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 Dear Friends,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the MIXiii BIOMED 2018, the 17th National Life Sciences & Technology Week in Israel. This annual conference and exhibition is one of the world's largest and leading life science industry events, presenting the latest global developments in biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and digital health.
With its famous technology-driven economy and innovative startups, Israel is at the cutting edge in the biomedical industry and pioneers endeavors to enhance global healthcare and nutrition. The country has over 1,200 ventures developing breakthrough, commercially-viable technologies, products and services in life science related sectors and nearly 100 new startups in this sector are founded each year.
Israel has become a global center for excellence in biotech, medical devices and digital health due to the country's first-class universities and colleges as well as the country's celebrated startup entrepreneurial spirit. Israel's first-class institutes of higher education educate a highly skilled workforce and conduct cutting-edge research in the life sciences, which together with hundreds of startups generate more patents per-capita than any other country in the world in such areas as medicine, biochemistry and agriculture.
The Israeli government is a major player in developing the life science industry. Motivated by long-term development needs and the capital required to fund high-risk projects, the Ministry of Economy and Industry makes generous investments to help finance the huge costs involved in this sector and bridge the chasm between R&D and the market. With private investors, we launched a $222 million venture capital fund dedicated to biomedical startups that was so successful that the investors launched an additional $307 million fund.
Through the Israel Innovation Center headed by the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, we share the risks in biomedical enterprises with potential by providing incentives that include generous grants and loans. The Israel Innovation Center has also established and oversees a national network of incubators to nurture startups, many of them dedicated to the life sciences, and forms consortia to bring together academia and industry. We have also signed many international agreements which fund joint projects between Israeli firms and overseas partners.
Government funding and Israel's high-tech knowhow and entrepreneurial spirit have transformed hundreds of innovative ideas into profitable products not only in the biomedical sector but also in ICT, big data, Internet and mobile communications, cybersecurity, semiconductors, smart car technology, cleantech and homeland security. These products earn Israel billions of dollars in annual export sales and attract billions of dollars more in investments from leading global corporations, VC and investments funds, and through the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and stock markets worldwide.
This publication provides a comprehensive overview of Israel's life science industries and biomedical sector, focusing on the enormous potential and investment opportunities offered by the latest products, systems and devices.
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