Rafael Defense to Open R&D Facility in Beer-Sheva
Rafael Defense to Open R&D Facility in Beer-Sheva
September 12, 2017
Homeland & Cyber Security, Robotics & High-Tech
Globes–Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. announced it will open a research and development branch next year at the Advanced Technologies Park (ATP), adjacent to the Marcus Family Campus at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beer-Sheva. More than 2,000 engineers are already employed at the park.
Beer-Sheva’s Advanced Technologies Park
“Rafael’s presence in the ATP is another indicator of trust in the power of the University’s research, and in our vision to create the ATP, which is the product of a partnership with the Beer-Sheva municipality, Gav-Yam and the Israeli government,” said BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi.
“The international companies recognize the potential and come to Beer-Sheva because of the skills and innovation here.”
Over the past year, the Beer-Sheva municipality and the management of Rafael have held intensive discussions about developing a major presence in the southern capital to expand the potential human resources available to the company, primarily from BGU, in technological fields such as mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. The University produces around a third of Israel’s engineers each year.
Rafael designs, develops, manufactures, and supplies a wide range of high-tech defense systems for air, land, sea, and space applications. The company has more than 7,500 employees, 65 percent of whom hold academic degrees in science and engineering. About 300 of them hold Ph.D.s.
Beer-Sheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich said, “Over the past year, we held feverish talks with the management of Rafael and its chief executive officer, and to my great delight, the board of directors took a strategic decision regarding the company’s future development. Rafael is a magnificent company, a technological giant, and this decision reinforces Beer-Sheva’s place as a high-tech capital.
“This is an additional technological anchor that transforms Beer-Sheva into an international center of knowledge, technology and cyber security, to which companies flock from all over the world.”
Read the full story on the Globes website>>
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