UK and Israel commit to tech partnership

On Wednesday, the UK and Israel agreed a plan to strengthen cooperation in numerous tech sectors, at the first UK Israel Tech Council. The Council, meeting in London, brought together top business leaders and officials from both countries to develop an ambitious strategy for creating the UK/Israel tech partnership.

The first annual meeting of the UK-Israel Tech Council was held in the historic Lancaster House in London, co-chaired by UK Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts and Israel’s Chief Scientist Avi Hasson.

The Council agreed some key sectors for the two countries to focus on, where the UK and Israeli economies match each other particularly well. These include digital, water tech, life sciences, creative industries and financial services. The Council also identified possible barriers to closer working and considered ways of overcoming them including regular Ministerial visits, sector-focussed trade delegations in both directions, and a joint effort by both governments to stimulate collaboration.

The Council is comprised of 35 high-ranking business leaders and senior officials, including British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould and Minister for Trade & Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Israel, Noah Shani, Yossi Vardi, Israel Makov, David Rowan as well as senior executives from Virgin Media, Google, Alcatel Lucent, Amadeus Capital, NICE Systems, Pitango Venture Capital and other leading corporations and investment funds.

Minister Willetts said after the meeting: “Israel has an impressive record of research and development and this should in turn be an important driver of UK economic growth. Today’s launch of the UK-Israel Tech Council was another key step in forging our partnership and bringing together our leading companies. Our ambition is to encourage Israeli entrepreneurs to go beyond the default option of partnering with the United States and also persuade British businesses to look seriously at what Israel has to offer.”

Israel’s Chief Scientist Avi Hasson said: "Research has shown that international cooperation in technology and innovation is an effective way of reaching economic growth and promoting job creation for both countries involved. I believe that the Israeli and British technological and scientific ecosystems are complementary.

"A joint effort by both the private and public sectors is required in order to remove existing barriers and make sure that we take advantage of the real partnership and cooperation that can be achieved in these areas, for the benefit of both countries. I hope that the first meeting of the council is just a first step on the way to a successful and long lasting platform for tech cooperation between our countries."