Vincenzo Raimo, director of Nottingham’s international office, the relationships forged by the delegation would encourage a greater flow of British students into Israel — and of Israeli students in the opposite direction.

He said: “The quality of institutions in Israel is super. There are some really world-class places there, and I think the UK would be mad to ignore them.

“We had a lot of enquiries from Israeli students while we were there about opportunities to come to the UK, which was really positive.

“Both Israel and the UK have a lot to offer each other and we should spend more time talking to each other.”