 |
| |
 |
Dear Friends,
Israel is recognized as a global leader in developing innovative and breakthrough technologies to manage scarce water resources. These solutions include drip irrigation, desalination, water reclamation and purification, and improved management and flow control methods.
I am honored to welcome you to the MIXiii BIOMED 2017 conference and exhibition in Israel. This annual event in Israel is one of the world’s top life science industry gatherings, showcasing the latest developments in biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and digital health.
Israel is a global leader in biomedical technologies and is in the forefront of cutting edge efforts to improve global healthcare and nutrition. The country has over 1,400 ventures pioneering innovative and commercially-viable technologies, products and services in life science related sectors and nearly 100 new startups in this sector are founded each year.
Israel’s leading position in biotech, medical devices and digital health stems from the country’s first-class universities and colleges combined with the entrepreneurial spirit. These quality institutes of higher education train a highly skilled workforce and conduct pioneering research in the life sciences, which together with hundreds of start-ups generate more patents per-capita than any other country in the world in such areas as medicine, biochemistry and agriculture.
The Israeli government plays a vital role in nurturing the life science industry. Driven by long-term development needs and the capital required to fund high-risk projects, the Ministry of Economy and Industry makes invaluable investments to help finance the huge costs involved in this unique sector and bridge the wide gap between R&D and reaching the market. Together with private investors, we launched a $222 million venture capital fund dedicated to biomedical startups.
Through the recently established 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 set up 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 combined with Israel’s high-tech knowhow and entrepreneurial spirit have transformed hundreds of innovative ideas into profitable products not only in the biomedical industry but also in ICT, big data, Internet and mobile communications, cybersecurity, semiconductors, the automobile industry, 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 serves as a comprehensive introduction to Israel’s life science industries and provides information about Israel’s biomedical sector, focusing on the huge potential and investment opportunities offered by the latest products and devices.
|
|
|
