Detroit Jewish News: Beer-Sheva, Israel’s Innovation Capital
Detroit Jewish News: Beer-Sheva, Israel’s Innovation Capital
July 26, 2022
Homeland & Cyber Security, Negev Development & Community Programs, Robotics & High-Tech
The Detroit Jewish News —Currently, Beer-Sheva is home to the world’s first Innovation Center for Climate Change, specializing in desert technology.
Beer-Sheva is not on most visitors’ itinerary to Israel, but once arriving at what was often regarded as a sleepy desert outpost in Israel’s socio-economic periphery, the visitor now finds Israel’s innovation capital. The capital of Israel’s Negev is developing a most impressive 650-acre innovation district that will connect the city’s academic institutions, industry and the community, focusing on digital health solutions, desert technologies and cyber.
Over seven decades after Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion advocated the potential of the desert, BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz says it very clearly: “The innovation district is no longer a project but a significant landmark in the emerging history of the State of Israel and the Negev area in particular. I can already envision how the district will look: the whole area will be bustling with activity: innovative projects, promising new startups, technological and scientific advancements, blooming research, and multiple projects and collaborations that will be realized. Something big is about to happen…It will set the stage for ongoing action toward fulfilling earlier dreams.”
Gav-Yam Negev Technology Park in Beer-Sheva
Currently, Beer-Sheva is home to the world’s first Innovation Center for Climate Change, specializing in desert technology. It will be joined by DeserTech, a newly launched desert technology company announced by the Israeli Innovation Institute. Following suit, the Israeli government declared Beer Sheba the Cyber Capital of Israel and went into action by moving the IDF technology and communications divisions to the Negev.
The cooperation between the city’s institutions, including BGU, with its 20,000 students, the Gav-Yam Technology Park and the Soroka Medical Center (serving a geographical area of over 60% of the area of Israel and over 1 million residents) as well as the IDF, is putting the city on the forefront of Israel’s innovation scene. The high-tech park is planned to include 15 buildings and employ over 10,000 high-tech workers. Recently, two large cyber companies, Cyberseason and CyberArk, announced establishing R&D centers in Beer-Sheva, joining companies such as IBM, Dell, Amazon, Cisco, Microsoft and Google along with hundreds of startups who have already created a presence in the city.
“It is in the Negev that the creativity and pioneer vigor of Israel shall be tested,” said David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister.
Read more in the Detroit Jewish News >>
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