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Israel-India
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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