Israel India | Business Guide | 2017

074 > ICT > Technology Collaboration Israel-India > Business Guide > 2017 result, while the rest of the world benefits from a truly global innovation ecosystem, LMICs do not. The Pears Program for Global Innovation at Tel Aviv University works closely with Israeli innovators,companies and government bodies in order to try to address these barriers. It provide pro bono consulting services to Israeli tech start-ups and companies with LMIC solutions,help develop new companies through the Pears Challenge Venture Builder for Israeli ventures targeting LMIC needs,and work with the government to develop policies and funds to support Israeli development technology start-ups. Over the past 8 years of work, there has been a rapid growth in the number of Israeli start-ups targeting the needs of developing countries.However,the potential has not been tapped andwork needs to be done. This is where Indian-Israeli collaboration can play a major role. India, like Israel, is an innovation superpower.Unlike Israel,however, its greatest powers lie not in its ability to produce cutting-edge technologies but in its ability to produce breakthrough products and services with the potential for enormous impact on lower income people worldwide, and in its distribution networks to disseminate these solutions. India has long understood its potential role as a gateway to emerging markets. Israel is just waking up its need for such a gateway.By working together,we can harness the best of both innovation ecosystems in order to create profitable companies with breakthrough technologies that transform the lives of people worldwide. The potential value of joining forces for global impact is clear.The question,however,is how. How do we go about bringing together Israeli and Indian innovators? How do we connect between Israeli innovation and Indian corporates with the knowledge of LMIC needs and distribution networks necessary tomeet them? How do we give Israeli and Indian innovators alike access to the mentorship and expertise they need to develop their ideas, find partners and finance. As India and Israel celebrate their relationship to date,and prepare for the next 25 years,finding the right answers to these questions can lead to an explosion of innovation,bringing clean water,affordable healthcare,telecommunications and sustainable agriculture to the people in the world who need it most. The Author is Head of the Pears Program for Global Innovation atTel AvivUniversity Images from the Med4Dev Hackathon Competition organized by Pears Program for Global Development between Management Students from Israel and India in 2016 Dance & games at the end of the competition Israeli winners of the Med4Dev Hackathon Competition